Abundance
Putting shear talent to the side for a few minutes, I want to talk about what I consider to be “The Secret” to becoming an actor. Not being an actor, but becoming an actor. Every time I wander about a Barnes & Noble, I inevitably end up at the stage and screen section where I have to grin at books with titles like: Acting for Dummies, and How to Break into Acting. I always roll my eyes and think, Boy, if only it were that easy. And the more I think about it, the more I begin to wonder if maybe it isn’t just that easy after all. A few years ago I had the great pleasure of working with an Atlanta actor named Greg Thompson. Greg is an extremely talented guy, but what I learned from him had nothing to do with his talents; it was all in how he looked at his job. Greg once told me that he walked into every audition with the belief that there were enough parts to go around. So rather than trying to play musical chairs, suddenly everybody gets a seat. He told me that the more he believed there were enough roles for everyone, the more roles he tended to get. Greg had it. Greg had the secret.
So what is this secret to becoming an actor? The secret to landing roles? It’s abundance, plain and simple. It’s having the confidence to walk into an audition and focus, not on the lack of roles, but the abundance of roles. You’re going to hear me talk a lot about the Law of Attraction in the coming weeks and months because that is where my focus is these days. I’ve begun to study this Law, as I encourage every one to do, and try to apply it to my acting. And this is one way in which it can help you. So many actors believe that auditions are like competitions, you must beat out everybody else, but that sort of thinking causes you to focus on all of the other actors that stand in your way. So now you find yourself staring down the barrel of everything that stands between you and success, rather than focusing on the success itself.
As actors we tend to get so caught up in the study of our art that we have a hard time getting past our own techniques. When we don’t get a role that we want, we tend to wonder what we did wrong and how we can fix it. We work on our lines and our readings; our blocking and our posture and the whole time we miss that tiny little detail of how we are thinking and feeling.
Last year and landed my first lead role in a musical. I was auditioning for Harold Hill in The Music Man and I was absolutely terrified because this was a whole new animal for me. I’ve spent years doing straight theatre and film, but never a musical. To make things worse, I knew most of the people with whom I would be auditioning and I knew that I had some very serious competition. These were actors that I had worked with and respected a great deal, actors who had much more musical experience than I did. But I spent the month preceding the audition thinking about how much I wanted the role of Harold Hill. I didn’t think about how I was going to get it, I just thought about the fact that I wanted it and began to think of ways that I could improve my chances. Well, when the audition rolled around I was in excellent spirits because there was one thought that I hadn’t considered; that I could fail. It had never occurred to me that I might not get that role because I had spent a month thinking only of my desire for it. To make a long story short, I got the role and simultaneously had the most fun I’ve ever had in an audition. And how did that happen? Because, I put away my thoughts of having to fight for roles because there weren’t enough and replaced them with thoughts of an abundance of roles and how easily I could achieve the one I wanted.
I’ve seen for myself how powerful the idea of abundance can be because I put it to use in my own career. Now I encourage you to do the same. Go into your next audition thinking about that lovely little gem of a question that therapists love to ask: “What would do, if you knew you couldn’t fail?” Because that is the key; that is the secret. Belief in failure will bring failure, but you will have nothing but success if you take failure out of the equation all together. I’m sure we’ll be talking more in the coming posts about the Law of Attraction and focus in the acting world, but until then try to think of abundance at your next audition. See what happens. Until next time, Sin Boldly!
Filed Under Articles, Personal Development, Survival, Career
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Great site. I have trying to get in the industry for sometime, now I am shooting from the hip. I am tired of paying for something and getting nothing. You know what I mean?
I would like to find resources for a new movie I am working on. I am looking for backers. Could anyone provide me with some direction?
Thank you for the time.