Do I really want to be an actor or artist?

Post Reply New Topic

Years ago, I was thinking about things and suddenly got a feeling like a "celebrity bug". This inspired me to say to myself that I wanted to be an actor in Hollywood. I know this sounds stupid. I was obsessed, not creepy, with Hollywood couples and romance. I still sort of am. I just felt the allure of being in a relationship with somebody hot and famous.

There's more. As time went on, I convinced myself that I had what it takes, and reading and researching acting has been a brief special interest of mine. Even today, I still sometimes read that book "Acting Is Everything" I got on my 18th birthday. I even feel like actually trying to get into theater now. I know this sounds like a joke and it might be, but is it appropriate to want to pursue the practice of things even if you are not into it on the surface?

Oh yes, I know being a celebrity is a very long shot, and anyone can PM me if they are interested in my post. I'm trying to explain not to make it sound too unrealistic. I am sometimes convinced that I'm being realistic.

What's happening?

You can certainly keep those activities as hobbies, but don't make them a goal. If you make them a goal and say "I'm going to be an actor!", then more than likely you'll wind up working in a minimum wage job struggling to support yourself and wondering what happened. However, if you keep acting as a side-hobby, maybe by acting in some community theater productions on the weekends, while pursuing a more lucrative career, then you get the best of both worlds. You're able to live relatively comfortably, and you also still get to engage in something that you enjoy doing on the side. If, through your acting, a talent scout happens to pick you up, then all the better for you.

If you want to be an actor or an artist, do so because you truly enjoy it. Don't do it because you want to be a celebrity.

I'm just a little tired of being introverted and I want to be interested in more extroverted activities.

There's ways of doing that outside of the theater. Not that I'm against that, I have four cousins who did community theater, then two moved on to other performances while the other two have not (one performs in a symphony, another is making his own film, which he got funded on kickstarter).

For me, I started speaking at work related conferences. I have problems initiating conversations with people, but, after seeing me speak, people would approach me with comments or questions. It's a great way to socialize.
Obviously, I got my weird job through a friend from church, no way I would've found that one on my own.

Of course, my husband still gives me a hard time about being introverted... he says it's not truely being social if I'm only doing it 10 days a year. ~shrugs~ I prefer to come home and enjoy the quiet with my family most days. I'm content with that now that I know for sure I can be social if I put myself in just the right situation. Kinda made peace with it, you might say.

It's never good to force Daria to be social; she'll give you that flaming Disdainful, Dismissive Look!

And, believe me, I have that look down pat.

I've done a little acting. I have absolutely no desire to be famous, I'm very introverted and I wouldn't know how to respond to people recognizing me on the street and trying to talk to me.

I started doing auditions simply because it scared me. I refuse to be ruled by fear so I find ways to confront fear. I still think there are few things more nerve wracking than an audition. Confronting fear builds confidence.

The money for a union speaking role is pretty good, but there aren't many of those jobs going around and there are a lot of people competing for them. Most of the "active" actors I know land about three days of that kind of work a year, and then work as a stand in, reader, or photo double as much as they can. Most still have other jobs.

Of course those few who land a principal character role that keeps them busy for most of the year make plenty of money, but I'm sure you've realized they're a minority.

I wouldn't do it because you want to be famous. If you actually like the work, go for it. It's hard work, high stress, long hours, and a lot of preparation on your own time, but it's rewarding.

You could try a few acting classes, but be very careful how much you spend on classes and head shots and such. The person teaching the class should either be an active casting director, or an actor with a good list of credits on IMDB. Such classes are hard to find, but they do exist. If acting lessons are being sold with the promise of fame and fortune, walk away. I know plenty of people who have spend $15 000 on acting classes with nothing to show for it.

Never use an agent that requires you to spend a pile of money. An honest agent does not get paid unless you get paid, and bad agent will not only rip you off, but it's common for casting director to refuse to see people from an agent they know to be a crook.

When you do get the audition, do as much preparation as you can. Ask for as much of the script as they'll give you. Read it, understand the context. Memorize the part you will be doing in the audition. Practice it over and over again. Film yourself doing it.

Come up with a secret for your character that doesn't violate the overall context, but is your own little twist. If the scene is someone asking your character how his weekend was, maybe in your mind your character is hiding the fact that he dresses in drag and sings at a bar on the weekend. Don't do anything obvious to reveal the secret, just let it have a subtle influence effect on your delivery.

In the audition, if a casting director is considering a less experienced actor they will usually want to see if you can take direction. If they ask you to change something, this is a good thing, embrace the change and do it their way.

Hope that helps.

I'm planning on this too. I don't think the OP is silly. If my goals don't work out, at least I have my family's money. LOL. I don't know if the OP does though. But, even if I didn't, I know I would still go for it.

I think that artistic goals are fun, but I would never try to pursue it as my primary career. Maybe on the side or as a hobby, but I'd never be like "I'm going to be a concept artist for the next Pixar film!" or anything like that. No to mention art school is expensive as f*ck.

Don't give up on them, but also don't become so obsessed over them that you lose all sense of practicality.

Hi, I've meant to ask you in another thread, but what program are you taking in school?

I'm taking all my prerequisites for Radiology, so CNA 1, advanced anatomy, etc.