Amber Riley is one of the dynamic actor-singers on the musical/comedy series Glee. She recalls her rejection from American Idol: “My life was crushed when they told me ‘No.’ “But I was 17, it was a long time ago and rejection like that only makes you stronger, gets you asking — how can I better […]
Self-esteem
Acting and Body Image: Portia de Rossi, Toni Collette
Body image issues can be particularly acute for people in entertainment, which also provides most of the icons and role models of appearance. In her memoir Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain, Portia de Rossi writes about a dark side of pursuing a “perfect” look. “Anorexia was my first love. “I didn’t decide […]
Overcoming low self esteem: “Where was my self respect?”
Our self-esteem or positive self concept, and how well and deeply we value ourselves, and impacts how fully we can live and realize our talents. The horrific experience of abuse interests me as a creativity researcher for how it can distort awareness and self concept in such destructive ways, and how much it can shut […]
Developing confidence as an actor
Ian McKellen admits that it has taken time and life experience to develop the self-confidence that now helps fuel his dynamic roles. “Suppose it had been me who played Tom Jones [1963], not Albert Finney?” he said. “There was never any question of me playing those sorts of parts. “I was a frightened little gay […]
Quieting Our Inner Critic
How does our critical inner dialogue affect our creativity, self confidence and other parts of our life? Can we learn to change our self-limiting inner critical voice and use more supportive thoughts to motivate ourselves and support healthy self esteem? ~~~~~ Healing our judgment of others and self-judgment Her book Judgment Detox: Release the Beliefs That […]