I've learned there is a gray area between truly collaborating with a director and following his every edict. I'm happy to say I have learned a few lessons from the young performers with whom I've worked during the course of my 43 years in the entertainment business. One of my best teachers was Abigail Breslin..

As filmmaker and author Kaila Kukla has noted, "Drama is a positive, joyful, and fulfilling way of learning... it gives children the opportunity to create learning situations that are meaningful to them. They find ways to tap their inner resources because they want to do so".

In a recent interview, Philip Seymour Hoffman [Best Actor Oscar nominee for “Capote”] admitted he used drugs and alcohol earlier in his life. A lot. - An exceptionally talented actor, Hoffman is far from alone: many of us use and abuse.

Whether it's feedback we've asked for, an unsolicited remark called out from the audience or a simple "no" result of an audition or submission process, criticism and rejection are a huge part of our lives as creative artists.