Surprise, Your Acting Skills Are Not Important!

Question: Are you an actor, or do you want to become an actor?

Really think about what the question is asking.  Most people spend their time wanting to become an actor, and sadly, never actually become one.

So the bigger question becomes “When will you start calling yourself an actor?”  How about today?!

Sure, to become a great actor we must ultimately master the art of auditioning, networking and acting technique.  But getting those fundamental skills down alone will not allow you to truly succeed and achieve the greatness we aim for.

Let us touch upon 3 areas outside of acting talent that are vital for you to master in order to succeed as an actor (these may surprise you).

Fundamentals for Acting Success:

Know Thy Self.

This may sound silly or even obvious but in order to get where you want to be, you must truly know who you are.  You must know your strengths and your weaknesses.  You must know what makes you tick and what makes you laugh.  You must take an honest assessment of your true self.

Having this knowledge, for one thing, will immediately raise your self-confidence.  And if self-confidence doesn’t go a long way in the biz, nothing does.  Starting with a good amount of self-confidence will take you far.

Have you ever seen the American Idol auditions, for example, where the judges aren’t too impressed with the actual singing, but they’ll say something like, “There’s something about you I like… There’s something there…”  That ’something’ is nothing more than good ol’ fashion self-confidence shining through.

That performer is comfortable in their own skin and it’s an extremely attractive quality.

Also, if you are not aware of who you are at the core, you will find it difficult to sustain a career in show business.  Casting directors and talent agents need to be able to ‘place you’ in the industry.  When you meet with them, they’ll quickly need to get a sense of where you fit in relation to the industry.

Manage Your Time.

As you can imagine, show business requires a lot of our time.  Many performers feel they are married to their career for this very reason.  The working actors continually find themselves in classes, meetings, auditions, breaking down scripts, memorizing, performing, rehearsing, printing up resumes… Your to-do list as an actor is on-going.

If you do not have the necessary skills to successfully manage your time, you will quickly find yourself overwhelmed.  The better you can manage your time, the better success you will achieve.

Remember, too, that you will need to allocate plenty of time for yourself.  Down time.  Time when you recharge your batteries and keep your mind, body and soul healthy.  Make sure you have a hobby to keep yourself happy and grounded.

Stay Healthy.

You’ll need to maintain a strong body, active mind and healthy soul.

We all have a different outlook on what it means to be healthy.  When we speak of being healthy, we can talk about eating healthy foods, keeping a healthy mind, and keeping our body healthy through exercising and getting enough sleep.

The world of show business will, at times, take its toll on you.  Sometimes more than you’d like.  There will be rejection that you weren’t expecting (or hoping for) and you’ll want to make sure you don’t fall into a long depression or ‘dark place.’

Sure, we can occasionally treat ourselves to ice cream and cheese burgers, but overall be good to your body.  You’ll need it every step of the way.  Find the lifestyle you can live with to remain healthy and stay strong.  Be good to your body and mind.  Don’t become your own worst enemy.

The bottom line is that becoming an actor is not easy.  It is, however, one of the most exciting and rewarding industries to be a part of.  The more you learn about the industry and yourself, the more you’ll be able to sustain happy and successful career.  The journey is long.  If you do not enjoy the journey, you will not enjoy the success.

Are you serious about becoming an actor? To grab your free copy of “I’m an Actor!” simply tell us where to send it:

2 Comments to Surprise, Your Acting Skills Are Not Important!

The Acting School on June 17th, 2009
1. 

   Good post! I would like to thank you for sharing your thoughts. You are putting very good effort into the stuff you post. Keep up the good work.
Joshua on June 17th, 2009
2. 

   Glad to hear it, Acting School! Thanks for letting us know you enjoy our blog.

   -Joshua

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