Acting FAQ - Doing the Part
Acting Career FAQ - The Doing Part
Are You Inspired?
by
Bob Fraser
In our little part of the business world, we hear the word inspiration a lot. "His performance was inspired."
"Her voice inspired a generation."
My humble opinion (LOL) is that there are many mistaken notions about the entire concept of inspiration and what it means to those of us who ply our trade on 'the boards.'
For instance, there are those actors who don't believe in inspiration at all ... who think that everything we do is a function of methodology, rules and rehearsed behaviors.
Not to put too fine a point on it .. they are just wrong.
Some of us believe that inspiration will come out of the blue, like a bolt of lightning, a falling apple, or a winning lottery ticket. They are also mistaken.
Most at risk are those folks who believe that inspiration is a gift from God. They are probably right ... but many use their belief as an excuse to skip over the important part.
No matter who gives us the gift of inspiration, it is important to recognize that it IS a gift. And, as with all gifts, inspiration must be unwrapped, opened and used ..
to have a real impact on our actual results.
Like a set of golf clubs, a food processor or an exercise bike, your inspiration won't help you at all ... if it's left in the closet and never used.
Here’s where many of us come a cropper: We are often inspired to write the great American screenplay, but somehow never manage to sit down and start typing. Oh, we can tell you about our great idea until the cows come home ... but pages are not forthcoming.
Those of us who act, too, are subject to this slothful phenomenon. One week we are a flurry of crazed activity, doing all we can to pursue our dream of performing success.
But the next week we vegetate in front of the idiot box (pick your poison ... TV, X-Box, or computer), or we waste time at parties filled with other actors like ourselves ...
'networking.'
We will exchange a lot of balloon juice at these conclaves, but the blather we hear (and say) rarely helps our forward career progress one iota.
There is just no question that we all get inspired, it’s true. Almost constantly, in fact. But we, invariably, forget the dictum of Thomas Edison (who was probably not the first to say it):
'Success is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration.'
The truth is that too many of us have a half-right, totally wrong or grotesquely twisted vision of inspiration .. which is why we often expect it to do more than it’s required (and very limited) 5% of the job at hand.
Worse, because of our less than perfect understanding of this phenomenon called inspiration ... we generally don’t even bother to find out how to use it.
Believe me, inspiration must be USED ... to have any value at all.
So, how should you use your inspiration?
It’s my deeply held conviction that you must use it to encourage yourself .. to convince yourself .. to exhort yourself .. to compel yourself .. to shame yourself, if necessary .. into DOING the other 95%.
It’s in the DOING where inspiration shines. DOING always results in something real, something concrete, something special, something useful ... something worthwhile.
Even failing at what you DO, has great lessons to impart.
If you don't believe in inspiration at all, or you totally depend on it for forward motion, or you think that it is the 'be all and end all' ... then take my word for it, inspiration is as useless to you as a Christmas fruitcake from my Aunt Imelda.
My advice? Get inspired – but then get sweaty, too.
DO IT!
It's the only way to enjoy your precious gift.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Bob Fraser is an actor, writer, director, show runner and author of You Must Act!, Headshot Secrets Revealed, The Hello Pages, Acting Career FAQ and Profiles In Stardom.
You can read his articles in the Now Casting's Actors Ink, ActingMagazine, ActingLand, ActorsLife, and others.
MEET BOB IN JANUARY
If you'd like to meet Bob and get an education in how to improve your career, check out his Show Biz U events at:
http://www.ShowBizU.com
Bob has 5 "in person" events scheduled in January - but seating is strictly limited ... so visit the site today.
Are You Inspired?
by
Bob Fraser
In our little part of the business world, we hear the word inspiration a lot. "His performance was inspired."
"Her voice inspired a generation."
My humble opinion (LOL) is that there are many mistaken notions about the entire concept of inspiration and what it means to those of us who ply our trade on 'the boards.'
For instance, there are those actors who don't believe in inspiration at all ... who think that everything we do is a function of methodology, rules and rehearsed behaviors.
Not to put too fine a point on it .. they are just wrong.
Some of us believe that inspiration will come out of the blue, like a bolt of lightning, a falling apple, or a winning lottery ticket. They are also mistaken.
Most at risk are those folks who believe that inspiration is a gift from God. They are probably right ... but many use their belief as an excuse to skip over the important part.
No matter who gives us the gift of inspiration, it is important to recognize that it IS a gift. And, as with all gifts, inspiration must be unwrapped, opened and used ..
to have a real impact on our actual results.
Like a set of golf clubs, a food processor or an exercise bike, your inspiration won't help you at all ... if it's left in the closet and never used.
Here’s where many of us come a cropper: We are often inspired to write the great American screenplay, but somehow never manage to sit down and start typing. Oh, we can tell you about our great idea until the cows come home ... but pages are not forthcoming.
Those of us who act, too, are subject to this slothful phenomenon. One week we are a flurry of crazed activity, doing all we can to pursue our dream of performing success.
But the next week we vegetate in front of the idiot box (pick your poison ... TV, X-Box, or computer), or we waste time at parties filled with other actors like ourselves ...
'networking.'
We will exchange a lot of balloon juice at these conclaves, but the blather we hear (and say) rarely helps our forward career progress one iota.
There is just no question that we all get inspired, it’s true. Almost constantly, in fact. But we, invariably, forget the dictum of Thomas Edison (who was probably not the first to say it):
'Success is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration.'
The truth is that too many of us have a half-right, totally wrong or grotesquely twisted vision of inspiration .. which is why we often expect it to do more than it’s required (and very limited) 5% of the job at hand.
Worse, because of our less than perfect understanding of this phenomenon called inspiration ... we generally don’t even bother to find out how to use it.
Believe me, inspiration must be USED ... to have any value at all.
So, how should you use your inspiration?
It’s my deeply held conviction that you must use it to encourage yourself .. to convince yourself .. to exhort yourself .. to compel yourself .. to shame yourself, if necessary .. into DOING the other 95%.
It’s in the DOING where inspiration shines. DOING always results in something real, something concrete, something special, something useful ... something worthwhile.
Even failing at what you DO, has great lessons to impart.
If you don't believe in inspiration at all, or you totally depend on it for forward motion, or you think that it is the 'be all and end all' ... then take my word for it, inspiration is as useless to you as a Christmas fruitcake from my Aunt Imelda.
My advice? Get inspired – but then get sweaty, too.
DO IT!
It's the only way to enjoy your precious gift.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Bob Fraser is an actor, writer, director, show runner and author of You Must Act!, Headshot Secrets Revealed, The Hello Pages, Acting Career FAQ and Profiles In Stardom.
You can read his articles in the Now Casting's Actors Ink, ActingMagazine, ActingLand, ActorsLife, and others.
MEET BOB IN JANUARY
If you'd like to meet Bob and get an education in how to improve your career, check out his Show Biz U events at:
http://www.ShowBizU.com
Bob has 5 "in person" events scheduled in January - but seating is strictly limited ... so visit the site today.
posted by Dominique Jackson @ 5:34 PM
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