JUSTIN ROGERS

Post Category:

Getting inspired

Are you using questions or are they using you?

September 26, 2025

At drama school they taught me about “working questions”. Basically it was a tool to reverse engineer performance and art. My first go at working questions were pretty clunky:

“How can I use lighting in my work to enhance story telling of the character’s plight?”

Not super juicy… BUT a way better orientation to work than just “Wow, that’s good! I wish I could make something like that!”

They taught us this to transform what were seeing in artistic product into something we could work with as crafts people.

Questions, by nature elicit responses. So by asking a question, you’ll get some sort of response. A quality question get’s a quality answer.

The difference between:

“Woah! How come I can’t make anything like that!”

To

“How can I make something like that?”

It’s subtle but extremely powerful. I’m amazed at how many times daily I use this skill.

Māori Language Week and the Briscoes sale

September 18, 2025

I love how Briscoes always seems to have a sale on. It seems like they don’t really need a reason.

It’s the red dot sale!

I love how events seem to activate us. We see it every year with Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori; it’s awesome. There’s reo flying all over the place.

By the same logic, we can make events out of anything: Today is finally start writing my book day!

Or: hey are you ready to celebrate no sugar Saturday?

Maybe in the same way that New Years day gives us the illusion of a fresh start, we can decide to have one any time we like.

What are you celebrating today?

We don’t need your nerves

September 17, 2025

I’m really just reminding myself.

Despite over a decade of performing for audiences around the world and teaching hundreds of kids at a time, I still get that wobbly feeling in my stomach in the lead up to being in front of people.

They say the adrenaline is good but sometimes the feeling can take over a bit and make you hyper focussed on yourself.

This is exactly the wrong direction for your focus.

When this happens to me, I remind myself: they don’t need your nerves.

Instead I realign with what I’m there to do.

How can I give more?

How can I get out of my own way to serve these people I’m about to be in front of?

It’s easier said than done, but focus shift does a lot for me.

Deciding what mood you bring to the class

September 15, 2025

Deciding what mood you bring to the class

The first time I got my actor head shots done a friend of mine had some great advice:

What three qualities as an actor do you want these headshots to show?

I think I chose like quirky, trustworthy and vulnerable.

It was a great focus, because I went into the session clear on the moods I wanted the photos to have.

I think about this with students as well: what is the mood I want to bring to the my classroom today?

Mood is completely palpable; especially to young people. We may think we’re hiding our anxiety or annoyance well, but the kids can feel it.

Once you’ve decided what mood you’re taking to your lesson- it’s time to start priming it. I find it hard to just choose a mood in my head and make a ‘note to self’ to start ‘doing’ that mood when I enter the class.

It doesn’t work like that- you have to embody it. So I’ll gently begin living into the mood I chose in the hours leading up to my class.

Recently, I chose the word ‘glee’. I love that word and it cracks up. To take ‘glee’ in something is so fun. So that’s what I did. I took glee in making my breakfast and going about my morning. Glee in meeting people on the way to work.

And when I eventually did end up in front of my students, it wasn’t a great leap to bring my word into the classroom. I’d been edging toward it all morning.

I find it so empowering that we have this level of choice. Knowing how much mood can affect the learning that happens in my class and knowing I have the power to authentically change that is powerful.

Magic in Meaning

September 13, 2025

The magic of meaning

One of my favourite things about kapa haka is that the actions in the songs are telling their own story. They mirror, match and extend the story carried by the words and the tune.

We were working on the song E Minaka Ana in class yesterday. The kids and I got talking about the different words and how they linked to the actions we had learned:

Kōrero: Our hands near our mouths.

Kai: Our hands by our bellies.

You get the idea. And its no surprise that their word/action retention went up.

But something else happened too- there was more ‘flare’ to their actions.

Suddenly because the tamariki had a deeper understanding of the meaning of each action and how they linked to the words, they leant harder into the theatricality and scale of them.

This is the same when rehearsing a play. We pore over every word of a script, touching, saying, trying, discussing each syllable many times. It means in performance, the script is lit up.

Touching each word and action with the kids does the same thing. It’s familiar ground; we’ve been here before and we know it.

And when we perform, we take great pleasure and pride in sharing this mahi with others.

What’s your favourite thing right now?

August 3, 2025

There’s an unwritten rule when it comes to talking to actors:

“What are you doing at the moment?”

DON’T ASK THAT. It seems harmless sure- but there’s a lot going on in that question. Actors don’t always get to be hired to do acting, so this question can trigger this fact. Worse still, there is a habit amongst actors to equate their self worth to their work.

So when you ask what they’re ‘up to’ at the moment or if there’s anything ‘in the pipe line’ you could be accidentally triggering a series of thoughts that lead to the actor saying to themself “I am worthless”

Yikes, what a mine field.

Instead, I prescribe asking a different question. One that not only dodges any existential crises BUT it also forces both parties to be present, really present with that very moment.

What is your favourite thing right now?

It’s open enough to be a bit of a pick your own adventure for the person being asked, but it’s also specific enough to begin a good conversation.

It’s not perfect- I’ll keep playing with this one and see if there’s something even better.

What I like about it is it gives the power to the other person, gives them status. It allows them to find something that they’re actually interested in, something they’re excited about; their favourite thing.

With that kind of kindling you’re in for a fire of a conversation!

Cologne alone

July 30, 2025

Yesterday I did some filming for the business and today had a big client zoom.

Both times I was home alone.

Both times I wore cologne. It made a difference- it signalled to my brain that I’m ready, I’m on show, I’m with people and I mean business.

Don’t save the cologne just for others.

Give your week a title

July 27, 2025

Here’s something I’ve been trying out recently. What we call things matters. If I say to you, do you want to go on a walk you might say yes- but if I said do you want to join me on my sunset adventure you might get your Indiana Jones hat ready.

We can be activated by words that light us up. Acting coach Larry Moss talks about words that ‘carbonate’ an actor. When scoring a script with action verbs, the word ‘punish’ might be really exciting to play for one actor but the word ‘obliterate’ really gets another going.

It’s no secret that having ‘Week 29’ written on your calender isn’t going to move anyone to action. So how about naming your week something that makes you laugh, makes your excited or conjures up your most creative self to tackle the week ahead.

Names like:

Magic moments and legacy building

Or, Forging futures and being the best brother

I don’t know what it is for you- but giving your week a name is better than not, I reckon.

Oh- and write it somewhere you can see it easily, that’s important!

End your work day…

July 18, 2025

… on a high.

What do I mean?

Step 1. Make sure the last thing you do before you finish is the most enjoyable thing you can do for your work.

Step 2. Stop before you get bored.

Step 3. Throw out your alarm clock (you’ll be pulled out of bed to your work again tomorrow)

The final thing

July 12, 2025

Before I started making daily videos to share online I ummed and aah’d about what I should make and what the ‘final thing’ would be. I didn’t want to start without a big master plan of exactly what the videos would be, and how they would culminate to create this idea of a perfect body of work.

It’s quite funny to me, nearly 200 videos in, and I still don’t know what I’m making.

This is the inevitable journey of creativity; we follow hunches but its not our business what is ends up as. And it’s certainly not our business to try and mould some sort of premeditated trajectory.

Bodies of work and careers come together in retrospect- it’s not for us to curate. Make something now that you’re interested in and use influences that inspire you. Do your best, ship it and then move on.

I’m a little closer to knowing what I’m making, but only a little closer. And that’s only after 193 videos made and shared. So my advice is to start as soon as possible.

Then enjoy the not knowing.

Useful, inspiring and cool things

Join my newsletter

Categories