FIRST, there is a blank page.

by Guy Camilleri

The blank page is where it’s at for me! Each day I start here in Venice, close to the beach and usually somewhere with a view so I can check which direction the palm fronds are swaying.

The best-case scenario is no wind at all, though having spent most of my surfing years in Hawaii, I yearn for offshore winds (trade winds). Today, the winds are onshore; the ocean is churning, cleansing itself from the copious amount of rain and residual run-off.

No surfing for several days sucks and simultaneously, it provides me the opportunity to hang out here with you, sharing some thoughts and feelings into words.

But, back to the blank page. The unknown fronting me just loaded with possibilities, uncertainties, frustration, internal critics and crickets in my head, and those moments of glory. Albeit as brief and fleeting as they are when I find the words to articulate that which needs to be said (or written in this case).

As it happens, today is one of those days when I feel like saying; I GOT NOTHING. Of course, if I were at my acting studio and one of the artists said that, I would highlight that simply having that thought along with finding the words to formulate and vocalize that feeling is a specific level of consciousness.

But, easier said than done, right, especially when you are deep in the trench with a charged feeling tugging at you. Oh well, just another opportunity to acknowledge that my mind is telling me I got nothing, and to simply allow it to have its moment in time as I plug along to finish this column and meet my deadline.

Each week at the studio, screenwriters and playwrights come in with pages filled with words, the very words they are using in various formats to tell a story. In addition to being the lucky one to hear these words, I also have a deep respect knowing that at some point they too started a day looking at a blank page before the keyboard tapping kicked in.

What’s your blank page in life?

Guy Camilleri is a Venice-based actor and acting coach. He teaches regular classes on Wednesday nights at the Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice. For details email guy@rawactingstudio.com. Follow Guy on Instagram @guycamilleri. Photo Courtesy Thinkstock.