‘The Fridge Theory’~ getting away from the results-based mindset.

I’ve written quite a lot about process vs. results in my previous blog posts, and for good reason. These two words are perhaps the most omnipresent descriptors of the drama school process. We learn new skills, develop familiar skills, and perfect old skills; this cycle continues as our training merely becomes more intense and complex.

But even after 15 weeks, it is still really, really difficult to get away from what my classmate Alice Birbara calls ‘the results-based mindset’.

As human beings, are brains are hardwired to focus on the end-game.
The result.             The goal.              The successful outcome.
(I have no scientific basis to substantiate this statement, other than seeing it in consistently in EVERYONE in daily life). Even when we think we are focusing on ‘the process’, usually we are only feigning interest in a process-based thinking in order to achieve the relative result that we crave.

We struggle to just do…and to enjoy the simple process of just doing.

The only sphere of human life (that I can think of) that doesn’t revolve around results is genuine, relaxed leisure time. Reading a book. Walking your dog. Lying in the sun. All of these are examples of things that you just do for the simple, exclusive reason of knowing that you will enjoy the experience. It seems silly that this level of uninhibited enjoyment isn’t applied (by myself and others) to what is unquestionably one of the most pleasurable, fun and inspiring experiences of my life- studying at drama school.
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Making dinner is a leisure activity that I think very clearly reflects the benefits of getting away from the results-based mindset.

I love to cook. In my younger years I was intent on becoming a chef. I love ingredients, different cooking methods, and the satisfaction of plating up a delicious meal. But in reflecting on the hundreds of dinners that I have cooked over the last few years, I realise that the process can be vastly different depending on a couple of simple factors.
On the occasions where I have been super intent on making a specific dish, and it being ‘good’, two outcomes are almost inevitable:

1) There is far more pressure to succeed,
2) The result usually doesn’t live up to the expectations.

However, if I just walk into the kitchen knowing that I have ingredients to work with, and an ability to cook good food, I can simply open the fridge, pick a few things to work with and just cook.

More often than not, this kind of cooking process brings me greater joy than the alternative mindset, and almost always produces far tastier food.

(This is partly why I never use recipe books when cooking. I sometimes gather inspiration for flavour combinations from recipes, but I think one’s cooking experiences is doomed from the get-go if you are fundamentally trying to replicate something that a professional has made with far more time and help than you have available to you).

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This thought, named ‘The James Fridge Theory’ by one of my teachers, is completely applicable to acting and performance training.

If you go into a rehearsal or audition intent on ‘being good’ or achieving a particular version of yourself, not only is there more pressure to perform well, the performance quality is often negatively affected by that very attempt to be good.

What a stupid, self-restricting cycle.

The alternative for an actor is to step into the studio/stage/kitchen, knowing that you have the requisite talent, intuition and ability to make a great product- be it a lovely Moroccan couscous salad or a compelling Shakespeare monologue. In simply consulting your fridge, selecting some appropriate ingredients, and trusting the rest of the process to just happen via your years of practice, chances are the result will turn out pretty well.

~ JCL