Celebrate Every Win!
Throw yourself a party
(By Jim Webb)
(Photo: Miguel Teirlinck | Unsplash)
Did you jump up and down on your couch in your undies the last time you got an callback? You should have!
Of course, you don’t have to go bare-ass to celebrate. But you should definitely celebrate in your own way. Enjoying the journey is the only way to fly, in this business.
As actors, we get in the misguided mindset that the only “win” is a booking. We only feel the need to celebrate when our face is on television or when we’re cashing a big residual check. Nevermind all the auditions we’re getting; all the callbacks we get; all the avails we are put on. All that matters is a booking.
The result? An actor who is constantly winning while seeing themselves as a loser. Time to despair. Time to quit! Even though you’re winning.
Celebrate Every Audition
Before you take your next audition for granted, consider all the profiles the casting director looked through before selecting you. Of all the actors they could have chosen, they picked YOU! They liked YOUR headshots. They think YOU might bring something interesting to the role.
Celebrate that!
Celebrate Every Callback
Of all the self-tapes they looked at, they really liked YOURS! You thought you didn’t do a good job. You were sure of it. But lo and behold, it’s YOUR tape that made that casting director stop and take notice.
Celebrate that!
Celebrate Every Avail
I used to have an acting coach who said that an avail is just as good as a booking. I respectfully disagree, by the way! You don’t get paid for avails, and getting paid is important to an actor’s confidence and sustainability.
Celebrate every audition, every callback, every avail, even if you’re not actually booking.
But his point was, being put on hold for something means you’ve done everything expected of you. You’ve practically booked the job. Now it’s a matter of the personal preferences of the decision-makers as to whether or not you’re the chosen one. An avail is a BIG deal!
Celebrate that!
Look at how much winning an actor can have while thinking of himself as a loser.
So, celebrate every audition, every callback, every avail, even if you’re not actually booking. As long as you’re getting positive feedback, it’s only a matter of time before your moment comes.
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