Ooooo, just finished re-vamping the color scheme for my blog, and I really like it! It's very calming, somehow. And much more pulled together than previously. The colors all compliment each other very nicely now.
Anyhow, I wrote to Bob about the conflict I had found between the impressions I give and my five roles, asked if I had misunderstood the exercise.
He said, "...the exercise is meant to direct you toward your bliss. It's important to know what would make you feel fulfilled in this career - first ... before you begin building a brand."
He also pointed out a theme in my choices that I hadn't been aware of before. Bob wrote: "Also - don't lose sight of the fact that some of what you're responding to, in the roles you mention, is the ability each character demonstrates to overcome a seemingly impossible personal roadblock...[They] all start with similar negative mindsets - which cause them to interact with the world in a way that is often misunderstood, until they are forced into action. We are all defined by what we DO."
I don't necessarily agree they all start with negative mindsets, but what they do have in common is that all the characters start out their journeys trapped in some way.
Joan Wilder is trapped by her low self-esteem, and when she is forced to go to Columbia to rescue her sister, she discovers that she can stand on her own two feet.
Elizabeth Swan is trapped by the expectations of social behavior in upper-class society, until she is dragged into the mess with Jack Sparrow by Will Turner. (Would I be able to play Elizabeth with the same spunk as Kiera Knightly? Nope, hands down. But that's because she and I are different character types.)
Marietta is trapped by an impending arranged marriage. But she doesn't think twice, she creates her escape plan, and runs away. She wasn't unhappy where she was, but she refused to allow herself to be trapped.
Elphaba is trapped in nearly every way possible. She is trapped by how others see her, how they think of her, how they treat her, by her ablilities and beliefs. She tries to fit in, and then when her values are threatened, she turns and stands on her own two feet against the world.
The Phantom is the same story as Elphaba, really. He's trapped by his appearance, how he's been treated. He turns this into a source of power and sociopathic self-indulgence.
Other movies that I love with characters that fall into that theme are What About Bob? and Miss Potter. (And Titanic, but I really didn't fall in love with that movie. But Rose definitely fits the theme. Ooooo, and Revolutionary Road...)
Anyhow, so that is something else to take into consideration when defining my type. I'm somewhat scattered at the moment, considering that theme, and some new ideas that popped into my head. I cannot play the Lara Croft type adventurer. I am not even close to that type. I am a nerd and a goofball. And I'm good at comedy. So maybe something like Ugly Betty meets Indiana Jones? (Indiana Betty?) -- The Libarian is a lot of fun -- or a comdey along the lines of Monk or Psych on the USA channel (Characters Are Welcome)
*sigh* My mind is all over the place right now. How do I pull this all together into a cohesive defined character that I can market?
And as for what's under the doormat, maybe not such a drastic difference after all. My fear is that once I stop pretending to be a Pomeranian, I'll turn out to be like Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets. Always saying the wrong thing, the insensitive thing. Or the White Witch from The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe. My fear is that I'd be a completely different, horrible person. But finally Common Sense arrived, and I realized that I'd still have the same values that I do now, the difference after dispensing of the Pomeranian Fascade is that I would be myself with the confidence and strength that I keep hidden inside.
And the theme in my five characters shows itself again. Interesting, huh?
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