Trying Stuff on for Size

When you're talking about something like an acting career, there really isn't a straightforward way forward.  It's not like becoming a doctor or an IT guy, where you go to school, do some interning and if you have the talent and education, you'll progress.  You can be stunningly talented, have the best education on the planet, and still not get cast.

Luckily, we're talking about a creative career, so we're all creative people.  Creative people look at the world in a different way.  When presented with a winding or abnormal path, we can come up with all sorts of awesome ways to progress, right?  Right??

Therein lies the problem.  Most of us are busy trying to convince ourselves that we're not crazy or stupid for even attempting an acting career in the first place.  The last thing in the world we want to do is experiment.  What if we screw up our one chance, just because we were trying something different that didn't go over so well?  That would be a TRAGEDY!

I'm not even going to say that this scenario is completely impossible.  We absolutely could mess up a golden opportunity by trying something new.  Sure.  But the whole "one chance" thing?  That's only true if we give up.

It's kinda difficult to get blackballed for life from the entertainment industry.  I can only think of a few good examples, and most aren't dead yet, so there's still time for them to come back.  And even then, in order to be ostracized like that, you have to be well-known first.  Most of us just don't fall into that category.  Basically what I'm saying is, we can break a few eggs in the process of cooking an omelet.

So when we feel "stuck" in our careers, not knowing how to move forward, maybe we should try something new.  If we keep in mind that we always want to be kind, doing things differently than they've been done before probably won't kill anyone.  Before Stanislavski came around, actors creating "real life" on stage or in front of the camera wasn't on the agenda.  Now, it's hard to find any narrative performance that isn't influenced, at least indirectly, by that giant.

Go ahead.  Take risks.  Think creatively.  Break a few eggs.  And just remember that if things go wrong, we can pick ourselves up and brush ourselves off.  We running a marathon, not a sprint, so there's time to make up for the glitches.

Sometimes it's hard to go through this creative process on our own.  So, once more, I'm putting myself and my classes out there for you.  Want to learn acting?  Want to be mentored through the self-promotional stuff?  Looking for someone to push you to excel?  Take my online acting classes!  You won't be sorry... :)