(Make that four… There's a HUGE bonus at the end!)
They're for your acting career.
Not the business part… The creative part.
Some assembly is required… You have to put them together yourself - but that's half the fun.
Ready? Open them open them open them!
- A Cause
Creative people are inspired by the world around them; Yet actors spend so much time focused on ourselves. (We carry around giant pictures of ourselves and jump at every opportunity to give them to other people, for goodness' sake.) So give your creative self the gift of outward focus - by volunteering. There's something for everybody, neither hard work nor thick skin is required. (I help get rescued cats ready for adoption by petting and playing with them. Tough life, I know.) You'll reap the rewards - like fulfillment, perspective, and gratitude - right away.
- A Craft
The choice to make one's living as an artist is bold and wonderful, but it comes with compromises. Sometimes giving the customer what they want means not getting to do what we want. So find a creative hobby that has nothing to do with money. Write poetry, take up dancing, learn to sculpt. People may push you to 'go pro'… (I make jewelry, and am constantly asked if I have an Etsy shop.) Don't do it. Keep that one thing sacred, just for your own exploration and expression. Let it be a place where your creativity makes no compromises. You'll find it frees you up in the paycheck places too.
- A Community
Being an actor can feel isolating. The people around us seem so cool, confident, and accomplished, while we're flooded with insecurity and frustration. The secret is that everyone feels that way, they're just putting up a good front. Like self-focus, it's part of the job. But we all need a safe space to be vulnerable. It can be a class or a theater company… Or a space of your own creation. Pick a few fellow actors, and agree to drop the fronts. Meet every couple of weeks and talk about what you've been doing, what you're going to do next, and how you're feeling about it all. Tell the truth about your questions, fears, hard lessons - and your victories, epiphanies, and breakthroughs. (Look for trustworthy, positive people with about the same amount of experience as you.) I've been doing this with two girlfriends for the past 10 years, and could not have the career I have without them.
- BONUS!
It's the time of year when studios are hustling for Oscar nominations, and part of that process includes making full screenplays of the year's best feature films available for download. FREE. What better way to learn how to write your own material than to see how it's done by the best of the best? This is an opportunity to jump on!
There they are. I hope you like them! And the best thing about these gifts is that they get better the more you give them away. So if you do like them, if they feel like a good fit, take a minute right now to share them with someone you think might appreciate them too.
And happy, happy holidays :)