Chasing perfection can stop us from taking risks, creating freely, or even starting at all. Imperfections are often what makes ideas and creative work feel authentic, interesting and human — while “perfect” can feel safe, predictable and ultimately forgettable. So, let's embrace imperfections in our acting, writing or any type of creation we pursue.

If we pray for the “rain” which are the big roles, the recognition, the breakthrough then we also have to accept the “mud”: rejection, tough auditions, criticism, long periods of waiting, and hard graft. The messy, uncomfortable parts of the journey aren’t signs we're failing, they’re proof we're in the process. Trust the process like Denzel did.

I'm currently doing a qualification in adult teaching (the one that further education college teachers have; I've completed level 3 and currently working on level 4). For my next unit, I need to do two 60 minute lessons, and submit the recordings for assessment (I want to do it over a call for ease of recording). It can be as few as 2-3 students (not 1 on 1 tutoring). Date and time to be arranged. Would only take an hour (or two, to do both classes). I'm therefore offering a free class to complete this. Depending on the students and their level, I can offer: - Introduction to the Meisner technique - Introduction to the Gonsalves Method (an applied new version of Meisner, with a new approach to defining scenes by 5 conditions); I'm already an acredited teacher in this method. - Use of tactics when playing objectives - Scene study Let me know if you are up for this, and if so, when is good for you; I'll try to co-ordinate with other interested people to figure out a time to make it work.

Right now, the world is talking about oil, about pressure, power, instability, and what happens when supply is threatened. But as actors, what if oil isn’t just something beneath the ground? What if it’s something within us? Oil represents hidden potential. It forms deep beneath the surface, under immense pressure. And that’s exactly where our best work comes from — not from comfort, but from depth. As actors, we live with pressure. Auditions. Rejection. Comparison. Financial uncertainty. Emotional exposure. But pressure isn’t the enemy. Pressure is what produces oil. Inside us is a resource, an emotional truth, imagination, empathy, lived experience that has the power to create light on stage and on screen. Just like oil fuels energy, our inner life fuels performance. But it has to be harnessed correctly. An olive must be pressed to release something nourishing. In the same way, life presses us through setbacks, heartbreak, doubt. And if we allow that pressure to refine us rather than harden us, it becomes usable. It becomes craft. The auditions that didn’t go our way.The roles we didn’t land.The personal struggles we've had to navigate. That’s not wasted experience. That’s material. As actors, our job is to go beneath the surface, into the psyche, into the emotional reservoir most people avoid. Through discipline, training, devotion to the craft, we learn how to extract that depth safely and truthfully. The question isn’t whether we'll experience pressure in this industry. We will. The question is: will we let it make us bitter or better and let it make us luminous? Because the oil is already there. And when used with purpose, it creates light. Let me know your thoughts...

Success isn’t about one breakthrough role or one moment of brilliance — it’s about showing up consistently. It’s about doing the classes, learning the lines, going to the auditions, and staying committed even when no one is watching. If we stay consistent with the work, the opportunities will eventually meet us there. Take it from Dwayne.