Narino 70 Cold Brew at Josie Robertson Plaza

I like this brew just as I like my favorite supervillian, Loki, God of Mischief: strong, smooth, bitter, and cold. It's cool the way the nitrogen leaves a light brown foam on top, creating the illusion that there might also be cream or milk. You can order this drink with milk, however today I decided to ditch it.

““I put a lot of thought into how one coffee drink can affect the outcome of my entire day.””

Normally when I opt for Starbuck's, I crave an iced latte or their white chocolate mocha. However, there was something about a dark cold brew that said "focus", "patience", and "get your homework done", which is exactly what I needed today. I put a lot of thought into how one coffee drink can affect the outcome of my entire day. Personally, I think it's important to decide each day exactly what you want to accomplish, and then see to it that all aspects of your day go toward this goal. Today my goal is to get work done. More specifically, completing my character analysis and life study for acting, as well as doing extensive research on The King and I for another upcoming project. 

Being across the street from Lincoln Center on a warm, sunny day has given me lots of opportunity to essentially stalk people for homework. For a life study, I'm required to go and find someone to observe. This doesn't necessarily have to be a total stranger, but it can't be a fellow student or faculty member. We have to observe our subjects breathing pattern, their body alignment (how they sit, stand, walk, etc.), as well as their voice and speech. The goal is to make very detailed observations, then apply these notes to the character we're portraying in our scene. It sounds incredibly tedious, which, it is, but it's also extremely helpful in teaching us how to make a character come alive.  

“A character is a human being, and every human being is different.”

Really think about this for a moment. You know how they say that no two fingerprints are ever alike? Well, there's so much more to a human being than just their fingerprint! No two people walk the same, talk the same (except for me and my sister, good luck telling us apart over the phone), no two people even think the same. Welcome to the wonderful world of idiosyncrasies! Simply by walking in a way that is foreign to our natural pattern can give an actor a sense of being someone else. Now, could you imagine walking, talking, speaking, and even breathing differently? After about 20 minutes of practicing all these different techniques, it's actually pretty difficult to go back to what feels natural to you. 

Sometimes, when I think about all the work I have to do for one, 3 minute scene... it baffles me. I don't even want to think about what I was doing before I started receiving professional training. I always knew that I had so much to learn, but now that I'm actually learning how to act, it's crazy! There's so much to think about, and there's no such thing as "knowing it all" when it comes to acting. You can always dig a little deeper when becoming a character, and I love that. 

Speaking of which, I should probably log off and start digging.