Earlier this month a family friend of mine asked me to give some advice to a young actor he knew who had just graduated from college and was about to move to LA. At first I thought, “What advice can I give? I’m still trying to figure this out?!” Then it occurred to me that it’s been almost ten(!) years since I was full-time student. I’ve definitely discovered a thing or two since then. So I asked myself, “What are some of the things I wish I would have known when I was making that transition from college theater student to real-life-adult-pursuing-an-acting-career?” I decided to write this letter to the younger me:
Dear Newbie Erin,
Calm down about the whole agent thing already. Okay, I get it. It seems like the logical first step. School’s over. You did a college showcase thingy. You’re ready to start your career as an actor and your life as an actual adult. All you need to do is land the perfect AGENT, and all of that will happen, right? Welllllllll…..no. Look, maybe some people land amazing representation right out of school, but that’s not how it’s going to work for you (and A LOT of the other actors you’ll meet). I admire your ambition, but having an agent isn’t what’s going to make you an actor or validate your career choice to your friends and family. Truth is, an agent who can actually do something for you isn’t going to come along for a while – until after you’ve gotten your feet wet a bit. You are going to waste soooo much time obsessing about getting an agent, and then you’ll get one before you’re ready and nothing will happen. Do yourself a favor and chill out. Instead, use that energy for something else…like taking a class, doing a play, creating a project, volunteering for a friend’s web series – I don’t care what it is – just get out there and work.
Find your people. Community is what’s going to keep you going. Open yourself up right away to finding people who share your passion, get your voice, and inspire you with their work. It might sound cheesy, but you’re not gonna do this alone. You’ll find your peeps in classes and through friends. You’ll meet some of them on the sets of student projects and low budget films and in the casts of plays and sketch shows that you’ll do for no money and that nobody will see. You’ve all got to start somewhere, so why not do it together? These people are going to encourage you, energize you, and make you laugh. They will remind you that you’re an artist when you get so bogged down with your shitty cater-waiter or personal assistant job that you forget. Plus, a lot of your best opportunities and acting gigs will actually come to you through these friends. (Also, they are the most fun people to go to a bar with.)
It’s okay to be where you’re at in your career. You know how when you’re acting, you can’t work towards results – you have to just be present and discover things “in the moment”? (I just got waaaay James Lipton-y over here). Well, you can apply those ideas to your career too. I know you’re young and driven and have some very specific career goals, but try not to be so result-orientated. Maybe loosen your grip a little bit on what you think you need to achieve in order to “make it” and see what opens up for you. You wont’ be a real actor as soon as you grasp some brass ring you’ve created for yourself in your mind. You’re a real actor now. Find ways to do the work you love, seek new opportunities, and put yourself out there, even when you’re scared….BUT do all of this without constantly thinking you need to compensate for some perceived lack of success. Thinking that way’s not going to do a thing for you. Oh and also, don’t compare yourself to other people…especially when you get those “Where Are They Now?” alumni newsletters, okay?
Your “actor stuff” is always going to be changing. By “actor stuff”, I mean your headshots, your resume, your reel, your website – heck, even your look. That’s how it should be. If you never changed over the years, it would be creepy! You’re going to grow and change and evolve as a person, and as you do, all of your “actor stuff” will have to follow suite. So just know that, and don’t get frustrated when you discover that this actor-marketing thing is an on-going process. Realize there’s a good chance that by the time you get your “perfect” headshot, resume, and reel together, it will be time to update all of that stuff anyway. Just start. Use what you have now. Put yourself out there, and then keep on evolving and improving.
Relish your “acting days”. Unlike the days when you were a full-time student, you’re not always going to be able to spend entire days doing acting stuff anymore. You’re going to have more responsibilities and a day job (sometimes more than one). So, when you do get to be an actor, ENJOY IT. I’m still reminding you to do this now! Sometimes you’re going to feel overwhelmed and tired from your day-to-day life. On those days, you might have a real pissy attitude about having to drive across town for a last minute commercial audition, or you might resent having to stay up late to memorize lines for a scene study class. Maybe your nerves will sneak up on you and when you finally get an opportunity to read for a project you really like, the pressure will almost make you wish you could get out of it. When that happens, stop and remind yourself that today is a day where you get to actually do what you want to be doing. It doesn’t matter if you’re auditioning for a one-line co-star, taking new headshots, or attending a class. If you can touch base with your actor self in any way, RELISH IT. Today you are closer to doing the work you love, and no amount of inconvenience or stress or nerves can diminish that. Get excited! I mean, come on, would you rather be filing at your temp job?!
Okay, that’s all I’ve got for you right now, younger self. Well, maybe one last thing…remember that at some point you are actually going to have to pay off those credits cards, so charge that stuff wisely!
xoxo,
Your older (and hopefully much wiser) self