Acting: Why Practice Doesn't Make Perfect

Following up on yesterday's post, here is another good one from Sean Pratt. Check it out, after the jump:

Honing Your Raw Acting Talent – Why Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect

It’s not the talent you’re born with that counts, but the way you develop it that makes all the difference in whether you become an expert or not.

Nature or Nurture

I know for some actors, myself included, that previous statement is tantamount to heresy, but hear me out. Recent studies by researchers in the fields of sociology, economics and psychology have demonstrated an interesting and counterintuitive connection between practice and perfection. The general consensus is that though raw talent can be a factor in whether a person decides to pursue a certain career…a life in the Biz, for instance…it is not the most important factor when it comes to being an exceptional performer.

Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, Conradi Eminent Scholar and Professor of Psychology at Florida State University, states in his recent paper, The Making of an Expert:

“To people who have never reached a national or international level of competition, it may appear that excellence is simply the result of practicing daily for years or even decades. However, living in a cave does not make you a geologist. Not all practice makes perfect. You need a particular kind of practice—deliberate practice—to develop expertise. When most people practice, they focus on the things they already know how to do. Deliberate practice is different. It entails considerable, specific, and sustained efforts to do something you can’t do well—or even at all. Research across domains shows that it is only by working at what you can’t do that you turn into the expert you want to become.”

5, 6, 7, 8 ….AGAIN!

Now I come from the school of thought that says you’re either born an actor or you’re not, and no amount of acting class will change that. So when I read his study, as well as others concerning this very topic, I was skeptical to say the least. But upon further reflection, I realized that they and I were both right. We’re in agreement that if you have a raw talent for something, such as basketball, mathematics, music, etc., and enjoy doing it, that that can influence whether or not you take it up as a vocation. After all, you don’t willing choose something you hate to do for a living.

Read the full piece HERE.

- Lena