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Working Actor Resolutions

1. Set yourself up for success, not failure. Help yourself succeed by choosing reasonable goals and creating realistic timelines in which to achieve those goals. Forgive yourself when you slip up and get back on the path to your goal quickly. That's a wonderful gift to give yourself, no matter what resolutions you're trying out (and no matter what time of year you try them).

2. Meet one new industry person each month. Here's a distinction I would like to make: don't just meet a new person each month, make a friend out of each one. You meet people on the set, in class, at auditions, while schmoozing at networking events, even at the newsstand while you're buying the trades. Strike up a conversation, get comfortable introducing yourself as an actor, and build a relationship that could lead to something major, in terms of both your career and your life. You never know!

3. Update your demo reel. Say today that you WILL track down all of the footage of your work that is currently "out there," meet with an editor to determine what belongs on the reel and in what order, get the material edited down to its perfect three-to-five minutes, and have enough duplicates made that you are ready to hand off a reel, when asked for it. Give yourself all year to get this done.

4. Get better at a special skill. You say you speak Spanish? Get better at it. You say you can do a British accent? Improve it. You list skiing in your resumé's special skills section but really haven't hit the slopes in over a year? Strap on a pair of skis and get thee to Mammoth. Anything out-of-date on your resumé shouldn't be on your resumé. And that's in every section!

5. Let someone change you. I allowed myself to be genuinely moved by actors' work, by writers' words, by singers' voices, by aspiring actors' dreams. As an actor, you inhabit various characters all the time. You are constantly studying the human condition and applying your experiences to its interpretation as you help bring a character to life. Maybe this year you can allow a character you portray to change you, to give you the gift of a deeper understanding of yourself, to develop a part of your psyche you'd thought was fully-formed. And if you can allow a character to do that, perhaps you can allow others to impact you deeply as well. It's a lovely experience.

6. Move up a tier. Look at where you are. Are you the funniest person in your improv class? Are you the most-frequently booked co-star repped by your agent or manager? Are you growing impatient with being the most professional actor on the set of another free student film? Maybe it's time to start saying no to some things. Moving up often involves making a hard choice or two. Do you leave your class so that you are challenged more in a harder class? Do you look to bump up your quote or tell your agent that you'd like to start NOT going out for co-star roles so that you can move up to guest star gigs? Do you start NOT doing student films? Agree to check in with yourself regularly this year and resolve to move up a tier if you're ready. And if you're not ready, GET ready.

7. Take a day off every week. I constantly hear the advice that actors should do something toward their acting career EVERY DAY. In any other profession, no one would ever have to tell someone to be sure to do something career-related every day. So, since you're a pro, I know you're already doing something in support of your acting career every day. So, be a non-acting human for one day each week. On this day, do not read the trades, don't send out headshots, don't rehearse a monologue, and when you speak with others do not gab about the wonderful role you read for the day before. Instead, volunteer your time. Better your world, surround yourself with non-actors, and strike a balance between the blissful, fantasy-filled life you live most days and the very real world in which you exist. Give something back one day a week and enjoy the other six days (the ones in which you have a full-time job as an actor) that much more because of it. Balance is a lovely thing.

8. Intern. Have you interned in a casting office yet? Have you volunteered a day with your manager to open envelopes and answer phones? Have you worked as a reader? Have you ushered at a theatre in exchange for free admission to the play? If you aren't the type of person who can fathom working in an office, then find another way to get some experience doing something you've never done before in the industry. It'll give you amazing perspective on your role as an actor. Be a PA on the set of a student film for a weekend. Run errands for a busy producer. Copy sides in a commercial casting office. Do something for nothing. Believe me, it's NOT for nothing. You will learn so much when you take off your actor-glasses in these situations.

9. Write it all down. I keep a pad of paper and a pen by my bed (Yes, I wake up in the middle of the night and write sometimes.) as well as in the glove box of my car, on the coffee table, and in the kitchen. Why? Because writing (and going back later to review my writing) is a source of inspiration. I suspect it may be for many actors as well. Maybe it's a sketch idea, a future screenplay, a character name you'll want to use someday. Perhaps it's an epiphany you don't recognize yet. Don't fight it. Just write it down. If you're a geek start a blog. You NEVER know when you'll need to consult your musings for inspiration.

10. Stay grateful. Be grateful that you are pursuing your dream. Acknowledge that most people never get to spend a day actually going after what makes their heart sing, yet you do that every day. When you see an amazing performance, thank the artist for sharing at such a deep level. When you read a wonderful script, thank the writer for creating a world that inspires you. And when you're invited to do your work in front of someone--at any level--be sure those who invited you to play know you were thrilled to get to do so. Remember, you chose this life because you couldn't fathom living as anything other than an actor. Each time you are called in to audition, you're being told, "I agree. You ARE an actor." Isn't that a dream come true? Be grateful. Stay grateful. Enjoy this life you've chosen; start listing the absolute littlest things for which you are grateful. Every day. If you can't find a daily reason to be grateful for the fact that you're an actor, there's a deeper issue to address.

A group of masterminds from Wharton came to Hollywood to study the business model, figuring they could analyze and demystify it. They applied every "rule" of business to what they witnessed in agents' offices, pitch meetings, casting sessions, producer lunches, and studio powwows only to leave Hollywood scratching their collective business head. There is no science to the entertainment industry. That is why it's so important to remember that your path is unique. Reading about others' experiences of value, commiserating with other actors is also of value, but none of it provides a recipe for your success. You will learn how many units of effort yield how many units of reward in your life as an actor as you go. I discourage you from trying to quantify it at all. Much better to simply enjoy "those crazy days" in which you have to do one thousand things to make one thing happen. If you don't enjoy those days, how will you feel that you can rightfully enjoy the 1:1000 days that come to you in the future? Let the investment be the reward.

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