Using the Muse: Trusting Your Creative Instincts

In acting, the greatest performances come not from overthinking but from trusting your creative instincts—your muse. As Brian Cutler emphasizes, “The minute you get out of the left brain, the thinking brain, and put it into the right brain… Trust your muse, trust God, trust angels, whatever you want to call it, and just do it, it’s gonna be right on the money every single time.”

This shift from the analytical left brain to the creative right brain is crucial. The left brain, filled with self-doubt and over-analysis, can hold you back. Brian explains, “The camera will see you thinking of your next line through your eyes.” In contrast, the right brain allows you to stay fully present, channeling energy into your scene partner and creating moments that feel alive and genuine.

The best actors—Viola Davis, Gene Hackman, Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Hilary Swank—demonstrate this mastery. “Their eyes are always twinkling and sparkling because that energy is going into their partner from their heart, their soul,” Brian points out. They aren’t thinking about the moment; they are living it.

Trusting your muse is a practice of letting go. Brian recalls Charles Conrad’s advice: “Don’t give a f*ck and just trust your body.” Your body, when guided by the creative brain, will never mislead you. It’s only when the left brain creeps in with self-criticism—“You said that word wrong!” or “You didn’t breathe there last time!”—that authenticity is lost.

As actors, your goal is to connect deeply with your character, your partner, and the moment. Like the great writers and performers who trust their muse to guide them, you too can create performances that are true, instinctual, and unforgettable.