About six weeks ago, I sat at a Starbucks in Santa Monica talking with a talent manager. (I know. #soLA, right?)
Until that point in time, I hadn't felt the pressing need to blog, because this "Christian Actor" hasn't been doing much acting.
Talk about frustrating.
To catch everyone up on my life since late February, I've joined the worship team at church (what a privilege and a blessing), begun attending a cold-reading workshop for actors and writers (super artsy), taken some casting director workshops, visited the east coast for my sister's college graduation, had an overall boring summer in which I took no vacations because I had no money, moved into a way cooler apartment, attended the wedding of my former roommate (thus the reason for needing to move into a way cooler apartment), won free Chick-fil-A for a year, and I've done a little laundry. Not necessarily in that order.
Getting to the point: it's sadly not too difficult to condense 270 days of my life into a paragraph.
For the most part, 2011 has largely felt like 2010 all over again... except this time, I'm coming up on *two* years out of college.
And all the unanswered questions
and frustrating feelings
and circumstances still not understood
that I *thought* would be resolved -- even if just a little bit --
require an exponentially growing amount of faith in the second year.
Now, if we're being practical, a large part of the reason that this year has felt like a fail is because my agent sucks. (I know a lot of actors say this or something similar, but my agency has got me a grand total of 2 auditions this year. Yeah......)
Dear agent: You're fired.
But of course, one cannot just go hire someone new. I've been in the process of finding new representation. I sent out 60-something postcards (have yet to hear back on those) ...and randomly ended up landing a meeting with this talent manager at Starbucks.
He told me A) that if I ever want auditions for any kind of half-hour comedy, I need some recognizable LA-based standup/improv/sketch training. USC is a great school, but won't cut it with the average casting director. He also told me B) that I'm in nowhere near good enough shape for television.
What?!
He said actors are losing jobs to underwear models, especially on shows and networks marketed to the young crowds. He said, "All the actors on those shows are ripped and shirtless in half their scenes. You're young. There's no reason you shouldn't have a 6-pack."
Youch.
Hard to hear. But okay. There's some truth in what he said, harsh as it was. I've never felt such real pressure to look a certain way in this industry.
You will be criticized often. When it is off base, ignore it. When the criticism rings true, use it to improve what you do. Either way keep moving toward your cause.
So you know what? I started taking improv classes. And I'm hittin the gym like a manimal. Drinkin my protein. Being one of those guys.
Cuz if it makes me more capable of moving toward the cause within me, then it's valuable progress.
Take that, 2010.
A mere mortal
From the City of Angels
Livin his dream
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