Many times when we’re on our journey we become exhausted by the grind itself or loss in the sauce. LOL And that’s why we have to stay inspired. After leaving an acting workshop a few weeks ago and listening to the panel (writers, studio heads, playwrights, acting coaches, and marketing experts) I listened to the panel talk about what it takes to make it in the acting business and the fact that 98% will fail (OUCH). They covered topics about marketing, saving do-re-mi, networking, taking classes to sharpen your skills, and hustling. Some even ventured to talk about the mystical aspects of being a believer and “highly favored” or “lucky” enough to find the right opportunities on their path. I happen to be a believer. :)
And for a moment I thought to myself, “of course everyone wants to get the prize (money), the glory and the fame”. But today thinking the workshop over I realized that something was missing. Something wasn’t quite acknowledged in that theatre on that day. It was the acting GRIND itself. Putting in countless hours to become better at what you love is also a major reward. A person becomes forever changed. There are countless folks who make it to the top without putting in "the work" sort of speak. But I always wonder if they appreciate it as much when they're not respected by their peers. There are countless stories of drug abuse, addictions and negative behavior that plague the industry for countless reasons. The money and the fame definitely can't guarantee what we all want which is happiness. And personally, I'm most happy when I'm embracing the work itself. All the risks and rewards are in the work itself.
Every time someone goes on stage; their Failure rate is huge, they can miss the mark and become unsuccessful in the worst way possible…publicly. It dawned on me that no one had even made the slightest mention of this at the workshop. Actors are already winning. 98% of the world would never take those types of risks. Images come to mind of my friends and fam who are still waiting to take their next step in life but are reluctant for fear of failing. I imagined dragging each of them on stage, kicking and screaming, to get rid of their fear for once and for all. :)
Besides I turned to acting for something entirely different. I wanted a bigger challenge in life (not grinding in Hollywood but acting itself) and to become great at something totally different. If I had never tried out for an audition; I would have never found out my innate gift of recalling my emotional memory. For me landing a tv show or a major theatre production is extra. The risk/reward is already built into acting itself. One of the workshop panelist actually said that she was a horrible actress but always worked in the business because she knew how to “market” herself. I don’t know if that was supposed to inspire us to take her course. I actually felt bad for her. Why go after something that you don't want to do? Or did she really want to act but was covering up her fear?
What we put in is what we get back. It might not seem that way but it’s physics. That’s why if you are going to do something half ass you might as well not do it at all. Our brains will record that as a pattern. Too many of those patterns and we’re in big trouble doing the same ol’, same ol’. Of course she’s no longer acting, she’s teaching marketing workshops to actors. And one by one each person on stage told their story about how they had started in acting but had ended up doing different things. I don’t know if anyone else took notice. But I wanted to know why did they all leave acting behind? Some were presented with amazing career opportunities. But I couldn’t help but wonder where the successful actor story was that day?
A teacher told me, “When a painting is criticized the painter can step back and detach himself from his artwork. Actors are the canvas and the painting, there is no detachment.” Maybe, no one wanted to say it. But it’s not just the hustle and/or the lack of work that sucks being a "working" actor; it’s the acting work itself that is the most grueling. Most people don’t like to open up to one person around them. Most of us live our whole lives trying to avoid rejection, but that’s impossible as an actor. It's an actor's job to expose the inner most part of herself in order to connect with her audience and hopefully make them feel something.
What a crazy opportunity for actors then! To learn how to take rejection over and over again in order to hit a specific goal, and I'm not talking about a callback. I'm talking about making the casting directors, the audience or whoever is watching in that moment FEEL differently because of your performance. WOW! A callback or being casted is extra, it's icing on the cake. But no one can take away your performance, your ability to affect people in that moment. And at the moment, I can’t think of a more worthwhile pursuit while I'm alive.
Shak
100.
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