7 Tips To Achieve Your Acting Goals
Many actors set goals for themselves, but few achieve them. This article offers 7 tips that will help you achieve your acting goals.
1. Set realistic goals. The first step in achieving your acting goals is to make sure they are realistic. It is too easy to get carried away with our dreams and set ourselves up for disappointment. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t dream big; it just means you need to make sure that your goal is possible given where you are right now as an actor (and not where you want to be). For example, if you have never been on a movie set before and don’t know anyone who works in the film industry, it might not be a good idea to make your goal getting a lead role in a feature film this year. You might want to aim lower at first and work towards getting a background role or extra work on a movie set so that you can gain experience and start making some contacts in the industry. Once you have achieved that goal, you can start working towards bigger ones like getting an agent or auditioning for speaking roles. Remember: no one gets to be Tom Cruise overnight, but if he had started out with the goal of being
7 Tips To Achieve Your Acting Goals
Exclusive: Acting coach, former agent and author of the book ACTING: Make It Your Business – How to Avoid Mistakes and Achieve Success as a Working Actor, D. W. Brown shares his 7 tips to achieve your acting goals.
I’ve been fortunate to have worked in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years. I’ve seen a lot of actors come and go, but the ones who have enjoyed careers are the ones who had a plan, knew what they wanted out of their career and took action to make it happen.
Here are 7 tips on how you can achieve your acting goals:
1. Write down your goals.
Writing down your goals will give you a plan and provide accountability for yourself.
2. Break down your goals into smaller achievable tasks.
The bigger the goal is, the harder it is to achieve it. An actor’s career is long term so break down the big picture into smaller achievable tasks that you can do today or this week. For example, if one of your goals is to get an acting agent then break it down into smaller achievable tasks such as submitting yourself on casting sites, asking fellow actors if they know any agents looking for new talent, go to showcase events etc
Having a vision is the first step to achieving your acting goals. Where would you like to see yourself in six months, one year, five years? How about ten years? Do you want to be directing after ten years or are you still trying to make it as an actor?
Below are a few tips on how to achieve your acting goals.
1. FOCUS ON YOUR CURRENT GOALS: Don’t let your mind wander and focus on what you want at this very moment. You can stress over how long it will take you to achieve your long term goals later, but for now just focus on what is in front of you.
2. DON’T LOOK BACK: Looking back at past mistakes and failures will only hold you back from achieving your dreams. The amount of time it takes for every actor is different so don’t compare yourself to anyone else and instead focus on what’s ahead of you.
3. TAKE ACTION: Start taking actionable steps towards achieving your goals. If the goal is to book a commercial then start thinking of agents that represent commercial actors and email them with your headshot and resume! Start taking actionable steps towards acting and stop sitting around worrying about why it hasn’t happened yet.
4. TAKE A
Are you ready to achieve your acting goals in the new year? The holidays are over, so now it is time to focus on your acting career. The new year is the perfect time to set new goals and a direction for your acting career.
Here are seven tips to help you reach your acting goals.
1. Make a Plan. A goal without a plan is just a wish. You need to make a plan of action that will help you take steps towards achieving your goal every day. Your plan should be very detailed and include both short-term and long-term steps that will help you reach your goal.
2. Be Specific & Realistic. Any goal can be broken down into smaller steps that make it more attainable. When setting your goals, think about what the first step will be for each one, then the next one after that, and so on until you have reached your goal. For example, if you want to get an agent, start with researching which agencies you would like to approach, then do research on what those agencies are looking for in their talent, then put together your marketing package and prepare for auditions or interviews with them, etc.
3. Visualize Your Success! It is important to visualize yourself reaching your goals because
I’m going to give it to you straight: Acting is one of the hardest career paths to follow. It’s not just a matter of memorizing lines and saying them on cue. There is so much more to acting than most people think.
As an actor, you need to learn how to take direction, as well as how to give it. You need to know your lines, but you also need to be able to improvise when necessary. Acting classes are one way for an aspiring actor to get started, but even just watching movies can help you learn the craft. I learned from both, but my lessons didn’t stop there. I’ve been in the business for decades and have seen a lot of talented actors come and go because they gave up on their dreams too early. Thankfully, I’ve found some simple ways for actors of all ages and skill levels improve their chances of success. These seven tips will help you achieve your acting goals:
1) Take every role seriously – no matter how small it may be.
2) Dress appropriately for auditions: This means wearing what is appropriate for the role you are auditioning for. For example, if you’re auditioning for a punk rock band member dressed in dark clothing and lots of tattoos, do not
1. Write down your goals.
When you write down your goals, it gives you a focus, a direction and a commitment to achieving them. Writing is powerful because you are creating an action plan for your future. When you write something down, it’s no longer a dream or wish, but a real action plan with the power to transform into reality.
2. Aim high and be 100% focused on achieving your goals.
When you aim high and set yourself difficult goals that stretch you, that’s when you make positive changes in your life. By aiming low, not only are you cheating yourself but you may end up ‘settling’ for something that is less than what you’re capable of achieving. If your goal is to be the best actor in the world, then don’t settle for being 2nd best or 3rd best or even 10th best. Be 100% committed to achieving your goal and have confidence in yourself that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
3. Visualize achieving your goals every day.
To get where you want to go, imagine yourself in the position of having achieved your goal and picture how this will feel for you by creating a clear mental image in your mind of what it would be like to have
There are a lot of aspiring actors out there who, luckily for them, know exactly what they want to do. The only problem is that they don’t know how to get there.
I see many actors who are all over the place. They don’t have any direction and are allowing themselves to be led by others. Not having any goals or a plan of action leaves you very vulnerable to those who can take advantage of you (and trust me, there are a lot of people in Hollywood that will).
If you don’t believe me, check out this story that I recently heard from a friend of mine…
My friend is an up-and-coming actor who recently finished up a movie where he had a supporting role. Let’s call him Steve (it isn’t really his name, but it avoids the need for changing pronouns and makes this easier to read).
Steve was thrilled when he got this part because he had been told by the director that there would be some good exposure for him. However, when it came time for distribution the director gave Steve’s agent an ultimatum: either pay $25,000 to promote Steve’s role in the movie and get into some festivals or don’t promote his role at all.
