How do you feel today grasshopper?
Seriously, how is your day going? The way you answer that question speaks volumes. More on that in a bit…
We’re living in interesting times. That may just be the understatement of the day. LOL
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, by now you know that the Kardashian clan is growing. That’s right Khloe is pregnant! Relax, this isn’t TMZ, so we won’t be breaking out the Big Book of Baby Names and thumbing to the letter K.
There are more important things afoot.
If you’ve been around Boost My Star for any length of time, you already know that I like to keep negativity as far away as possible. The news app on my iPhone has finally had it catch up to me though!
(Side note: if you know how to block CNN, FOX, etc. on the app, let me know in the comments below PLEASE!)
“Rocket Man” is everywhere these days, isn’t he? Far be from it to try and dissect international politics. I have absolutely no interest in doing that, but in my recent news binge I noticed something fascinating.
If you have a trained eye, you may have noticed it too…
The people that grab headlines most often are inherently skilled in “Media Optics.” If you think that this has nothing to do with you and your career, guess again.
Think of it on a different scale.
If you look at the way Rocket Man is portrayed in the media, you will notice something peculiar. First, you have to realize that we only have photos of him released by the official state media so we would never get anything less than flattering, but that’s secondary.
Google photos of him for just a minute or two and you will see that it always looks like he is “doing something.” He is studying something with binoculars, inspecting machinery, touring labs, etc. This is all important stuff that you would expect a head of state to be doing.
If you follow Khloe or any of the Kardashian clan, you will notice the same thing, adapted for their status. Google Khloe and you will find photos of her “doing something” too. You will see her shopping, getting glammed up, attending events, etc. These are the things that you would expect a socialite and personality to be doing too.
Notice the parallel?
Here’s a real world example. A couple of weeks ago, I was at Whole Foods stocking up on spices. Bear in mind that my cooking skills are pretty much limited to microwave dinners and Digiorno, but Bobby Flay just makes everything look so easy LOL!
Anyway, I was at Whole Foods with my recipe card fumbling around the isle with all the bulk spices trying to find everything, to no avail. There was also a guy there that was having no problem getting what he was looking for.
He would grab a bag fill it up, put it on the scale, grab another and wasted no time thinking about stuff. “This guy must be a master chef or something” I thought.
So, I asked him if he could point me in the direction of cumin. He did and went about his business. Then I stopped him again, told him about my mission and started asking him for suggestions. He showed me what he had so far and why he likes to keep it around.
As I probed him for more cooking info he admitted “I don’t really know what I’m doing either. I just try a little bit of this and little bit of that when I cook.” We shared a laugh and an awkward bro hug and went our separate ways.
Here’s why I tell you that story.
This guy in the spice isle was elevated to a certain status in my mind, because he too was “doing.” Had he just been wandering around aimlessly like I was, I would have never thought to ask him for help. I certainly wouldn’t have flagged him down in the cereal aisle and asked him for advice on spices and cooking.
It was the act of “doing” coupled with his level of decisive activity. Notice, however, that he too said he didn’t really know what he was doing. It was the deliberate nature of his actions that led me to think otherwise.
No matter what stage of your career you find yourself in, the optics of your actions are of supreme importance. Thankfully, this is something you have complete control over.
There’s a great scene in What Women Want when Marissa Tomei’s character admits that she is worried that she’ll never be booked for anything meaningful and be stuck playing a ditsy coffee house waitress for the rest of her life.
The optics of her life certainly fit the failed actor stereotype. If you’re in the service industry, don’t sweat it, that’s not what this is about. What you have to ensure is that the image you are projecting is in line with what you want to become.
See, whether you’re leading a rogue regime, a reality TV personality, or a star in the making, it’s all about the optics. I can’t exactly put it into words, but I have become insanely good at spotting an actor from a mile away.
I don’t just mean in LA, that’s easy! I can do this even when I travel home or anywhere in the developed world. The optics and the way we carry ourselves are a dead giveaway.
This can be a good thing or a bad thing…
In an audition setting for example, do you want to immediately be thrown into the category of “actor” (with air quotes) or would you prefer to stand out from the crowd? I have given you so many strategies and tips for how to accomplish this in other releases, so be sure to spend some time reading them and refreshing your memory.
The bottom line is that if you want to be taken seriously as an actor you have to ensure that the optics match your goals. In order for this to happen you have to be engaged in the “doing” of things that successful actors do.
And when you are doing those things, you are actively pushing your career forward. Therein lies the synergistic beauty of it all.
If you’re thinking “Gee Scott that sounds great but I have no one to do this for.”
Don’t worry about it, like I said above it’s not just about media optics. Everything comes into play. So, next time you’re headed to an audition stop for a moment and look in the mirror. If you look like an “actor”, change your outfit until you look and feel like a marquee actor.
Even young tech entrepreneurs use this concept when raising money. Instead of trying to fill out dad’s suit, techies trying to raise money to start a company began wearing hoodies and t-shirts to meetings with potential investors.
They realized that wearing hoodies gave them a better chance at raising money, because the optics matched. It looked as if they went to the meeting straight after a long night of coding.
Here’s what you need to do now. Take an honest assessment of the optics you are projecting. If you’re using Instagram to post pics of brunch… go here for a quick fix.
Analyze what you would think of yourself, as an outsider, meeting you for the first time. What would go through head when you share your career choice? “That figures” or “Interesting”?
Look through what you’re doing on social media and evaluate whether you’re projecting the optics of an “actor” or if you are using them as a tool to boost your status in the industry?
See, there’s something to be said about an actor that talks the talk, walks the walk, and has the industry reputation and social following to back it up. Here’s the easy way to do that.
So grasshopper what are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below. Please use, this information responsibly. By applying this you can bring the world to once in a generation levels of paranoia or you can use it to build an empire that can bend the industry to your will.
See you at the top,
Scott