The Oscars have come and gone. The red carpet is rolled up and put away until next year. And all the dresses and jewels have been returned to their respective owners (right, Lindsay Lohan?).
Watching the Oscars always makes me take a look at my career. What can I be doing differently? How can I hold myself accountable for what I need to be doing? How I can create more opportunities for myself?
So to tie into one of my first posts this year, here's the lowdown on my progress:
1) I've been auditioning way more this year. From theatre to film, I'm getting out there for a lot of really cool roles. And none of them are ditzy cheerleaders. Thanks to my agent on this front for putting up with my constant emailing about interesting parts I find. You rock my world, my friend!
2) I'm working out waaaay more. Thanks to my wonderful fiance for reminding me to kick my own ass. Not only does this help with the winter blahs, it's lining me up for at least being considered for some great roles. Oh yeah and to look smoking in the wedding gown;
3) I still have my mountain of debt but I'm being very conscious of how I spend my money and what I'm putting towards that mountain. It's gonna take me years but progress is being made;
4) I'm in talks with some producer/director friends regarding a feature. More to come on that front but it sounds really cool.
5) Regarding creating more opportunities for myself, obviously I've been searching out more auditions and working more with those in my network (Hi guys!). But on top of that, I finally put together an actor's basic tool and made my demo reel. To be honest, I had enough material for this awhile ago but for some reason just didn't do it. It took someone else doing theirs (thanks Mel) for me to just sit down and do it. Maybe I was afraid but it's out there now and I feel much better;
6) I'm taking inspiration from my peers and celebrating their successes. Yes, there are days it's hard when you hear that someone else is getting a great role you'd kill for. But I've decided to see someone else's success as a sign that our industry is actually still kicking. Check out some friends' projects here: Clutch, TLA Pro, Nocturnal Emissions, Bay Street Visions;
7) I've re-focused on acting and it's made all the difference.
So how have I been holding myself accountable? Someone I know does a point system everyday to show what he has accomplished. I'm not sure if it's a game with a winner at the end but it sure helps him stay on track. I've decided to use a chart. Kinda like the chore chart you used to have when you were a kid. I've set out things that I need to do each week and when I do them, I get a star. OK, an "X" but you get it. And I've got my chart posted proudly on my desktop so when I turn on my laptop, I see it there, glaring disapprovingly if I'm not working on something productive.
While I may get frustrated at things being slower than I want, at least I can take comfort in knowing that I'm doing something. Every journey and blah blah blah.
How do you hold yourself accountable?
Happy creating!
Tags: acting, demo reel, feature film, priorities, lindsay lohan, nocturnal emissions, tla productions, bay street visions, clutch webseries, tonya dodds, producing, auditions, film
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