The Successful Talent: Tips for the Actor & Model

VERSACE IN NASHVILLE

Versace graced Nashville runways this past week.  A peak at this past winter/fall campaign in the video below may . . . or may not give us insight into what was brought to Music City.  You can be sure The Avenue's high fashion models rocked the new and exciting trends that were launched!

 

Who was chosen to grace Versace's runway?  Check back soon to find out!

Congrats Melodie Thomas!!

LOCAL DESIGNERS LAUNCHED INTO SUPERSTARDOM!

Last year, Julianna Bass presented her Autumn/Winter 2011 collection at Nashville Fashion Week. She is the recipient of the inaugural Nashville Fashion Forward Fund award, made possible with the proceeds from Lexus Nashville Fashion Week 2011. Bass was born in Pulaski, Tenn. and attended Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro where she studied apparel design and costume design. She now lives in Brooklyn, NY. See her runway show from NFW 2011 and hear about her inspiration behind the pieces shown. Photography by Tony Beasley of Studio One Production.

To see Julianna's line from last year and hear about her inspiration, check out this video, which includes an interview from Nashville Fashion Week 2011.

 

Another local Nashville designer, Lauren Leonard, is the creative mind behind Leona. Leona is redefining the term southern belle with fashion girls from Manhattan to Tokyo. Every piece of Leona achieves the perfect balance of whimsical detailing and sophisticated silhouette. Since Leona's debut in the spring of 2008, it has quickly gained a faithful following and is sold at more than a hundred of the most discerning and renowned retailers internationally. With celebrity fans like Taylor Swift and Giuliana Rancic, sightings in Lucky, Elle and People magazines, and hit television shows Gossip Girl and 90210. Since being featured in Nashville Fashion Week in April 2011, Leona has opened up it's own storefront in the 12th South neighborhood in East Nashville. Visit them from your computer at www.leonacollection.com. 

What is Ms. Leonard up to in 2012?

 

WERE YOU THERE?

Nashville Fashion Week is wrapped up!  Designers rocked the streets of downtown with their latest creations.

This year hosted the likes of T Rains, White Rabbit, and Versace, plus many others.  Watch for more to follow on The Avenue's models who are taking to the runway this year.

Couldn't be a part of Nashville Fashion Week last year?  Check out what T Rains did last year . . . and hold your breath for the public peak at what he brought this year!

 

For more videos, visit http://www.nashvillefashionevents.com/features/nashville-fashion-week-2011/video/70

 

ARE YOU TRUE BLUE?

Appreciating where you are in your career is only one part of reaching stability and comfort in this totally subjective industry.  To fully find balance, one must also embrace the truth of our individual situation.

5. Not being truthful.

The core question of The Method is "What's going on right now?" You don't have to be a Method actor, though, to extract value from this starting point.

The truth is a great place to live. It's far less work than maintaining a byzantine structure of lies, which reduces stress and worry lines, and it's very emotionally freeing, which is very useful to the artist who needs accessible emotional emotions in her career.

I get that feeling real emotions is often really painful. Boy, do I get it. An old friend joked (fairly accurately) that I cried for the first two years of acting class. Since then, I've done my fair share of crying on a therapist's couch, in workshops, and when consuming art that hits a little close to home. I still cry a good five or six times each week. It never feels good to feel the feelings, but it always feels better than not feeling them (and it [the relief] feels fantastic afterward).

Choosing to be a talent -- whether acting or modeling -- means emoting.  Emoting from a place of truth is always more intriguing to the viewer than watching someone "act".  The difference is being able to be truthful with oneself as the talent.  If talent work is something you are serious about, start today by being truthful with yourself, your character, your emotional life, and your place within this world of entertainment.

Every actor makes at least one of these mistakes sometime, no matter how evolved he becomes. But an awareness of these traps we fall into helps reduce the chances we'll get stuck there too long, and makes it easier extricate ourselves—not to mention avoiding them in the first place!

So keep a list of these pit falls close by and check in with yourself from time to time.  Losing authenticity?  Stop and tap back into it!  Not taking credit for the parts of your career you can be?  Stop and take action!  Asking for too much or coming across too needy?  Return to finding your confidence and balance.  Use positive self talk or whatever works for you!

And find the confident and successful actor and/or model you are!

WHAT'S YOUR SPEED LIMIT?

We've broached several ways that actress Colleen Wainwright sees actors around here tripping themselves up, including being overly needy, not accepting responsibility for moving their career forward, and refusing to listening to the sage advice.  Sometimes you can find the excitement you're looking for in some other vehicle than you might expect, as Top Gear's host, Jeremy Clarkson, shows us.

 

In our society, we are quickly trained to expect what we want, when we want it.  Breaking that expectation is much easier said than done!  Even those who show extreme patience have a hard time not wanting their big break to happen right now. It's understandable, since everything a talent works for is so abstract and seemingly intangible.  There will always be something bigger to continue working for, which makes the journey seem endless.  The good news?  It is endless!  Allowing yourself to accept the fact that the journey itself is the continuum of pursuing your craft could relieve some pressure and anxiety.  Reminding yourself every day of that fact is a must in order to keep the focus and avoid the fear.  In Colleen's words . . .

4. Moving too fast.

The worst thing may be nothing ever happening for you, but the second worst thing is having the exact, right thing happen to you before you're ready.

It's good to keep stretching; it's dangerous to go too far, too fast. Practice patience. Take the time to ground yourself—in your work, in your process, in your tools, in your life. You want your breaks coinciding with readiness.

Every time a talent presses to move farther than their skill set and experience allows, long term damange is done.  As an agent, I've watched talent demand to audition for roles they were not suited for or able to deliver on.  Not being able to see that is frustrating from the talent's perspective.   Hearing a casting director say they no longer want to see a talent for any role is heart-breaking from the agent's perspective. 

Take a deep breath and reassure yourself that there is a time and place for everything.  Your determination and willingness will allow your craft to grow . . . and those great opportunities for which you pine will present themselves when the timing is right.  And only then, will you be ready to use them as a stepping stone to something bigger and more exciting.   Until then, continue to appreciate the opportunities you have and the time to build your skill set and knowledge.  Growing isn't always easy, but it will always find reward!

CAN YOU HEAR IT?

 

Our acting friend, Colleen, will tell you that the third common way that talent mistakenly get in their own way is by not being able to listen.  Most talent can hear, but being able to take what we hear and then actively listen is a different matter.  She refers to this as "Special Snowflake Syndrome," and it comes down to being able to acknowledge an idea, think critically about it, and then take action on the idea (or parts of the idea) that will help you move forward in your career.  In her words . . .

I am about as stubborn as they come. And there's a place for all kinds of stubbornness, from grim determinism to relentless optimism—it takes grit and a certain willingness to overlook the overwhelming odds against success in this crazy business of show.

But failing to observe protocol or established rules of etiquette is dumb. At best, it makes you look foolish; at worst, it angers people. People have lo-o-ong memories when they've been angered.

Sometimes, doing the wrong thing happens out of ignorance (which is another good reason not to move too fast). If you know you're doing the wrong thing and decide to do it anyway—which is totally your prerogative—don't be surprised if you end up paying a price.

No one who supports your career wants you to "pay any price;" least of all yourself!  We all go to great lengths as humans to avoid pain or negative repercussions.  Your career is no different. 

Made a mistake due to being naive?  Address the issue directly with the person who was harmed or affected by your malevolence and ask directly how you can make it right.  Then be willing to go the extra mile to repair the damage and acknowledge that it isn't going to be a quick fix.  Feelings take time and continued effort to be repaired when a relationship has been hurt.  Be willing to take action for as long as it takes to show your changed ways.

If harm was done by choice, it may be a different scenario and the harmed individual or company may be less receptive to your well intended efforts.  In this case, the best you can do is commit to make it right should the opportunity arise and change your ways before enemies become common.  There are talent whose name is mentioned along with an eye roll or deep sigh merely because everyone in the industry around them knows what kind of person they are to work with.  Will they not get work?  Not necessarily.  They may still be hired, but only as a last resort and no one will go out of their way to make their day on set any more positive than they absolutely must, which continues the bad wrap. 

Advice isn't always warranted.  It isn't always easy to hear.  And it doesn't always give us confidence and motivation.  What advice DOES, however, is give you room to grow and build a career.  Heed it only from industry professionals and don't miss the opportunity to take action and show commitment to your professionalism and craft!

WHO IS TO BLAME?

The answer is simply "no one".  There is responsibility to be had on all sides!

The second common industry mistake made by talent according to our long term actress friend, Colleen, brings up some good questions!  Have you handed over the authority to move your career forward to the hands of fate?

No, you don't have your own TV network or movie studio. (Arguably, that's a good thing these days.) You cannot just create yourself a lead role or series regular gig with a wave of your hand, and no matter how much better you think life used to be (e.g. under the studio system or some other mythical golden age), you never could.

There is certainly some luck involved in having a long and successful career in the arts. But if you look at most of the people who made it, there's a lot of hustle involved. They didn't have some agent ride in on a winged unicorn, nor did they land ONE magical role that made them.  It took work to get the right pieces in place.  Or they landed several roles after a lot of busting hump.

Control what you can. Pick a month—any month—and get cracking on something. And never stop. Ever.

(For those too young to recognize She-ra, catch up on your vintage cartoons, please.)

As a talent, there are things you cannot control, but focusing on those things will keep you right where you are now.  Move forward -- and grasp the things that you can control.  What are those things?  Well, this blog has already answered that question many times over.  Check out these posts for more ideas and then think outside of the box and create your own.

Innovation and creativity are the things that draw you to being a talent, so tap into them for the longevity and sake of your career!

ARE YOU IN YOUR OWN WAY?

Everyone agrees that choosing to live and work in a completely subjective industry is at the least daunting (and most often entirely overwhelming).  Few people sympathize with talent moreso than actress Colleen Wainwright, has been hitting the payment for over three decades.  Colleen would tell you that over that time she has seen talent make the same five mistakes to the detriment of their careers. 

Desperation is an extreme state and we can all smell it from a mile away.  Talent can smell it on other talent, so of course we as industry professionals sense it coming, too.  There are few things listed as a bigger turn off than coming across as needy.  (Take dating for example.  The good guy rarely gets the girl not because he isn't as wonderful as the bad boy, but because the bad boy just does his thing, regardless of whether or not the girl ends up being "his".  When it comes to human nature, being chased is always better than chasing!)

Here, Colleen shares the #1 mistake all too common for the well-meaning talent . . . being needy.

It's no secret that many of us gravitate to this business because we're a little bit wonky inside. For whatever reason, we need more love, approval, and attention than the average civilian, and we think that waves of love from strangers will fill that big, black hole inside.

Well, relax, because I'm not going to try to talk you out of this one. Chances are good you already know it's nuts, and are in some state of working through it. What I'm talking about, need-wise, is the stuff that gets between you and getting the job.

Need is a gigantic turnoff when it comes to moving your career forward. Yes, you need/want the gig, no matter how poorly paying it is. But while that need might fuel you, it gets in the way in the room.

So do what you can to address it. Financially, it may mean a Stupid Day Job that pays well enough or reducing expenses. Physically, it means making sure your body is in good working order. Emotionally—well, that's kind of up to you and your particular mess. Be gentle as you work on this, but work on it.

 

The one thing that makes my heart sink when I hear a talent say it -- "I really want to get this one!"  In a decade of booking, I have yet to see a talent who really wanted a gig, get booked on it.  I'm sure one day it will happen, but the reason why a talented model or actor wouldn't book a job they really want is simple.  Those nerves that keep you focused and on par in the casting room go on overdrive and then you come across as desperate.  They can smell you coming!  Learning to approach each opportunity from a level perspective is not something learned overnight.  But the bottom line is that you should put the same amount of effort into auditioning for local director Joe Blow's music video as you do when going to read for Steven Spielberg or meet with Tommy Hilfiger.

After all, you may know their name, but they are still just people like you who have worries, fears, and challenges, and are just doing their best to make it through the day and do their job, right?

 

 

Are you getting in your own way?

SAG AFTRA MERGER -- GOOD OR BAD?

You don't have to speak with the agency national directors of both SAG and AFTRA to understand how the impending merger between the two unions grows more intense with each passing day.  The ballots are scheduled to be counted on March 16, 2012.  The last time this effort was made by both unions in 2003, AFTRA members overwhelmingly chose to merge the unions.  However, SAG members fell only a few hundred votes short of pushing the merger through, which stopped the merger in it's tracks.

Are you a SAG or AFTRA member?  Have you submitted your ballot?  Zino Macaluso stressed to me this morning that although there is a lot of positive talk around the benefits of having only one union, there is enough opposition that the chances of this merger not passing needs to be considered. 

Union members who receive a ballot from their respective union NEED to return their ballot so that their voices can be heard!  Research from the failed merger in 2003 show that members who did not return their ballot within FOUR days never registered a vote.  Their opinions were not heard, and more importantly, their silence may have caused the ability of the union to negotiate strong rates for the talent since 2003 to suffer.

If you have questions about what one union will look like . . . questions about the benefits and strength in having only one union . . . or fears that it might change your dues or healthcare, log onto www.sagaftra.org.  It is the ONLY site that is regularly updated with accurate information on what one union will look like if it is passed by the members.  Get answers and make your voice heard!

What are your thoughts about the merger?   Are you for it . . . against it?  Why?

HOW TO CONQUER FEAR AND UNCERTAINTY

You can begin working on your uncertainty by following these tips:

• • Know and understand your emotional blocks caused by old belief systems formed from past wounds.
  • Replace negative self-talk with positive words that will move you forward instead of backwards. Remember playing those negative tapes in your head will only set you up for fear and unhappiness. Stop them now!
  • Focus on the process and not the outcome. When auditioning, stop fixating on whether or not you will get the part, instead set your intention on simply having an illuminating experience. Think journey not destination.
  • Make generosity a way of life. Giving to others will bring you more balance. What you are experiencing will feel a lot less overwhelming when you open your heart and give to others.
  • Dwell in the present without obsessing about the past or the future. Practice being in the present moment by learning mindful meditation.
  • Avoid comparisons. The next time you are among other actors waiting to audition, look around and see them as colleagues not competitors. You are all in the same family.
  • Stop trying to control the uncontrollable. Instead, strive for excellence in everything you do and be content in knowing that is enough.
  • Gratefulness will protect you from unhappiness. “People who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis are healthier, more optimistic, and more likely to make progress toward achieving personal goals.” –Robert Emmons.
  • And above all when you feel doubt and uncertainty, stay grounded by remembering who you are today including all of your accomplishments and successes.

Change is possible, but it takes time and effort just like everything else that is worthwhile in life. Don’t expect outside material things to take care of your internal insecurities, it’s an inside job. No one can give you anything that will be worth more than what you give yourself. To deal with the uncertainty in your profession and in your life, don’t let fear shrink you. Learn to face the fear of uncertainty by keeping an open mind and an open heart. Strive to be a courageous soul who welcomes whatever shows up at the door today. My warmest wishes for an incredible journey!

These suggestions are from the desk of Bonnie Katz, who is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice.  She understands the unique demands and challenges of the acting profession because along with her experience as a psychotherapist, she has been a part of the acting community for the past 39 years.