Move the Air Around You

Patrick Clark April 6th, 2025

I originally started this blog post over 10 years ago. My life was changing dramatically and a mentor suggested I document the journey. Here’s what I said back then:

October 15, 2015

Just as a writer, struggling inside his or her own head, battles the blank page, we are all faced with moments of indecision, suffocating and paralyzing inaction. How to move forward? How to shake the fear of being wrong if we do? What to do when the anxiety of what MAY happen overwhelms us?

MOVE!

Write your name on the page, draw a stick figure storyline of your frustration, go for a walk, engage your body in any kind of momentum that will take the focus away from the chaos inside your head. Too often we look to see the end result in its complete form before we've even started. Allow the process to happen organically, but always look to be the impetus that starts the butterfly effect, rather than a casual observer or passive bystander.

Here is where I ended my original post (my inaugural one, if you will...thanks Mark Henson for inspiring me to pursue this outlet). I revisited this initial post and knew that I had more to add...

Addendum (February 2, 2016)

What you will discover may not necessarily be the final product, but at least you now have momentum...your feet (or your brain) are no longer stuck in the creative quagmire and you have created the stepping stones to follow towards something fruitful or at least more workable than the intimidating void.

Whether as a director coaching an actor through a complex monologue, or a teacher helping a student develop a thesis, or an improv professional convincing a workshop attendee that they have to trust their own resources (knowledge, insight, expertise) and KNOW they are at least credible, I have helped too many talented individuals overcome the debilitating paralysis that comes from not trusting your instincts to not grasp that years of evolution have paid off, in that our bodies are a conduit through which our brains have learned to survive.

When we try to isolate the genesis of an idea to a space between our ears, we often turn that space into a padded cell, complete with creative straightjacket. Martin Luther King Jr. expressed the thought this way,

“Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

Breathe, trust, move, create.

My life continues to take “interesting” twists and turns. Some accidental, some self-imposed and some are just life. The constant forces have been creativity, theatre, and trusting my instincts when they tell me to take a leap, or prep a landing when the leap wasn’t planned).

If I hadn’t practiced what I preach, Shhh! Productions Vintage Radio hour would never have happened. This passion project, heading into its fifth year, has brought so many moments of joy, connection and fulfillment. Bringing people together from all over the world to create theatre when the pandemic shut everything down allowed us to keep people connected when their illnesses, tragedies, life circumstances, geography might have otherwise isolated them even more. It was the true reflection of diversity and inclusion.

As I head into the latter half of my working life, Connect Public Speaking has manifested itself after years of

poking me in the conscience, urging me to get my act together and lean into my craft built on years of dedication to the art and science of public speaking. I love working with people who want to get better at sharing their voices and make a difference. Standing in front of people, often strangers, and opening yourself up to criticism or worse, apathy, takes bravery, trust, and vulnerability and I respect the hell out of those who take that leap.

Reach out to me if you’re interested in my support on your journey as a presenter/speaker.