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Let me ask you a question.

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And I don't mean this as a career

question.

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I mean this as a human question.

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What happens to you when nobody is

asking you to act?

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No audition, no call back, no

rehearsal, no performance?

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Nobody needs a self tape.

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By Thursday,

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nobody has sent you sixteen pages at

eleven o'clock at night.

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And cheerfully written, should be fun.

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What happens to you?

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Because I think something very

interesting happens to actors during

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those quiet periods.

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At first, maybe it's nice.

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You have some time, you catch up on

things, you clean the apartment, you

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finally answer emails, you discover

vegetables again.

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Maybe you even think you know what.

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I needed this.

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And then a week goes by,

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maybe two,

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maybe longer.

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And something starts to change.

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You're restless,

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you're irritated.

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You're scrolling more,

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you're comparing yourself to other

actors.

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You start wondering whether your agent

has forgotten your name.

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You see somebody announce a booking

online, and suddenly you're conducting

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a complete forensic investigation into

their career.

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Interesting.

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Very interesting.

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They got that.

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And underneath all of this,

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there may be a difficult feeling.

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That's hard to identify.

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We usually call it career frustration.

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But I'm beginning to think that

sometimes we're misdiagnosing

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it because maybe you're not only

frustrated because you're not working,

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maybe you're frustrated because you're

not creating.

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Those are two very different things,

and actors

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don't always separate them.

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Let's get into this.

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This is casting actor's guest.

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Well, hello, and welcome to today's

episode of casting actor's casks.

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I'm Jeff driesbach.

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I'm a casting partner director with

mccorkal casting in New York.

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How are you?

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It's so nice to have you here today.

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I think this is a really, really

interesting episode.

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It kind of delves into the psychology

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of creativity.

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And I think you're going to find, by

the time we get toward the end, that

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there are all kinds of tangible, actual

things that you can do to help yourself

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through those periods that feel, hm,

pretty frustrating,

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because it has to do with your

creativity

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and not your lack of opportunity.

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I hope you, that makes sense, and we're

going to really kind of get into that.

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But first, please, let me say thank you

for tuning in again.

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This has been a really incredible

journey, and the podcast has been doing

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very, very well.

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I'm also very excited to share with you

that we're now on TV.

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Yeah, if you have roko or Amazon fire,

please look upcasting, actors, TV, and

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you're going to find that my channel is

now available, absolutely free.

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And so you can check me out on

television rather than having to find

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me on wherever you find me, whether

it's YouTube or whether it's on a

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podcast provider.

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But obviously, those podcasts are still

going to be there.

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I'm still going to be continuing to do

the podcast.

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But also you have an opportunity now to

actually go to the casting actor's TV

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channel that's right now on rokup and

Amazon fire.

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So if you subscribe to those, or you'd

like to subscribe to those, you'll get

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the channel.

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Very cool.

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Also, I just want to express my thanks

to my good friends and actors.

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Connection actor's connectiondot com,

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slash, New York,

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I've got a class that's coming up, and

I'm doing it on Ram com.

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And we call it the hallmark of Ram.

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only because of our casting work with

hallmark, some hallmark movies as well

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as some other Ram coms that we've cast.

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It's been really fun to have that

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one off kind of workshop where we go

over actual

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Scenes

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from homeark.

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And just because there's a very

specific kind of acting style there.

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So that should be a lot of fun, I think

as well.

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Finally, i'll check out the website.

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Would you casting actress cast to all?

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One word dot com?

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You're going to find more information

about the TV show, but you're also

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going to get some free stuff.

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There's a form there that says, dive

into the talent pool.

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And if you do that it's going to open

up a whole bunch of freebies.

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One is a book that I wrote on doing

voice over work.

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The other is a video called casting

secrets.

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What they don't tell you.

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I know.

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If that isn't tease, I don't know what

is.

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So I really look forward to having you

check out the website.

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And finally, finally, finally, if you

have been enjoying the podcast, or

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you're just joining me, and you like

what you're hearing, it would mean the

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worlds to me to get a review.

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Alike, a thumbs up.

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Please subscribe.

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It's really easy to do that.

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And it means the world's to me, because

I just am doing this for the love of it.

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This episode is very, very

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important to me because I have found my

creative outlet by doing this podcast.

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And now that the podcast has grown to

such an extent,

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it has really been even that much more

fulfilling.

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So anyway, please take it from me that

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your

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participation,

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when you listen to the podcast by

giving me some feedback, really does

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help the channel, and it means the

world.

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Ok?

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So thank you so much for that.

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Let's jump into the subject.

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Now,

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I think that creative people

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seem to have a very real

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need.

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They have a very real need to express

something

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bright.

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A writer writes,

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a painter paints, a musician, plays, a

dancer, moves and actors.

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Well,

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actors frequently

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wait for an email.

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Now that's a stranger arrangement, when

you think about it.

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The writer doesn't have to wait for

somebody to send permission to open

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Microsoft word.

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The painter doesn't receive a message

than congratulations.

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We'd like to invite you to use the blue

paint.

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A musician doesn't need a casting

director to authorize the guitar.

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But actors,

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well, they're trained almost from the

beginning to associate creatively.

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With being chosen.

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You audition, someone decides.

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You get the role, then you create.

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And if you don't get the role

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you wait?

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I think that creates one of the most

difficult psychological conditions in

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the acting profession.

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Because we've handed somebody else the

switch to our creativity,

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they get to turn us on.

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When the industry gets quiet,

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we can begin to feel quiet too.

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I've watched actors experience this

four years.

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And what's interesting is that

sometimes the actor doesn't even

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recognize what's happening.

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They'll say, I don't know, I'm just

feeling really discouraged,

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or something else I've heard.

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I'm starting to wonder whether I even

want to do this any more.

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Or the famous,

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maybe I'm just not good enough

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that's an, always, that's always a

popular one.

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Actors have a remarkable ability to

turn almost any circumstance into

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evidence that they're not good enough.

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Didn't get the call back, not good

enough.

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Then get an audition.

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H, not good enough.

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Agent didn't answer the email.

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Not good enough.

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Coffee shop spilled your name correctly,

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probably the cheek bones.

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But what if the emotional discomfort

isn't actually evidence of failure?

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Can you imagine that?

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What if you're simply

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creatively hungry?

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I love that phrase,

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creative hunger,

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because hunger isn't a character.

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Flaw

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hunger is information.

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Your system is telling you something is

missing.

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And for an actor, but maybe missing

isn't necessarily another professional accomplishment.

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It may be

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expression.

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You haven't played,

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you haven't imagined, you haven't

inhabited another person's circumstance,

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you haven't collaborated,

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you haven't told a story, you haven't

surprised yourself, you haven't made something.

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And if those experiences are important

to who you are, their absence is going

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to be felt.

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Think about what acting actually asks

you to do.

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You get to investigate human behavior.

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You get to imagine circumstances that

aren't your own.

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You get to experience emotion through

someone else's life.

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You listen,

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you respond, you play, you take risks,

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you communicate, you connect.

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That's an enormous amount of

psychological stimulation,

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and then suddenly

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nothing,

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of course, you're going to notice.

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The problem comes when you interpret

that absence as

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my career isn't working,

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because then we start trying to solve

the wrong problem.

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Here's something I want you to consider.

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There are times when you don't need

another audition,

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you need another creative experience.

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Those are necessarily the same thing.

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And if you can begin recognizing the

difference

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you may have considerably more control

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over your emotional relationship

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with this profession.

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Because auditions

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aren't always available.

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Jobs certainly aren't always available.

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But creativity,

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creativity is much more available than

actors sometimes believe.

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Now there is another piece of this,

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and I think it's an important one.

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Actors don't merely want to create.

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Actors want to be seen creating.

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Now, I know that can sound dangerously

close to.

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Well, of course, actors want attention.

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Yes,

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thank you.

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Uncle Frank.

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00:11:02,262 --> 00:11:05,432

Very sophisticated psychological

analysis right there.

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00:11:06,433 --> 00:11:08,635

But honestly, I don't think it's that

simple.

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Acting is fundamentally rational.

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We communicate to somebody,

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whether it's another actor, a director,

a camera, an audience,

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the creative act travels outward.

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So wanting somebody to witness your

work isn't automatically narcissism

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really.

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It isn't it's part of the form.

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There is an enormous difference

between, look at me,

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and I have something I want to share

with you.

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One is attention seeking, the other is

communication.

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And acting at its best

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is communication.

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You see, that's why rehearsing along

can be useful.

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00:11:53,213 --> 00:11:56,149

But it doesn't always completely

scratch the itch.

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You can work on a monologue in your

bedroom for three weeks.

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00:12:01,588 --> 00:12:02,555

Eventually,

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00:12:03,690 --> 00:12:04,958

the lamp is seen enough.

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00:12:06,993 --> 00:12:09,295

At some point you want another human

being involved.

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00:12:09,863 --> 00:12:12,198

You want the exchange, you want the

risk.

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00:12:12,332 --> 00:12:15,669

You want somebody to receive what you

are doing.

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00:12:16,569 --> 00:12:20,173

And I think actors should stop feeling

embarrassed about that.

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You choose an art form

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built around human connection

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that's what you chose.

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Of course, connection matters,

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it does.

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But here's where things get kind of

complicated, I think, because somewhere

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along the way, another idea gets

attached to all of this

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money.

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Yeah.

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Now, creativity isn't enough.

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An audience isn't enough.

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Expression isn't enough.

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00:12:51,705 --> 00:12:55,675

Somewhere inside the actor's brain,

another equation appears.

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If I'm being paid to act,

258

00:12:59,312 --> 00:13:00,480

I'm a real actor.

259

00:13:01,448 --> 00:13:01,915

And

260

00:13:02,649 --> 00:13:04,951

it's rather unpleasant companion.

261

00:13:06,186 --> 00:13:09,289

If I'm not being paid to act, what

exactly am I?

262

00:13:10,590 --> 00:13:15,995

And that question becomes much more

dangerous than any quiet period in your career,

263

00:13:16,830 --> 00:13:17,764

because now

264

00:13:18,198 --> 00:13:20,800

we're no longer talking about

employment,

265

00:13:21,301 --> 00:13:23,36

we're talking about identity.

266

00:13:23,636 --> 00:13:26,72

And that's where I really want to go

next.

267

00:13:28,41 --> 00:13:32,512

So in the second section, when

creativity, money in identity get mixed

268

00:13:32,746 --> 00:13:36,983

together, so we need to separate those

three things that actors frequently put

269

00:13:37,217 --> 00:13:39,853

into one very crowded suit case.

270

00:13:41,221 --> 00:13:42,722

Creative fulfillment,

271

00:13:43,690 --> 00:13:44,958

career fulfillment,

272

00:13:45,859 --> 00:13:47,193

financial fulfillment,

273

00:13:47,961 --> 00:13:48,795

they're related,

274

00:13:50,96 --> 00:13:51,364

but they're not the same.

275

00:13:52,432 --> 00:13:57,303

And expecting acting to provide all

three all the time is one of the

276

00:13:57,303 --> 00:13:59,372

quickest ways I know to become

miserable.

277

00:14:00,974 --> 00:14:04,678

Creative fulfillment says, I'm making

something, I'm expressing something,

278

00:14:04,811 --> 00:14:05,612

I'm growing

279

00:14:06,680 --> 00:14:06,846

career.

280

00:14:07,80 --> 00:14:09,215

Fulfillment says, I'm progressing

professionally,

281

00:14:10,417 --> 00:14:10,984

I'm getting opportunities,

282

00:14:12,18 --> 00:14:12,652

I'm building relationships,

283

00:14:13,787 --> 00:14:15,522

I'm doing meaningful work.

284

00:14:16,356 --> 00:14:18,91

Financial fulfillment says,

285

00:14:18,758 --> 00:14:19,826

I can pay my bills.

286

00:14:20,593 --> 00:14:25,131

Wouldn't it be lovely if every acting

job provided all three of those?

287

00:14:26,733 --> 00:14:27,667

Absolutely.

288

00:14:28,501 --> 00:14:32,339

And while we're making requests, I'd

also like excellent health, lower taxes

289

00:14:33,73 --> 00:14:36,476

and the metabolism I had when I was 27.

290

00:14:38,411 --> 00:14:42,48

But it doesn't always organize itself

that conveniently

291

00:14:43,149 --> 00:14:46,386

you can make money doing something

creatively unfulfilling.

292

00:14:46,986 --> 00:14:47,721

You can have an extraordinary

293

00:14:48,755 --> 00:14:51,524

creative experience that pays almost

nothing.

294

00:14:52,258 --> 00:14:57,931

You can have a prestigious acting

opportunity that makes you absolutely miserable.

295

00:14:58,898 --> 00:15:00,600

You can have a tiny role that

unexpectedly

296

00:15:01,868 --> 00:15:04,637

reminds you why you became an actor.

297

00:15:05,939 --> 00:15:07,841

Those things move independently,

298

00:15:08,575 --> 00:15:10,877

but actors often bundle them together.

299

00:15:11,945 --> 00:15:13,613

So when one isn't working,

300

00:15:14,581 --> 00:15:17,751

everything absolutely feels broken.

301

00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:23,990

I have to say, I see versions of this

in casting all the time.

302

00:15:24,758 --> 00:15:28,595

An actor comes into the room carrying

much more than their odd.

303

00:15:28,728 --> 00:15:29,596

The audition,

304

00:15:30,497 --> 00:15:31,297

yeah, they're carrying.

305

00:15:31,698 --> 00:15:33,767

I haven't worked in six months.

306

00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:35,201

That's what they're carrying.

307

00:15:36,336 --> 00:15:37,804

Or maybe it's my agent.

308

00:15:38,271 --> 00:15:40,6

Hasn't been sending me out.

309

00:15:41,374 --> 00:15:42,842

They're carrying my friend.

310

00:15:43,76 --> 00:15:44,310

Just book to series.

311

00:15:45,311 --> 00:15:45,779

They're carrying.

312

00:15:46,413 --> 00:15:48,314

I need this financially.

313

00:15:48,982 --> 00:15:49,382

They're caring.

314

00:15:49,783 --> 00:15:51,685

I need to know I still belong here.

315

00:15:52,585 --> 00:15:53,86

They're carrying.

316

00:15:53,620 --> 00:15:55,989

Please tell me I'm still an actor.

317

00:15:57,957 --> 00:15:58,892

And now this little audition

318

00:15:59,959 --> 00:16:01,127

has quite a job.

319

00:16:02,95 --> 00:16:03,997

It has to provide employment,

320

00:16:04,631 --> 00:16:05,432

income,

321

00:16:05,765 --> 00:16:06,66

validation,

322

00:16:07,233 --> 00:16:07,534

identity,

323

00:16:08,335 --> 00:16:08,968

creative expression,

324

00:16:10,36 --> 00:16:12,972

career momentum and preferably healthy

health insurance.

325

00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:14,874

Now that's a lot

326

00:16:15,75 --> 00:16:16,976

to ask from three pages of dialogue.

327

00:16:17,377 --> 00:16:18,78

Don't you think?

328

00:16:19,879 --> 00:16:20,46

No?

329

00:16:20,113 --> 00:16:22,415

Wonder the actor walks into the room

330

00:16:22,749 --> 00:16:23,983

with so much pressure.

331

00:16:25,719 --> 00:16:26,886

And here's the irony,

332

00:16:27,787 --> 00:16:31,858

the more psychological responsibility

you place on the audition, the harder

333

00:16:32,192 --> 00:16:35,195

it becomes to actually play in the

audition.

334

00:16:35,795 --> 00:16:37,397

Because play requires freedom,

335

00:16:38,431 --> 00:16:38,732

curiosity,

336

00:16:39,632 --> 00:16:39,933

experimentation,

337

00:16:41,1 --> 00:16:41,634

listening availability.

338

00:16:42,435 --> 00:16:45,905

But when you need the audition to prove

something about your worth,

339

00:16:46,506 --> 00:16:48,174

you're not playing any more.

340

00:16:49,142 --> 00:16:50,76

You're protecting,

341

00:16:50,810 --> 00:16:53,913

you're monitoring, you're trying to get

it, right?

342

00:16:54,514 --> 00:16:55,215

You're watching yourself

343

00:16:56,349 --> 00:16:57,717

and you're desperately hoping.

344

00:16:58,18 --> 00:16:59,52

We approve.

345

00:16:59,786 --> 00:17:02,555

Now that's a very different creative

state.

346

00:17:03,690 --> 00:17:04,324

So

347

00:17:05,225 --> 00:17:06,92

what happens

348

00:17:06,993 --> 00:17:10,730

if your creative life is already active

before the audition arrives?

349

00:17:12,98 --> 00:17:13,133

Something changes.

350

00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:17,904

You don't need this one appointment to

awaken the actor inside you.

351

00:17:18,338 --> 00:17:21,441

You've already been using that part of

yourself.

352

00:17:22,809 --> 00:17:24,144

You've been creating,

353

00:17:24,644 --> 00:17:25,612

exploring,

354

00:17:25,912 --> 00:17:26,713

playing.

355

00:17:27,313 --> 00:17:28,481

Maybe you've been writing,

356

00:17:29,449 --> 00:17:34,87

maybe you're making short Scenes with

friends, maybe you're taking photographs,

357

00:17:34,587 --> 00:17:35,689

maybe you're singing,

358

00:17:36,256 --> 00:17:38,391

maybe you're taking an improv class.

359

00:17:39,59 --> 00:17:43,229

Maybe you're directing, maybe you're

making ridiculous little films on your

360

00:17:43,229 --> 00:17:45,598

phone that seven people will watch.

361

00:17:46,66 --> 00:17:46,733

Fine.

362

00:17:47,534 --> 00:17:48,968

Seven people is an audience.

363

00:17:50,670 --> 00:17:52,472

And one of them may even be your mother.

364

00:17:53,306 --> 00:17:54,240

We take the win.

365

00:17:55,709 --> 00:18:00,480

The point, isn't that every creative

outlet has to advance your acting career?

366

00:18:01,214 --> 00:18:02,415

Now that's another trap.

367

00:18:03,450 --> 00:18:04,984

Actor speak can become extraordinarily

368

00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:08,154

transactional about creativity.

369

00:18:09,289 --> 00:18:10,390

Should I post this?

370

00:18:11,224 --> 00:18:13,293

Will this help my real?

371

00:18:14,27 --> 00:18:15,362

Can I monetize this?

372

00:18:16,329 --> 00:18:17,597

Will agents see it?

373

00:18:18,598 --> 00:18:20,467

Should this be on I mdb?

374

00:18:21,434 --> 00:18:22,68

Maybe.

375

00:18:23,69 --> 00:18:25,271

But could we occasionally make

something?

376

00:18:25,872 --> 00:18:26,406

Because it

377

00:18:26,906 --> 00:18:28,475

just feels good.

378

00:18:30,10 --> 00:18:30,710

Remember that

379

00:18:32,412 --> 00:18:34,714

before everything became content?

380

00:18:36,116 --> 00:18:39,185

This is where I think actors can learn

something from children

381

00:18:40,20 --> 00:18:44,324

children don't usually ask whether a

playing improves their professional positioning.

382

00:18:45,792 --> 00:18:46,893

It's just play.

383

00:18:48,28 --> 00:18:49,596

They invent circumstances.

384

00:18:49,929 --> 00:18:51,364

They become characters.

385

00:18:52,32 --> 00:18:52,899

They create worlds.

386

00:18:53,299 --> 00:18:55,802

They commit completely to ridiculous

things.

387

00:18:55,935 --> 00:18:57,537

A cardboard box is a spaceship.

388

00:18:58,271 --> 00:18:59,305

A towel is a cape.

389

00:18:59,539 --> 00:19:01,608

The dog is apparently the mayor.

390

00:19:02,8 --> 00:19:05,512

Nobody asks whether the project has

distribution.

391

00:19:07,380 --> 00:19:08,815

Somewhere along the road,

392

00:19:09,49 --> 00:19:11,184

who are becoming professional artists?

393

00:19:12,252 --> 00:19:15,488

We can lose that relationship with

creativity.

394

00:19:16,356 --> 00:19:18,224

We begin evaluating everything.

395

00:19:18,825 --> 00:19:19,459

Is it useful?

396

00:19:20,260 --> 00:19:20,827

Is it impressive?

397

00:19:21,227 --> 00:19:22,195

Will someone see it?

398

00:19:22,262 --> 00:19:23,163

Will it lead somewhere?

399

00:19:23,463 --> 00:19:24,464

Will I get paid?

400

00:19:25,432 --> 00:19:25,932

And

401

00:19:26,332 --> 00:19:28,335

those aren't unreasonable, by the way,

402

00:19:28,968 --> 00:19:32,639

those aren't weird questions that to

ask in a career.

403

00:19:33,873 --> 00:19:35,942

But there are terrible questions to

ask.

404

00:19:36,276 --> 00:19:38,411

Every creative impulse you have.

405

00:19:41,314 --> 00:19:44,284

This is where the defeatist behavior

can creep in.

406

00:19:44,751 --> 00:19:46,720

The actor thinks, why bother?

407

00:19:47,554 --> 00:19:50,90

Why work on something if nobody is

going to see it?

408

00:19:50,890 --> 00:19:54,394

Why make a scene if it isn't going to

get me representation?

409

00:19:56,29 --> 00:19:59,532

Why take a class if it doesn't lead to

a job?

410

00:20:00,900 --> 00:20:03,837

Why write something if I'm not a writer?

411

00:20:04,904 --> 00:20:08,274

Why make a short film if I don't know

how to make a short film?

412

00:20:08,508 --> 00:20:10,977

And suddenly the professional actor has

become creatively

413

00:20:12,112 --> 00:20:12,812

inactive,

414

00:20:14,180 --> 00:20:16,649

not because there aren't opportunities

to create,

415

00:20:17,50 --> 00:20:20,954

but because the actor has decided that

creativity only counts

416

00:20:21,321 --> 00:20:22,655

when the industry validates.

417

00:20:23,223 --> 00:20:23,523

It

418

00:20:23,690 --> 00:20:24,624

that's the bargain.

419

00:20:25,458 --> 00:20:27,193

That's the bargain I want you to break,

420

00:20:28,428 --> 00:20:29,596

because here's the truth.

421

00:20:30,330 --> 00:20:34,67

You don't need professional permission

to exercise your creativity.

422

00:20:34,734 --> 00:20:40,173

And exercising it may be one of the

things that keeps you psychologically healthy

423

00:20:40,573 --> 00:20:44,944

during the inevitable periods when the

business isn't cooperating.

424

00:20:45,779 --> 00:20:47,80

I don't mean that casually.

425

00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:51,351

I think creative people lead somewhere

for that energy to go.

426

00:20:53,153 --> 00:20:54,554

And when it moves inward,

427

00:20:55,155 --> 00:20:56,790

it can become rumination,

428

00:20:58,558 --> 00:20:59,359

comparison,

429

00:21:00,593 --> 00:21:03,363

self criticism, relentlessness, defeat,

430

00:21:03,697 --> 00:21:08,1

sometimes even resentments towards the

very career you supposedly love.

431

00:21:09,469 --> 00:21:11,504

So here's a practical exercise.

432

00:21:12,272 --> 00:21:14,74

I want you to make three columns.

433

00:21:14,574 --> 00:21:17,610

Not metaphorically, I want you to

actually do this at the top of the

434

00:21:17,610 --> 00:21:19,346

first column, write career

435

00:21:20,180 --> 00:21:21,614

at the top of the second,

436

00:21:21,748 --> 00:21:22,415

money

437

00:21:23,616 --> 00:21:24,951

at the top of the third.

438

00:21:25,585 --> 00:21:26,553

Creativity.

439

00:21:27,787 --> 00:21:31,825

Now ask yourself, what am I currently

doing for my career?

440

00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:35,195

Answer the question, submitting

441

00:21:35,795 --> 00:21:39,332

networking, updating materials, taking

meetings, auditioning.

442

00:21:39,866 --> 00:21:41,935

Oh, maybe listening to the podcast.

443

00:21:43,370 --> 00:21:44,337

Then you want to go too.

444

00:21:44,504 --> 00:21:45,905

What am I doing for money?

445

00:21:47,374 --> 00:21:48,908

Maybe acting provides it.

446

00:21:49,209 --> 00:21:50,343

Maybe something else does.

447

00:21:50,910 --> 00:21:52,479

Again, it's no judgment here.

448

00:21:53,380 --> 00:21:56,850

And then, what am I currently doing for

creativity?

449

00:21:57,784 --> 00:21:59,853

You see, that's the column I'm

interested in,

450

00:22:00,420 --> 00:22:03,523

because I suspect some actors will

discover that it's

451

00:22:03,823 --> 00:22:04,491

empty.

452

00:22:05,692 --> 00:22:09,763

Everything creative has been placed

under career.

453

00:22:10,730 --> 00:22:11,364

You see,

454

00:22:12,32 --> 00:22:12,966

that's a problem.

455

00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,803

Your creativity deserves a life of its

own,

456

00:22:17,871 --> 00:22:19,839

not because you're abandoning your

career.

457

00:22:20,573 --> 00:22:21,908

Exactly the opposite,

458

00:22:22,409 --> 00:22:25,278

you're creating a healthier

relationship with it.

459

00:22:25,945 --> 00:22:29,149

You're saying the industry controls

whether it hires me.

460

00:22:29,215 --> 00:22:31,685

It does not control whether I create.

461

00:22:32,252 --> 00:22:34,187

Now that's a major psychological shift.

462

00:22:34,654 --> 00:22:38,391

And once you understand that, we can

finally ask the question,

463

00:22:38,992 --> 00:22:43,463

the practical question, ok, if I'm not

waiting for somebody else to activate

464

00:22:43,863 --> 00:22:47,33

me, what exactly am I supposed to do?

465

00:22:48,268 --> 00:22:49,269

We're going to tell you,

466

00:22:49,869 --> 00:22:51,37

right after this message,

467

00:22:52,505 --> 00:22:53,907

let's make this practical,

468

00:22:54,841 --> 00:22:57,477

because I don't want you finishing this

episode thinking excellent.

469

00:22:57,877 --> 00:23:00,280

Apparently I am creatively

malnourished.

470

00:23:01,81 --> 00:23:01,481

Thank you.

471

00:23:01,548 --> 00:23:01,915

Jeff

472

00:23:03,550 --> 00:23:04,751

that's not especially helpful.

473

00:23:05,51 --> 00:23:06,186

So let's build something.

474

00:23:06,986 --> 00:23:12,158

I want you to think about, creating

what i'll call your creative ecosystem.

475

00:23:13,226 --> 00:23:14,427

Not another career plan.

476

00:23:14,994 --> 00:23:19,532

Not another five year plan, not another

spreadsheet explaining why you're behind

477

00:23:20,333 --> 00:23:22,235

a creative ecosystem,

478

00:23:22,836 --> 00:23:27,73

something that keeps the expressive

part of you alive, whether you're

479

00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:29,275

working professionally or not.

480

00:23:30,176 --> 00:23:32,946

And the first rule is very simple.

481

00:23:33,713 --> 00:23:35,348

It doesn't all have to be acting.

482

00:23:35,949 --> 00:23:38,84

This may be difficult for actors to

hear.

483

00:23:39,152 --> 00:23:43,456

You are allowed to be actively

fulfilled by something other than the

484

00:23:43,556 --> 00:23:45,759

thing printed under profession

485

00:23:46,92 --> 00:23:47,193

on your tax return.

486

00:23:49,295 --> 00:23:49,863

You can write.

487

00:23:50,196 --> 00:23:53,133

You can print, photograph, sing, dance,

cook.

488

00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:55,135

You can even design,

489

00:23:56,269 --> 00:24:00,473

build, tell stories, make videos,

direct teach,

490

00:24:01,74 --> 00:24:01,374

play music,

491

00:24:02,409 --> 00:24:03,510

make pottery.

492

00:24:03,877 --> 00:24:04,944

Start a podcast.

493

00:24:06,79 --> 00:24:06,546

Please

494

00:24:07,80 --> 00:24:08,114

don't start another podcast.

495

00:24:08,648 --> 00:24:09,749

There are enough of us

496

00:24:11,217 --> 00:24:11,384

actually.

497

00:24:11,618 --> 00:24:12,18

Go ahead.

498

00:24:12,519 --> 00:24:13,286

We'll work it out.

499

00:24:15,455 --> 00:24:19,392

The important question is, what

activity makes me makes you lose track

500

00:24:19,559 --> 00:24:20,160

of time?

501

00:24:21,127 --> 00:24:21,761

That

502

00:24:22,28 --> 00:24:24,631

often is a very, very useful clue.

503

00:24:26,433 --> 00:24:28,1

What do you do where you suddenly

504

00:24:29,235 --> 00:24:30,704

feel like an hour's disappeared?

505

00:24:31,638 --> 00:24:33,440

What activates curiosity?

506

00:24:34,441 --> 00:24:35,842

What makes you feel playful?

507

00:24:36,576 --> 00:24:37,377

What makes you think?

508

00:24:37,711 --> 00:24:38,78

Wait,

509

00:24:38,578 --> 00:24:40,13

I want to try something.

510

00:24:41,314 --> 00:24:42,82

Follow that.

511

00:24:43,216 --> 00:24:45,218

Not because it'll become another

career.

512

00:24:45,552 --> 00:24:46,252

Simply

513

00:24:47,153 --> 00:24:50,890

don't immediately turn everything you

enjoy into another career.

514

00:24:51,558 --> 00:24:55,695

Sometimes a hobby is allowed to survive

without a business plan.

515

00:24:56,29 --> 00:24:56,629

The beech.

516

00:24:58,431 --> 00:25:00,633

Second, create with other people.

517

00:25:01,401 --> 00:25:03,670

Actors are collaborative creatures.

518

00:25:04,437 --> 00:25:05,605

So if you're

519

00:25:05,939 --> 00:25:07,841

creatively stalled,

520

00:25:08,274 --> 00:25:10,410

isolation may be part of the problem.

521

00:25:11,544 --> 00:25:12,812

Find two actors.

522

00:25:13,313 --> 00:25:15,81

Pick a scene, work on it.

523

00:25:15,148 --> 00:25:15,682

Film it

524

00:25:16,983 --> 00:25:17,617

don't film it.

525

00:25:19,152 --> 00:25:22,88

Invite three people over and read a

play.

526

00:25:22,655 --> 00:25:24,491

Start a monthly sing night.

527

00:25:24,991 --> 00:25:26,893

Write five pages with somebody.

528

00:25:27,394 --> 00:25:28,962

Make a two minute film.

529

00:25:29,696 --> 00:25:30,830

Do an improv evening.

530

00:25:31,631 --> 00:25:32,966

Read something aloud.

531

00:25:33,633 --> 00:25:35,368

The point isn't the product.

532

00:25:35,935 --> 00:25:36,803

The point is

533

00:25:37,303 --> 00:25:38,872

activating the machinery.

534

00:25:40,40 --> 00:25:41,775

Next, give yourself an audience.

535

00:25:42,976 --> 00:25:45,545

Remember, audience doesn't mean 500

people.

536

00:25:46,12 --> 00:25:50,83

Audience means somebody receives what

you've created.

537

00:25:50,817 --> 00:25:51,217

Share the photograph.

538

00:25:52,519 --> 00:25:55,188

Perform the scene, post the little film,

539

00:25:56,89 --> 00:25:57,390

read the story to somebody.

540

00:25:58,24 --> 00:25:59,25

Invite friends,

541

00:25:59,559 --> 00:26:01,94

put something online.

542

00:26:01,628 --> 00:26:03,830

Let the work travel outward.

543

00:26:04,431 --> 00:26:07,67

Because creative expression often often

becomes more satisfying

544

00:26:08,101 --> 00:26:10,570

when it completes that circuit.

545

00:26:11,538 --> 00:26:11,938

You create.

546

00:26:12,572 --> 00:26:13,773

Some one receives.

547

00:26:14,441 --> 00:26:15,375

Connection, happens

548

00:26:16,743 --> 00:26:17,444

and 4th.

549

00:26:18,111 --> 00:26:19,212

And this one matters.

550

00:26:19,779 --> 00:26:21,715

Stop grading the result.

551

00:26:22,115 --> 00:26:26,19

You don't have to be good at every

creative thing you do.

552

00:26:26,353 --> 00:26:26,519

Do?

553

00:26:26,519 --> 00:26:27,354

You hear me?

554

00:26:27,787 --> 00:26:28,655

Actors have enough evaluating

555

00:26:29,689 --> 00:26:31,991

in their lives, taking place already.

556

00:26:32,592 --> 00:26:36,262

You don't need to take up water color

painting and immediately wonder whether

557

00:26:36,329 --> 00:26:37,764

you need representation

558

00:26:38,198 --> 00:26:42,402

want you to be terrible at something

it's remarkably liberating,

559

00:26:43,536 --> 00:26:45,905

hick a dance class and be in the back

560

00:26:46,740 --> 00:26:49,442

write something nobody would want to

publish.

561

00:26:50,10 --> 00:26:53,913

I want you to sing badly, draw badly,

make something stupid.

562

00:26:55,215 --> 00:26:59,886

Creativity without evaluation, can

remind you what creativity felt like

563

00:27:00,120 --> 00:27:03,690

before it became attached to your

livelihood.

564

00:27:05,458 --> 00:27:07,193

And I'd like to be clear about

something.

565

00:27:08,495 --> 00:27:12,265

None of this means you stop wanting

professional acting work.

566

00:27:12,832 --> 00:27:13,133

Right?

567

00:27:13,700 --> 00:27:15,368

Of course you want the job.

568

00:27:15,769 --> 00:27:17,771

Of course you want to be paid.

569

00:27:18,271 --> 00:27:19,472

Of course you want opportunities.

570

00:27:20,106 --> 00:27:22,575

Of course you want an audience.

571

00:27:23,777 --> 00:27:25,612

Ambition isn't the enemy.

572

00:27:26,513 --> 00:27:27,681

The problem begins

573

00:27:28,181 --> 00:27:32,686

when professional success becomes the

only doorway through which you're

574

00:27:32,819 --> 00:27:35,522

allowed to experience yourself as an

artist

575

00:27:36,489 --> 00:27:39,25

that's too much power to hand to the

business.

576

00:27:40,193 --> 00:27:44,597

I've spent enough time around actors in

casting to know that the business will

577

00:27:44,731 --> 00:27:46,399

occasionally go quiet,

578

00:27:47,300 --> 00:27:49,536

sometimes for perfectly understandable

reasons.

579

00:27:49,869 --> 00:27:53,907

And then there's sometimes for reasons

nobody will ever understand.

580

00:27:54,841 --> 00:27:57,377

There will be stretches when you

audition consistently.

581

00:27:58,178 --> 00:28:00,146

There will be stretches when you don't.

582

00:28:00,914 --> 00:28:04,484

There will be rolls you think you're

perfect for that disappear.

583

00:28:05,218 --> 00:28:07,687

There'll be jobs that you almost get.

584

00:28:08,588 --> 00:28:10,390

There will be jobs you get

585

00:28:11,57 --> 00:28:12,158

and wish you hadn't.

586

00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:14,394

There will be

587

00:28:14,594 --> 00:28:19,299

Tuesday afternoons when your inbox

contains absolutely nothing, except for

588

00:28:19,399 --> 00:28:21,234

an offer for twenty per cent off.

589

00:28:21,301 --> 00:28:22,402

Patio furniture

590

00:28:24,337 --> 00:28:25,438

that's the career.

591

00:28:26,673 --> 00:28:30,243

But your creative life doesn't have to

follow the same schedule.

592

00:28:31,211 --> 00:28:35,215

And here's where I think this connects

to something much, much larger.

593

00:28:36,416 --> 00:28:41,788

If you build a life in which creativity

is already happening, you may walk into

594

00:28:41,955 --> 00:28:42,889

auditions differently.

595

00:28:44,24 --> 00:28:48,962

You're not arriving, starving, you're

not asking the room, please feed me.

596

00:28:49,696 --> 00:28:51,197

You're bringing something,

597

00:28:51,531 --> 00:28:53,266

you're bringing curiosity,

598

00:28:54,434 --> 00:28:56,2

you're bringing play,

599

00:28:56,336 --> 00:28:58,38

you're bringing an active imagination.

600

00:28:59,305 --> 00:29:03,877

You are bringing a creative life that

existed before you walked through the

601

00:29:03,877 --> 00:29:05,78

door and will continue

602

00:29:06,112 --> 00:29:07,347

after you leave.

603

00:29:08,515 --> 00:29:10,250

That changes the energy

604

00:29:11,951 --> 00:29:13,219

from the casting side of the table.

605

00:29:13,386 --> 00:29:17,457

We can feel when somebody is trying

desperately to make an audition work.

606

00:29:17,957 --> 00:29:22,95

And we can also feel when an actor is

genuinely engaged in discovery.

607

00:29:23,697 --> 00:29:24,798

One feels like,

608

00:29:25,65 --> 00:29:26,366

please approve of this.

609

00:29:26,833 --> 00:29:29,769

The other feels like, here's what I

found.

610

00:29:30,670 --> 00:29:35,208

I'll take the second actor all day

long, because that's collaboration.

611

00:29:35,875 --> 00:29:38,712

That's an artist arriving with

something to contribute.

612

00:29:40,13 --> 00:29:43,316

And maybe this is ultimately the

psychological shift.

613

00:29:43,550 --> 00:29:44,651

Instead of asking,

614

00:29:45,51 --> 00:29:46,86

am I working

615

00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:48,321

occasionally ask,

616

00:29:48,822 --> 00:29:49,923

am I creating?

617

00:29:50,990 --> 00:29:52,492

They're different questions.

618

00:29:53,860 --> 00:29:55,829

You may not be working right now,

619

00:29:56,429 --> 00:29:58,565

but you can still be creating.

620

00:29:59,466 --> 00:30:03,636

You may not be earning money from

acting right now, but you can still be

621

00:30:03,770 --> 00:30:04,471

an artist.

622

00:30:05,238 --> 00:30:09,642

You may not have an audience of

thousands, but you can find someone

623

00:30:09,943 --> 00:30:12,479

with whom to share what you've made.

624

00:30:13,713 --> 00:30:17,584

And you may discover that the part of

you that you thought was discouraged

625

00:30:18,351 --> 00:30:19,686

was actually hungry.

626

00:30:21,855 --> 00:30:23,690

So here's your challenge this week?

627

00:30:24,591 --> 00:30:28,628

Do one creative thing that has nothing

to do with getting hired.

628

00:30:29,929 --> 00:30:30,864

That's important.

629

00:30:31,931 --> 00:30:36,736

No career objective, no networking

strategy, no imdb credit, no agent

630

00:30:36,970 --> 00:30:41,74

bait, no secret fantasy that Stephen

Spielberg somehow discovers your

631

00:30:41,141 --> 00:30:42,876

experimental pottery account.

632

00:30:44,277 --> 00:30:45,111

Just create

633

00:30:46,12 --> 00:30:47,47

something small,

634

00:30:48,14 --> 00:30:50,250

something playful, something

unnecessary.

635

00:30:50,984 --> 00:30:52,786

And notice what happens to you.

636

00:30:53,553 --> 00:30:54,888

Notice your energy,

637

00:30:55,155 --> 00:30:55,955

notice your mood.

638

00:30:56,256 --> 00:30:58,425

Notice whether you become curious

again.

639

00:30:58,892 --> 00:31:02,95

Notice whether you feel more like

yourself.

640

00:31:02,729 --> 00:31:07,834

Because maybe the answer to career

frustration isn't always another career strategy.

641

00:31:08,902 --> 00:31:11,504

Sometimes the artist simply needs to go

somewhere.

642

00:31:13,540 --> 00:31:15,542

And that brings me to this week's

reset.

643

00:31:16,109 --> 00:31:20,146

If you're an actor, the industry will

inevitably control certain things.

644

00:31:20,814 --> 00:31:25,485

It can control whether you get the

audition it can control whether you get

645

00:31:25,552 --> 00:31:26,186

the call back.

646

00:31:26,353 --> 00:31:29,55

It can control whether you get the

role.

647

00:31:29,289 --> 00:31:32,625

It can control whether there's a

paycheck waiting for you.

648

00:31:33,793 --> 00:31:38,64

But there's one thing I don't think you

should ever hand over.

649

00:31:39,299 --> 00:31:44,304

The industry does not get to decide

when you are allowed to be creative

650

00:31:45,772 --> 00:31:46,573

that's yours.

651

00:31:47,707 --> 00:31:48,808

So when things get quiet

652

00:31:50,110 --> 00:31:51,611

and they will don't immediately

653

00:31:52,746 --> 00:31:54,547

assume something is wrong,

654

00:31:55,782 --> 00:31:59,986

ask yourself a different question, am I

creatively hungry?

655

00:32:00,820 --> 00:32:02,88

And if the answer is yes,

656

00:32:03,456 --> 00:32:05,125

feed that part of yourself.

657

00:32:06,92 --> 00:32:07,794

Make something, play something, right?

658

00:32:07,861 --> 00:32:10,497

Something, sings something, film

something, share something.

659

00:32:10,730 --> 00:32:11,664

Find something

660

00:32:12,98 --> 00:32:14,401

and create something together.

661

00:32:15,368 --> 00:32:18,204

Because you don't have to wait for

somebody to hire you before you're

662

00:32:18,338 --> 00:32:19,673

allowed to be an artist.

663

00:32:20,674 --> 00:32:23,510

Your career may occasionally go cry it.

664

00:32:24,277 --> 00:32:25,445

Your creativity

665

00:32:26,513 --> 00:32:27,347

doesn't have to.

666

00:32:30,183 --> 00:32:31,351

I'm just rise back.

667

00:32:31,851 --> 00:32:33,787

And this is casting actor's cast.

668

00:32:34,20 --> 00:32:34,888

I'll see you next time