fuFirst, I want to preface this by saying that I’m not a medical professional. When I say ‘anxiety’ I’m not talking about a chronic condition, I’m talking about the emotion and experience that no human being is immune to. In this particular context anxiety means the fear of the unknown. The feeling can be debilitating, and if left unchecked it could bring your career to a screeching halt. Continue reading to learn about the three key tools that actors can use to combat that anxiety and let their careers thrive.
Knowledge
If anxiety is the fear of the unknown, the most logical way to tackle it is to learn more. Any time we feel uncertain or uneasy about something it’s because we don’t know enough about it, and the black hole that’s void of details and information is where anxiety comes from. That’s not to say you should go ransack the library for as many books about acting tips as you can fit in your car, or obtain a degree in filmmaking. Accumulating knowledge simply for the sake of doing so is only going to add to your burden and give you more things to stress over. The pursuit of knowledge should have some rhyme and reason to it, otherwise your brain is going to get overwhelmed.
Guidance
All that knowledge is completely useless if it’s not applied to the real world. Being able to apply what you’ve learned works best when it’s done with a mentor figure in tow. It doesn’t have to be a ‘traditional’ mentor like an academic or a certified life coach, just someone who knows enough about what you’re working on. Someone qualified to say ‘Good job’ or ‘Close but you’re not quite there, tweak this part and try again’. For actors that’s often going to be someone else in the industry who has more knowledge and experience than them. Who better to guide you in the right direction than someone who’s been in the same place that you are now?
Network
The foundation of a strong and reliable network isn’t rooted in how many A-listers you know. Your network is your circle of friends, the people you communicate with regularly, and those mentors I mentioned previously. It’s the community you build with the people that you choose to surround yourself with. Communities should be uplifting and supportive, which can be pretty tricky in a dog eat dog industry. Jealousy is another normal human emotion, but some people in the entertainment business get so caught up in it that they refuse to make those meaningful connections with others. ‘If I help someone else succeed, I’m hurting my own chances of succeeding’.
I’ll let you in on a little secret- refusing to connect with others is going to hurt your chances of success far more than building a network possibly could. Humans are inherently communal beings who are wired to rely on the contributions of others to some degree or another. These aren’t barriers to financial and creative independence that all actors crave, they’re stepping stones towards it. Your network is a self-sustaining vehicle for more information that’s going to continually bring you one step closer to achieving your dream life.
The Trifecta
Lack of information, resources, and community are some of the biggest challenges that actors face as they try to break into the industry. Some come to Hollywood without a strategy in place, while others build their strategy on assumptions or misinformation. Then there are the actors who don’t even know just how little they know about the business of acting. Some actors feel so insecure about their newcomer status that they’re afraid to connect with others in the business. Others are desperate to gain some momentum and try to shake as many hands as possible. Knowledge, guidance, and network are more than just tools that actors can use to overcome their anxiety, they’re key ingredients for success in the entertainment industry.
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