Howdy!
Check out these pics! I took them with my camera phone!
I know I know...you can't believe I took'em myself. Good job, right?! :)
I made some scary follow-up phone calls to managers. 6 out of 7....I left a message for. 1 out of 7...I spoke to. I asked him if he had received my follow-up letter, he replied no. He offered me his email address so I can email him everything instead. This was Thursday.
Ask me to be on set for 20 hours....no problem. Ask me to make a follow-up phone call or to whip up a cover letter...I'd rather yank my hair out and run around in circles. Drama Queen. :)
I'm not kidding you. To be on set...it's labor of LOVE. To make phone calls, revise resume, update accounts, do mail outs, and drop offs...it's just plain labor. Oy vey. But, somebody's gotta do it.
This is the hustle of it all.
Hustling isn't something that will happen when I start auditioning more frequently. Hustling isn't something that will happen when I become a 'working' actress. Hustling isn't something that will happen when or if _____________. Hustling happens now...it's always now.
Picture this. You have 3 Acts to your career. I think many of us are in our 2nd Act. Like any great play or story, the 1st and 3rd usually is more entertaining than the 2nd. And the 2nd tends to be slower and more detailed. But, if you miss the 2nd Act, you miss the meat. The 1st and 3rd won't taste as good without the 2nd.
I'm in my 2nd. I'd like to be in my 3rd and I daydream about it but, I'm in my 2nd. And daydreaming is an important part of getting to that next Act. It's just 1/3. The 2/3 is taking action. And the 3/3 is allowing and receiving. And assuming that all of us have the first third down, let's focus on the second third. This is where the hustle comes in...the meat. This is where it all happens, where it all goes down. I think this is where you learn the most...learn about YOU, life, the art, and the craft. This is where you grow...and sometimes the biggest growth comes from growing pains. This is where you build...build a strong foundation inside and out. This is where you create....create and put out into the world your talent, your genius, your story because this is what you're meant to do. This is where you give and share...give and share support, give and share time, give and share love, give and share kind words, give and share a hug, give and share a smile, give and share YOU. This is where you do....do what you gotta do....no matter how much it scares you, no matter how much you think you don't want to, no matter how much others don't want you to, no matter how tired you feel, no matter how long it will take, no matter what. And then this is where we patiently wait...wait for our turn. This is where you earn it.
And don't you want to earn it? I sure do. I want to look back one day and realize that I'm in my 3rd Act, and rightfully so. I want to look back and remember those times when I wasn't auditioning enough and thinking, 'What am I doing wrong?' I want to look back and remember those times I wanted to call it quits but, didn't. I want to look back and remember trying and trying and trying to get representation. I want to look back and remember writing my blogs. I want to look back and remember editing my vlogs. I want to look back and remember booking my first television credit. I want to look back and remember calling my family about my first big paycheck. I want to look back and remember creating with friends. I want to look back and remember taking classes and training all over the place. I want to look back and remember doing something that scares me everyday. I want to look back and thank my inner child for being so courageous and say to her, 'Look at all you have accomplished. Look at your beautiful life. I'm so glad you didn't quit. I''m so glad you shared yourself with the world. I'm so glad you believed in yourself. I'm so glad you kept dreaming. I'm so glad you listened to your heart. I'm so glad you trusted yourself. I'm so proud of you.'
If you're in this for the long haul like me, then our 2nd Act seems too important to half ass through..doesn't it? From this Act on, I will HUSTLE and let it all FLOW. Flow more love, flow more heartbreaks, flow more loss, flow more peace, flow more joy, flow more curiosity, flow more life! I trust that I'm on my path, I trust that God/Universe will take care of me, I trust that I'm here for a reason and I'll find my purpose.
So, the next time you don't book that job, and you see the commercial playing on tv with the 'other' actress....instead of thinking, "They picked HERRRRRR?!?! WHYYYYYYY?!!!", I think "Oh, just wasn't meant to be...that's good for her." Building my foundation now. It's inevitable that I'll lose out to many many other actresses but, what determines how successful I will be is how I deal with it. This is just a little part of my 2nd Act.
So, are you excited about your 2nd Act? Stay present in the 2nd....looking ahead into our 3rd is okay but don't live in it just yet...it's not time yet. Hustle Act 2, then Act 3 will Flow. And our turn will come. My turn will come, so will yours. There's a place for all us in this world, in this town...we just gotta earn it.
Have a great week hustlers!
Last Week's Goals: Start my vocal workshop and Hawthorne casting director workshop, follow-up calls to managers, and impromptu headshot session.
Update: Done and done! Our first vocal workshop went well. I learned how to breathe properly and loosen up my body. I love it so far and will probably share more about what I'm learning, how I'm learning after another class or two.
Oh, the follow-up calls. I haven't heard back yet but will try again this week to follow-up again. This is part of my hustle.
The headshot session has been postponed to this week!
This Week's Goals: Follow-up with managers, workshops, I started two separate shorts...so, I'd like to finish one this week.
The song I've been shaking to while writing this.
with LOVE,
Alex
No comments:
Post a Comment