find a way to support yourself
You made the decision to move to a new place, you committed to the actual plan, and now you're making your way on a new life path. Welcome to adulthood. You're an independent person now, and as an independent person, it's your job to figure out how to make a living to fuel your passion. Making a living creating art is the dream, but it’s not an easy road to make into a reality. I’ve been very fortunate that in my third year in Los Angeles I’ve been finding ways to put a roof over my head via acting and writing. It’s been a long road to get to this point, though, and it’s still a long road ahead to get where I, ultimately, want to be in the future version of myself.
Acting, like any other career, has its own expenses. In my previous post, I talked about committing to your decision to follow your own path, but commitment doesn’t stop because you’ve reached a destination. Life is about constant movement and growth, so although I made it to LA, it was just a small part of the bigger picture. The path to finding my apartment was a really fun and interesting one, but now that I had an apartment, I had to find a way to pay for it. Making an adult decision requires adult responsibilities, so I found a job my first couple years in Los Angeles as a nanny to an amazing family.
Looking back, nannying was not the most flexible job in the world, but it gave me something else I needed first before I could really consider Los Angeles my “home.” I moved to LA because I wanted more for my life, and nannying gave me a family on the West Coast (whom I still can reach out to and lean on to this day). It also provided me a lot of life experience when teaching the kids I nannied (reinforcing my own beliefs that life is a beautiful, amazing journey), strong roots while I navigated the tricky path of finding an acting community in which I felt the most growth, and the funds required to put a roof over my head and food on my table while trying different options and paying for different classes. It was hard work in its own right, and I don’t regret it for a single second. Everything I’ve experienced has brought me to where I am today, and working with the kids I nannied and teaching them about life fed my soul and taught me a lot about myself. I’m thankful for all the amazing opportunities it provided me to connect and bond with such a beautiful group of people - both young and not-as-young.
So you may be asking yourself ‘if I don’t nanny, what do I do?’ Well the nice thing about the world we live in is that there are many small businesses, as well as larger corporations, popping up in all cities. You may have to swallow your pride and work a job you don’t want to work in order to put a roof over your head, but keep in mind that if you’re feeling like you’re too good for a minimum wage job or that you shouldn’t have to nanny or make someone a latté or drive for a ride-sharing service, you need to get your ego in check. If you are serious about your passion, you need to starve your ego and feed your soul. Whatever the alternative job is that you end up working, as long as you don’t lose sight of your long-term goal, it will remain an alternative job - or a means to an end. And you will also use those funds you make from your part-time job to pay for your apartment in LA (or wherever you reside) and your acting classes.
Starve your ego and feed your soul. That voice telling you “you’re too good to drive for Uber” or “you shouldn’t have to make this guy a nonfat soy caramel latte” is your ego talking. Anyone you see who has achieved success has had to swallow his/her pride many times in order to achieve that success.
Keep in mind that you are not too good to do anything, especially when you're first starting out. We all have moments of weakness where we might feel that way, so if you’re feeling like you’re above something or like you’re better than someone else, check yourself and your ego, change your perspective, and be thankful you have a way to provide for yourself while you work towards your dreams and goals. One day, after a lot of hard work and expressions of gratitude, you'll find yourself working on the same film and television sets as many of the other actors and actresses you respect - all of whom had to work a job they didn't want at some point in their careers.
So now that you’ve found a way to provide for yourself as an independent human being (good job! believe it or not, there are people older than you who are totally dependent on their parents to fund, motivate, and guide their careers), how do you attack a career in acting? In my next post, I’ll give some insight into different acting classes I took and how my path led me to each one, and how they, in turn, have led me to becoming a paid actress!
But now, it's time for the weekend! Happy Friday! Have an amazing, relaxing weekend. Keep working on your goals, and don't neglect your soul! Get outside! Read a book! Sing along to some music! Do something to better yourself! And as always, if you have any pressing questions or if you want to discuss something further, feel free to subscribe below or reach out to me on the “contact” page. I’m here for you!