Creating from Oneself

I am working on a post about how and why an actor needs to condition and discipline his or her mind for creative work. Some of it will pertain to a "first lesson" that I will facilitate in a workshop. The lesson is entitled "Ethics and Discipline of an Actor's Mind." But in the meantime, here is the beginning of a companion piece, a companion "lesson." The thought or the question is what constitutes talent or what is the first thing or the main thing that you would look for that may eventually give rise to great acting? For me the answer is the ability to create from oneself, from one's own experiences and feelings and thoughts. That means, to take a real life experiences, bring them to the moment as actual physical sensations and thoughts (not as intellectualized memory and metaphor) and fictionalize them into behavior that is conducive to the purpose for which you are acting. That process is distinctly different from a process of copying the behavior of others or simply indicating or implying through gesture as a means of communication with spectators.