Authentic to Awakened
I actually created this blog almost a year ago. Hmmm…I guess it needed time to gestate before it was ready to be shared with the world! At the time, I titled the blog Authentic Actor. And I labored over that decision. I must have created a list of a hundred possible names before coming upon Authentic as the operative word. And I still like it, but over the past 6 months or so, many discoveries have been made and I challenged myself to get really specific about my mission, my work in the world, and what I think is truly important, not just for actors and artists, but human beings in general. So I sat on my meditation cushion, wrote in my journal, and talked to people. And what I came upon was the word, Awakened. It seemed more alive to me.
Authentic is still a very close second, but Awakened seems to encapsulate Authentic and then some. Just to feel like I was doing due diligence, I looked up the definitions and synonyms of both words:
Authentic: Oxford online - “of undisputed origin; genuine” and “based on facts; accurate or reliable” And from Webster’s “true to one's own personality, spirit, or character.” And synonyms from the Free Online Dictionary: “genuine, real, bona fide, true, veritable.”
Awakened: Oxford online - “an act of waking from sleep” and “an act or moment of becoming suddenly aware of something” and “coming into existence or awareness.”
And I loved these synonyms from the Free Dictionary online for the word Awaken: “arouse, rouse, bring out, engender, evoke, incite, trigger, provoke, stirrup, stimulate, animate, quicken, kindle.”
As an actor and teacher of actors, the word Awakened seems so much more active and engaged, something is happening when you awaken. There is discovery and awareness, a readiness to begin. Authentic is a beautiful word and a concept I strive to put into practice. It evokes feelings of being grounded, real, down to earth, accepted, genuine…all of which are important. But the mission of my work as a teacher is to “rouse” people, to “stimulate” and “kindle.” It is my wish that we all Awaken to our potential, to our humanity, and to our own individual mission.
What do the words Authentic and Awakened mean to you in your life? Leave a comment below.