Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Timothy Michael Blewitt. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Timothy Michael, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?
The Short Answer: Forward moving momentum.
We’re all wired as humans to keep moving forward…
It was only just recently on the scale of human history that we stopped being nomadic and started settling down.
And modern neuroscience has shown that our brains and our reward systems (and I believe our creativity as well) are still wired and connected to our forward moving momentum.
Creativity often comes from moments of play, and moments of play are often hindered by our own ego–
How many times have we gotten in our own way, instead of dancing like nobody’s watching?
But we can minimize the ego and increase our level of play and creativity by literally moving forward; or figuratively for that matter, by pursuing goals.
In my artistic past, it had been VERY apparent to me that I was in a forward state of motion, because I was literally traveling around the world, performing in plays and creating other works of art.
It was impossible NOT to feel like I was in a forward state of motion–
And the momentum was electrically charged and wonderful!
Now that I’ve chosen to geographically ground myself in Los Angeles, the forward state of motion is not always as apparent, although it is still occurring to various degrees.
We can usually tell when an object is NOT in motion,
But we can’t always tell when an object IS in motion (i.e. our own planet, whirling through space at 67,000 miles per hour, for example.)
And I think more often than not, whenever that disquieting feeling of stagnation arises and we ask ourselves the question “Am I even going anywhere?”
Maybe it’s time to check our forward moving momentum–
To re-evaluate our vision, our trajectory, and our modus operandi.
Chances are, we actually ARE moving forward, we just don’t immediately recognize it.
But we can jump-start that momentum with a creative jolt by literally going for a walk, doing jumping jacks, exercising–
Or in the same vein, accomplishing small tasks that move our personal lives a little further along, helping us free up some more creative energy and space.
Finding forward states of motion that propel us to advance in any facet of life provides us with the opportunity to quiet the ego, and to let the Divine Creator come out to play.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’ve often talked about my start as an actor in Chicago, and my continued pursuit of the craft in Europe and living “La Vie Bohème,” but I’ve just hit my 5 year mark of living and working in the City of Angels, and I’d like to invite the readers into that part of my journey a little more, and to talk about how I’ve been reinventing my craft over the past several years.
I’ve spent a lot of time here in LA searching, doing, and exploring…
I’ve worked on just about every sized production in the film industry that you can:
Small passion projects with friends and a camera; Indie projects with a small budget; decent sized productions with a decent sized budget; multimillion dollar productions with the aspirations of winning Emmys and Academy Awards… Some of which actually go on to do so.
I’ve laid a very good foundation for myself in LA over the years, hashing out what I’d like to pursue next, and yet some questions that keep coming back to me are:
How can I truly make this journey my own?
How can I understand my own value, and calculate what new value I can bring to the business?
How can I contribute to the ongoing conversation?
How can I join in the dance of the industry?
MY DREAM IS TO MAKE MEANINGFUL WORK.
And this dream has led me on the bold journey of exploring a slew of options in life.
Great Artists are able to reflect back to humanity their own image and actions, beauty and imperfections, asymmetry, et al…
So to be a great Artist (and a great human being) I want to be the most well-rounded person I can possibly be;
And I want to contribute to humanity in a meaningful way with my gifts and my talents.
At this very moment, The Actor’s Union SAG-AFTRA (whom I am a proud member of) is continuing to strike due to unfair wages and treatment, and I’m forced to look for other ways to be of service.
So, I’ve found meaningful work through my passion for Teaching and Education and sharing my expertise with people who want to pursue the Art of Storytelling.
I recently became a certified Teaching Artist in the State of California, credentialed in California State Standards and Social Emotional Learning, (all made possible through a program via The Entertainment Community Fund and SONY Entertainment.)
I have had the tremendous opportunity to teach in several schools and Theatres all across Los Angeles County, helping students to develop their own voices, and to learn some different techniques of storytelling along the way.
I also provide one-on-one coaching for those looking to step up their game and to elevate their craft.
And I VERY recently began working at The Los Angeles Film School in the Financial Aid Department, helping Undergraduate students find the funding they need to go after their dreams!
It can be very scary being an Artist, and even more scary being an Artist in debt, due only to the desire to pursue a higher education!
Having lived this experience firsthand, I know just how daunting it can be. And I’m very interested in using my expertise to make the dream of higher education a little more tangible for those who wish to pursue it.
The journey I’m on now seems to me to be one of service.
How can I take all that I am, all that I’ve built myself up to be, and share it with my community; share it with the world?
Because even when the creative work is not available, the show still goes on–
You still have to pursue a meaningful existence.
So how do you bring meaning to your life?
How do you find validation for yourself?
How do you honor yourself, and keep putting food on the table?
Step One: Keep Moving Forward.
I would say that this is all part and parcel of my bold journey, presently unfolding.
I want to create.
And I want to encourage other people to create.
I want to encourage people to go after their dreams!
You don’t have to give up on your passions–
Where there is a will, there is undoubtedly a way–
I am living proof of that.
And our communities, our country, and our world are going to be much better places to be when they can benefit from having well rounded, passionate Artists who also make money to support themselves, their goals, their dreams, and their aspirations, all with an abundant forward moving momentum.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
*Manners: Polite Manners and eloquent conversation have opened more doors for me than I can count. It is aboundingly true what they say: “You might not remember everything a person said, but you will absolutely remember the way that person made you feel.” And the best part of being a working Artist, living lean, is that it costs absolutely nothing to be kind, polite, and sincere.
I’d highly recommend anyone to continue building the muscles of kindness and good manners.
*Resilience: Getting knocked down, and getting back up again. Everybody loves to watch a person fight to make their dreams come true. And learning how to fail gloriously along the way will only resoundingly support those knock-down, drag-out blows. We will constantly be making mistakes; that’s part of the human contract and condition that binds us. But when we can own our own mistakes, and revel in the guts and the glory of them, then, the real work can begin.
*Humor: Having a great sense of humor. Not taking anything too seriously. We’re all on a giant rock twirling through space (at 67,000 mph) and none of us are getting out of here alive… Have some fun with it. Be kind, be resilient, enjoy.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
“No one catches the wild ass by running after him, yet only those who run after the wild ass will ever catch him.”
This paradoxical aphorism was recently brought to my attention by spiritual speaker Richard Rohr in his highly enlightening and thought-provoking book “Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the 12 Steps.”
And I think this aphorism applies so significantly to our work as Artists, and to all of our lives as human beings.
The biggest challenge that I’m facing right now is balancing the art of doing and not doing.
Both running after the wild ass, and not running after the wild ass, at the same time.
Give and Take…
Push and Pull…
Yin and Yang…
We must both do and not do at the same time.
This lesson is in all the spiritual texts, and The Art of Surrender is a key to humanity that we often don’t explore, or give enough credit or credence to.
We cannot create the great masterpieces that our minds’ eye can see so clearly if we do not chase after them and try to catch them, turning them into realities… But a continuous chase will only cause the ass to keep on running, at a speed much faster than our own.
So sometimes, we must rest, and not run, and only then will we have the chance to grasp the wild ass.
Personally, when I’m not doing (i.e. not working on a film, not working on a script, not being paid as an actor or an artist,)
I can tend to feel worthless… Like I’m not contributing to society.
I can feel shame… Like I’m not honoring my social contract, and am just taking up space.
However, it is factually IMPOSSIBLE to be working as an Artist ALL the time–
You HAVE TO take breaks–
You have to eat, to sleep, to spend time with family.
You also have to practice your craft;
You have to experience the world;
You have to constantly engage in new perspectives,
or run the risk of being repetitive into mortal eternity.
So by that rationale, we MUST take breaks!
And we must honor our breaks!
We must NOT DO!
So I’m working on developing the discipline of doing and not doing;
The discipline of pursuit and rest, rest and pursuit.
And honoring both sides of the equation.
Finding meaningful things to do when I’m not doing,
And then simply not doing when I’m doing meaningful things (The Art of Play.)
Historically, I’ve either been on one extreme side of the spectrum or the other:
Either not doing, resting, relaxing, and recharging–
All the while, nothing is getting done, and the wild ass stays peacefully at a great distance from me–
OR,
I’m pursuing, with wild abandon, doing and doing and doing!
Eventually leading to excruciating burnout!
And I fall back into my well-grooved cycle of not doing, not doing, not doing–
Telling myself “Timothy, it’s so important to rest, relax, and recharge,” (always with a tinge of subconscious victim mentality,) and again, the ass rests, unpursued.
So I’m trying to find the middle way…
The balance of both doing, and not doing, at the same time.
And honoring it…
Owning it.
And through this journey of doing and not doing, I am expanding my circles of service, which in turn are helping me come to a deeper understanding of how my Art and Artistry can be of better service to the world.
As a young buck, I became a well rounded person, but only because I was focused on trying to break into the industry.
Now that I’m focused on becoming a more well-rounded person; maybe I’ll find that break I’ve been looking for all along.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.timothymichaelblewitt.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_feisty_rascal/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-blewitt-ba036959/
Image Credits
Sara Rice; Brian Blewitt; Alex Norton, Paul Manganello, Yvette Marie.
