Learning to be effective!

Lu & Byrne's successfull series

Today's blog is about the hope within the community of artists that 'deciding to be one' is enough. I wish it was true- because it would be amazing if we could be creative all the time without worrying about the rest. But life isn't like that, nor is art. So let's look at the work we're realistically putting in to become a true actor.

First the good news: The amount of talented, free spirited artists in Hollywood is as big as entire countries. Meeting people that not only think alike, but understand the concept of freeing their minds from conformity makes me truly happy. Now the bad news: The amount of wrong turns that are being made and ineffective priorities focussed on is just as big (a fact that not only leads to dead ends but also wastes a lot of time).


I'm well aware of the fact that this town can be overwhelming and the frustrating cycle of "aspiration - attempt - failure - compensating" is very hard to break. My personal tip is: Find something that grants you independence from this flaky business! Otherwise you enslave yourself to booking the next job, be validated, making the next meeting the one that counts, etc. It only leads to despair and, if unsuccessful, feeds your insecurities you're trying to get rid of. The success is within you- not the result of your actions. The world around you is fragile and will likely go through transitions, but that doesn’t affect you if you're wholesome.



Kristin- commercial queen!

Much more important is to realize when things don't work out and make us search for the reason why. How many times do we keep on trying the exact same thing, hoping it will result in a different outcome next time, when we should really listen to our intuition that tries to tell us: How you're going about it doesn't work so try something new!



Some things will work for others, but don't necessarily work for us -especially because we are all different. Being an actor we have to cover: Projects, acting classes, marketing, headshots, representation and networking. It's unfortunate, all of those elements are equally important and will cause a halt if one of them is neglected- but that's the reality of it. Your acting, work ethic, personality and marketing combined are your package. It’s a very complex but necessary one. What it comes down to is being professional within your profession. Unfortunately the competition is fierce and pressure (with the flood of aspiring performers and deficit in jobs) higher than ever before. 


J Kristopher on set

What's important is to focus on what you're best in first, and then get help from others to improve the rest. The optimum is to be good at most things yourself, because you're your own boss and should be in charge of your life. I can't even count how many times an honest, interesting conversation with an actor has turned into a clumsy attempt to sell himself to me. No agent, saving him, in sight! I wish he hadn’t tried at all or waited until he actually knows anything about pitching, but actors usually try to sell themselves without having a clue how to...! Not everyone is an excellent marketer, but there’re tricks for everything so do your homework.

Marketing techniques and business tricks are extremely helpful in any job. But having experiences with those from jobs I had I realize how much they'd do for actors too. The industry mostly is business- besides the little time an actor spends in front of the camera. So a book on it or a short lesson from your marketing friend is highly recommended! We're actors - so we learn fast and it shouldn't be a problem to play the part that gets us where we want to be. Don't forget it's all a game.

If you're interesting and got talent - people will notice! Trust me. Don't worry about that. What every teacher in this town will train you in is: Be authentic, know your strength, admit problems - don't cover it up. Trying is always better than not. If you're a true performer we want to see your list of projects or at least workshops you're taking. Never make yourself sound more than you are because that's just another form of lying. Be honest, get sympathy by making a joke or focus on strong facts. Show determination if you don't have much to back your career choice up with yet!



Tommy the old schooler



Some good examples of my effective actor friends are: My friends Byrne and Lu who created an entire season of their own web series "My roommate the", experimenting with interesting characters they wanted to try out! Or my actress friend Kristin who just booked five commercials (!) within one month by making the bold move to fire her entire representation, getting a new one and gathering all her strength to succeed in the plenty of chances she suddenly got. Then there's J who already brings so much to his characters in small projects, he already gets invited to major auditions because of the quality in his work. Tommy is an excellent networker and knows so many filmmakers he practically has three new projects lined up already- because he’s talented and a nice guy people like!

Every great movie shows you how to make something out of an early or unfortunate state of your career (especially the ones with Matt Damon), so steal Gresham’s moves! Be active, honest and work hard. If you're lost or have trouble seeing the wrong turns: Call me! We’ll make an appointment. I'm cheap and highly motivated to expand the “true artist’s community” by helping you make effective choices. :P

Your MotivatNista.