Tom Mann

This morning we had a Skype Writing Workshop with Peter Thomas. During the session we discussed many different topics is relation to creative and academic writing. One of the techniques that we discussed was called Free Writing.  Free Writing is a writing strategy developed by Peter Elbow in 1973. It is similar to brainstorming but is written using structured sentences and paragraphs without stopping. It is used to increase the flow of ideas and reduce ideas being censored or missed out. You are supposed to write down everything you think of in relation to the topic you are writing about. No matter how "crazy" or "wrong" the thought is. You then filter through what you have written later keeping what you like and and cutting what you don't. You also have to keep the flow of ideas and thoughts constant. If you cant think of anything to write. Just keep writing your topic/idea. The technique is used to generate ideas so nothing is right or wrong. No one is mean

In the Welcome paragraph of the Module 1 Handbook "Rhizomatic Learning" is mentioned. Not knowing what this was I decided to do some research to better understand the term and to see if I could relate it to how I think about my practice and the course. What is a Rhizome? "A continuously growing horizontal underground stem which put out lateral shoots and adventitious roots at intervals." - Definition from Oxford Languages.  Basically a Rhizome is a plant/organism with no centralized root. It is an interconnected web of continuously changing and growing roots that all make up part of a whole. A Rhizome does not consist of units but dimensions and directions.  The Rhizomatic Learning Module implies that learning is most effective when it allows participants to react to constantly evolving circumstances. In Rhizomatic Learning the community is the curriculum everything is fluid and non-linear. The community is the curriculum.   This phrase has really stuck with me and

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” - Martin Luther King Jr.  This quote perfectly encapsulates how I'm currently feeling towards starting the BAPP course this year. It inspired me to write this blog post and also to question the way I think and how I act. I am the kind of person who wants to know everything before starting something. Who rarely takes a leap of faith without stressing or worrying that what I'm doing is wrong.  The quote is the antithesis of this. It says I should take the first step trusting that the rest of the staircase will be there. That I will be able to succeed by allowing myself to learn and experience more as I continue to take each step. I don't need to know everything before I start. I will reach my destination if I keep climbing. It's about trusting my instincts and believing in myself. So here I am - taking the first step.  Hi! I'm Tom Mann. I'm a 23 year old actor from