I'm not usually one for making New Year's resolutions. I prefer to think in terms of goals and mantras, which I adopt and change whenever I need to. Around this time of year, the focus of both has to do with sitting on the couch, eating cookies, and binge-watching SAG Award screeners.
But this year taught me something that I'm going to use as a resolution. I should say re-taught, because it's something I already know, but sometimes forget to think about. It's the most important, most inspiring, and most fun part of being an actor. It's also one of the keys to living a happy, fulfilled, meaningful life. And it's just three words long.
So what is this magical phrase?
Do good work.
It sounds simple, but there's a lot of meaning packed into those three words. "Do" reminds us to be active; to not wait around for opportunity to come to us, but to seek it out and create it for ourselves. "Good" is a challenge to push ourselves to the best of our ability every time we have the chance, and to push further, to keep growing. Finally, "work." Sometimes the things we have to do are difficult, unglamorous, and/or tedious, and we may think that means we're on the wrong path. Not so. Doing what we love for a living means committing to being proactive and giving our best not just when we feel inspired, but all the time, even when it feels like a job.
We spend a lot of time here on the blog and in coaching talking about marketing strategies, audition techniques, and other skills that surround the "acting" part of being actors. But it's important to step back once in a while and remember that all of that effort and energy is in service of the craft of acting itself. The first, last, and most important piece of your career as an actor is your acting.
As much as we sometimes feel like we're throwing our creative energy into a void, all it takes is one stranger coming up to us and saying, "I saw you, you were wonderful" to remind us that our work really is being seen and received on the other side, and is making an impression. If we do good work, that impression will be positive, and will lead to more work -- that is how careers are built. Commit to doing good work every single time you have the chance to act, from the juiciest stage role to the silliest non-speaking commercial audition, and people will notice.
So call it whatever you want; a resolution, a goal, a mantra, or something else entirely. But chew on it for a while. Think about the good work you've done this year, and what opportunities you have to do good work in 2015. Think about what "do good work" means to you outside the realm of acting, whether it's volunteering and being of service to others, recommitting to having integrity in your non-acting work, or trying to spend more time and energy on thoughts and activities that help you advance toward your goals.
For my part, I want to thank you for inspiring me with all the good work you've done this year. It has been an honor and a pleasure to share your journey, and I look forward to what 2015 holds for all of us!