“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” - Oscar Wilde
Whether they're worn by deranged killers or heroic vigilantes, masks are a recurring theme in my work. And something I've heard over and over again from the actors I collaborate with is that they find the process incredibly liberating. They can let go of superficial insecurities or anxieties and dissociate on an entirely different level.
Sounds fun, right? Well, I've got good news: regardless of the medium you're working in, every artist can experience something similar.
A few posts back, I recommended Pep Talks for Writers by Grant Faulkner. One of the assignments from that book I'm most anxious to try out is creating something under a pseudonym. After all, what's a pen name if not a mask for an author to slip on? The anonymity provides an opportunity to take risks and experiment with different tones or genres without the fear of being judged (by others or ourselves).
But Faulker suggests taking it a step further and coming up with a brief back story for this assumed identity. Who are they? Where are they from? What are they interested in? It's sort of like method acting for writers. Once you step into that person’s shoes, you’re not just approaching everything from a brand new point of view, you’re also letting go of any preconceptions you might be holding onto about what or how you're supposed to write.
Of course, nom de plumes aren't just for authors. Anyone can use this exercise as a jumping-off point for a new project, especially if you've been feeling blocked, uninspired, or just want to shake things up.
But I also want to share a similar trick you can apply to whatever you’re already working on at the moment. When I get stuck or hit a wall, it can be helpful to imagine how an artist I admire might solve the problem. I don't mean directly copying something they've already done, it's more about trying to adopt their mindset. So instead of creating a new persona like I would with a pen name, I’m temporarily channeling an existing one.
So let's say I'm getting ready to shoot a scene for a short film. If I’m drawing storyboards to plan out my shots and they start to feel a little humdrum, I might ask myself: "How would Sam Raimi shoot this?" Again, not ripping off a specific sequence from one of his movies, just trying to see the scene through his eyes in order to get a new perspective and potentially shake something loose.
And you want to know the real secret to this technique? The larger the contrast between the artist you pick and the material you're working on, the more exciting the results will be. It's the difference between using Sam Raimi as the inspiration for your horror movie vs. applying his style to a romantic comedy. Most of us are already emulating our favorite creators in the genres we typically work in (consciously or unconsciously), so your best bet here is to push past those direct influences and come up with some more unconventional choices.
It was only recently that I discovered there's an actual term for this! Srini Pallay, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, calls it psychological halloweenism. It’s the act of mentally dressing up as another artist in order to boost your own creativity. Just pick out your costume and play pretend.
Take care, friends. Talk to you soon.
If there’s a topic you’d like me to cover or a question you’d like to ask, send a message to chrisfightsdemons@substack.com. If it’s something I think other readers will be interested in, I’ll add it to the list and respond in a future post.
I freaking love this idea and totally dig the technique. As I'm finding my voice in storytelling, I've been trying to do emulate my favorite world builders like Gaiman or Lynch without directly copying them, but I never thought about the idea of giving my pen over to a Silence Dogood or Topsy Kretts. Looking forward to using this. Thank you again Chris, and solid guidance!