Things are about to change
I got a call from my acting coach tonight and, apparently, he’s heading out to L.A. for the next three months. I didn’t get all the details, but it’s obvious that my weekly lesson will be sporadic at best and non-existent at worst. In all, I think it’s great news because I’m convinced he’ll be very successful in that market and I’m excited to see where this move will take his career.
Of course, I’ve already started thinking about what this means for me and my preparation (always lookin’ out for good ol’ #1, I guess), but I really have no idea what’s gonna’ happen. Fortunately, I know I’ll be keeping in touch with my coach and he’ll be able to help guide me and keep me moving in the right direction. I feel like this is a good time for this transition because we had gotten to a point where I felt I was understanding the fundamentals and things were about to shift anyway. We were beginning to talk about getting an agent and starting to actually work in the business rather than only learning about it. Though I’m sure this will be difficult, I know this is probably the best time for me to make this particular transition.
The thing that scares me most is my fear of the unknown. When I’m trying new things (like, say, performing a monologue in front of a bunch of strangers or shopping my headshot and resume around to local agencies), I often allow my fear to slow me down and force me to procrastinate. I don’t know why I allow this to happen because, almost inevitably, I try whatever this new thing is and I succeed without much hardship. I am confident this will be similar (I have to be confident or I’ll be eaten alive by this business), but I hope I can bypass the fear-and-procrastination phase of this new thing.
Mostly, I just have to realize that I’ve been well prepared for this market and I simply have to ante up and play. I know what I need to do and, especially after my last lesson (for a while) on Thursday, I’ll have a time-line for the next few months. Somehow, I have to run headlong into this new phase and just continue moving forward. Time is very precious right now and I can’t afford to waste any.
One other very positive thing about my coach going to L.A. is that I feel like he’ll be able to give me very specific information on the market and the business out there right now, real time. I still plan on moving out there (probably within a year) and it’ll be great to have someone who’s gone ahead of me to tell me what to expect and help me avoid pitfalls and silly mistakes. Though such an abrupt and unexpected transition makes me nervous, I can’t help but think this must be a blessing in disguise. The more I think about it, the more this seems like a very positive thing. And, coming from a dude who ain’t exactly the consummate optimist, that’s pretty comforting.