If you’ve been following this year long journey of getting out of your own way and kicking ass, I commend you! It is an absolute delight to share this quest with you, dear readers. With two months left on this personal trek, I have noticed a huge transformation in myself. Originally, I wanted to “work” on myself so that I could be more “marketable” and “commercial” in an industry that certainly promotes the practicalities of the personal brand.
Seemingly half of the Hollywood economy is built around selling marketability and self-promotion. Good skills yes, but oh, so far away from what my younger self looked into the starry night and envisioned. And while I am going on many more commercial auditions, and have had bit roles in several legit films this year, this process of getting out of my own way has lead me somewhere entirely unexpected.
Like coming out of a chaotic dream, I have remembered why I became an artist in the first place. Not because of a casting director workshop or the grind of auditioning, but because of my desire to synthesize and communicate the human experience. I am back at my original intention, the myth dreamt in waves of passion in my young child’s eye: the pursuit of art for art’s sake. New doors are opening like never before. I am rediscovering who I am as an artist and why I have never had any other vision for my life other than contributing in the medium of moving pictures. This industry may be a shifting Kaleidoscope of new ways to contribute to the cultural discourse: but the landscape is unstable and expanding in waves of ever increasing opportunity for participation.
So here are my 4 tips for pursuing “Art” for “Art’s Sake”
1. Say Yes to Everything (unless it’s crap):
Who do you think you are, Natalie Portman? Seriously though, my whole relationship to this business and why I do it has changed since I began living “Yes!” as my career mantra. Over the past year I have shot more than ever before. As 2014 begins I am getting in front of a camera on a media project almost every week. Why? Because I am willing to pitch in and help out and say yes to every opportunity that comes my way (unless it is degrading or salacious). I have shot web-series, commercials, pilot specs, feature film roles, art photography and short films. Not everything has been a paid gig. Why? Because I enjoy doing it. I am honing the art of being on camera. Since I grew up acting in theatre it is a skill I am continually developing. The relationship to the camera and the know-how of professional sets only increases the more work that I do. Now that I am entering into producing my own projects, this on-set learning and the networks I am developing are increasingly valuable.
2. Develop Your Own Projects:
You can’t just sit around waiting for Hollywood to come calling. And considering the effort we all need to make to improve the portrayal of women in media, and the barriers in the highest ranks of the industry, it is of utmost importance that we, as women artists, develop our own projects. I am currently developing two short films and a feature film project. I am writing. I am involved with an ensemble that has moved from a self-administered acting class to a production team creating our first season of sketch comedy for YouTube. It doesn’t matter what you create. But if you create something and see it through, you are an artist. Even if it isn’t your primary source of income, you are sharpening the toolbox, and creating the art that will someday get you noticed and move you from one of the many pursuing this dream, to one of the few who have made a mark in it. Make your art now. The paychecks will come later. And if they never do, at least you actually DID something, rather than spending years trying to be chosen to do someone else’s something!
3. Take Yourself on Artist Dates:
The artist within you needs to be nourished! Seriously, if you aren’t OUT THERE, experiencing the work of other artists and filling your heart and soul with inspiration, a finger to the pulse of the collective consciousness, what WILL you have to say as an artist yourself? It is as important to exercise your subconscious as it is to diligently chip away your own projects. Whether it is thrift shopping, the flea market, long walks through small Los Angeles neighborhoods, or a trip to the museum; there is so much incredible art happening around Los Angeles all the time. See theatre, go to standup comedy, and hey, take a bike ride down Venice boardwalk, the people watching is definite inspiration. My world has recently been rocked by James Turrell at LACMA. He captures, displays, and manipulates light in such a way that the viewer can investigate how their own perceptions shape the universe around them. Heady inspiration from an absolute master.
4. Contribute to the Medium:
Why BE the next generation of artists if you aren’t contributing something new? We are given two primary examples of the direction of our art form, and two roads to look at and head. The blockbuster film is this decaying pustulous monster that threatens to take down the entire film industry: an antiquated marketing algorithm in the hands of stunted adolescents that insists films designed to entertain 18 year old white males are the only films worth distributing. This year’s amazing turnout of important cinema (and gripping female leads to boot) may be the beacon in the dark for the film industry, and I hope that the tide is turning on the ever-adolescent fantasy. On the other hand there is the innovative and griping world of television drama that has emerged from the reality TV dark ages to present innovative, stirring, and important stories. So: you can repeat the formulas of the past, or tell new stories in a new way. The choice is yours. So why not contribute a new voice, if you have a voice that speaks?
In the end, art for art’s sake feeds you. It can be what keeps you going in this pursuit which has so many ups and downs. If the art isn’t what drives you, than why are you here? As a wise woman once said, “If there is anything else you want to do in your life, please, go do it. Otherwise this business is an un-gratifying and terrible path that I would not wish upon anyone.” That’s it. The true artists call. If you can’t imagine doing anything else, you are in the right place.