5 years ago, (on January 08, 2015 to be exact) I packed up my car, kissed my dogs and cats goodbye (don't worry, they were family pets staying with my Mom), and drove across the country to chase the acting dream. It's funny because it seems like ages and ago and just yesterday at the same time.
I'm not going to lie: the pursuit of that dream has been much harder than I was prepared for, and at times it's been damn near nonexistent. And that's on me.
My first year in LA my focus was on surviving: get a job, get your own place to live, pay your bills. My second year: took some baby steps and then got distracted. Again, that's on me. My third year: Broke my jaw and was wired shut for 8 weeks. That took it out of me. Lots of worry about scars and speech, but that's also when I started writing my screenplay. I truly think if I hadn't been forced into that quiet I may never have had that insight. Year 4 brought a lot of distrust and anger towards the industry. Not enough for me to leave. Not enough for me to say it's not worth it. But enough for me to say to myself: What do you really want? This is what I want. This is who I am. This is what I value. And I'm sticking to it. Last year I made a conscious effort to let people know who I am, what I do, and what I want to do. I actually found myself saying, "I'm an actor and screenwriter" which is still odd, but I've found that the genuine connections I've made with people the last 5 years have made them more than happy and willing to help me get where I want to go because I've told them where I want to go. Last year also brought about my transition in my Wellness Career - In January 2019 I said, "By the end of the year I will no longer be managing the desk. I will be training and coaching full time so that I can give myself the space and time to pursue what I moved across the country to pursue".
And here we are: The beginning of Year Five.
Goal of training and coaching full time: CHECK!
Ready and willing to pursue the acting dream: CHECK!
Still terrified and confused and have no idea what I'm doing: CHECK!
What's the plan? What's the goal?
Well, I'll use the same approach I did for Wellness:
Goal is a place to come from, not to get to.
Find that Domino Goal.
Big Scary Audacious Goal:
1) Be a series regular on a long running, ensemble, multi-cam Sitcom.
(For example: Friends. Big Bang Theory. Will & Grace)
2) Make my screenplay as an Independent Film
Now, like most big, scary, audacious goals: it's overwhelming. There are 800 million moving pieces and in this industry, most of them you have zero control over.
What do I have control over? What I put into it.
Practice. Work. Showing up. Being prepared. Self-Submitting. Making connections.
That's what I can control.
How can I practice and work if I'm not being cast? Get into a regular class. Practice self-taping. Finding scenes online that are my type and record them on my handy dandy phone. And practice writing. Study the art of the craft. Meet up and talk with my peers in the industry. Try to connect with those ahead of me in the industry and learn from them.
These are the things in my control.
Like I said in my Wellness Goals for 2020 post: Find the Domino Goal.
The domino goal is the ONE thing you can focus on that will make all the difference and naturally lead to the other goals being accomplished.
For me, that goal is to get into a regular class.
Why?
I will be practicing my skills every week. I will be in the game. Just like going to the gym, I have to work those muscles. By nature of doing the work I will also be practicing my self-taping and have scenes and monologues at the ready to record and submit. It also allows me to connect with my peers in the industry. Meet more people who are doing what I'm doing. Those people probably know other people. And those other people may be more into the production side of things. I'll be honest: I don't know much about the production side of independent film making. I'm a theatre kid. I can walk you through how to put a stage play up from finding your script to budget to set design and curtain up. I'm hazy on all the moving parts and positions in film word. So, those people who may know production people helps me start to knock down that 'make my screenplay an independent film' goal.
Now, is getting into a regular acting class going to get me a multi-cam sitcom by the end of the year? Probably not. Is it going to guarantee my screenplay is made into a film by the end of year? Also probably not. But that's ok, because a goal is a place to come from, not get to. My goal is the basis for my decision making. Is this decision going to get me closer to or further from where I want to go? That's where it all begins.
I am excited to begin my classes this week at Actors Comedy Studio: the world's only Sitcom Acting and Writing School. Doesn't it sound like it's a good fit when looking at the Big, Scary, Audacious goals? I'll keep ya' posted on all the progress (and yes, the challenges) as I go!
Do you have some big, scary, audacious goals you're tackling this year?
If so, let me know! There's some real power in making those goals public.