Sure, there are plenty of good reasons to give up, and one really huge reason not to. But when you’re tired, when you’re overwhelmed, when you’re sure you’ve tried everything and don’t seem to be getting anywhere, it’s sometimes just a perspective tweak that can change everything — rapidly — for the better.
Heavy on the mindset, this module will help you bust through blocks that you, yourself, may have created… but you’ve gotta be ready to be honest with yourself about that first. Take control over what you *do* control!
Grab the PDF for this awesome module here.
Dig on in for more homework and then some Q&A goodness in this bonus MP3.
Woo HOO! How ya’ feelin’? Have you really tried everything? And are you ready to get out of your own way?
Let’s jam about this below! Rock on, rockstar!
I’m gonna start by saying that all of the times I’ve felt like quitting, where months and months go by or even years for that matter that I’m submitting, not getting called in on anything, targeting but not getting an agent, spending money on classes, headshots, workshops, going to tons of business seminars and it feels like I’m doing everything except “working” has actually been a good thing.
I know I already decided a long time ago that giving up and leaving this all behind would never be an option for me. So any time I get those negative self talk feelings, I know they are just thoughts and the more and more it happens I’m able to come over to the positive side much faster than before and I’ve conditioned myself through enough years to understand the pain that actors go through. Every day I’m more patient than ever before.
This realization happened a few times when I witnessed a few others actors break down in class because they’ve been going to all these auditions and Nothing happened. And they’ve only been out here in LA for less than 6 months. And I thought to myself “well you’ve been getting a lot of auditions, that’s super positive especially considering how long you’ve been here.” But they didn’t see it that way, they haven’t been conditioned, there hasn’t been enough struggle to be able to get through the super tough times. If they think it’s bad now, how are they going to last when there are no auditions or responses at all for long periods of time or when their agent drops them etc? Because when you decide to pack it in and go home, Ryan Gosling isn’t going to show up next to your house with his horn blazing because he found out someone from casting was trying to reach you for a part that was perfect for you.
For me I think it’s about when all these things seem like they’re going nowhere, I try and reevaluate what I can be doing better or differently, and if there are certain things I know I’m doing well, a big part of that is patience, mindset and positive thinking and surrounding myself with outstanding people. The understanding that every opportunity is a blessing and that nothing is owed to me or just supposed to be given to me because I know I’m meant for this. The time one can spend moping, complaining or feeling sorry for themselves could be used for serious research, work and studying your craft and this course and the vault has really helped ingrain that understanding in me, which I am very greatful for.
This!!! YES! Oh, Joey, this is sooooooooo good. You could do a talk on patience and persistence and weathering the downs. So good! Thank you so much for sharing this. It’s like when I meet someone who reminds me of myself at a younger age and I just want to tell her, “Oh girl. Please stop trying so hard. You’re gonna get to the same place IN SPITE OF how hard you’re trying, not BECAUSE OF IT. Relax. It’s all unfolding on time. Trust.”
Thank you, Joey! Really good.
Thanks Bonnie! I think it all goes back to that one day where you pointed out that sometimes when we are closer to our goal than ever before we feel like giving up. That has really stuck with me and I think it’s totally on point with those actors I mentioned. Like you moved here, you did it, your getting the auditions, your living the actor life and now you feel like it’s all over. But 6 months ago you had none of that. It’s those preconceived expectations that are toxic too. If I don’t land something big by the end of this year, that’s it. That thinking is only setting yourself up for failure and heartbreak and if that’s the case you probably shouldn’t have started this journey in the first place.
While some actors might acquire SMFA or other actor business programs before they begin their journey, there are many that don’t, and from what I’ve experienced and heard, most colleges or acting schools just don’t teach you anything about the business, like at all. You have to figure it out over time and the only way to really learn, is it get your feet wet and go for it. Those actors might have had success in college and were auditioning for plays and always getting parts, they were told that they were really good. Then they moved to LA thinking they had it made and then were blindsided by an entire different ballgame.
One of the biggest mindset tricks I have taught myself is that failing can be a good thing and in fact in order to reach massive amounts of success, failing is required. And required repeatedly. If your not willing to fail, your not willing to take risks. If your not willing to take risks you aren’t willing to grow and learn and will be left with average or below average results. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve failed and had that “failure” resonate into something that helped me for the better.
You are going to loooooooooooove the mini-course on FLOW THEORY I’m working on for y’all right now. OMG, it’s sooooooooo about so much of this, Joey. You’re right on target. As usual. #SoOnBrand
When I think about other professions and programs and their schooling, I’m a little gobsmacked that there’s not more business taught to actors in school. I mean, YAY, my book is making it into more schools every semester and that’s amazing, but when you think about how all these talented creatives are graduating college and not even having done a mock meeting or having SEEN an agency contract, not having learned the ins and outs of union membership or what a network test is like… it’s a little ridiculous. Outside the CREATIVE ARTS, there’s NO other college program you can come out of with them *only* nurturing the natural talent part of your skillset. Hell, even people who go to college for athletics get classes in how to handle the media or endorsement deals, should things go well after they turn pro.
I just shake my head about how artists are kind of set up to fail, coming out of school with massive student loans and never having been taught how to juggle survival jobs that allow them to keep auditioning… it’s just, well, it’s a big part of my WHY, that’s all. 😉
YES, the being able to get cool with failure *has* to be a part of it all. And even that could be taught in school, couldn’t it? I feel so lucky to have been a Montessori kid. The more I learn about Flow Theory the more I know I really lucked out with that one choice my parents made when I was two years old. Six years of being encouraged to explore to learn (vs. being taught to fear making a mistake) set the stage for so much “job security,” even when times have been incredibly lean.
Awesome!! Very exited for FLOW THEORY!! Yeah, its so baffling to me that actors just aren’t taught the business. I am one or was one of those actors. Quick little story (or as quick as I can lol): I graduated University of Maryland in Theatre Performance. I’ve always been a cinephile and been obsessed with film as well. So I knew a lot about acting, I had a really solid comprehensive education. I moved back here to LA in 2010, got an audition for some indie horror film on Backstage. Thinking back I have no idea how I actually got the audition. I had no credits, no IMDB, no actors access, no headshots, no website, no acting resume except for college, no reel, no family or friends in the business. Heck, I didn’t even have a good survival job yet. So I went, they said bring headshot and resume. So I brought a wallet size portrait photo, paper clipped to a work resume, like I was applying as a server or to a bank lol. How many times do you think I felt like a complete idiot? How many times did I have to try something new not knowing where it was going to lead me, and how many times did I fail and learn from those failures because I wasn’t being specific enough? Yeah, more than once or twice.
The audition just happened to be at a place called Act Now. I looked around and grabbed the flyers and thought this place would be a perfect starting point for me, even though I wouldn’t really learn how to fully utilize the place in terms of targeting and tier level until a few years later. It didn’t really matter that much at the beginning because I learned so much from every CD and even got involved in two life changing classes and met amazing people because of it. My mindset at the beginning was “this workshop will help me book work.” It later became “this workshop will help me meet people and get involved in some amazing networking groups/training/content creation etc that will pave the way to an even better future down the line.” If I get called in for something thats great too don’t get me wrong, but its not the main focus point of the mindset. It honestly becomes like a family tree or Venn diagram is you let things take their course.