When I was leaving for college, the first time I ever moved away from home, a dear friend gifted me with THE ALCHEMIST (shown right). When I read the back cover, I thought it might be hokey fable in simple language that would be a quick read and I could thank her for it later. Instead, I was enthralled in a simple story about a boy on a journey, similar to mine, trying to discover who he is and what is important to him. The book mirrored some of my thoughts which touched me deeply.
Any dreamer who is on a path would love to read this book. This is a great gift for the graduating student (of any age)!
Some other great reads of Paulo Coelho include VERONICA DECIDES TO DIE - don't let the name fool you!
At the end of a long, hard week, I do what the Romans did - take a freaking bath! Well, I bathe more often than they did, but I appreciate it just as much.
True story. I drove home to Altadena from Santa Barbara where I'm earning my Ph.D. in somatic Psychology. When I entered the house, I could smell lavender. Not the nasty sticky sweet smell an old crone might reek of (please forgive the image), but rather the same smell lavender bushes in my garden gently emit. After my intensive training and learning, the aromatherapy washed over my senses and I tackled my husband with a hug.
You can create your own weekly ritual to tend to your wellness - I imagine you already have at least one. May I suggest you try mine? It's divine!!!
Jim Wise, my seminal acting teacher, spoke to me of acting: "You should feel it in your blood." He also pounded into me that all acting should be "the day something special happens." Why else would anyone bother to act?
To successfully attempt both of these necessities, an actor has to know her buttons. The buttons to which I refer are the touchy places in yourself that are highly reactive to other people - primarily instilled by family. For example, don't make fun of my family. Can you imagine how this button might inform me playing the role of Antigone? Add the sprinkle of grief from loosing my mom -- and playing Greek tragedy is second nature.
When you sit with a script and keenly identify with the character, your process when approaching the role may be quick and easy - because you KNOW it. However, not all roles sing so clearly to the heart of an actor.
When you identify the character's need/essential action/overall objective (and for the love of GOD - please go beyond what the script is saying literally unless it's Shakespeare), compare that need to your buttons. Which need can you easily access to accomplish that goal? Who can that other person be to you to make your behavior specific?
Life or death behavior is more exhilarating than anything else on earth! If you think playing in your button zone is scary, keep in mind all actors are control freaks. Why? Actors know the end of the story and every bump on the road. An actor's job is to make that road cost her something and for it to be more exciting to her than any other doing. Make it so!
Acting is a tedious business. While actor training is delightful and insightful to an artist as a person and as a performer, the getting of jobs on the regional stage or screen in the jungle of Los Angeles can hurt the sensitive heart of an artist.
Finding the best match to go forward and tackle your career requires personal insight and listening to your gut. The gimme's of meeting with an agent or manager are:
1. Know who you are - your type. This can best be determined by how you've been cast in the past.
2. Know what type of person you like to work with (direct, brutally honest, nurturing, etc.). The person an artist chooses to represent and help mold her career will ideally have a myriad of elements - know which ones are most important to you.
3. Your representation must love your work. As an actor, you should be able to tell if a person truly enjoys your work. If you cannot tell, look for amount of eye contact during your meeting - if the agent or manager does not seem interested, it's because he or she is not. If you don't get that excited feeling, working together may not be the best match.
As for running your business, Phil Brock puts it best: "You are your own CEO and everyone works for you." If the ship is not going in the direction you want, it's time for a meeting. You need to hire the people who you feel will get you where you want to go - and YOU are the boss.
Okay Boss, YOU have to step up to the plate. First, get your tools in order, then build relationships. This is not the days of old where casting directors actually had open calls to meet new actors. If you want to make it in L.A., you need to MEET casting directors and get your work in front of them. Success is all about relationships.
Your tools are crucial: headshots (that look good as a thumbnail) I love Natalie Young, a demo reel (do a FlipCamera video if you don't have anything), and get some credits. If you just can't seem to get into a screen audition, do some 99-seat theatre. Keep acting!!! I don't suggest paying to get into an acting company because I am a firm believer in being paid for your craft, but to each her own. Get on Actor's Access, which is associated with breakdowns, so you can submit yourself. Get on IMDb Pro so casting directors can find you.
Varient Actors' Lab, run by Amie Farrell, is a great class because the format is casting director guests twice a month and class to work skills twice a month. Other options include places like The Actors' Key.
As an artist, you need to tend to your heart. Integrity is tough when jobs are fleeting, the "next best thing" is always around the corner, and people are fickle. Know the things that make you happy, do them, and keep PLAYING. This is your life, make it happen as you wish.
When I was leaving for college, the first time I ever moved away from home, a dear friend gifted me 
with THE ALCHEMIST
Some other great reads of Paulo Coelho include VERONICA DECIDES TO DIE
- don't let the name fool you!
.
