The story of any artist is, at its heart, the story of a soul in search of truth and meaning. For John Osborne Hughes, this search has guided his entire professional and creative life—through the bright lights of the stage, the quiet moments of reflection and contemplation, and the emergence of a unique artistic path, rooted in modern psychology and ancient wisdom.
Today, John is known on both sides of the Atlantic as the creator of The Spiritual Psychology of Acting, a methodology that weaves modern acting technique with philosophy, meditation, and the journey of self-enquiry. But his path did not begin with method—it began with big questions: Who am I? Why are we here? Who are these people?!
John’s first four years were spent in Gibraltar, and then moving between England and Wales and back again. “I learned to adapt my character to fit in and survive”, he says, “and discovered a natural talent for acting along the way”. From school he was accepted on the Hampshire County Specialist Speech and Drama course, where he was awarded the special commendation for best actor.
In 1988 he moved from Portsmouth to South London and began training at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. From there he went on to train as a stage director in association with the Moscow institute of Theatre Arts, where he was fortunate to learn the system of Stanislavski (the grandfather of modern acting) first hand.
After graduation he directed acclaimed stage productions, including Ecstasy by Mike Leigh at the Arts Theatre, West End, and his own original play Beyond Ecstasy, which gained critical acclaim for its existential themes, sparky script and visionary scope, enjoying sell out runs in London and at the Edinburgh festival.
Despite the success, John felt a quiet discontent—a realisation that the work, though technically strong, lacked something essential.
“I had just been initiated into a mantra meditation practice and everything started to open up”, he says, “I understood that the higher or deeper purposes of theatre and cinematic art are to raise the level of consciousness, open the heart and, as Shakespeare so beautifully put it, to hold a mirror up to nature”.
“But how can an actor, writer or director contribute to this process”, he wondered, “if they haven’t first opened their own hearts, raised their own level of consciousness or truly observed the processes of human nature in themselves?”
The answer is, of course - they can’t!
John’s search for true knowledge and meaning led him into decades of study—philosophy, mythology, psychology, the history of art and, most importantly, the perennial wisdom tradition of Advaita Vedanta, non-duality and the twice daily practice of meditation.
Slowly, he began integrating these insights with his experience of acting, and a new system and body of profound knowledge began to take shape in the form of: The Spiritual Psychology of Acting.
Not just an acting method, this approach invites the artist to journey inward—to explore the nature of mind, character and emotion in themselves, and to closely examine their own ideas of their own identity and their relationship to their own sub-conscious drives and purposes.
“The actor’s work is the art of becoming another character,” John reflects. “To truly inhabit a role is not to escape oneself, but to understand the aspects of the self, more fully—and, in doing so, to reflect something universal back to the audience.”
John’s devotion to the inner journey naturally extends into his creative works. As founder of Awakened State Productions, he continues to explore stories that touch the liminal space between worlds—between the visible and the invisible, the down to earth and the mythic.
His recent multi award-winning first short film, The Space Between, explores love, loss and the laws of karma through the lens of the near death experience, while Beyond Ecstasy, now in development as a feature film, follows a DJ’s psychedelic journey through the late 90s underground rave scene—a contemporary myth that asks timeless questions about the true meaning of love - a parable about the need for us all to rescue the soul from the ego and rediscover to our true nature.
An accomplished musician, John is the drummer / songwriter for a new, as yet unnamed, melodic, indie punk band. He has also DJ’s internationally since the late 90s as Solar Loon, playing what he calls ‘transcendental house’, a vibey mix of cosmic disco, funky techno and soulful, psychedelic house music.
John’s journey feels deeply aligned with the mission of the Spiritual Arts Foundation: to honour the artist as a vessel of spirit, and to bring light to the sacred power of creativity in all its forms.
His work, like that of many members of the SAF community, stands at the threshold between disciplines. It is as much about healing as it is about storytelling. As much about awakening as it is about acting.
“We live in a time when the artist is being called to reclaim their role as visionary,” says John. “We are being asked to remember that art is not a luxury—it is a necessity for the soul of humanity.” He says, “the level of consciousness of every work of art is a reflection of the level of consciousness of the artist. By training artists to connect with their own true self they become connected to the source of all wisdom, all creativity, all love and all bliss”
For those walking a similar path—those who sense that art can be more than product, more than performance—John offers this:
“When you find the courage to align your art with your true, deeper self and offer it as a gift, with love and devotion, something extraordinary happens. You begin to manifest the mystery that lives at the heart of all true creation in the form of art. And that, I believe, is what the world needs right now.”
Starting this September, we’re excited to announce that John is presenting his ground-breaking KNOW YOURSELF, BE YOUR SELF self-development programme for newcomers.
The weekly online course provides training in spiritually based, practical psychology, exploring the three main dharmas of human life and is open to all. Check out the website below to book his free live online intro to The Spiritual Psychology of Acting. When you sign up you also receive his excellent free mini video course, AWAKEN THE ACTOR WITHIN!
Article by By Layla El-Khatib for The Spiritual Arts Foundation.
Starting this September, we’re excited to announce that John is presenting his ground-breaking
KNOW YOURSELF, BE, YOUR SELF course- a live weekly online self-development training.
The course combines eastern wisdom with cutting-edge practical psychology, to provide knowledge and tools to support mental and spiritual well-being and promote transformation and conscious evolution.
If you're interested to learn the fascinating main principles of the training, John is presenting two opportunities to join a FREE online intro seminar - on Wednesday’s 10th and 17th September at 18:30 UK
Term One, The Principles of the Human Psyche, starts on 24th September.
If you’d like to find out more about The Spiritual Psychology of Acting John also presents a free online taster session each month, for newcomers and professionals seeking something more..
When you sign up you also receive his excellent free mini video course, AWAKEN THE ACTOR WITHIN! Check the websites above for details.
