Thursday, January 17, 2013

Get Your Butt To LA, Part 52: A Little Tough Love.

Nothing makes me want to sleep for 12 hours quite like just having slept for 12 hours.

I mean, is there anything better than lounging around without a care in the world? Actually, yes. How about success? Cash. Chicks. A fridge that can turn into a freezer.

After I’ve politely asked you 51 times to bring your butt out here, I’ll assume you have. I’ll assume you take classes, and are auditioning for student films and trying to build your résumé. But are you doing enough? Here’s why I ask:

No one will ever care more about your career more than you.

The problem with acting is that there’s no definitive path to a career. You can officially become a lawyer if you complete three years of school and pass the bar, but we actors can do the bare minimum and still claim to be actors. Years can slip without a single audition and you can still call yourself an actor. Just blame your damn agent for not doing his job.

Of course you really want to be a star. But I believe that wanting something is a passive act, whereas being committed requires consistent action.

Are you just showing up and doing the minimum? Are you networking, interning, promoting yourself, working on your marketing? Are you doing all you can to get acting work? Because if you’re not willing to, many others are.

Are you really motivated? Life goes by fast. Why not spend it doing something you’re truly passionate about? If you’ve been training and pursuing an acting career and are no longer inspired, then find another career you can love where you can be a star. It’s your choice.

But what do I know? My main plan for success is to wait for all the better people to quit first.