Image by Comfreak from Pixabay
In the crazy, wonderful, ridiculous pursuit of acting there are going to be times when reality bites. Things will just seem to be stacked against us (and it will likely happen a lot). It truly can be one of the most disheartening businesses out there, designed to offer significantly more rejection than approval. Not to mention a serious lack of any sort of clear “path”.
We can go to school for it, take as many classes as possible, read every book, submit ourselves consistently for auditions, and still not be where we hoped we would be. Sure, one could argue that no matter what business a person is entering themselves into they will always strive to move up. What is it about acting that seemingly puts so many expectations on us though?
When Reality Bites, Take a Step Back
This sort of tangential thinking can become increasingly cyclical, causing us to spiral into a state of self-doubt. It’s vital in these moments to take a step back.
Take a breath.
The reality of this moment may be biting but it’s up to us how we respond. One of my favorite lines from Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is “My philosophy is that worrying means you suffer twice”. Of course, this is an over-simplified solution to legitimate feelings of stress and anxiety, but there is some definite truth there. Why do we spend so much time stressing about what role we would like to be playing, who we want to be working with, and where we would like our careers to be?
Love the Now
If what someone really wants is to act, there are SO many opportunities to do that. Not every artistic (or life) decision needs to be done with the intent of “furthering our careers”. There are community theaters, small 99-seat professional theaters, likely even random acquaintances that are itching to co-write and produce something.
Opportunities to act are everywhere and when we find ourselves in one of these “small” jobs it is vital to put as much effort, energy, and (perhaps most importantly) joy into them. There is truly no use in mentally draining ourselves thinking of ways to fast forward to an idealistic version of the future when we have chance after chance to love our now. When reality bites, bite back.
You Can’t Move Up Without Moving Forward
All of this is not to say we shouldn’t have goals or shoot “higher”. It is the human condition to want things and it is this drive that keeps us motivated to pursue anything. It is great to make those important connections, work toward more professional demos and agencies, etc. but not at the expense of our mental health.
One of our recent guests in Steve’s Teaching Series Maile Flanagan spoke about making time to do three things every day to further her career and how this routine is largely responsible for her success. That could mean anything from submitting auditions to writing something, reading a play, even sending a friend a resumé to look over. She did these things all while still participating in small theater productions, comedy troupes, etc. and enjoying the work she was doing.
The reality of many actors’ situations may “bite” a bit too hard to allow time for all of this but it is the sort of balance we should strive for. We don’t have to stay stagnant, but we also don’t have to put unnecessary pressure on ourselves regarding things that haven’t even happened yet. Without enjoying the process and our current situation or focusing on our mental health, we won’t be able to progress toward our goals. You can’t move up without continuing to move forward.
I really relate to reality biting me. I guess I’ve become more cynical as a result, and I’ve tried my best to keep my hopes down as much as I can in order to not get myself hurt. But being like this is exhausting, so I really do love the commentary on focusing on the now, and not always trying to change things, especially career-wise, in order to give ourselves a break.
Totally, Saffron. It’s a full-time job, this business of being kind to ourselves (but so, so worth it).
This is a well written article full of positivity. When things knock you down, you get back up. When your are passionate about a field of interest, pursue it. Never do anything for fame and fortune, its just not worth the time. Start small then go big.
Thanks Aswan! Very well said^. We have to enjoy the process and move at our own pace.
Nicely stated, Brandon. One of the things I love about your website, Steve, is that you and your son, friends, guests, etc., are all very straight forward and encouraging. Thank you for being open about your feelings – you keep it real. I also love that you are so helpful to so many people, on so many levels. I’m sure you are impacting more people in more ways than you’ll ever know! Keep it up! Thank you! And may God bless you all!
Thank you so much, Maria!! I’m glad to hear you’ve gotten a lot of out the site and appreciate you sharing. We love having you here and hearing from all of you 🙂
great thoughts Brandon. We want to be great, we strive for it. Blocking out the negative and learning from failure constantly provides growth as an actor. This is our cross.
Thanks, Heath! Exactly! We can’t grow if we don’t utilize our failures and make the best of them.
This is such an important thing to remember, even just in day-to-day life. Things are a lot harder when you forget to breathe while you do them. If you can’t step back like you said, you’re gonna have a much harder time making progress, no matter what it is you’re doing- I completely agree.
Well said, Zach! Breathe, move forward, repeat.
That quote from Newt is great! A similar phrase that resonates with me is “Embrace the chaos.”
Ooo, I like that one as well Alex! Is it from something?
Very well put! I too loved that line from Newt, it really made me think hard to where I didn’t focus on much else besides that. It made sense to me. This article has so much truth I am unsure of what else to say about it other than it’s perfect, it explains everything clear as day about the strive, the climb, and the control we have. Thank you.
Aww, so glad you enjoyed it. Yesss, I love the Newt quote! Thank YOU!