At some point in your life, based on how young or old you may be, you’ve either said this yourself or heard it from someone…and if you haven’t…now you have. “I love what I’m doing, but not doing what I love.” Not only is that I believe the KEY to life, it also is valid at all times within this profession, simply because there are SO MANY forms of art and performing art.So many of you are triple or quadruple threats. You love to sing, you’ve been a trained dancer, and you even perhaps play an instrument at a high level…plus performing. And heck, I’ve not even discussed Voice-Over work…as well as writing or painting. Truth be told if you’re an artistic “type” of person, then there are many options and it isn’t in any way about right or wrong or should or shouldn’t…it is just about LOVE.
Recently, as many of you know, after 22 years I closed the PHYSICAL studio to The Actors’ Network. There is one specific reason for this and it has nothing to do with how much I loved standing before my fellow peers and discussing the business perspectives, information and education of our profession. It had to do with the “other love.” I still, and will forever, LOVE speaking to, writing to, and creating webinars about the “business of show business.” That will never change. However, life is short, time moves fast, the days go by quicker and when you have many other things to do you must ensure that you are DOING what you love.
I know, believe me, I know that the biz of this business isn’t any actors love and not only that…99.9% of us do NOT “love doing it.” But in my opinion, my long time, veteran opinion if you don’t LOVE going through the “process of the business” it can be very difficult to fiscally succeed at it. And that is something we need to all face. We can LOVE performing, LOVE slipping into the mental and emotional skin of a character, we can LOVE entertaining and be terrific at it. And yes, it is indeed possible for just the LOVE OF THE WORK, to lead to fiscal success. Now, it is very rare today, but sure…it is possible.
What we “miss” a lot in looking at who is successful fiscally or a start, we often do not go way back to THEIR beginning to see “how” they got the help and assistance that got them there…aside from their performance skills or however you view their skill level. But if you’re not fortunate enough by age 22 to have already gotten “deep” into the business, then sadly, LOVING the “process of the business” is going to be needed…and that is hard to create or invent. So don’t be bummed about it or be mad at it, just understand it.
So for the love of what you’re doing, or in the doing of what you love, FIND YOU…and KEEP YOU. Much like me, you may take different paths and directions throughout your life in that search, and that’s ok. But there should come a time when you finally have to stand out on that island and truly commit MOST of your focus and time to doing what you LOVE. We are, after all, people/human and so much of our personality and the way we are seen or cast…has to do with our little internal idle of “how happy or content” we are. That little idle of your engine ROARS loud to others and affects them. Make sure what they see in you and from you more often than not…is someone who is DOING what they LOVE. 🙂
As always, I’m on your side, so keep that firmly in the foreground when reading me.
@thekevine