Wasteland to Wonderland
#FIELD OF HOPE
There was once a time in your creative life when you had a dream, and a love for your craft that filled you with joy and passion. Those early footsteps took you into a world in which you anticipated to have great success. These dreams turned into a passion that ignited every fibre of your body. Hopeful that this dream will come to fruition in due course because you wanted it so much. In those early years when passion burns it's brightest, success only feels a stone’s throw away. You are one TVC audition away from your big break, one short film away from your feature debut, or one small award away from your Oscar. But after five years, when none of that has transpired, and bitterness sinks in, it gets harder to do the work required to feed your dreams and passion. It's actually something a lot of creatives simply forget about. At this point, after five years or so, a lot of dreamers give up because it's all too hard. However, a large portion of people stick it out because they won’t give up on their dreams. They refuse to fall into the trap of losing hope but don't actually do anything different, they sit back and wait their turn, falling into a trap they didn't see that's equally as bad as giving up.
#DESOLATE WASTELAND
This trap is a mindset and a thought process that develops over the years. It makes you feel that you have paid your dues and now it's only a matter of time before your number is called. The dream is still alive in your mind, and yet the reality of the dream has become a baron stretch of land, full of nothing but mirages that you cling too. Those that gave the dream away in order to live a life of consistency and less rejection didn't have the steely resolve that those of you who continue to keep fighting. And waiting. But it’s the waiting that causes a lot of problems from here on out. Time doesn't dictate when you shall achieve success, it actually has nothing to do with it aside from honing your craft and gaining skills. So why is it that most creatives start to rest on their laurels after a certain amount of time? Just because you have been here the longest doesn't mean you are the right person for the job. There are a lot of elements that are required to gain success, and if you are just sitting back doing the same thing you have done year after year, then you’ll be destined to wander the desolate wasteland that you have found yourself in.
#NEW LIFE
However, this is where you can breathe life into your wasteland. Waiting hasn't helped you get anywhere so far so it's time to throw that tactic in the bin. Instead, adjust the way you work. Ask yourself what is missing from your craft. Is it time to work smarter? Or harder? Network with people that are making great films, and actors who are working just as hard as you and maybe even achieving small amounts of success. Maybe look at YouTube or Vimeo as an option to get consistent content out there - monologues or even short scenes with you and a friend are a great option. And with the technology right there with you in your mobile phone, there’s no excuse. Get out there and film, work, study, train and be seen. If you are creating your own future there is no longer anything stopping you from achieving success. You are up and about doing the thing you love most. It might not be paying the bills just yet but that transition happens by working on all aspects of your career, not just sitting back and waiting for your agent to get you a gig. The truth is that most agents can't get you the auditions you’re dreaming of. With so many variables, it comes down to whether or not the casting director wants to audition you, and more often than not they already have in mind who they want to see. So unless you are with a top tier agent that can get you into the room, you are going to need to find another way to get into the heads of the people handing out auditions.
If you can understand that succes isn't simply going to magically happen, and that no one is going to make you successful no matter how long you wait, then you can start to create your own wonderland.