DENZEL WASHINGTON ON DREAMS & GOALS

It's been a long time since working with Denzel in our first professional stage play at the Delacorte Theater, in Central Park performing in William Shakespeare's "Coriolanus," that starred Morgan Freemen, Gloria Foster, and Robert Christian.

Since then, I've seen Denzel progress from a tremendously handsome "OK" actor, into a superb craftsman, then into an international movie star, delivering some dazzlingly unforgettable moments on screen, to arrive at accomplishing the deserved status as one of the finest actors that has ever lived.

However, I've never been more proud to say, "I knew him when," then upon watching this video. NEVER.

If you care about yourself as a person and/or an artist, at any level, please watch and listen to: every.single.word.

You.will.know.what.I.mean.

José Angel Santana   

Visit: https://www.artofconnecting.org/

Playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis talks about his close friend Philip Seymour Hoffman in 2010

Besides speaking so eloquently about his friend Philip Seymour Hoffman's artistry, Stephen Adly Guirgis expresses about the kind of devotion required to make "the work."  

Visit: https://www.artofconnecting.org/

THE ART OF CONNECTING: "PROFESSOR" IRWIN CORY

These are the final moments of "Professor" Irwin Cory's live comedy "act" after a screening of Jordan Stone's beautiful documentary "Irwin & Fran" about "Professor" Cory, and the 70 year marriage of Irwin and Fran.

During his career, Irwin was billed as "The World's Foremost Authority." He is 100 years of age at this time. His remarks about friendship here provide profound insight and perhaps a standard for measuring "trust" in any relationship.

Irwin's son, the painter Richard Cory sits in the second row behind José Angel Santana who is shooting. The "godfather of avant-garde cinema" Jonas Mekas is in the second row on the far right capturing the event on his camcorder.

Visit: https://www.artofconnecting.org/

HOW TO MAKE A SKILL SECOND NATURE

OUR ACTIONS IN LIFE & ART

THE POWER OF EMPATHY & NATALIE PORTMAN

"...Our job as actors is empathy. Our job is to imagine what someone else's life is like. And if we can't do that in real life, if you can't do that as a human being, then good luck as an actor." - Natalie Portman, winner Best Actress, 2011 Academy Award, for "Black Swan".  

(Video Source:http://blazenfluff.com/2013/12/the-power-of-empathy-animated-short-explains-the-difference-between-empathy-and-sympathy/

INTRODUCING: A DAILY PRACTICE FOR ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE

DAILY PRACTICE IS THE SECRET OF SUCCESS

A drum teacher once told his student, "if you can't do it effortlessly in performance, you haven't practiced enough."

Leading scientific research in the field of elite performance has determined that the key characteristic of world-class performance is,"10,000 hours of deliberate practice"  In their landmark paper, "The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance" K. Anders Ericsson and his co-authors state that "deliberate practice is a highly structured activity, the explicit goal of which is to improve performance."

Source: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/freakonomics/pdf/DeliberatePractice(PsychologicalReview).pdf​

 "Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good." wrote Malcolm Gladwell in 'Outliers: The Story of Success" his bestselling book that popularized the "10,000-Hour Rule", based on Ericsson's research. 

Source: http://www.wisdomgroup.com/blog/10000-hours-of-practice/

"Deliberate practice consists of specific training activities, drills, and exercises designed to stretch the individuals skills and thereby provide growth. It is not business as usual." writes David Burkus in Fobes, about the "10,000-Hour Rule." 

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidburkus/2013/09/25/are-you-wasting-your-10000-hours/​

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​ THE ART OF CONNECTING  was created for the purpose of teaching a daily practice of specific training activities, drills, and exercise designed to establish and strengthen the specific skills needed to achieve excellence.   

Source: https://www.artofconnecting.org/

As some of you may already know, my life changed when I began working with adolescents with City@Peace in Santa Barbara, California years ago. This is a message I received today from Paul Griffin, founder of the National City At Peace Organization, which is known today as The Possibility Project. 

"Our foster care film KNOW HOW is competing for Project of the Year on IndieWire! Can you take a minute to vote for us? And can you share the link with your friends and get them to vote? We will need a lot of support to win. To vote, you click on the link below, vote for KNOW HOW, input your e-mail, and then confirm your vote when they send you an e-mail. If we win, it would be a HUGE help for our project!" 

If there is anything I believe in, and would support it is this project that is truly dedicated to helping adolescents who need the most help of all: Foster Care Children.

Please vote for this project: http://www.indiewire.com/vote-for-project-of-the-year

Please share this message!

Thank you.

Love
Jose

"LISTENING AND SOMETHING YOU REALLY FEEL IS HAPPENING BETWEEN PEOPLE" --- THE ART OF CONNECTING

Just before the 3:40 min. point in this video, which is extraordinary in its entirety, Peter Brook talks about how to avoid boredom in the drama: "In the theatre if there isn't life going on, in one subtle way or another… listening and something you really feel is happening between two people..." - Peter Brook

Annette Bening about The Craft of Acting...

José Angel Santana: when it seems we are not appreciated...

LOVE, PEACE, JOY!

Elephant Empathy: what if we humans paid this much attention to one another?

What if we humans paid this much attention to one another?

Carl Rogers on Empathy

Empathy: the heart of connecting

For educators on teaching empathy, the heart of connecting.

click on image to enlarge

(source: http://startempathy.org/sites/default/files/attachments/Empathy_Poster_Final.pdf)

José Angel Santana: when it seems we feel indifference...

From edutopia (http://www.edutopia.org) via Marisol Tirelli