Category: build confidence


Act Better

Filed Under: build confidence
May.03, 2010

Post written by Dharini Woollcombe

How to Act Better:

  1. Know that you are utterly UNIQUE
  2. Remember that we are all in this TOGETHER
  3. Learn to keep LEARNING

——-

I came across a bright pink sticky note marking a passage from an article I had read a few months ago. I believe it is well worth sharing.  Although screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski is referring to his experience in the world of writing, what he says is completely translatable in to the world of acting:

“The problem is that often writers think we’re all in competition with each other, which can lead them to be awkward when someone else does well, but I’ve never believed that. We each represent a unique point of view; we each stand on a piece of ground occupied by no one else in the world. No one else can tell a “fill in the name” story like “fill in the name” can. But not everyone perceives that, and that is unfortunate.

Then there are some people who, the more they accomplish, the louder they get. I was that way at the start, desperate to convince people that I had done what it takes. In later years, particularly the aftermath of Changeling, I’ve gotten quieter and calmer, more at rest in how I relate to people. I put all that misspent energy into challenging myself creatively, looking for new techniques and experimenting in new forms.

Every day I discover something new about storytelling or acquire a new tool for the toolbox. And that’s really the key metaphor: When you start out as a writer, at most you have a screwdriver and a rusty pair of pliers in your toolbox, and there are only so many things you can build with them, and only to a certain minimal level of quality. If you pay attention, if you work at your craft, you begin to acquire more tools that allow you to make a more diverse range of things with greater finesse and skill.

But those tools don’t just come to you unbidden: You have to listen and look for them and be open to new tools even if they scare you.

…When someone hires you to write a script, they are paying you a compliment of unimaginable proportion. They are paying you to make black marks on a piece of paper. They’re saying, “Here’s a bucket of money…tell us a story.” If you can find something more amazing than that, let me know….”

- Creative Screenwriting (November 2009, Vol.16, No. 6)

Mr. Straczynski says it like it is.

We are all unique, and no journey is ever the same. So why try to emulate some one else’s path and why resent them for the choices they make? Focus on your own path, discover it, take chances, and take leaps of faith. Get involved in your own journey.

We are all in it together. So why not find, create, and promote community. We actors spend a lot of time off on our own when not working on projects. So why not get out there, spend time with your colleagues and friends. Learn from each other, support each other. Go get basket of fries and shoot the breeze.

When someone experiences accomplishments and success, they should be able to share these things, not worry about being greeted with resentment, and envy.

But resentment and envy come from dissatisfaction in one’s own life. What can you do about that?

Be proactive in your own life and (yes, you’ve heard me say this before) create the life you want.

Make choices and take action.

Find your way to process, and learning, and growth.

This will keep you active, engaged, stimulated, and excited about things in your life…as opposed to sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, jealous about your friend, and wasting your life away in negativity…I mean really, who wants to do that?

Not you?

Ok!

Then do something about it – because the more Action you take in your Life, the more Life you bring to your Acting.

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Prepare to Act

Filed Under: build confidence
Mar.08, 2010

Post written by Dharini Woollcombe

How To Be Ready for The Next Audition

  1. Practice and train your voice.
  2. Practice and train your body.
  3. Practice and train your mind.

——–

With the recent attention on athletes I can’t help but remember an acting teacher from my past. She used to say to us that to be actors, we must train like athletes.

Athletes spend hours, days, months and years preparing for their moment in the spotlight. They do not coast on their basic abilities and raw talents. These things help them along but they are not the reason these athletes excel. Not at all. It is the athlete’s steely determination, their focus, their dedication and their tenacity that drives them to the summit of their athletic achievements. It is their commitment to practice, their commitment to being prepared that carries them to the top.

In many ways our acting world is not unlike the world of athletics. There are many easy distractions, there is the fear of failure, and the competition is always fierce.

The difference is that everything in our field is last minute and subject to change. There is no set date for the race that we run. We live in anticipation of the unknown.

When will my agent call with an audition?

When will I find out what time my audition is?

When will I find out that I got a callback?

When will I find out if I got the job?

When will my wardrobe call be?

When will my pick up time be?

When will I find out if I’m in the next episode?

When will my agent call with another audition?

And yet, we have to breathe life in to someone else’s concept, create a world out of someone else’s words, and live from our heart and soul at any given moment.

How does one prepare for these unknown moments that await us? By starting with that which is tangible: voice, body and mind.

Train your voice.

Practice your breath work.

Exercise and stretch your body.

Practice concentration and focusing the mind.

Practice. Practice. Practice. And do it Regularly.

It’s a lot to ask, I know. But it will make all the difference. When your agent calls with an audition in two days for a regular role on the new tv show in town, you will be miles ahead of the average actor. Your voice, body and confidence will be ready to go. Your mind will be able to focus on bringing the character to life. You will be prepared, confident, capable and focused. You will be ready to master your task:

The task of creating a compelling human being from the depths of your soul.

Dedicate yourself to your work. Set aside a certain amount of time each week for your practice. If you want to be an actor, then be an actor and do the work.

Don’t just wait for race day, be prepared for it.

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Wait No More

Filed Under: build confidence
Jan.14, 2010

Post written by Dharini Woollcombe.

How to Stop Waiting:

  1. Identify feeling unsatisfied, helpless, frustrated, and that nothing seems to be happening.
  2. Make a list of things you could do such as -  administrative tasks, physical activities, artistic projects, and acting, voice or movement practice.
  3. Pick one thing and DO IT!

———
Waiting sucks.
It does.
It leaves you in a kind of limbo. The only way for the situation to change is if someone shows up or something comes along.

You’re up on a wall with no way down. You feel helpless.
Sound familiar?
This is a situation in which we actors put ourselves, way too often.
So I ask you…why wait?

You heard me: why wait?
You do have a choice here. Really.

You can wait for that phone call from your agent, or you could call your agent and tell them about the acting class you’re taking.
You can wait for a job to appear, or you could get together with friends and read a play aloud.
You can watch re-runs on TV, or you could rent that classic movie you’ve never gotten around to seeing.
You can hang out with a friend in a diner, or you could check out an art gallery together.
You can sit around and feel sorry for yourself, or you could hunt around for a new monologue or a great book on acting.
You can look at gossip magazines, or you could go to the gym.
You can track your friends’ careers, or you could work on your demo and introductory letter.
You can complain about the industry, or you could get involved with your union.
You can feel sad, or you could write a poem.
You can pig out on junk food, or you could take a walk.
You can sit on the couch, or you could drop in to a dance class.
You can hang out on YouTube, or you could email a teacher or friend for advice.
You can do absolutely nothing, or you could do something.

You see? The choices are endless.

And who cares why you’re being lethargic, apathetic, lazy or whatever you want to call it. The point is you can change the situation with minimal effort. Your Actor Self might be whining about being useless or untalented and “what’s the point”, but it is your job to take charge and lead your Actor Self into action.  It is your responsibility to find the confidence that our directors and producers are looking for. It is up to you to give that Actor Self something to feel good about. We are creators and we feel good when we create. So create your life by doing something with it.

You’ve only got one life. It’s all yours. What are you waiting for?

Do one thing. Do it now.
Get over yourself and take action.
Before you run off to do errands, or go to your joe-job, do one thing for your Actor Self, and stop waiting.
Because not waiting, doesn’t suck.

Besides which, you might actually get out and see people, experience something, open your mind, find your confidence or even…wait for it…. enjoy life in some small way. Can you imagine that? – An actor enjoying life outside of acting and not drowning in the depths of depression?
What a concept, I know. But it is possible. All you need is the wish to feel good, the desire to feel stimulated, and the yearning to be in control of your own life.

The action of choice will change your life.
So stop waiting and go do something already!

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Don’t Let Your Backbone Slide

Filed Under: build confidence
Jan.02, 2010

Post written by Dharini Woollcombe.

How to Choose Your Acting Jobs:

  1. Does the project or role excite you or challenge you in some way?
  2. Do you get to work with a renowned actor, director or producer, or will the project further your career in some way?
  3. If you have said no to both of the above, does the amount of pay make up for it?

———

gumption, n. ingenuity, imagination, astuteness, shrewdness, common sense, practicality, spirit, pluck, mettle, courage, BACKBONE

Recently I was offered an acting job that would have kept me employed for a solid four months. There was a time in my life where I would have jumped with glee and said “Yes!!” without a second thought. This time, however, I hesitated.

I began to stress out about whether I should or should not take the job. I was worried about giving up an opportunity and not knowing when the next one might come along. I mean, I’m an actor, I should just say yes, thank you, when do you want me to show up? But I just couldn’t do it.

There were so many things about this job that would make me unhappy, and being away from home, over winter, working on something less than exciting which certainly wouldn’t further my career, was just depressing.

Had I come so far and sacrificed so much for unhappiness? No, of course not. But I felt obliged to take it. I had the fortune to be hired for a job, what right had I to say no? I’m just an actor.

Funny thing is, in most other facets of my life, I would never do that. If it did not feel right, I would not do it. I wouldn’t feel bad about it, or worry about it. I’d go with my instincts and if they said, no, that was that. Why then do I become a wishy-washy, whiny, worry-wart just because it’s related to acting?
And then I realized, it’s because I don’t feel like I have  the right to anything.
But you know what?

Actors are people too.

In fact, we are strong, courageous, adventurous people. We are plucky, imaginative and astute. We are amazing people. We do not need to dance for every bone that gets thrown our way. We don’t. We can wait for the tender, meaty parts. – Okay, so I didn’t mean to refer to us as dogs. What I meant was: we are worthy.

We are worthy.

We are worthy of waiting for better opportunities. We are worthy of declining jobs that depress or demean us. We are worthy of having standards of our own making. I am worth saying no to a job that will offer me anything less than what I need at this time.

Money, yes I need that, but if I can hold out until another opportunity comes my way, then why not wait. But when will that be, we all ask.
I don’t know.

What I do know is that another opportunity always comes. It always does. It will come in some way, shape or form that will likely be unexpected and at a time when you are at your wits end.  No doubt about it. What if this is the opportunity, this job that I’m saying no to?
Oh well. Another one will come.
You can bet your backbone on it.

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Simple. Change.

Filed Under: build confidence
Dec.24, 2009

Post Written by Dharini Woollcombe.

How to Change What Is:

  1. Look at what is.
  2. Look at what could be.
  3. Do one thing to close that gap. Repeat.

———

Walking into an audition is about what you bring in to the room.
We’ve all heard that phrase. It means that all the worry and insecurity that sits in our bodies walks in to the room with us. It also means that all the warmth, and curiosity, and magic we each possess walks in with us too. So how do you keep that bright part of yourself alive, audition after audition? Spend time on things you love, and find opportunities for change.

One small change can have huge results. That one change will lead you to a moment of  inspiration that will change your monologue forever. That one change will allow you to identify what is not working for you in your auditions. One change will make you feel as if you are actually in charge of your own life. Which you are.

YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF YOUR OWN LIFE.

YOU, not your agent, not the casting director, not the director, the producer, the writer or the assistant. YOU. It’s all you, baby.

You are in charge of what you do (or don’t do) with your time. YOU are in charge of YOUR life.
And if you don’t feel this way, one change will change that.

So, how about an experiment:

1. Think of one thing – not work related – that you enjoy doing.
What do you enjoy doing? Do you like to read, walk, run, play video games, cook, knit, work out, play with your cats, or visit friends?

2. Set a goal for a week from now.
For example: In one week I will – finish a book, walk 4km, improve my running time by 30 seconds, beat my best score on my favorite video game, cook at least 2 new recipes, make sure I do coffee with 2 different friends, play with my cats for 15 minutes a day every single day, finish knitting that darn scarf.

3. Observe the choices you make.
At the end of the week take note. What kinds of choices did you make to fulfill your goal? Was it doable? Did you have fun? Did funny things happen? How did it affect your approach to your acting work? (rehearsals, classes etc.) Did you have new anecdotes to share?

You see it’s not so much about achieving the goal, it’s about the fact that you made choices for yourself about something you wanted. Having that one simple goal for yourself changes the choices you make, which changes what you do and how you feel. And you know what?  – You are what you do, and you look how you feel.

Imagine fulfilling this goal, and having an audition during the same week. What would you walk into the audition room with:

  • a sense of accomplishment and capability
  • a quiet sense of pleasure and excitement
  • new surety in yourself
  • joy at your accomplishment

You will feel all this, because you have spent a week fulfilling yourself in some way. The Auditioners will see a confident, happy person, who seems interesting and who has a lot going on within. They will see someone they would like to know better, and would love to work with.

Spending a little time doing things we enjoy, outside of work, is so important to maintaining a balanced life and healthy state of mind. It also helps us find new inspiration and creativity, which in turn makes us feel more fulfilled. It nurtures our Actor self and feeds the parts of ourselves that attract people to us. Which is why finding opportunities for change and fulfilling simple, personal goals will keep you shining, audition after audition.

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