Flipping the page on a calendar is always an exciting time, but it’s nothing like flipping over to an entirely new calendar.
There’s such great energy in the air. Everyone’s desire to leave the past in the past and move on to creating greener pastures is palpable.
Actors are no exception, except that I’ve noticed something after talking with so many actors over the years.
The ones that go on to build successfully acting careers are the ones who always have a sense of urgency.
Whether they are flipping the page on a calendar month, or crossing off a single day, they always act as if time is running out.
It has always served them well, but especially after the year we just went through.
Some of them made incredible career progress while everyone else sat back and wondered what was going on.
If you didn’t make the kind of progress you should have made over the last year, close out the distractions and give this your full attention.
Consider this a special message for aspiring actors who want to make 2021 the year that changes everything
If you truly want to be a successful actor there is something you have to do, no matter what...
Keep your momentum going at all times. Successful actors don't look back.
Whether you've made some mistakes while trying to build your career or if you're struggling to get things off the ground, today is a new day and so is tomorrow.
Maybe you waited around for too long in 2020, waiting for things to go back to "normal" and let the industry move on without you on board.
Maybe you realized that you've been trying to build your acting career without having a real plan of action.
Whatever the case is, you can rewrite your story starting today. Take an honest look at your career thus far. Ask yourself, what were your missteps?
How could you have avoided them?
A misstep doesn't have to be a bad move. It can also be not making a move at all, which is what most actors found themselves doing for the majority of 2020.
Some action is better than doing nothing at all, but that doesn’t mean you have to go in blindly. Study the actors you look up to and see what they did right.
This would have been tough, back when you needed to have access to them in order to get some insight, but you can find tons of information about them online.
Through interviews, podcasts, and social media you can get tons of first hand information about them.
Find out what led to their breakthrough moment and how you can replicate that.
You won't be able to do it exactly of course because the circumstances will be different. but you can use their experiences and actions as a model for what to do.
For example, if they focused on building a creative team that actively searched for projects they all partake in together,you can do the same.
Instead of going it alone and going on auditions, what if you were to bring together writers, producers, directors, and even other actors and put together projects with all of you attached?
I’m not saying this is what you have to do. It’s an example of what has worked for some of the greats like DiCaprio and Scorcese or Hanks and Spielberg.
Before you get started on something like that, you have to draw up a detailed plan for what you want to accomplish in the industry. This will help you identify the things you need to do in order to reach your goals.
For example, if what you want to accomplish is purely about commercial success and big budget franchise films, then would auditioning for arthouse type films make a lot of sense?
The opposite is also true, if you are going after an Oscar, would auditioning for budget horror-slasher films be the way to go?
Would it even make sense to book yet another commercial or would it make more sense to step back and search for an agent that is better positioned instead?
When you map out your career, it will keep you from wasting time and spinning your wheels on things that may not serve to move your career forward in the direction you intended.
Regardless, whether you want to build a team that puts together or projects or if you decide to go it alone and follow the more “traditional” route, find a supportive group of actors and industry people.
The keyword there is “supportive.” Not all industry friends are the same and it’s important to surround yourself with positive people that truly want the best for you and themselves.
Actors are a special type of people and go through things that only fellow actors and industry people truly understand. At some point in your career, you will need someone to lean on. It could be that you need a supportive shoulder to lean on and a boost to keep going when things get tough.
It could be that you need someone to guide you as you shatter even your own expectations and succeed quickly.
Your family and your non industry friends will try to relate, and as well intentioned as they may be, it’s difficult for someone who hasn’t experienced the industry first hand to relate.
Something that successful actors do is act now. We just started an entirely new calendar year and we're already a few days in.
What has changed?
How many of your friends went to bed after celebrating new year's eve and woke up the next day only to do the same things they did before?
Maybe they set some resolutions but without acting on them immediately, they almost always become useless and tossed aside within days.
So let me ask you, what did you resolve to do with your acting career this year?
Act on it today! Start on what I’ve shared with you here and before you even leave this page, do something that moves your career forward in some way and give yourself every advantage possible to succeed.
Make this your year!
Never again let another day pass without doing something that will move you closer to your career goals. That's why I created this to help you, so you can focus on doing what you do best.
So what are you resolving to accomplish in your acting career this year? What is your first step going to be?
Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email. I’m happy to help you get the year started on the right foot, because I would truly love to...
See you at the top,
Scott