The Invisible Mentor Interviews Robin Craig Part Two

This is the second part of Robin Craig's interview. The more interviews I conduct, the more I see that we are all connected, and we are not as different as we think. While I was interviewing Robin she told me that writing is a very solitary activity and as soon as she writes something she has to find someone to share it with. She then says to me that as a writer I should be able to relate to that and my response to her, no not really. I often have separation issues with my writing, except for this blog. When you write, do you immediately want to share it with others?

While you are reading Robin's responses, keep a pad and pencil handy to write, so that you can apply the information to your unique situation.

How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Robin Craig:  They are integrated. The people who I meet when I am doing my plays, we all become very close so I have hundreds of friends. Many of whom I would even consider to be close friends. There is always time for conversation on the telephone and catching up with people. Thank goodness for email, that’s a great way to keep in touch. My friends have now spread internationally through my work so it’s a good fit.

What’s a major regret that you’ve had in life?

Robin Craig:  That my mother didn’t live long enough to see me married and have children.

What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Robin Craig:

1. Value your friendships because they are a wonderful support
2. Listen to what people have to tell you without interrupting, I’m still working on that
3. Think positively
4. Be patient, things will come to you
5. Try not to worry too much

When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

Robin Craig:  I love spending it with my family but they are so busy and separated. Lorna is in Nelson, British Columbia, Andrew is very busy here in Toronto, and David is very busy as well. I also love to be at our cottage which is up near the Rideau Lake system in Ottawa, and I also just love to read. Reading is one of my great pleasures.

What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Robin Craig:  Talking to people, bouncing ideas around the room, and getting feedback. I’m not someone who works well alone. I have just started dabbling in writing, and I find that very solitary but as soon as I write something I have to share it with somebody and see how they feel.

What’s your favourite quotation and why?

Robin Craig:  One of my favourite quotation is by Lucy Maude Montgomery who wrote the Anne series (Anne of Green Gables) and she said, and I may be paraphrasing, “Worrying is a bit like being in a rocking chair, you’re doing something but you’re not getting anywhere.”

Note from Avil: I researched the quote and here is what I found:

“It only seems as if you are doing something when you're worrying.”  Lucy Maud Montgomery

“Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.”  Glenn Turner

How do you define success?

Robin Craig:  Being happy and being content with yourself. Having and knowing you have enough.

In your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Robin Craig:  Be compassionate and patient with yourself, reach out to others and share your success. Don’t hold it tightly to your chest because it’s not as enjoyable that way. Visualize the end of the tunnel, visualize where you want to go, and just take your time to get there. It’s a bit like a tightrope, you visualize what’s at the end and you just balance and walk along until you get there.

What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?

Robin Craig:  I kept going, I’ve been in this business now for 35 years and I think a lot of it is stubbornness. I just keep trying, I pick myself up and dust myself off and go at it again. It helps when you are not good at anything else.

What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Robin Craig:  Keep reading, keep going to school, keep studying, go to see plays, go to see films, talk to directors, make contacts. Just keep going, and don’t be discouraged.

If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

Robin Craig:

1. I would have loved to have met Pierre Elliot Trudeau. He was a great inspiration for me when I was growing up, especially because he was such a great supporter of the arts. I would have said thank you, thank you for providing artists in this country an identity.
2. I would love to meet Dame Judi Dench. I think that she is simply fantastic. I just love to watch her versatility and dedication to the arts. I would also say thank you.
3. I would also like to meet Helen Mirren. I just think that she is extraordinary.
4. I would like to see my friend Susan Wright who died several years ago. I wish that I could see her again because she was a wonderful actress, and a great friend and I would just tell her that I missed her.
5. The fifth would have to be Emma Thompson. I think that she is fantastic too, she is a wonderful British actress who has a lovely sense of relaxation on stage and on film and I would just say thanks.

Robin Craig's One Influential Book from Avil Beckford on Vimeo.

Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply? Did you have an emotional or intellectual attachment to this book? Why?

Robin Craig:  I think the Uses of Enchantment is a great book by Bruno Bettelheim. It makes you realize that it’s okay to be frightened. It’s about children’s enchantment and fairytales, and it also ties in to the Jungian books that I have read. But the Uses of Enchantment really opened up my eyes to the power of the dark side of imagination and what those images mean to help you unravel your own dark side, your own psyche. It was very influential in opening my mind up to be more forgiving to myself. Everybody has a dark side and sometimes it’s a really interesting side.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are five books that you would like to have with you and why? Summarize the book in two sentences.

Robin Craig:

1. Complete Works of Shakespeare
2. Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales: A children’s fairytale book, and again it ties into Bruno Bettelheim because Grimm’s fairytales are very dark and there is a lot of morality in them.
3. Dandelion Wine: This is wonderful book written by Ray Bradbury and it’s about a town, kind of like any town in the United States, but there is magical thinking in it.
4. Winnie the Pooh: It’s a wonderful book that should be read to every child. It’s about a little boy called Christopher Robin and his bear Winnie the Pooh, who is named after Winston Churchill.
5. Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse

Have you read any books that inspired you to start a business, service or invent “something”? If yes, which book?

Robin Craig:  I read a cake decorating book once, and a book about how to make gingerbread houses, and what they helped me to do was make a whole lot of gingerbread houses for my church and have a fundraiser, and I just loved doing that. It wasn’t a real money maker but it was a hobby that I took up I just love it.

What one music CD and movie would you like to have with you (on the deserted island) and why?

Robin Craig:  My favorite CD right now is by my friend Judy Marshak called a Moment in Time and it’s absolutely sensational. She wrote most of the songs and she is accompanied by John Alcorn who produced it. It’s beautiful, beautiful stuff. I would have to have that with me.

My favorite movie is the King of Hearts with Alan Bates. It’s a wonderful film about this rag tag bunch of asylum inhabitants, about 100 years ago, who escaped from the asylum and created their own world. It’s absolutely wonderful.

What excites you about life?

Robin Craig:  The people in it. It’s such an incredible world, everybody is different, everybody has a story to tell. I’m curious about absolutely everybody. I could sit in a train or a plane, or bus station for hours.

How do you nurture your soul?

Robin Craig:  Talking to my friends.

If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for? Or, if I gave you a magic wand, what would you use it for?

Robin Craig:  Continued health!

Complete the following, I am happy when…..

Robin Craig:  I am on stage.

What are five things that you learned from Robin's interview. Re-read The Invisible Mentor Interviews Robin Craig. What are your overall impressions of the interview? What lessons have you learned? What did you find surprising?

Please keep the conversation flowing, click on the comment link below and leave a note for me. Book links are afiiliate links.