I told my sister I wanted to be an actor, and she said that I need to be more self aware. She said that this meant I need to be able to know that I am expressing the given emotion and not the complete opposite. How do I become better at this? She also said I need a very good memory, which I do.
Are there any acting classes you could attend maybe? Acting is an art form that takes training for most folks. The best person to advise you, would probably be an instructor.
Do whatever emotion you're trying for in the mirror and correct as you go until you find a look that works. This is age-old advice for actors. Muscle memory after practicing for the look you want makes you able to express emotions effortlessly and on cue.
Acting requires access to all of your authentic emotions, which, in turn, requires vulnerability. And vulnerability means being open to all of the not-so-fun emotions (anger, fear grief) as well as the positive ones (joy, contentment, etc) One of the best things you can do is learn to be comfortable feeling and expressiong emotions. That means being in touch with grief and being able to cry. Being able to experience and express healthy anger. Recognizing fear and knowing what it feels like. And being able to experience unrestricted joy. Men in general tend to have a lot more difficulty with that than women do, because we're conditioned not to express emotions; most of us are told to "tough it out", to "stuff it down", and that conditioning can affect us for a lifetime. I know an acting coach in Los Angeles who works with many people in Hollywood, and he recently (within the last year) started working with Brené Brown's shame and vulnerability work. He's found it has transformed his coaching practice with his actor-clients. You can jump start the process by reading and studying Dr. Brown's work, which will also have very positive benefits on other aspects of your life. One other piece that might be helpful is to simply take a moment whenever you're doing something and stop and observe yourself. Particularly if you're in a situation where you feel like you should be experiencing some emotion. What does your body feel like? Where do you feel it? What's happening to your heart rate? Are there any parts of your body you notice unusual sensations? Paying attention to all of those things is called "mindfulness" and there are other acting coaches that use mindfulness-based meditation practices to help their clients get more in touch. That's also an excellent approach, but can take a lot of time and discipline to learn to do well. Hope that helps!
I can express amusement easily, but things like happiness and joy are very difficult for me, as I don't know what "happiness" feels like.
It sounds to me like you might be unsure as to what happiness actually is. I consider it less of an emotion than a state of being. You can be pleased or disappointed moment to moment, but the happiness you're talking about is more appreciation of living. It can be sort of zen. Since you're the musical type, I'd say happiness feels something like this song: [youtube]kItD0LX7sg4[/youtube]
What I do is.. from time to time, take notice how I'm acting, what I'm feeling in certain situations whatever I'm doing. Since you want to be an actor, you can always observe people on how they are.. although it might seem creepy, but who cares :lol:
