Have a Plan, But Know it Can Change

November 24, 2021

This is something that is easier said than done. But it’s the grace we all deserve. This will be especially applicable to you if you are not a full time creative and have other responsibilities in your life which many, if not most, of us do!. If we are in a mentally, physically, emotionally difficult place then we will not do our best work. If something comes up that excites us creatively (last min tickets to show, a fun date etc) and we choose that over our creative goals one day that is okay! And I will say it;s something I encourage. Not every day but we definitely need to accept all the fun, messy, last-minute parts of life in order to be the best storytellers we can be. 

We all know I am a Virgo with anxiety so sometimes this is something I struggle with. But it helps when I keep this sentiment in mind during the planning process. While I am organizing my goals for the month or for a specific project i might say to myself, :This is the goal but if I need to adjust, I will adjust. 

Of course, if you have a deadline with an editor, theater company, or an accountability group, that might motivate you to push through the difficult things or adapt your plan in a way that might stress you out. Everything is always at your own discretion of course.

Why Planning out-loud is Better Than In Your Head

November 17, 2021

There is this trope in NYC where people “think actors are crazy” because they walk around talking to themselves as they memorize lines aloud. Why do we do this? The same reason why when I memorize lines I record myself reading the scene and then I listen to them. Somehow when I hear things, it’s easier for my brain to process (again there is probably like some sort of science around this but I got a C in science LOL). 

Planning your creative day or just speaking through a writer's block moment can be SO much more helpful than just thinking about the issue in your head. When we put words to emotions/tasks we can hear our plan a second time as we say it and really consider if that’s the way to go. 

For example if I think to myself, “I’m going to read 20 pages a day of this book on screenwriting this month.” I might think “yeah that sounds doable.” But if I start talking through the plan and say out loud, “Okay so for the whole month of November I am going to read 20 pages of my screenwriting book every day.” Personally, saying that outl oud puts in perspective for me that commitment in a way more daunting way. Does this mean I shouldn’t read my book every day? No! Does that mean that maybe I should try 10 pages a day? Or 20 pages 4 times a week? Maybe! Say it and see how you feel. 

And if I said “I’m going to read 20 pages a day each day for a month” and I don’t feel daunted? Great! Stick with that and make it your goal. 

Everything I am talking about here is about how to set ourselves up for creative SUCCESS!

On Paper Calendar v Virtual Calendar

November 10, 2021

As I’ve probably mentioned before I am a Virgo. Growing up I lived out of my planner for both school work and personal events! There is something about writing with a pen on paper that feels different than typing on a computer. Just me?? There is probably some psychology behind it but all I know is that it helps me with my creative process for a few reasons. 

1. Let’s say I decide that for one month I am going to write everyday for 30 minutes. If I use virtual calendar or chart to track this time, it tends to not be as exciting when I get to cross a task off. There is something about crossing something out on a to-do list or marking days off a calendar that feels like more of an accomplishment than just deleting a task from a document. This is of course, just my experience but I offer it to you as an option if you're finding it hard to complete your goals! Special bonus for anyone who listens to this podcast or reads the blog, I will give you my Creative Prompt and Calendar Template for FREE for the month of November. If you are hearing this, DM me on instagram or email me at JustStartStorytelling@gmail.com to get the freebie! 

2. If you have a paper calendar, you can post in a public place or somewhere where you HAVE to look at it each day. Maybe your calendar or creative goals live on the fridge, by the door, or on a board above your desk. Having a tangible, printed goal list or calendar will help remind you of your daily goals and encourage others you may live with to celebrate alongside you! 

3. It’s harder to change an on-paper calendar! On a computer you can copy, paste, delete and it;s out of sight out of mind! If you procrastinate a day of work and move it to the next day on paper, you have to cross out and rewrite it making the procrastination part blatantly obvious for the rest of the month. Not that we want to shame ourselves EVER. But if I see that at the end of the month I have 10 days where I scribbled out a task or procrastinated it this can tell me that either I didn’t give it my all this month or I set an unrealistic goal for myself and I can change it up moving forward. 

Try it out and let me know your thoughts!

Tips for Performing a Solo Show

November 3, 2021

Welcome back! We’ve been on a little bit of a hiatus. As you know or maybe know, I just closed a 4 week run of my original passion project. My solo show My Shiksa Boyfriend just had it’s *probably final* NYC run and I learned a lot that I’m excited to share with you. 

1. Even if the circumstances that are out of your control feel chaotic, if your story is clear and powerful the project will succeed. To be totally honest the venue was a little chaotic to work with but my producing team kept saying that “even if it’s just you on a stool with one light, it will be a good show.” SO the script is worth taking the time to work on and tighten up. Take the time to develop a show before going right to a production. My process with this script ranged from one night public performances to internal staged readings of me reading the script to 1:1 dramaturgy sessions. 

2. The audience really is the last piece of the puzzle. The audiences changed each night obviously and that did change the energy of the performance. Some nights audiences were VERY vocal. Some nights you could hear a pin drop. At the end of the day, the story stayed the same but my experience of the show shifted. Nothing was “good” or “bad” just different. You need to be able to honor your story regardless of audience reaction. 

3. Surrounding yourself with people who are on the side of the STORY is the most important. It’s not a good idea to hire your best friends or close colleagues unless you both believe in your story and are clear about what it is. My director for my show had been a supporter of each developmental version for 3 years! She made me feel safe in the process as a playwright and actor. Choosing your team and your production company is so important. 

There are a million things I could talk about but I would say these are the top 3 things I think are helpful to people who are developing their own solo show. If you have any specific questions for me PLEASE reach out. I want to be a resource and I want to hear your story.

Cliches that Work

August 25, 2021

Cliches are cliches for a reason. Very profound sentence, I know  LOL But it’s kinda true. I challenge you to try some of these tricks to get & stay motivated while working on your passion project:

1. It’s no secret that I love a good motivation quote. As a storyteller, words move and inspire me. And they might help you too. Even if you think they won’t, I invite you to try it. When was the last time you bought something you saw in an ad? How many times did you ignore the ad before you finally noticed it? Try putting a quote or a few inspiring words or your “why” on a sticky note and put it above your desk. Some days you might notice it and sometimes you might not. But I bet eventually you will believe it. 

2. Another cliche that totally works is a reward! Have something to look forward to after you finish a work session. A cookie, a walk, a nap, whatever works! 

3. Move your body. Work for 20 minutes, then do a few jumping jacks or take a short walk, do a few squats. Getting your body moving will get you out of your head and get those creative juices (and you know, your blood) flowing! Another option for this is trying a standing desk or swapping out your office chair for a yoga ball. CLICHE BUT TRUE! Trust me.

Follow the Feeling & the Story will Come

August 18, 2021

Follow the feeling. Ugh what do I even mean by that?? Well I wrote this title with the note “Marty Story” because I want to share with you a story about something that happened to me that gave me a lot of insight. So I guess I will just tell that story and let you decide if it’s helpful, but I think it will be!

During my 4 year process of writing my solo show My Shiksa Boyfriend, I hired Martin Moran (actor, writer and solo show performer) to do a dramaturgy session with me. If you don’t know Martin’s work you can find his plays and books All The Rage & The Tricky Part basically anywhere you find plays or books I think. Each title is the name of a play and book. ANYWAY 

We were sitting in a Pret A Manger (v fancy lol) in midtown and Marty was asking me questions about my stories and asking me “why” each story was included. I knew why each story I had written was relevant but I still felt like there was something missing and I could NOT figure out what it was. Marty asked me, “and what’s this part about your grandmother, tell me more about her.” As I started telling him about my grandmother’s story, I started crying. In the middle of this cafe. It caught me totally off guard! Marty said, “that’s something.” He said that the fact that I was so moved by talking about my grandmother meant that there was more story there that I hadn’t yet written/discovered. And he was RIGHT

The piece of story that I realized I had to add into my solo show was the pierce of intergenerational trauma and healing. That was a huge breakthrough that I am so grateful Marty helped me come to. Follow what moves you, and the story will follow.

What to Do When You Feel Unmotivated

August 11, 2021

Last week we talked about finding you “why.” And even if you have it storytelling can be really hard and tedious and sometimes boring. But if you told yourself I am committed to telling this story, you need to work on it even when you don’t feel 100% motivated. Here are 3 things I do when I don’t feel motivated but want to work on my project anyway:

1. Set a 5 minute timer and tell myself I am working for only 5 minutes. It’s such a small amount of time, and the idea that I can stop after 5 minutes motivated me to just focus for the 5. Most of the time, I get into a groove and end up working a little longer!) But even if you don’t, 5 minutes is still more than 0! 

2. Think back to the day I started. When I didn’t have anything on paper, or I hadn’t even decided to start. I really have made progress. Thinking about how daunting projects feel in the beginning can really put into perspective how much you have truly accomplished even a few days into a new project. 

3. Take my journal, notebook or laptop to a public space. Pre-covid it was coffee shops and during covid it was parks. Being around other people can get you out of your head in a way that sitting alone in a room can’t. You will feel sense of community, which might inspire you to work on your project. Because you are creating this to share a story and being around other people reminds you that everyone has a story. And yours is worth telling.

Also, at the end of the day you are allowed to take breaks! You will know whether or not you need to power though or take a break.

Before You Start, Know Your WHY

August 4,, 2021

This month we will be focusing on motivation. It’s a word that gets thrown around and was morphed into a hashtag that I also use and you probably have too…. #MotivationMonday! But what exactly does it mean? If you google it, the first definition that comes up is, “the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.” If we translate this into storytelling language, the motivation for telling your story is your “why.” Why am I telling this story now? Why do I have the need to tell it? If you get really clear on the “why” it will be way easier to self-motivate. It will also be easier to find your main event or the climax of your story. 

If you know WHY you are telling a story before you start writing it, you find your creative process flows a bit easier. BUT if your “why” changes at any point that is okay too. In order you start you need a “why” otherwise it will be hard to self-motivate. There is a difference between the stories you WANT to tell and the stories you NEED to tell. Both are valid but figure out which one you are working on & clarify the “why.”

Different Ways I’ve Told Stories & How I Can Help 

July 28, 2021

I don’t think I’ve ever talked about why I started this business and maybe a few months in is too late but here we are LOL 

My background is in education but I have always wanted to be a storyteller. Actually if you want to hear more about my background and how I got started in theater, you can listen to an interview I did on The Rehearsal Report Podcast here. But long story short, I knew from the moment I moved to NYC that I was going to have to create my own content and I was really excited about it! 

You can peruse my personal website for more info on each of these things but I have created projects in various different mediums including: a solo show, a podcast (before this one), a poetry manuscript, a children’s book manuscript, a voiceover demo, and a short film currently in pre-production. I’ve invested a lot of time and money to learn a lot of different things and I would love to help you figure out how best to tell your story. 

One thing to start pondering is why do I want to tell this story? And through whose eyes would this story be most effective? Is it a personal narrative? Is it a visual story? Is it vignettes? Once you start honing in on your “why” your story will tell which medium it wants to be told in. 

Still not sure or want to talk it out? Contact me! I offer 15 minutes free consultations.

How Your Learning Strategies Can Help You Create 

July 21, 2021

About two years ago I was working on this show in NYC. It was an experimental, monologue-heavy show and I was cast as the lead. I did not leave the stage for 75 minutes and I only didn’t talk for 4 pages. Needless to say the imposter syndrome kicked in and I was PANICKED about how I was going to memorize this beast of a show. Sitting with the lines by myself, reading them, analysing them only took me so far because I am an auditory learner. 

In college people would say, “just skip the lecture and read the chapters.” This was not an option for me because I could NOT retain information from reading. I learned the best from lectures, guest speakers or group project work. I have to hear and speak information to truly absorb it. 

For that difficult show, thankfully my partner helped me run lines almost everyday, but I also found an app called LineLearner where I recorded all of my lines and listened to them on repeat. By using my learning style in my acting job, I was able to memorize these lines even before my rehearsal deadline. 

SO when you are working on your creative project, consider how your learning style might make your creative process flow more easily. Maybe telling your story outlook, recording it and then transcribing it is a good option. What about writing it out by hand? Or maybe hearing someone else read your work out loud while you take notes will be helpful? Get creative in a way that is best for you!

Don’t Start One Because You’re Bored

July 14, 2021

But Arielle your motto is “everyone has a story” what do you mean don’t start a passion project because you’re bored? I’m glad you asked, hypothetical audience in my mind!  

Everyone has a story but if you’re thinking about trying to come up with a story because you are bored and have nothing else to do, it’s going to be harder to stay on-task. This doesn’t mean that you should not be writing for fun or because you’re bored; what I mean is that when you start a passion project that you really want to invest time and energy into, it’s going to feel different. I have plenty of scripts that I have started for fun or written parts of because I was bored. But I knew that I wanted to invest my time and money long-term into my solo show because I had something really important that I had learned and that I wanted to say. 

Those are the projects to invest your time and money into. The stories that you NEED to tell, not that you just WANT to tell.  Does that make sense?

Waiting for the Sign, IS the Sign

July 6, 2021

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I just need a sign that I am on the right path” or “Waiting for a sign from the universe that my story is worth my time”? Or if you aren’t spiritual this question might come to you in the form of “I need to just take one more class before I am ready to take my project seriously.” 

As someone who has taken MANY classes during various passion project journeys there is always more to learn. Classes are great but the times I have learned the most, and learned the most quickly was by actually doing. If you are thinking about starting a passion project or you have an idea that you want to explore I invite you to Just Start. You can always take classes along the way. 

When I first started writing my solo show in preparation for a Solo Show Workshop class I was confident in my story but I was going to class to learn the structure. If I had gone into that class with only an idea of a show and no tangible text to work on during the course of the semester I definitely wouldn’t have gotten as much as I did out of the class. 

All this to say, if you are looking for a sign to start, that’s the sign. You can do this. Let me know how I can help.

Write Down Every Idea, No Matter How Small

May 16, 2021

Last week I was a guest speaker for a group of high school theater performance students. They asked fabulous questions about craft, prepping for a role, and best practices. The last question was from a student who was interested in writing stories. They asked, “this might be not a normal question but are you ever just out somewhere and then you think of an idea? And then what do you do?”

I LOVED THIS QUESTION. Because we’ve all been there. We have an inkling of inspiration from our imaginations, a movie, or from a snippet of a conversation we overhear. It doesn’t seem like much but it was interesting enough to get your attention.

Personally, I told the student, I have a google doc that’s titled “anecdotes/ideas” where I am free to just jot down anything - a conversation, a funny expression, an image - that sparked inspiration that I want to remember. I don’t pressure myself to do anything with it, it’s just a place that I can access quickly on my computer or my phone to organize random thoughts and ideas.

This has helped me keep my projects and ideas organized while allowing but this document to be total chaos and just a flow of ideas and anecdotes. Because for me, if I am too organized it gets in the way of my creativity.

Remember: all projects started with an inkling of inspiration. Honor your inklings. Put them to paper (or virtual paper, you know what I mean.)

Listening to Stories is as Important as Telling Them

May 9, 2021

Read that title again.

This took me some time to sink in for me. When I first started writing my solo show (my first passion project) in 2017 I was so focused on getting my stories on paper.

Then I had an “ah-ha” moment while watching a solo show comedy special on Netflix. While watching Mike Birbiglia’s show My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend I learned so much about writing a personal narrative. He speaks directly to the audience, creating an intimate storytelling environment which turns out is a PERFECT format for my show too.

I had struggled for so long trying to create a character and voices and show that was inspired by my story but was not me telling it. After I took the time to listen to other artists’ work, I had a whole new perspective on my show.

I’m not saying this so that you watch other art forms in the hopes of having a breakthrough with your. What I AM saying, is that you never know how someone else’s story will hit you. And as artists/humans, the more stories we listen to, the more open-minded and empathetic we will be.

Plan Your Day, Not Your Creative Process

May 3, 2021

Planning is practically my love language. I love my calendar, time blocking, and a to-do list. When I first started writing my solo show My Shiksa Boyfriend I would choose one day a week and sit in a coffee shop for five straight hours and tell myself that I would write continuously. WELL we can all guess how well that went. Spoiler alert: I did not write continuously. BUT I did work continuously. It just looked a different than I planned.

I am ALL for scheduling a set time in your week/day/month to work on your project. What I wouldn’t recommend is deciding what exactly you are going to accomplish within that time. Sometimes working on my solo show didn’t look like writing it; it looked like reading relevant books, talking to my mom about a family story, or writing an outline of the show and staring at it hoping for a breakthrough.

Creating your project might require deadlines so definitely stick to those but all I’m saying is to keep your creative process flexible; you’ll know what to do. And if you don’t, then reach out! Let’s tell your story.

3 Things I Learned About Storytelling from Kids

April 25, 2021

For those of you that don’t know, I’ve worked with kids all my life. I actually went to college for Early Childhood (Special) Education and I currently teach acting to children ages 6-9 at two acting studios. After spending so much time teaching acting and storytelling to children, I’ve realized how much they have taught me. Here are 3 (of the many) things I learned about storytelling from kids:

1. Storytelling is innate. Even before we get to talking about Beginning/Middle/End and the components of a script, kids already know how to tell a story. And you do too! We do it everyday.

2. At some point we forget to play, I notice it in some of my older (10-13) students. We play games that ask them to use the silliest part of their imaginations and sometimes it takes a little while to get them to truly imagine “a unicorn riding a bicycle while eating ice cream.” Don’t let your imagination take a backseat in your life. Create!

3. Nothing is permanent. The amount of times my students as “wait can I start over” or just say, “wait not, actually…..” Just Start! with the knowledge that you can always start over and edit and revise.

As adults we can get jaded or censor our creativity. This week, let’s see if we can connect with our inner-child and just create unapologetically!

You Don’t Have to Feel Inspired to Work on Your Creative Project

April 18, 2021

When we work on our passion projects we want to feel inspired. And when we do, it’s magical. We feel present, excited and ready to put in the work to tell our story. But what do you do when you don’t feel totally inspired and present? Sit down to work anyway! Sound impossible? Here are some things to consider:

1. Creating will look different each time you sit down with your project. Some days you feel inspired and you work seamlessly for an hour. Some days you feel uninspired and fidgety so you work for 5 minutes, then you get distracted for 5 minutes. That’s okay! Working on and off is still better than deciding not work at all.

2. Consider that inspiration might feel different every day! If your story is on your mind, that can be inspiration enough to get going on a work session.

3. Try setting a timer and deciding to work for ten, twenty, thirty minutes- whatever you can commit to! Oftentimes I find that a minute it a lot longer than I think it is. So if you can only commit to ten focused minutes, you will make more progress than you might think!

With my clients who vibe with inspirational quotes like I do, a daily or weekly inspirational quote tailored to your project/mindset is something I 100% can provide!

Accountability Buddies Don’t Need to be Friends

April 11, 2021

We’ve all had a friend say “let’s just get together once a week and write!” Which, if that works for you, please do that and create! However, often times, it doesn’t happen consistently. Life gets in the way and that’s okay. BUT in order to make real, tangible progress on your project you need to work on it consistently. By using an accountability buddy that is a colleague, not a friend you get 3 things:

1. Someone who chats with you as a professional first rather than gabbing as a friend, which can lead to a not so productive work session.

2. You become responsible for their progress as well so you will feel more inclined to show up.

3. Your friends want you to succeed. I do too! But I am going to give you much more honest feedback about what you might want to focus on in order to accomplish your goals.

At the end of the day you need someone who believes in you and believes in your story. Which I already do because I truly believe that everyone is a storyteller. More on that later…

Welcome!

April 10, 2021

Apparently I have a blog now! This is a supplemental resource to the Just Start! Facebook group. A marketing course with Jessica Barnak convinced me that it’s safest to have all of content in a place that I own incase Facebook ever disappears (which it honestly might at some point!) These will be short & sweet tips or lists to support you on your creative journey.

-Arielle