'LOVE IN LOCKDOWN' EPISODE 14: 'JW CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT'

                                                            

JW 'Creative' Development should be JW 'Essential' Development.

'Without each other, discussion and entertainment, life can feel pretty meaningless. That's why I think it's so important to be able to communicate effectively and make the most of the power of speech.'

It's no secret that the Coronavirus pandemic has impacted our daily lives globally. Amongst the many shifts we've had to make and changes we've had to face, as both a collective society and individuals, we've had to restrict our contact with others. While in lockdown we're limited to our own support bubbles and for the brief time that we experienced between them, although we may have been able to rejoice in small groups, the 2m distancing rule remained.

Luckily technology allows us to remain in contact with those that we love and even work with in order to continue communicating, but it's inevitable that the lack of social contact will have its downfalls. Pandemic or not, interaction is a vital part of human well-being. Whether it be for work, performance or daily life, communicating effectively is a key part of growth, success, confidence and connection.

You may have had difficulty with communicating or confidence pre-Covid-19, but as restrictions start to ease, we will all face our own anxieties and challenges surrounding these as we take each step for the world to reopen and return to some sense of normality. We may require a little support or education to guide us to improve our confidence or communication skills, for public speaking but also for the likes of Zoom. Those required skill sets still apply.

James Wilson, a 24 year old Actor, Musician and Entrepreneur from West London, has begun his own business during lockdown to provide effective help and guidance for people that need to speak for a living. He acknowledges that it can be tough for some, the idea of standing and speaking in front of people can be a horrifying prospect, so he has created this to assist others in improving their levels of confidence and skills in communication. He wishes to provide for all, from students and teenagers auditioning, to those battling speech or confidence difficulties, from mature individuals wanting to delve into acting technique, all the way through to professionals wanting to build on their communication skills and public speaking. 

IN CONVERSATION WITH JAMES WILSON      

'I started up James Westphal Creative Development as I wanted to utilise my experience and training in acting, teaching and public speaking in order to provide effective help and guidance for people that speak for a living,' he shares.

'I chose the term ‘speak for a living’ because it encompasses quite a few different strands of communication, that many different people use in their everyday and working life. So many of us need to be able to communicate, communicate well and with ease and confidence. So the idea is that if you are someone that needs to do this, then there is something in JW Creative Development that can help you,' he smiles.

'I offer public speaking coaching, audition preparation and acting tuition.'

'Essentially, the main focus is for 3 groups of people', he states.

1. Students wanting to go into further acting training;
2. Actors wanting to keep on their craft and hone their skills; 
3. Business professionals wanting to enhance their communication and public speaking skills. 

'I moved to London away from my family at 16 to pursue a career in acting. And have stayed here ever since. That always makes it sound like I don’t have a very good relationship with my family, as if I moved away because I couldn’t stand them. But it’s not like that at all, they are my biggest supporters and I’m not entirely sure where I’d be without them….probably in a ditch somewhere, drunk,' he jokes. 

'I had the idea for Creative Development a couple of years ago when I realised how much I enjoy helping other people. When I’m not acting, it’s something else that I love to spend my time doing, so it seemed like a win/win to try and do this in the times that I am not acting and make some form of living out of it,' he grins. 

'From the initial idea it was then quite a long time before I decided to tell the imposter in my brain that was telling me there was nothing that I could do or say that people would want to hear, let alone help them, to p**s off. And then last Summer I decided to just go for it and started creating a website and setting out the business plan', he explains. 'I am quite proud of the website though, especially seeing as I’m partially colour blind! But then again, to a normal person’s eyes it might look like some form of colour nightmare,' he laughs.

'My goal with JW Creative Development is to be able to utilise my skillset and passions and use it in a way that is useful for others. I’ve worked extensively as an actor, teacher and coach, gaining a first class honours degree in Acting, providing 1:1 student tuition, running workshops around the country and co-running ArtsEd's Part Time Acting Foundation and Saturday Skills Academy, all the while pursuing my own Acting career. My hope is that my experience in these three areas can not only offer effective help and guidance, but offer new ways of thinking about communication, confidence and sense of self', he says.

'I believe if I can’t help people with my skills and experience, then what am I doing? It’s that simple to me. I know how much other peoples help and guidance has helped me, and continues to help me. For me, it isn’t a case of ‘here I am, look how much I know and look how much you don’t’. I think, no matter what age someone is, you can always learn something. So, for me, it’s about working collaboratively with a mutual understanding', he admits.

'At the moment everything is online. Most of my teaching and coaching has been for the past year, which brings its own set of challenges and its unique kind of fun and interesting moments. As soon as is safe and allowed, I will take my sessions face to face. And that is dependant on the client. Whether there is a space/ work room that they like to work in, or whether we use a studio space that I usually use,' he shares.

'I’m really trying to promote the business on social media at the moment, as it seems like the quickest way to grow and raise awareness. So if anyone has the time to check my socials out and comment, save, share and follow then I’d be really grateful,' he says. 'Aside from that, if you read this and think, ‘he sounds alright y’know, I wouldn’t mind a session’, then thank you first of all, and secondly head on over to my website or drop me an email.' 

Website: www.jameswestphal.org Email: info@jameswestphal.org

'Thank you to anyone that has taken the time to read this. And know that in this weird time, we’re all trying to figure things out, all trying to look ahead for brighter times, the more we can help and support each other, the easier it becomes I think'.

'If you have any questions on any of the above, or just want to chat anything through or ask me any questions then please just drop me an email,' he grins. I’d be really happy to hear from you.'