Last week, we identified the single most important thing you can do to move your acting career forward:
Do one thing every day for your career that connects you to a person who can bring you closer to your goals.
(To keep things short & sweet, we're going to shorten 'person who can bring you closer to your goals' to 'decision-maker.' Ok? Cool.)
We talked about a whole bunch of actor-work things that don't meet that criteria (like headshots, reels, classes, rehearsals, etc.) They're important and we have to do them, but they don't count as your 'one thing every day,' because you could do them forever without ever taking the scary step of putting yourself in front of a decision-maker.
Now let's talk about things that DO count as doing 'one thing every day for your career' - mailings, phone calls, emails, (some) social media, workshops, auditions, meetings, and jobs.
We'll start with the last three - auditions (we know what those are,) meetings (like with an agent or manager, a 'general' meeting with a casting director, etc.,) and jobs (performing a role you booked.) These are things you can't control, meaning you need a decision-maker's cooperation to make them happen. The good news is that on days when you're lucky enough to have one of these things, it counts as your 'one thing every day' because you've gotten yourself in front of a decision-maker. Even better, when you start looking at auditions/meetings/jobs as opportunities to connect with a decision-maker and stop worrying about the results (booking the job, getting signed, etc.,) you take a TON of pressure off yourself and start having a lot more fun... And ironically, having more fun will is the best way to get those results you want. Isn't that sneaky?
But what about days when you don't have an audition, meeting, or job? (It's totally normal for most days to fall into this category.) That's where the first five things come in; Mailings, phone calls, emails, social media, and workshops. These are things you CAN control, meaning you don't need anyone else's cooperation to do them, and they're the nuts and bolts of becoming a working actor. Start doing just one of these things every day, and your career will begin to change.
Most actors spend the bulk of their time stressing and worrying and complaining about the things they can't control (not enough auditions, unhappy with representation, etc.) But working actors know that the secret is to do the opposite… Focus on the things you CAN control, and the auditions, meetings, and jobs will follow.
So you're ready to jump in and start doing one thing every day for your career - great! But who exactly should be you be mailing, calling, emailing, social-media-ing, and workshopping?
Tune in next week :)