Seeing Anna Deavere Smith's performances was a very interesting event. I really enjoyed listening to her describe what she did for a living. One of the things that really stuck with me was her description of her work as "listening" to other people. As someone who is interested in creative writing and theater, the idea of listening to other people in order to better understand them is something I have heard many times, and I think Anna Deavere Smith really illustrated listening. She took real speech and made it into something people could connect with and learn from simply by listening to the people speaking. I found her very inspirational in this regard - I think listening is one of the most important things you can do for another person, and one of the best ways to learn from others is by really listening to them.
I didn't really disagree with anything I heard her say, although I did get a sense that she was a bit above me. I felt like she knew so much more than I did that no matter what she said and what I heard I wouldn't get her full message because it would just go over my head. I would have liked to hear more about her process, perhaps... something to bring us a little closer to the same level of understanding. At the same time, she obviously had limited time, and I wouldn't have wanted her to do less performing or question answering to talk about how she goes about finding people and learning to imitate them.
Overall I think the experience was one that I will remember as I move forward in creative endeavors. I am going to try and remember her excellent "listening" skills when I am trying to create more realistic characters.
P.S. Sorry this is late I completely forgot that it was due, and also sorry if it doesn't make much sense, I haven't had a lot of sleep.
