GARY MASON

443.624.3014

gary@gary-mason.com

Wisdom

Do It Now! Eating the Elephant

Acting, Encouragement, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading! I’ve been reflecting lately on getting older and what that means for …well…life in general. Specifically, I’ve been thinking about major life changes, not just due to aging and things like retirement, but also changing locations, losing a job and having to find a new one; basically redefining ourselves and how difficult that can be.  This week I want to tell you a secret to success I call: Do it now!

REMEMBER:

Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah, I know I say this every week, but it falls under the heading of “The things that go without saying are the things that most need to be said”.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

Life Events.

We all have them – major life events. We graduate school, get married, have kids, lose people we love, get, and lose jobs, retire. You name it, it happens to all of us. Some life events like having a child are happy ones. Others, like losing a loved one, are not happy. And sometimes they come in multiples; getting divorced coupled with losing a job and having to relocate. Whether good or bad, many (most) of these events cause us to have to “redefine” ourselves. That can be an uncomfortable thing to do.

It’s not easy.

Let’s be honest, redefining yourself is not an easy (or quick) task. We humans tend to get into routines. We get comfortable where we are and when that changes due to things out of our control, we suddenly feel adrift and lost. Heck, even when these things are IN our control. We know we have to decide on a new path and start down it, but can’t always figure out which way to go, or even how to get where we want the new us to be. It can be (and likely will be) overwhelming.

Burnout

The problem with being overwhelmed is it often leads to burnout, which can lead to depression, which causes us to not want to do things. And not wanting to do things keeps us from moving forward. Here’s the rub; If you are standing still, you are not going anywhere…your situation is not going to change.

Depression

Since I mentioned depression I feel I have to say: Depression is a dangerous thing; it requires a doctor’s care. I am not a doctor, and I am not suggesting anything I write in this little blog can help you treat or overcome depression. If you suffer from depression, call a doctor immediately and seek treatment. I am also not suggesting that you can “achieve” your way out of depression. I am suggesting that it may be possible to avoid getting to depression by your own actions. Seriously, if you are depressed get to a doctor as soon as possible. Quit reading this and call now. If you don’t know who to call, here is the number for the National Mental Health Hotline, it is someplace to start and is available 24/7/365: 866-903-3787 .

Being overwhelmed

What I write in this blog may be able to help you feel less overwhelmed and maybe avoid depression that is caused by feelings of being overwhelmed. Again, and I am being careful here, nothing in this blog should be misconstrued for medical advice. Here’s what happens to me when I feel overwhelmed; there is so much to do I can’t figure out how to move forward. Since I can’t see a clear path forward, I simply do nothing. It’s a recipe for disaster.

The elephant

And here is what I learned in my 63 trips around the sun: Overwhelming circumstances are like trying to “eat an elephant”. I’m sure you’ve all heard this before, but how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. I know, it sounds trite, and to be sure it is easier said than done…but it can be done! And no, I don’t think you should actually eat an elephant.

Procrastination

I’d like to park here for just a moment. Don’t worry, we’ll get back to eating the elephant in a moment, but first let’s discuss procrastination for a bit. And yeah, I also promise I’ll tie this all back to acting before we’re done.

Me

I am a procrastinator. It may not seem like it if you know me, because I am always busy with something, but believe me it is true. I was having a discussion with my son this weekend and we were talking about procrastinating. We didn’t use that word, but it was definitely the topic. I won’t go into details why, but I will tell you that what I told him was that one thing I learned about myself was that if I didn’t do “the thing” (whatever the thing was) right away, I didn’t do it for a very long time. I’m a procrastinator. Well, maybe a recovering procrastinator.

The message is:

Do it now. For me, I sometimes look at a task and decide it is going to take so long or be so difficult I can’t get it done…so I put it off. Typically, I find that when I finally get around to doing it (I mean, it HAS to be done after all) it was easier and quicker than my mind made it seem, but even when it IS long and difficult, I still wind up having to do it eventually. So, if it is going to take me a week (or a month or a year or whatever) to do and I wait 6 months to start…guess what? Now it’s taken me 6 months PLUS a week to do it.

What about things you don’t HAVE to do?

The things you should do but don’t have to are killers. Learning an instrument, starting training for a new career field…there are tons of things we know we should do but don’t start because it will take too long or be too difficult. Instead, we stay where we are and dream about doing those things. But the time will pass anyway, and waiting isn’t going to make it any easier. The only solution is to Do It Now. Start, or you’ll never finish and 60+ revolutions around the sun later you’ll still just be dreaming.

What does this have to do with acting?

I’m glad you asked! Deciding to start down the path toward an acting career can seem overwhelming. Kind of like eating an elephant. See I told you we’d get back to the elephant! Between head shots, acting reels, coaching, training, resume’s, agents, managers and all the rest, it seems like too daunting a task sometimes. But here’s the truth: you eat this elephant one bite at a time just like all the other elephants in your life. Oh, and be sure to prioritize which elephant you eat first too…but that may be for a different post.

Discrete tasks

While “one bite at a time” is a cute soundbite, it’s not really helpful. What I mean by eating this elephant one bite at a time is that every large overwhelming task is made up of a bunch of smaller, more manageable discrete tasks. If you can break down and identify those tasks, then prioritize them and do them one at a time…you can “eat the (whole) elephant”. Even the act of breaking down and prioritizing can be broken down into discrete tasks. Each one of those discrete tasks likely have some discrete tasks as well. And if you don’t know where to start, that’s OK. There are books, websites, and Facebook groups (among other resources) all dedicated to helping you figure it out.

You can’t do it…

Ha! Gotcha! You CAN do it, just not all at once. Becoming a successful (and YOU define success for you BTW), working actor is not easy (although it really is kind of simple), and it takes time. Sometimes a LOT of time. Just remember that if you don’t start down the path (any path really, not just acting) that time is going to pass anyway. The sooner you begin, the sooner you “finish” (you never really “finish” growing as an actor).

So…Do It Now!

Research what it takes to be an actor, get some help breaking it down into manageable steps and get started. And don’t forget that On-the-Job-Training is some of the best training. Submit for background roles in big projects, submit for principal roles in some local Indie or Student projects. You may be surprised how easy it is to book roles, and time on set is invaluable even if you just learn this career is not for you before you spend too much energy on it.

Do It Now!

Yeah, I know I repeated myself, but it bears repeating. Maybe you feel you don’t have enough talent, time, or money to pursue this dream. OK, fair. If this is your dream, invest what you can. It’s said there is no better time to start than right now, and I believe that’s true. You may not move forward as quickly as someone who has more resources to invest, but you will be moving forward! You simply cannot eat the elephant until you take the first bite! So, don’t procrastinate…Do It Now!

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over but Didn’t Know Who to Ask!  

Overcoming Inertia – or – Bloom Where You are Planted

Acting, Encouragement, Getting Started, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading! This week I’d like to talk a little bit about what I’ll call “overcoming inertia”. What do I mean by that? I mean, (to use a few cliché phrases) – getting the ball rolling, a rolling stone gathers no moss, you can’t get where you are going If you stay where you’re at, if you never start, you’re already finished…and other equally cringy things people say.  What I want to talk about this week is pursuing your dreams instead of just dreaming about them.

REMEMBER:

Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah, I know I say this every week, but it falls under the heading of “The things that go without saying are the things that most need to be said”.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

A conversation

Several years ago, I was speaking to one of my in-laws and he was lamenting the fact that he was almost 40 years old, unmarried, childless and without a clear direction in his career (OK, simple truth is he had a job and not a career). He moaned that all of his friends were married, with children, had a good career and owned a home. He was living in a sibling’s spare room, single and working at some entry level job (I don’t recall what it was). He expected to be in the same place as his friends by this point in his life.

A question…

In response to his whining (did I say that out loud?) I asked him: If you expected to have these things by this time, what steps have you taken to get them? He looked at my quizzically and just said: Huh. Truth is, he just expected them to sort of, happen. When I explained to him that these things don’t just happen, but we have to pursue them he seemed dumbfounded. I don’t take credit for it, but now several years later he has a career he loves, a wife, three kids and owns a home. He didn’t get them overnight, but once he decided to start taking steps to achieve what he wanted…he did. He stopped letting life “just happen” to him.

A different conversation

Not bragging, but I am personally pretty well off. I am retired with two pensions and a fair amount of money set aside to carry me through this last phase of life. I made some good decisions early in life and am now reaping the benefits of them. Many of my family members over the years made comments about how “lucky” I was and how “unfair” it was that I had more than they did. I finally got fed up and told them: If you want what I have, do what I did.

More recently

Social media is a wonderful thing. I recently had a distant friend post something about how “lucky” veterans are to have VA benefits. And, yeah, the VA benefits are great, but the 20 years of active duty, while it had some great moments, were not always so great. The VA benefits are deferred payment for all the birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, and other important family events we got to miss because we were deployed in some far-off place.  The only response to something like that is: The recruiting office was open for them too!

And so…

Some recent events got me thinking about this, and it occurred to me that there are people in this world who just let life happen to them. They look at other people and think about how lucky they are or blame past events or other people for their “lot in life”. They do this without ever considering what actions they should take to change their situation. Here is what I have learned in 63 years of life: No one has a “lot in life”. Nothing is pre-determined, and you can ALWAYS do something about it. Granted, nothing happens overnight…but if you don’t take steps to change things then…nothing changes (at least not for the better).

Maybe that sounds insensitive.

Look, I recognize everyone’s situation is different. Some people have health issues or disabilities that hold them back from pursuing a dream. Some have financial issues that limit what they can do right now. Some have responsibilities that reduce the amount of risk they can take. Not everyone can become an astronaut, or a pro basketball player, or President of the United States. Everyone’s situation is different. It may be necessary to let go of one dream and pursue another more attainable dream. I maintain there are steps you can take to begin improving your situation and move you toward the pursuit of a dream.

And here’s the thing…

The time to start pursuing a dream is NOW, not LATER. It doesn’t matter what your situation is, it doesn’t matter what happened in the past, it doesn’t matter how old you are or how long it will take to get there. I will caveat the, it doesn’t matter what happened in the past with: What happened in the past matters only insofar as how it informs what you do now. What happened in the past is useful only for how it informs your future (my kids hate this saying of mine).

It doesn’t matter how old you are…

I want to park on that for just a moment. Many people will think it is too late or it will take too long to achieve that dream. To that I say: poppycock! (OK, I just wanted to write poppycock). Seriously, think about this: If it is going to take 5 (or 10 or 15) years to achieve some milestone in your life, those 5 or more years will pass whether or not you pursue it. Whether or not you actually achieve it, at a minimum you’ve given yourself a goal and a purpose to focus on. And you’ll be a lot closer to the dream than you are now too.

What does all this have to do with acting?

If you’ve made it this far into the article, you may be wondering what this has to do with acting. Well, I’ll tell you. Everything, assuming your dream is to be an actor. Or maybe nothing if it is something else, but hey this is an acting blog, right?

How many people…?

I wonder how many people watch a show or movie, or listen to an audio book and think: “I could do that!” (This thought is EXACTLY what got me started) …and then just watch another show or listen to another audio book. I’m making an assumption here, because I doubt any studies have been done, but I am going to assume a fair number of people.

And you know what?

The truth is, you’re right. You COULD do that. But many times, you don’t.  But you SHOULD. If it is something you dream of, and desire you absolutely should! Will you be the next big A-list star who makes millions and is a household name? Probably not (but it is remotely possible – I mean hey, SOMEONE has to win the lottery). But you CAN become a working actor. The simple truth is you’ll never know if you don’t try. Sure, there will be obstacles, there will be difficulties, there will be failures even. While it’s not guaranteed you’ll reach the level you dream of, one thing is certain: If you don’t try you are guaranteed not to achieve that dream. And, of course, if it turns out you are just a terrible actor, or acting winds up not being what you thought it was…discard that dream and find a new one.

But I have no idea how to pursue an acting or VO career!

Yep, I get it. None of us knew how to go about it at the beginning, so you are in good company. It took me two years to figure out how to start narrating audio books – 0/10 I don’t recommend THAT). And the way to do it is different for everyone, there is not one fool proof way to go about it. But there are a lot of people out there who have traveled the path and can help. If I was going to tell you exactly how to pursue the dream to be successful, I’d say: find someone who is doing it and ask them for help.

But I don’t KNOW any actors!

You may know one or more without realizing it. It’s not like we wear a name tag or special T-shirt or something and we don’t typically go around announcing it (unless we’re asked…then we can talk about it for hours). You can, however, head on over to social media and find groups that have actors and ask them. Almost every actor I know is MORE than happy to help someone just getting started. If you run into one of the rare ones who isn’t, leave them behind and find another who is. You just have to ask. And of course, I am also happy to help, feel free to reach out with questions.

Don’t just let life happen to you.

No matter what your dream or passion I encourage you to pursue it. Find people who can point you in the right direction, find a local community theater to get some experience…do SOMETHING to “get the ball rolling”. Remember: A rolling stone gathers no moss. Get rolling!

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over but Didn’t Know Who to Ask!  

 

 

A day (week) in the life of…ME

Acting, Encouragement, General, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!   Here we are in the second week of my renewed writing, and finding topics is no easier than when I started my very long break. I will NOT let that deter me though! This week I’d like to talk about what a typical week looks like for me. Sort of a “peak behind the curtain” if you will. I often wonder how other actors use their time, so hopefully this will help someone else who may be wondering.

REMEMBER:

Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah, I know I say this every week , but it falls under the heading of “The things that go without saying are the things that most need to be said”.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

A typical week…

What does a typical week look like for you? Many, if not most, of you have full time “survival” jobs. What’s a survival job, you ask? Well, if you don’t already know this; Acting is a tough career to survive on. Typically for anyone who is not an A-list (or even B-list) actor you are not earning enough with your acting to make ends meet. It’s a tough profession, for sure. So, your survival job is what you do to pay the bills until you either give up (Please, don’t give up!) or start earning enough as an actor to pay the bills. It can be anything from the stereotypical waiter/waitress (do we still use that non-gender-neutral term?) to an engineer, or factory worker, mechanic…you name it.  For most, that means a full time 9-5 job somewhere.

For me…

Well, I’m fortunate enough to have begun my acting career at a late stage in life and am retired. Twice actually. Frankly, I don’t recommend this…but we “bloom where we are planted” so no regrets (or as some tattoo artists without a dictionary say it-no regerts). I tell you this not to brag that I don’t need to act to pay my bills, but to say it is never too late to start. Well, and to say that my week will likely look a lot different than yours. You’ll probably have to inject a “Work 40+ hours” in there somewhere. I don’t envy you, but don’t envy me either because there are not nearly as many roles for a 60+ year-old slightly overweight man with greying hair.

One thing I do…

One thing I get to do each day that most of you won’t is I take some time each (well, most) afternoons to relax, watch a movie and maybe take a nap. Hey, don’t hate me, I wake up at the butt-crack-of-dawn every day. And I worked more than 40 years for the privilege.  Presently I am making my way through all the Marvel movies. I also spend at least 15 minutes (that is starting to turn into 30+ minutes) each afternoon practicing guitar. At this stage, it’s not pretty and I definitely don’t want anyone hearing me elicit some really bad sounds on my guitar.

OK, let’s start with Monday.

In my short three year (Wow, has it really been three years!?) acting career one thing I have found is that Mondays are slow days. Especially when you wake up at an ungodly hour like I do. It’s not just Monday either, I wake up between 4 and 5:30 every day. Without an alarm. This is not for the faint of heart and I admonish you not to try this at home. It works for me, though. At any rate, there is very little (read NO) industry stuff happening Monday morning. So, for me Monday looks like coffee and writing my blog. After Wordle of course. I’d love to tell you I write for you, but I’d be lying. I write for me. Hey it’s an outlet. Anyway, the remainder of Monday is dedicated to doing things around the house and now guitar lessons. Yeah, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.

Tuesday…

Tuesday starts a lot like Monday with coffee. Honestly every day starts with coffee so I’ll stop mentioning it. I spend the early part of the day reviewing how many people opened this blog and read it, as well as responding to any comments I may get. NEWS FLASH: I love it when people comment on these. It lets me know someone is reading it and also lets me interact with some of you. If you ever think “I should comment…”, please do…I love it. Then I head out to my weekly acting class (9AM-2PM) and when I get home, I have some time to check casting sites for jobs that were posted between Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon. If I’m lucky, there is an audition request in my email, and I prep for that.

Wednesday…

Everyone else calls this hump day, I just call it Wednesday. When I can remember it’s Wednesday. Not having a full-time job means I use my pill case (yeah, getting old aint fun sometimes) to remind me what day it is. After I get done with Wordle and clear out emails I’m back on all the casting sites looking for roles that fit me. If I’ve gotten an audition, I’ll set up and tape it and then do some work on the podcast I am co-producing. By Wednesday, there are usually a lot of jobs posted, so it can be a busy day.

Thursday…

Much like Wednesday Thursday is filled with checking casting sites, working on the podcast and by this time of the week I usually have anywhere from 2 to 5 auditions to complete. Thankfully I have two “built-in” readers, my GF and son, so auditions are pretty easy to get done. It takes a fair amount of time to film and edit them for submission though. One other thing I typically do on Thursdays is head to the grocery store to shop for the week. Not my favorite thing, but I mind it less than my GF does, so I do it. A bonus of being retired is shopping mid-week and mid-day when everyone else is at work. It’s amazing how many parking spaces are available close to the entrance at 1PM on Thursday, and there are almost no lines at the checkout. PRO TIP: I have found Thursday afternoon to be the least busy day at the grocery store. If you can manage it, I highly recommend it.

Friday…

Much like Mondays, Fridays are pretty slow days. By this time of the week casting directors have all their roles posted (mostly) and are just waiting on auditions to arrive. So, Friday is spent finishing any auditions that have come in, finishing any hangers-on from work I need to do for the podcast and clearing my inbox from the week. Friday is kind of a closeout day for me.

THE WEEKEND!

You might think that every day is the weekend for a retired guy, and in some ways that’s true. I surely don’t have anyone else directing my time like I did when I worked full time, but honestly, I stay pretty busy all week, so it still feels like a weekend. Sometimes I feel like I am busier without a job than I ever was with a job. If you haven’t noticed, there is very little industry work going on over the weekend, so I get to spend my weekends relaxing, taking care of stuff around the house, catching up on anything that I didn’t get done on Friday and getting together with family and friends who DO work full time jobs.

Other stuff I didn’t mention…

Of course, this is not a completely comprehensive list of everything I do each week. There are meetings that happen periodically (this week I have a BIG meeting for some very exciting stuff I can’t talk about yet…more on that if it happens), sometimes I actually get to be on set and working, which throws the whole thing off, the inevitable “honey-do” stuff and occasionally being available for tradesmen to come fix stuff around here (our AC is out downstairs and the guy is coming today – yeah I know it’s winter but we are getting ready to sell and move so things have to work). You know, all the normal stuff that happens in a person’s life.

So, there you have it…

A pretty normal week in the life of me. I know you probably have a full time job that puts a major crimp in your acting life, but I encourage you to make time for the things you are passionate about (for me, that’s acting…hopefully for you as well) and keep putting one foot in front of the other so that one day you can do like I do (no, not wake up at some ridiculous time of day); have a nap in the afternoon!

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over but Didn’t Know Who to Ask!  

1000 “no”s

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  It’s said that you have to go through 1000 nos to get to a yes, or kiss 1000 frogs before you find your prince.  The idea of rejection has been with us for a long time.  This week let’s talk about rejection and how to deal with it.

REMEMBER:

Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah, I know I say this every week, but it falls under the heading of “The things that go without saying are the things that most need to be said”.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

FIRST

We say that rejection is just a part of being an actor.  Rejection can really get an actor down, and sometimes that can spiral into the “I’m not meant to be an actor, I should just find a full-time day job” thought process. While it is true that we book only a small fraction of the gigs we audition for, I do not think of the ones I don’t book as a rejection. It’s not a process of rejection, it’s a process of SELECTION. I’ll explain later.

Rejection thinking

The problem with rejection thinking is that it’s negative self-talk. Get rejected often enough and pretty soon you’re thinking you are not worthy.  This thinking makes you feel defeated and tired. It drains your energy, and energy is just what you need for an audition. Pretty soon you are feeling rejected going IN to an audition and at that point your acting career is in a death spiral. Some call this “rejection fatigue”.

Negative Self-Talk

The problem with negative self-talk is that it is much easier to convince yourself of something than it is to convince someone else.  If you are not careful, you’ll have yourself convinced you are a terrible actor.  That can lead to low-effort auditions, and you have a self-perpetuating cycle. You are sure you’re terrible and won’t book a job, go into the audition already defeated, put up a less than stellar audition, don’t get selected and affirm (to yourself anyway) how terrible you are.  Negative self-talk can actually damage your auditions!

Not to be confused with

Just to stop the folks thinking I am being all Pollyanna about this, don’t confuse my eleven part “You’re not getting the f*&^ing job” series with negative self-talk. There is an enormous difference between a healthy understanding of the casting process and thinking you are not good enough to book work.  One is freeing, and the other is a prison sentence. Know that you can both be good enough AND not get the job.

Maybe you are terrible.

The GREAT thing about being a terrible actor is you have no place to go but up.  Go back and look at or listen to your first audition self-tapes and compare them to your latest.  Are you happy with that first one?  If I were a betting man, I’d guess probably not.  My first self-tapes make me cringe when I see/hear them!  But my most recent ones?  Maybe not Oscar worthy, but a WHOLE lot better than those first few.

Each no brings you closer to yes.

Every time you step in front of the camera or sit down behind the mic, you have an opportunity to improve.  I mean, you ALSO have an opportunity to book a job, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.  My point is, if you do happen to be a terrible actor today, every audition helps you become a little better.  Like with many things in life, the more you do something the better you get at it.  Acting is no different. But feelings of rejection make it tough to even GET in front of the camera or microphone (I know, I’ve been there) and that defeatist attitude negatively affects your audition!

Trying to get a job.

Here’s the thing, and it may seem a little non-intuitive.  If you see your auditions as trying to get a job, you’ve already lost half the battle.  Hanging your hat on the outcome of an audition is a recipe for disaster. Yeah, I know you have bills to pay and booking the job is how you pay them, but bear with me here.  If you see auditions as an opportunity to do something you love (act) and to showcase your talent with a casting director instead of as a path to employment, then you’ll enjoy doing them more and be a lot more relaxed and confident.

By the numbers

And remember: There are 100 (or more) people auditioning for the same role.  They will only select one of them. You have a 1 in 100+ chance of booking a particular role.  Ninety-nine times out of a hundred you won’t get it.  If, instead of auditioning to get a job, you audition to provide a CD with a selection of how that role can be portrayed, then not getting the role gets easier. You were not rejected, just not selected.

The Menu

I like to use a menu analogy.  If I go into a restaurant and want to buy dinner the first thing I do (after ordering a drink) is to peruse the menu.  Odds are the menu has a selection of different foods: Beef, chicken, pork, pasta, salads…sometimes even pasta salads. Sometimes I can also choose breakfast items like eggs and pancakes. Usually there are MANY choices.  If I choose chicken, have I rejected beef?  Or Pasta?  Or pork?  NO!  I just selected chicken and tomorrow I may choose beef. It’s the same with auditions.

YOU are the menu item.

When you audition, what you are doing is giving the CD a menu selection.  It sucks to be beef when they want chicken, but it doesn’t mean they don’t like beef or that beef “just isn’t good enough”.  Sorry to all the vegetarians/vegans out there for the meat focused discussion, the same can be said of plant-based food. Stay on the menu long enough and before you know it, they’ll be ordering chicken…or whatever you are.

Lots of reasons

The simple truth is this: There are a of of reasons you may not be selected and most of them have nothing to do with your acting ability. Maybe you are too short, too young, too old, have the wrong color hair.  Perhaps you just don’t have the right chemistry with a scene partner. It could be that the choices you made for that audition are just not what the casting folks were envisioning.  Great performance, just not the one they imagined for that role. It’s not rejection, it’s selection (even if the selection was someone else).

And remember:

Also keep in mind that when you DO book a gig, there are 99+ people who weren’t selected.  That’s both humbling and gratifying at the same time. Even big-name A-list actors are sometimes not selected for roles they want. If you don’t believe me, check this out.

Motivation is the key.

If you understand that you simply can NOT book every role, and that the selection process likely has nothing to do with your acting ability then it is much easier to stay motivated.  And motivation is the key to success here. If you aren’t motivated to audition, then it’s going to take you a LONG time to get through all the no’s to find your yes. And the yes is what we really want because that yes allows us to do what we REALLY love: Perform. And every audition is an opportunity to perform as well!

At the end of the day

Every actor, the guy or gal who started acting today and the people whose names you recognize immediately ALL auditioned for roles they wanted but didn’t get. Sometimes it’s good to remind ourselves that when we don’t book a particular role we are in good company.  The trick is to not think of roles you don’t get as rejection.  Rejection fatigue is real, and that feeling of despair will come across in your auditions leading to that self-fulfilling prophecy of “not good enough”.

You are.

You are good enough. You are talented enough (or on your way to being talented enough). You are just a few no’s away from that yes that will launch your successful career.  You just have to keep pushing, keep auditioning and keep working till the yes arrives!

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over but Didn’t Know Who to Ask!  

What to do when things are slow (like now)

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  I don’t know if it is just me, but MAN it sure seems pretty slow around here these days.  I mean, I’m still working, but not nearly as much as I’d like to, and future jobs are slim pickings.  This week let’s talk about what you should do to keep busy during slow times.

REMEMBER:

Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah, I know I say this every week, but it falls under the heading of “The things that go without saying are the things that most need to be said”.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

Slow times

It happens in everyone’s acting careers.  The nature of this business is that there are going to be times when work is slow. Maybe there are just fewer productions in the works. Maybe there are just not a lot of roles you are fit for.  This year, for example, all of the major unions are up for renegotiating their Minimum Basic Agreement contracts with the major producers . Also, this year there is some major contention with the Writers Guild, and they are threatening to strike.

Potential writers’ strike

I wrote a bit about this previously, but the threat of a writer’s strike has increased risk for big union productions, so there is a pretty significant reduction in new productions starting.  It’s understandable, because negotiations with one union group (WGA) can, and often does, affect negotiations with the other unions.  The natural result is that productions are holding off going into production (and casting actors for them) until things are settled.  Consequently, there are fewer jobs for actors at the moment.

So, what do you do?

It’s bad when work slows down, but there are still some things you can do to keep busy during slow times, and maybe even earn a little money as well.  What follows is an exploration of things an actor can do to keep busy and maybe earn some cash during slow times. The first thing you need to note about the following is that doing these things requires a lot of self-motivation, especially for the things that don’t earn you money while you’re doing them.  If you are not self-motivated, well, maybe you are in the wrong field!

A note

Listen, we all experience slow times for varied reasons. Even seasoned and famous actors have periods, sometimes long periods, where they are not working.  I’ve read several books about actors whose career was SO slow just before a big break they were considering getting out of the business.  Consistency, persistence, and motivation are what you need to get through slow times. These slow periods are NOT an indictment of your talent (usually) so do what you can to weather them and get through it.

Side jobs

Unless you are an A-List actor (or maybe even a B-List actor) with a ton of reserve cash, which the vast majority of us are not, then you probably have (or need) a side hustle to get through lean times.  It’s sad, but since we are all pretty accustomed to eating and having a place to sleep, during slow times you should try to ramp up your side gig.  Take more hours, hustle more or do whatever you need to do to allow you to survive.  I know this goes without saying, but a slowdown in acting work leaves you some extra free time to concentrate on your side gigs.  Thus, when things slow down the first thing to do is to increase your non-acting work.  I mean, you do have more time for that, right?

Training

Even a busy actor should continue training and coaching, but during slow periods in your acting career you have an opportunity to commit to something a little longer term.  Is there a class you’d like to take but were too busy for the commitment before?  Now is your chance to take that class.  True, you never know when things will pick up again, and there is a bit of risk involved in committing to a long term class. It’s a personal decision, to be sure, however if things pick up again before you finish you just have a scheduling issue, not something insurmountable.

Explore other acting venues.

Are you primarily a screen actor? Voice artist? Theater actor?  Branch out!  Try community theater, audition for VO roles.  If you don’t pigeonhole yourself your opportunities to act will increase.  Try looking for low-paying or unpaid independent gigs just to keep working those acting muscles.  Find a local theater or film school and volunteer to perform in their productions. Many of these opportunities are completely unaffected by things like union negotiations and strikes, and student productions are always looking for actors…some are even paid opportunities.

Meet with your agent or manager.

Slow times are a good time to meet with other members of your team.  Approach your agent or manager with an open mind, mention you are not getting as many auditions/bookings and ask what you might do to improve your odds.  Maybe it is time to learn a new aspect of the craft (such as stage/screen fighting or stunts), maybe it is the right time to concentrate on updating your marketing materials like head shots, or maybe your resume needs some work.  Slow periods are good time to take care of those things.

Network

Slow periods are a great time to nurture industry relationships. Reach out to your network and set up that lunch meeting that you’ve not had time for.  Attend industry events like Film Festivals and premiere screenings.  These are great places to meet people in the industry and get to know them.  Remember, though, that networking is a way for you to get to know people and them you.  They are not auditions or interviews.  And when networking remember that your goal is to find ways to help them not to get them to help you.  Networking is not an opportunity to pitch yourself or your ideas.  Networking leads to new friends, which may lead to opportunities to pitch yourself or your ideas, but that is not the point of networking.

Research

Study productions that fit your “essence” to see what makes them good.  Seeing (or hearing) other successful actors in roles you would be auditioning for will help you know how to prepare for these types of projects when things pick back up.  It definitely will give you a leg up on other actors auditioning for the same roles who did not do any research.  Also, research what productions are waiting in the wings to see what might be coming up.  A subscription to Casting About will give you a good idea of what to be preparing for and also an idea what producers/directors are getting ready to start casting so your agent or manager can pitch you directly.

Get in shape.

Is the crafty table just a little too tempting when you’re on set so you’ve put on a few pounds?  Slow times are a good time to concentrate on you and your health.  Do you need to take off a few pounds?  This is a good time to think about exercising or maybe starting that diet you’ve been thinking about. You should always be concerned about your health, after all, it is tough to work if you are incapacitated or dead, but slow times give you more time to concentrate on that.  And you even get to control what gets put on YOUR crafty table.

Create

If it is slow for you, it is likely slow for your circle of friends and acquaintances.  Slow times are a good time to create your own content.  Get together with other industry folks you know and produce some fun short content, then post it on your YouTube channel.  It’s fun, doesn’t cost a ton of money and it gives everyone involved a chance to keep practicing the craft they love. These projects should be fun and don’t have to be “highly polished” productions. You never know where something like this may lead.

At the end of the day

There are always going to be slow times as an actor.  It’s inevitable.  The key is to keep working, keep moving, don’t stagnate.  If you allow yourself to slow down at the same pace as the industry, overcoming the inertia to get moving again will be difficult.  You may not actually earn any money from some of these, and some may even cost some money, but they will pay off in the long run when the industry picks back up.

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over but Didn’t Know Who to Ask!

Top Twelve Acting Skills an Actor Needs to Develop

Acting, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  So, you’re an actor or want to become an actor?  Consider these Top Twelve Acting Skills an Actor Needs to Develop.

REMEMBER:

Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

Skills

Or is it Skillz these days?  I don’t know, but what I do know is that actors need them.  I recently had someone comment on a Twitter link to a blog post that “…acting and blogging isn’t real work.  It’s all just pretend…”. Well, to that I say…PSHAW!  If you’ve been doing this work for any amount of time, one thing you’ll realize right away is: It’s not as easy as it looks and there is a definite skill set involved.  These skills can be natural or trained, but the skill is required no matter what.  Let’s take a look at the 12 most important skills an actor can have.

Memorization

Admittedly, this skill is not one that is terribly important for the VO actor, although in a way it is if you are able to “lift” copy from the page – read ahead of your speaking so it doesn’t sound like you’re reading.  That’s sort of a rolling memorization.  For a stage or screen actor?  Probably the most important skill to have.  When you first get started this is also probably one of the hardest to master, but your brain is like a muscle and when you exercise it it gets stronger – and memorization gets easier.  There are a couple of methods to help in memorization such as; writing your lines out by hand; reading your lines over and over and over and over…; or reading your lines out loud with a partner.  These days there are apps like Rehearsal Pro that help a lot.  Rehearsal Pro is my go-to method.

Communication

 

Maybe an essential skill in any career, but certainly important for an actor on several levels.  Much of an actor’s work is communicating with a variety of people.  Everyone from agents and managers to producers and directors while working out the details of the logistics of acting: Rehearsals, call times, wardrobe and many others.  This is a critical skill for actors both on and off stage, after all, acting itself is communicating.  One very important aspect of communication is listening. More specifically, active listening.  If you are working with a scene partner, you are going to have to be actively listening to them so that you react appropriately!

Control: Body and Voice

As an actor your body and your voice are your instrument.  An actor MUST learn to control their voice and body in order to be competitive in their career.  For stage/screen actors think about learning dance, or fight choreography.  Learn to know how your movement relative to the camera affects the scene.  As a voice actor you will need to learn to control your voice much like Nancy Cartwright does when voicing Bart Simpson and Chuckie Finster.  This skill is as important for voice actors as memorization is for stage/screen actors.

Script Analysis

No matter the length of the script – a 30 second commercial to a feature length film to a series of 60-minute television shows – an actor will need to develop the ability to break down and analyze the script.  A script is a 2 dimensional thing, but the end result needs to be 3 dimensional and believable.  You start by asking the 5 basic storytelling questions of who, what, when, where and why.  Who is your character?  Who are the characters your character will interact with? What is everyone doing? What time period are we in? Where are we? Why are we doing and saying the things we are?  All of these will inform your character and their dress, language, accent and how they interact with other characters.  If the script doesn’t answer these questions, the actor comes up with answers as they build their character.

Stamina

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Actors work exceptionally long days, usually starting in the wee hours of the morning when sane people are still sleeping.  Even with long periods of waiting while changes to camera position and lighting are going on, it takes a good bit of Stamina to be an actor.  If you are a stage actor, add weeks of grueling rehearsals to the mix. And for VO, imagine recording, editing and mastering an 8–10-hour audiobook!  Stamina is a necessity!

Emotional Intelligence

This is one you don’t think of often. An actor must be able to tap into their own emotions and use them to connect with their characters and their audience. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, manage, and express emotions, which is essential for actors to be able to fully inhabit their characters. You not only need to understand a plethora of emotions and their nuances, you also have to know what they look and sound like.

Improvisation

It seems counterintuitive when you think about scripted content.  Sure, IMPROV troupes need to learn and hone their IMPROV skills, but even in scripted formats improvisations is important.  In a stage play if another actor “flubs” or misses a line, his scene partner(s) has to keep the scene flowing by improvising something or it looks wooden and unnatural.  Actors should be able to think on their feet and react to unexpected situations.  And sometimes an improvised line in screen or VO makes it into the final cut because it sounds more natural and the director likes it.  Improvisation allows actors to be more spontaneous and responsive in their performances and can lead to more dynamic and interesting characters. Check out this list of The Ten Most Iconic Ad-Libbed Scenes in Film History.

Resilience

The acting profession can be unpredictable, with rejections and setbacks common. As an actor, you better be able to handle rejection and failure and keep pushing forward. Even the best actors go through periods of un (or under) employment.  It can be very easy to just give up and fall back on a 9-5 job. But the resilient actor keeps pushing on.  You may never “make it”, but giving up makes it certain.

Passion

I’ve talked about this one before:  If you are an actor who does this for any other reason than you love it, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Actors must have a genuine love and passion for their craft or they quickly burn out. It is this passion that drives them to continue to improve their skills, take risks, and persevere through the challenges of the industry. Yes, you can still act and may even be successful without passion, but the odds are definitely not forever in your favor!

Business Savvy

Let’s face it, no matter HOW much you love acting it is, at its core, a business.  As an actor you are an independent freelance business owner and treating this career like that will take you a lot farther.  Know your brand, understand fundamental marketing, stay on top of shifting industry trends, know simple financial management and contracts and you will go much farther, with much less stress.

Self-Tape Basics

The COVID pandemic shut down the industry briefly, and a major shift was to begin auditioning almost exclusively by self-tapes.  This opened up an acting career path for a lot of people who might otherwise might not have had access, which is great, but it also added a whole new skill set required of actors: self-tape production.  You don’t have to be an experienced DP, but you do need to understand a bit about framing lighting and sound to produce a professional self-tape.

Kindness

You’d like to think this is a skill every human would possess, but if you’ve been alive long enough to become aware of other people, you’ll know it is not always so. This doesn’t need to be a massive effort, but small acts of kindness go a long way.  Simple things like remembering the casting associate (or casting director’s) name, always being on time (or calling if circumstances make that impossible), listening attentively and following the rules.  These are simple things that make people want to work with you more.

In conclusion

Being a successful actor requires a wide range of skills and talents. These include memorization, communication, body and voice control, script analysis, stamina, emotional intelligence, improvisation, resilience, passion, business savvy, self-tape basics, and kindness,  Actors who are able to develop and master these skills will have a greater chance of achieving success than those who do not.

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

Looking for your next great non-fiction read? Check out this promotion: Become Inspired. Become You.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over but Didn’t Know Who to Ask!