Yesterday during a strategy session during which I was moderating a discussion on long-term industry views, such as what happens in various sectors of the industry at different times of the year, an exasperated young actress asked an excellent question:
“What should you do to keep yourself from going insane?”
It might sound a little silly, but anyone who has spent any significant amount of time in a major acting market knows only too well how valid this question is. Acting is ludicrously competitive– you already know this. But have you ever stopped to wonder what happens when you fill your life to the brim with activities that are directly related to the industry and your career?
I’ve heard about conservatory or conservatory-style acting programs that are so hard-core that, by all reports, when students finish the program they are so burned out the last thing they want to do is act. Doesn’t sound like much fun, eh? The same exact thing can happen to a person who enters an acting market and makes their alpha and omega the pursuit of acting work. At some point the grind just wears you out.
You need to give yourself permission to have a life. I’ll give you a personal example. Save for four days between Christmas and New Year’s, I haven’t had anything resembling a vacation in the last 18 months. Given that I work six days a week, sometimes 12 hours a day or more, that’s a pretty hectic schedule. Now I love what I do, but to paraphrase George Burns, I have to take the cigar out of my mouth once in a while.
Late this spring I am taking a trip with my family to Italy. We’ve been talking about it for years and now we’re finally going to do it. I can’t tell you how many auditions I have had to pass up to accommodate this trip, but I’m determined to go– it will be a fabulous experience, and it is truly once-in-a-lifetime. My agents, mercifully, are both sympathetic and supportive.
The industry will be waiting for me when I come back. There will ALWAYS be more opportunities. I’ll miss out on a few, sure, but when I return I will be energized and invigorated. The trip will make for excellent conversations in interviews when people want to discuss something other than acting (see Kerry’s post below). It will also provide fuel for my art– something unique that I can bring to my work.