Understand, Accept and Believe

I had a nice long and interesting phone conversation with one of the my friends whom I've known the longest here in NYC. She was my choreographer for the first full play my theatre company did after I became the President of it in 2004 AND she is my web designer as well...see www.tamsinsilver.com

Anyhoo...we had a nice chat about her upcoming wedding, her past year in theater (both training & performing) and there was something I told her that she agreed with that I thought I'd like to impart to you.

Here goes...

If you are going to move to NYC or LA to be in show biz, be it stage or film or TV, you MUST come to terms with TWO things deep down in your soul.

They are:

#1. Understand deep down in your being that you could very likely NOT make it in the biz; as in becoming famous. Know it. Accept it. Be OK with it. Accept that the chances of you becoming famous is near close to an impossibility. Know that as long as you are doing what you love, if you don't become famous it is okay and you totally accept the very likelyhood that this is a STRONG possibility you wont be.

#2. Believe without a doubt, deep down in your being, that you WILL make it. Be willing to see your talent for what it is...see its weaknesses and strengths...and jump on the bandwagon with 110% of your being and hold on tight. Work on your weaknesses and sell your strengths. Believe you will be the best you can be and you will make it to the level that makes you happy.

You're thinking..."but these are so opposite of each other...how can you want me to believe I'm going to make it yet believe I won't?"

Ah...it's tricky, no? It's more "Believe you'll make it but accept you won't"...not believe you won't. Can you see what I mean yet?

You may have been acting under the notion that all you needed to do was focus on believing you WILL make the big time. I disagree. I think you need to grasp BOTH concepts fully and accept them in your heart. The reason is that if you always do things that make you happy, be they fame building or not, you too will be happy.

An actor's name pops to mind here as I write...he refused to take movies that were set to be "blockbusters". He chose to do character pieces that made him happy to work on. Johnny Depp is still a household name yet he has a much better reputation as a performer, yes?

Anyhoo...

I think it's extremely important that we master BOTH of these concepts so we too can be happy with what we do as artists. You may never become a household name. Be okay with that...but bust your ass to be the best artist you can be for YOU. This way you'll never be a failure...ever. :)

Fame does not = happiness...(for an example please type "Mel Gibson recording" into your internet browser)

BTW...this concept goes for writing too. Know you're going to be published and that its only a matter of time...but also, believe you won't be. Accept it and be okay with it. Write because you love it. Write to make you happy. And you know what? Chances are you'll be happy...and possibly make others happy as well.

All right then. I'm done with my deep thoughts for the day.

So...if you're one to comment I'd LOVE to hear them. Please...tell me what this makes you think/feel.

That's all for now folks!

Tamsin out! :) xo

Better to write for yourself and have no public,
than to write for the public and have no self. -Cyril Connolly