Page 15 - June 2022 CW Magazine Rev1
P. 15

As much as video magnifies every aspect of where we are or where we aren’t, it also serves an
                      equally important function. Video serves as a mirror with invaluable feedback that allows us to
                        envision where we would like to be. To envision for ourselves, decide for ourselves, and find
                                      within ourselves what we want to exhibit and broadcast.

             Even before we press record or step onto a stage how       But what if my clients couldn’t do that? What if they
             we feel about ourselves is what people pick up first.      didn’t have that ability or control?
             Before needing help with technology or where to
             begin with messaging, the primary concern I receive        Early on I came across a commercial director who
             from clients is not liking the way they look or feeling    gave his clients an exercise to help them feel good
             confident about the way they look on camera. And           about themselves on camera. What became
             often, feeling they don’t look like themselves.            immediately clear was the reason we don’t like the
                                                                        way we look on screen.
             It is damaging to every aspect of our confidence, self-
             belief, and authority if we don’t like the way we look     We hold a younger version of ourselves in our mind
             or feel confident about how we appear.                     than the age we are. That disconnect makes us feel we
                                                                        do not look like ourselves or like the way we look.
             I’ve witnessed this even more profoundly in women          That discrepancy is what needs to be reconciled. To
             who spent most of their lives feeling and being            see, meet, and accept ourselves for where we are in
             beautiful. Finding it very hard to reconcile how they      the present.
             look and feel about themselves in their later years.
             Making it even more difficult for them to appear in        I performed the exercise, found it deeply rewarding,
             front of a camera.                                         and created my own version that has been an integral
                                                                        part of my work ever since.
             Having been an actress for many years before
             becoming a Video Performance Coach, I knew the             The exercise is a private and quiet journey that takes
             emphasis on the visual, along with its intense scrutiny    place facing a mirror. A simple, gentle, neutral
             especially placed on women. Thankfully, I also gained      observation of the woman looking back.
             a control and confidence from the profession to 'bend
             the elements' to my will to look my best in video and
             feel beautiful.




































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