Lose Yourself in the Moment, not LA

Before legally moving out and living on your own, I would hope that you have about eighteen years filled with teachings from your parents or other inspirational figures, various means of motivation, accomplishments you are proud of and an idea of what makes you unique.  In fact, many of you will have probably spent most of those eighteen years being teased and taunted about that unique feature.  Anyway, all of these things make up who you are and have become.  These are the building blocks of a person.  In this industry, they can be defined as the essence of the actor.

I was reading an article from The Acting Room that really gave me an ‘aha’ moment.  It was about how to deal with the reality of LA.  No, it’s not the glamorous city we see on The Hills nor is it the exciting place we watch on Gossip Girl.  This is especially true when you are broke without a job.  This is when LA becomes your worst nightmare—the complete opposite of TV.

Of course, this isn’t to scare aspiring actors wanting to move to LA.  It’s merely a reality check.  The article by Kirsten Tretbar advises that anyone planning to move to this city take some time to seriously and deeply reflect on themselves.  Think about everything that you’ve been taught, all of your morals, beliefs and values.  Keep hold of what makes you happy and enjoy life.  Most importantly, remember and never forget the reason why you get out of bed every day—and I know you have one if you’re reading this right now.

In LA, you are bound to be faced with rejections.  However, with this mindset, all the cruelty and coldness becomes easier to bear because you can retreat home after a hard day’s work and still find the beauty in life.  Auditions shouldn’t be solely about getting that gig.  Of course, it should be your number one priority or you won’t survive financially in LA.  Nonetheless, auditions hold a lot of possibilities to meet new people and learn something news, so don’t forget to take a bit of time to just take it all in.

Lastly, Kirsten’s bit of advice about translating your old self into your LA self is inspiring.  You don’t have to totally reinvent yourself because you want to be an actor.  In fact, bringing to the table some old quirkiness and bizarre or beloved skills and talents may be your ticket in.  Films may need a dancer, commercials may need a funny laugh and plays may need a pianist.  Being an actor, you still have the whole world in the palm of your hands.  It doesn’t mean that you can’t be everything else you want to—unless what you want to be is illegal, then I would definitely not suggest it.

Ultimately, stay professional, but also, stay yourself.

*Click here for the article I read.