I enjoy acting, always have. I intuitively knew it was like a laboratory where I get to experiment with different states of being, and I would transport myself into a different character, gender, ethnicity, age and try my best to walk a mile. I believe acting helped form the person I am.
I acted when I was young and recreated Carol Burnett sketches in living room variety shows. Through a very serendipitous route, I ended up back in the craft at age 42.
Not quite the norm. No spring chicken.
I quickly landed about half a dozen commercials and had a great time but I was always only cast as the Mom. A chicken stirring Mom, a mini-van driving Mom, a hockey arena Mom – fun, but not a lot of range. I wanted more.
So off I went to get more think-on-my-feet training and I landed in Second City Toronto. That boot camp training, that storied and revered place, that amazing 50 year old institution changed my life.
Instructor Brian Smith in my first level A class had my hooked from the get-go. I remember his offers for character development were subtle but powerful; one day he simply asked the class to ensure our sneaker tongues were exactly and precisely centered. Well, intuitively the next sketch involved characters struggling with and reveling in, anal retentiveness. Hilarious.
Intuitive knowledge is a strange thing. We know it, we all do, as deeply true and real. It can be easy to draw upon but it’s not a practical skill set we hold in our quiver. It’s not something we readily enough pull out at a moment’s notice. It is definitely something that we can shadow with self-doubt. It’s not something we train for or teach children in school (although I firmly believe we should – as young Jack’s thank you note to me will attest).
Fittingly, NANCY WATT COMMUNICATIONS was named on an intuitive hunch. In my final year of high school, the graduating class had to write the yearbook blurbs, i.e. best known for, favourite memory, future ambition etc. I remember clearly writing WATT & ASSOCIATES on a whim, but knowing that one day, it was to become real and true.
Today, tapping my own and unearthing others’ intuitive knowledge and creativity is a huge part of what I do and love. Through compassion, laughter and creativity, NANCY WATT COMMUNICATIONS connects people and organizations.
And as Jack says, on a level of 1-10, I would say one million.
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