It’s hard to be a working actor when you feel stuck. Never has a statement been truer. Here’s the thing – You don’t know what you don’t know.
But if you don’t know what you don’t know, how do you figure out what you need to know?!
I was faced with this very question a few years back in my career. My acting career was going… fine. I was getting in some big rooms, had solid callbacks and was put on hold for a new Netflix series. The only issue was in the end, I didn’t book any of it. Ugh.
Here I was, the business & branding coach for actors, and I couldn’t call myself a working actor. Ouch.
Book More Work by Looking Outward
So, once I decided to stop spiraling and spinning wheels trying to sole it internally, I decided to turn my gaze outward.
I watched more TV to see who looked like me that was cast, who were the working actors. It was eye opening. And then it hit me, the trends have shifted. A few years back, redheads were everywhere in commercials and were the interesting choice to cast in a small role on TV. Now, not so much. The redheads were the leading roles. Just look at Hollywood’s leading ladies and see the red locks a-flowing. I had to be honest with myself, that I am not yet competing at that level.
Once I made that realization, I emailed my manager and asked what she thought about my being a brunette. Ironically, the whole office had been thinking the same thing and were elated I brought it up. I reached out to my commercial agent and asked her opinion. She said that brunettes go out on commercial auditions 50% more than redheads nowadays. Sold. Brunette here I come! And so, I did.
Doing the Same Things Won’t Make You A Working Actor
I knew I was a good actor, with a solid acting technique and I auditioned well. But something was missing. Ever do things because that’s just how you’ve always done them? Yeah, I was totally living that.
I felt in my core that a big shake up was coming. So….what else didn’t I know that I didn’t know? I kept asking myself that question and being more curious about the possibilities.
And then it hit me. Get in an intense acting class, shake up my technique and put it back together. Why not?! So I did. It exactly what I needed to rekindle my passion, take back my creativity and find my artistic freedom. (Thank you, Crista Flanagan!)
I could’ve changed nothing. I could’ve complained about the industry. Complained about the casting directors. Complained my agents weren’t getting me in enough. Blamed the outside world because I knew what I was doing, I’d been doing it forever.
Side note – A research study from Stanford University found that a half hour of complaining every day physically damages a person’s brain. Yikes! So, complain or find out what you don’t know. I encourage you to always do the latter.
So.. how do you do figure out what don’t you know? Here are my five steps. 🙂
5 Steps to Uncover What You Don’t Know:
1. Make a list of areas where you aren’t getting the results you desire
2. Look outward and be observant – notice what’s happening in your industry
3. Look inward and be observant – notice what excuses keep you in stasis
4. Research people who you admire and find out what they’re doing
5. Seek out the advice and knowledge of the people you trust when you’re ready to shift
Remember, you’re not alone. We all don’t know what we don’t know! You just get to have enough courage to figure it out. If you’re committed to taking massive action towards being a working actor, it is a must.
Life is a journey of constantly growing, learning and shifting. If you think you’ve got it all figured out, that’s a sign you get to dig deep and examine what you don’t know.
I’m still waiting on some hard data results of the two new discoveries I unearthed. We’re about to release my new brunette pics this week. I’ll say this, my first audition after my new acting class, I had a callback straight to producers where the casting director gushed over how she liked my new hair color. I’ll take that as a sign.
Need support in uncovering what you don’t know? Watch my on-demand masterclass about 5 Proven Steps to Book more Work HERE.
