Being a good performer is not good enough. It might be hard to hear but it’s the truth. Striving just to be good isn’t going to take you very far, but it surely is the first step to excellence. The truth about entertainment industry is that you don’t belong if you’re not good. Unlike other industries where you can start off as being average and move on to being excellent with practice and time, entertainment industry expects you to be good from day one. No one is going to book an average performer and give her the time to learn and reach excellence. It just doesn’t work that way.
Once you’re good and out there it just gets tougher as now you’re competing with artists who are equally if not better as you’re. The only thing that is going to set you apart is your ability to tell your story through your art in the most compelling way. That is the only way you can elevate yourself and rise above others, making you more bookable. Sadly, not many artists understand this and falter on the first step itself. It’s very difficult for any artist to hear and accept that they are not God’s gift to the world of performing arts receiving awards and accolades. It’s even more difficult to accept that being excellent can only come from perfect practice and never to get discouraged by the artits who were born with it. Draw inspiration from them, learn from them and work ten times harder.
This constant demand of hard work eliminates majority of artists aspiring for success. Maybe 1 in 10 artists must be doing things the right way and by right way I mean working tirelessly on the growth of your skill in the craft, having and pursuing a solid strategy to organize your efforts in a sensible and achievable order, and securing the right tools and community for what I call, “support infrastructure,” including always having someone to rehearse with and put you on tape as part of your preperation.
You can’t look at auditions and waiting for results as a chore. They are opportunities given to you where you can prove yourself as an artist and stand out. Making a choice of what to perform is simply not good enough. Each choice has to be considered and explored thoroughly before reaching to a decision. Go into each audition knowing everything about the project and how you can make the best contribution. That’s what professionals do. Be a professional consistently without the expectation of booking, and you will book more than you ever expected.
If you’re in this industry just for the money, validation, attention, or glamour, get out now. It’s not for you. It’s an art form, not a strategy for wealth creation, or stardom. Excellence in the art form itself must be your motivation. People in the industry want to work with the best artists, not those who want success the most. If you want to be extraordinary then you’ll have to work hard for it. You need to believe in your ability to be a master of your craft and actually strive for it.With the right attitude and discipline, no matter who you are, you can be an excellent artist. I’m not here to tell you that everything will be all right, but I am here to tell you that you already have the power inside of yourself to make everything all right. It just comes down to whether you really want to work for it or not.
