“Keep showing up.”
That’s the best advice I’ve been given recently, and I’m passing it on.
When you’ve been kicking around as long as I have, sometimes the slumps weigh on you. Let’s face it, when you’re auditioning and not booking, it’s a drag. When you’re not getting appointments, it’s even worse. But when you’re cast in a good role . . . Well, that’s what keeps us all going, isn’t it?
We all want to be working, all the time. So we keep showing up. We make the effort. We put ourselves out there over & over again. We hone our craft.
We’re prepared. We’ve learned our lines & thought a lot about the audition material, maybe even hired a coach. We’ve found the part of ourselves that resonates with the character. We go to our auditions dressed how our character would dress, not in costume, but owning the role. We give it our best shot.
Then, after the audition, we let it go.
It’s okay to acknowledge ways you could improve the next time, but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t feel you nailed it. It’s a waste of time & energy that’s much better spent moving forward.
Market yourself. Network. Send out your material. Build a website. Too many actors forget this part. They think if they have an agent or manager, it will be done for them. Not true.
Learn how to brand yourself. Take classes. Utilize Facebook, Twitter & other social network sites. Send picture postcards. Create e-mail blasts to announce appearances. Make sure your accounts with LA Casting, Actors Access, Casting Frontier, and other casting sites, are up-to-date.
See theatre. It’s a great place to learn & be inspired. Even better, do theatre. It’s a great place to learn your craft. For me, the stage feels like home because it’s where I started out.
When I hear other actors complain about the lack of work available, my response is, “If that’s what you believe, that will be your experience.” Where thoughts go, energy flows.
However, that’s not my experience. I’ve been a working actress for over 30 years and I believe there will always be an abundance of work. I have a ‘knowing’ about that, an inner trust. And I trust that the next job will come, and the next one, and the next one . . .
Why? Because I keep showing up.
Anne Marie Howard is regularly seen guest starring on TV. She’s also spotted frequently in feature films & has appeared in hundreds of commercials. Her career began onstage in Ottumwa, Iowa at the age of 4 in the musical, Carousel. She studied acting in NYC at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Neighborhood Playhouse & with Stella Adler. Well-known for playing Nicole Love on Another World & Kimberly Brady on Days of Our Lives, Anne Marie is currently recurring on Make It Or Break It. Check out her website at www.annemariehoward.com.
Article published in "Hollywood Dailies: Behind the Reel" by Travis Britton.
