No matter what your level of skill,
it takes dedication, determination, hard work, and consistency to maintain the
tools needed to be successful as an actor.
Without the tools, called upon on demand, an actor will have difficulty
competing in this marketplace. Auditions
become more about luck than about being ready to showcase your talent based on
what is being asked of you by a casting director or director.
Of all the
things that an actor has influence over, his skill is the most obvious, the most essential to booking, and
often, the most overlooked. The
performing arts, acting more specifically, is the only craft where a person
must prove himself worthy by giving an example of what the finished product will
look like – right on the spot. No one
expects a carpenter who’s coming to give you an estimate on a project to show
up with all his tools and the blueprints he received the night before and build
a finished piece on demand to see if he’s right for the job. That would be ridiculous, but an actor must
do this each time he auditions for a role.
The actor must not only understand the blueprints, but also uniquely
interpret them. Then, through the use of
his instrument, reveal this information in an interesting and dynamic way. That takes skill, a skill that must be developed, maintained and always growing.
What Determines Your Level of Skill?
There are two basic components that determine one’s level of
skill: (1) Making choices (mental); and
(2) Executing those choices (physical/emotional).
Making choices: Making choices is the
ability to look at the material, understand the material and then decide what
credible actions will bring about your personal interpretation of this
information. Making choices is more than interpreting lines; it’s understanding
human behavior and seeing it in dramatic form. It’s developing a unique way to
look at things.
Executing choices: This means taking action in a relaxed, credible and
dynamic way. Executing choices is putting your emotional and physical choices
into action without hesitation, resulting in a fluid mind-body connection.
The Need for Consciousness
Without bringing a sufficient
amount of consciousness to your level of
skill, an actor is forced to live in a state of denial or grandiosity. To me, this is a dangerous place to be
because the actor’s view of reality is skewed.
He is constantly put in a place to either deny any professional
criticism or forced to blame his lack of results on the business or
others.
When we’re unconscious about our level of skill, we not only risk the
loss of time and opportunities, but more importantly, the loss of self-esteem.
Without a clear evaluation about our level of skill, we’re bound to go on each
audition with neither true confidence nor the skills to execute what’s being
asked of us. The result is not booking, which leads to frustration and often
times, a feeling of helplessness. In the end, one’s self-esteem gets damaged.
Bringing Consciousness to Your Level of Skill
In order to
bring a sufficient amount of consciousness to your level of skill, you have to
be honest with yourself. Take a moment
to think – do you feel confident:
Breaking
down sides, copy, a script or a play?
Bringing
your own interpretation of the material into the audition?
That
you have your own interpretation of the material?
Moving
information that you’ve gotten from the material into action?
Executing
your choices?
Taking
and following directions?
Be honest
and answer those questions to the best of your ability. Then ask yourself:
Do
your auditions run hot and cold?
Is the
feedback you get from professionals generally more positive than negative?
Are
you booking the roles you really want?
Do you
make interesting choices and execute them on demand?
If the
answer to any of the above questions is “no,” then those are the areas in which
you need to bring more consciousness.
Misconceptions, Reasons and Beliefs for Not Maintaining Your Level of Skill
If having a professional level of
skill is so necessary, why doesn’t every actor do whatever is necessary to
achieve it? Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why they don’t.
“I just don’t have the money.”
I understand that continuing your
training and polishing your craft takes money.
L.A. is a town that can
easily drain that resource. You must ask yourself, what am I willing to do to
get what I want? Do I need to change
jobs or get a better paying job? Learn a
new skill in order to make more money? Do I need to lower my cost of living
expenses? What needs to be done in order
achieve my goal? If you are not willing
to do what needs to be done, then you need to look closely at what is
motivating you to act in the first place. You are making something else more
important than your goal.
“I don’t feel motivated.”
Motivation is the core reason why you do what you do. Your reason for being an actor
must be strong enough to motivate you to take action. Why have you chosen this
profession? Does that reason move you to
do what’s needed, even though you’re not feeling inspired? At your lowest
times, will that reason lift you up and put you back in the game? You must be honest about why you’re taking on
this particular challenge. You and only
you are responsible to supply the motivation.
People become actors for many reasons. A majority of
them are hoping to find acceptance and love. This is a never-ending struggle
filled with inner conflict. We will discuss this further in my upcoming
article, “Bringing Consciousness to Your Level of Self-Esteem.” But for now,
you must be truthful with yourself and come to terms with your means of
motivation.
“I just don’t feel like it.”
Whereas motivation is the reason for being an actor, inspiration is the feeling that compels you to do the things necessary to achieve your
goal. You may be very conscious of the need to maintain your skill and growth,
but your comfort level, desire to have fun or avoidance of hard work keeps you
from doing what is necessary. Let’s
face it - anything worthwhile takes work. This is a reality. The answer is simple, just do it, whether you
feel like it or not. Don’t look for inspiration to move you into action. The
truth is that once you take action, the inspiration will follow.
“I’ve studied enough!”
Some actors choose not to maintain
their level of skill because they feel they’ve studied “enough.” They feel that they’ve put in their time,
whether in college or with a professional teacher. They feel as though they have all the skills
they need in order to compete in their market.
The problem is that unless we’re
growing and challenging ourselves, we tend to lose the skills that we
have. Think of a ball player who trains
and tries out for a baseball team and doesn’t make the team that year. He plans on trying out again the following
year, but while waiting, does nothing to keep his skills sharp. At best, he will be almost as good as he was
last year, and at worst, his skills will have diminished, making it almost
impossible for him to achieve his goal.
“I’m already booking jobs.”
Some actors that are booking jobs may feel
that they have no need to continue honing their craft. But in reality, it may be that their level of
skill is just enough to book a feature or co-star role. Although they aspire to better roles, their
level of skill has, in fact, taken them as far as they can go.
“I’m already a professional.”
Some actors feel that by not studying or
maintaining their level of skill they are, in fact, more professional. By
discontinuing their growth and preparedness as an actor, they are announcing to
their peers and the industry that they are now “professionals.” The sad truth
is that their egos won’t allow them to see reality. These actors are caught up in other people’s
perceptions of them – they’d rather be seen as a non-working professional than
continue training and be viewed as someone who still needs to work on his
craft. This is a dangerous mindset because in order to maintain a level of
confidence, an actor needs validation from his work. Without that validation,
the actor slowly begins to lose his self-confidence. As a result, his focus turns to ego
validation and maintaining his fabricated image instead of keeping his sights
on achieving his original goal.
Level of Skill Consciousness Exercise
Read
the following partial sentences and complete them with 6-8 endings. Do this exercise quickly – don’t over think
it. Although this exercise is simple,
you may discover find some interesting things about yourself.
If
money weren’t an issue, I would raise my level of skill by …
To
overcome my money issues, I could …
The
reason I chose to become an actor is …
I feel
most inspired as an actor when …
It’s
important for me to hone and maintain my level of skill because …
If I
was to give my level of skill more focus, I would …
When
I’m raising my level of skill, I feel …
Conclusion
Your level of skill is something
that you have some influence and control over. To not take advantage of this
control could cost you dearly. Try to find the joy in the growth and the love
of what you do. When it comes to achieving our goals, if we’re not coming from
a place of love, which drives our passion, then we’re coming from a place of
fear, which creates uncertainty and conflict. It’s the uncertainty and fear in
this profession that often keeps people stuck. The words we say are, “I want
it”, but our actions say, “I’m not sure I can achieve it”. This sends mixed
messages to the mind. So the mind says, “If it’s not a sure thing, why do I
have to work so hard and sacrifice so much for something that may never
happen?” Unless you really believe that
you can attain your goals, it makes it almost impossible to fully commit. It’s like being in a relationship that you’re
not sure you want or one that frightens you for some reason. Without full
commitment, the odds of achieving your goal or making that relationship work
are very slim.
Acting is a craft and must be
treated with respect. It takes a lot of passion to be successful and only a
little bit of fear or doubt to prevent it from manifesting. If we find our passion and commit to it, the
reward is in the work – the acting itself.
Finding the love for what you do will supply the motivation and the
inspiration for you to achieve your goals.
There’s one consistent truth when
it comes to creating success, whether you’re an actor, a writer or a director –
all successful actors act, writers write and director direct.
In
my next article, we’ll look at the actor’s influence over his creativity.
