It’s All Made Up!

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about limiting beliefs. I have too. I got it. Casually. I understood it logically, but I didn’t really “get it get it” until recently. 

I had a bit of an epiphany, likely stoked by my working through The Artist’s Way – and this week’s quote from Joseph Gordon Levitt couldn’t be more on point. 

You guys, it’s ALL. MADE. UP. 

The industry structures that are around us – someone made them up! 

OK, OK I’ll explain what I mean –

So many of the limitations we put on ourselves are in our heads. They’re not real. And so many of the limitations the industry has put on us are just dumb structures some guys made up back in the day. They were at some point, made up. 

For example,

There is no such thing as a “co-star actor”. There are actors and there are non-actors and there are people who wish they were actors, but every single person on the screen or in a play is an actor. 

What if we took away the labels? Can you just think about it for a minute? What if we just called everyone an actor whether you were “background”, a “series regular”, “dayplayer”, or whatever.

Now I fully get that having these labels has helped us to get paid more and to negotiate more money for ourselves. #important
But did you know that casting can release a role in one market as a Guest Star and list it in another market (typically the local hire market) as a Co-star? 

THE SAME ROLE. And if you’re in the local market and you book that role and you’re beating yourself up cause you aren’t a “guest star” actor yet – it’s made up!!! 

Acting is acting is acting. 

Did you know that a good agent or manager can negotiate you different billing? They can negotiate you from a co-star to a guest star – they make it up! 

I once negotiated for MYSELF a name on a TV show. I didn’t want to just be called “Doctor” so guess what? They made one up! Paging Dr. Andrews! 

Now of course the money in your bank account is not made up.  That’s real and you gotta have enough of it to live and you gotta have credibility to back up some things you ask for, but sometimes, if you simply ask, someone will just make it up! They will give you a name or find you the money or give you different billing. 

And truly, if you’ve been on TV in any capacity or performed to a crowd you are holding in the palm of your hand – how many people in the world can say that? It’s really freaking cool and a big deal and here we are all judging ourselves constantly for not being the lead on the TV show or on Broadway or whatever!

Did you know only 3% of actors in SAG-AFTRA make a living from acting each year?!

I know. Tough pill to swallow. 3% is the hard reality of it all. 

So, are you only going to be happy when you’re the 3%??? That’s like saying “I’m only going to be happy when I’m a multi-millionaire”.

I challenge you to celebrate if you are EVER PAID TO ACT. That is a W-I-N cause guess how many people are sitting behind desks wishing they could say that?

And guess how many people will never even try? 

But don’t let these societal constructs of needing validation by booking that X Y or Z make you crazy. 

The only reason why we have these delineations is cause we had to unionize and fight to get paid reasonable wages cause otherwise alllllll the producers would be taking crazy advantage of us cause you know all us actors would just work for free cause we love what we do. 

And hell, why not work for free for ourselves more?! Create more work for the sake of creating and for our artist selves. Why wait around for someone to tell us we are professionals? To tell us we are worthy? 

Claim it. Do it. Make it. 

For yourself. 

We have so many skills as actors. Public speaking, connecting, our empathy… Harness your skills to make money in other industries. Make it up! Make up that you charge 20k for a speech and eventually if you’re good at what you do, someone will pay you that. Just make it up. 

I am not saying LIE – don’t come @ me. That’s NOT what I am saying here at all. I’m just saying don’t get caught up in the BS. And if you’re feeling nervous, fake it til you make it cause when you fake it, you are doing it. And if you are doing it, enjoy it. You don’t have to save your joy for later.

And sometimes, just make it up. It’s all made up anyhow. 

As always, let me know what you think. I’m mentally preparing for a lot of “Yeah, BUT” responses from you. Lol. I’m sure there are some holes in my argument (I’m only human), but there are no holes in claiming what you want for you, in being an actor for you *however that looks*, in manifesting what you want and celebrating where you are and how far you’ve come. 

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