The list.
/The facts of your acting life make up The List.
When you feel down learn to refer to it.
What could be on the list?
Well, you exercise, try to eat well, you have an agent, you audition, you act in plays, movies, TV series, shorts, webisodes, summer theatre, you take acting class, you’ve gone to theatre school, and you’re known and respected. You pay your rent, taxes and phone bill.
That’s a list.
The list of points that make up your acting life is what your acting life is. As opposed to how you feel it is.
The list allows you to juxtapose the objective reality to your subjective view. What’s in your head versus what’s in the world. It balances the scales.
You might feel down and justifiably so from being humiliated as an actor, missing out on a role, struggling to make ends meet, and more, but the list still remains.
You have a right to your feelings and you should never apologize for them. But observe yourself when you can’t seem to get past them.
The list buttress’s you against being overwhelmed by your feelings and can help to keep you going. You’re not trying to boost your confidence with false ideas – you’re citing what’s true. The list.
The list should also include the film and TV industry as it is. The power of the studio owners, producers, casting directors, agents and the difficulty you have in participating in the decision making. The listing of these objective factors will help deflate the idea that you individually are the cause of the difficulties.
When you think about something - your acting career for example - your objective reality must be part of that thinking.
So, next time your fellow actor asks you ‘Howz it going.’ you can say – fine. Because, according to The List – it is.
Check your list.