Game over. You win. If you choose you. How long can a truly creative person wait to be “picked” before they tear their hair out, punch a wall, eat so much frozen yogurt you gain 10 pounds while convincing yourself “but it’s not ice cream”? A very long time. We can tough it out as long as Mickey Rourke did in The Wrestler. Who invented waiting for permission to have a kick-ass career? Nobody. It’s the lie that has been passed around for so long. Actually, in the old days, and I’m talking 60’s 70’s even the early 80’s, there was a dance of artistry being in sync with the business. Three or four people called back for an audition, a couple of people making decisions on a script, directors directing a whole season, book publishers publishing books without having a marketing plan or buzz in advance, singers and bands getting a record deal without “playing out” for years.
Yes, those days were different from today but I know that today what’s possible is that if you don’t wait for someone to give you permission to be spectacular, you can be seen by the whole freakin’ world. The only way I know how to guide someone is to first have them surrender to their gifts. Meaning, if you want desperately to be a screenwriter, director, actor, producer, fine artist, and it’s becoming a tough road, there may be other areas that you excel in and the door to that may be open a bit wider at the moment. DO NOT BE AFRAID to go there. I promise you, you will not lose your dream. In fact, if you take your hand off that dream wheel for a bit, and it could be a moment, a week, a month, it may need some fresh space and air anyway. Give it a breather. Surrender and play in another arena. Long ago if you took your hands off the wheel you would be considered a flake, now if you don’t, for a moment, you could end up lonely and poor. (Too dramatic?) I guess. Stop blaming “them.” Go to the door that’s inviting you in. Look for it. It’s there.
Choose to jump. Don’t wait for someone to agree with your choice. Who cares. What people think of you and your desires is none of your business. Stop defending yourself. Just play fully in whatever you want. It’s such a service to your soul not to mention you will make a difference in the world which is, I’m sure, what you wanted in the very beginning of the dream anyway. If you can’t get on a series, make one. If you can’t sell your screenplay, film it yourself. Or do a short that has a teeny budget. Do something that has a beginning, a middle and an end and feel accomplished. My friend Pete plays guitar. He will NEVER be out of work. He can play in a band, a show, someone’s living room or the street. Passion. It’s passion and freedom. It’s choosing YOU.