Today, I'm asking you to take a stand for love. Love of your lover, your family, your friends, your pets (this is the most devoted love of all -- hi Stella and Cas!), and of course, love of "the craft." No, not that amazing '90's film about high school witches (though I do love that too) -- but the craft being whatever (art) form that turns you on. You know, that thing you'd spend hours upon hours, years upon years, decades upon decades perfecting and learning and doing and being a life-long student of?
Sometimes, I wonder -- what is it exactly that keeps me going? What is the guiding force that tells me it's a good idea to face the 101 to Burbank at 4:30 pm to make it to an audition? Why would I rather spend $100 on printing headshots than on groceries? I guess fried headshots could be tasty if push comes to shove. Too carb-y? Ok fine. Boiled headshots. Resume on the side please. Why would I study abroad in Russia DURING THE WINTER? Why do I find Chekhov more interesting than the Super Bowl? (Side note -- is it one or two words? "Superbowl" or "Super Bowl?" Someone clear this up for me!).
It's not just the voices in my head that egg me on -- it's LOVE. I confess it here, loud and clear -- I love performing, writing, singing, dancing, and just being creative. That may sound trite but this IS a blog about acting so bear with it, k? (If a blog doesn't have a theme it reminds me of Live Journal).
I keep going for the moments when I get to do what I love, even if the moment is fleeting and takes a lot of time and effort to arrive at, both literally and figuratively. It's the same reason I majored in Anthropology and not "pre-business/law/med/communications/something more useful and marketable that isn't offered at an elite liberal arts college" -- though my alma mater, I'm proud to say, would happily offer a "Hieroglyphics Studies" major before any of the aforementioned ones. I LOVE Anthropology, and I'm thrilled that I got to spend four years studying people.
Now, I don't want to speak for everyone, but I've noticed that the problem a lot of us acting folk run into (or anyone pursuing a goal that is for all intents and purposes, unattainable) is focusing too hard on this one type of love, i.e. wanting to succeed professionally so badly that we may seem desperate. This, readers (number of which I can count on one hand or less) is where the other facets of love come in. I'll repeat them now: love of your bf/gf/husband/wife (oh hey Justin!!), your family, your friends, your pets, et. al. If you surround yourself with their love, and let them know that they are just as important if not more than your love of "the craft," it will serve you well. In fact, it hasn't been scientifically proven (ew, science!), but something tells me it will actually improve your craft. Plus, don't drop your other hobbies and interests to "focus" on your craft more dutifully! These things (yoga, cooking, hiking, shopping, facebook stalking, other distractions) make you happy, after all, am I right? Love of leisure will make your working hours more meaningful, I promise (for more on this, contact me to read my senior thesis). Plus, if you're "in the biz," it is your homework to watch TV and movies and go see good theatre to understand the tone and nuances of today's performance world. I'm serious. That is your homework. Would I not be the coolest teacher ever?
Alright, enough fire and brimstone. Eat your chocolate, smell your roses, or wear all black and listen to heavy metal -- hey, I won't judge how you celebrate this completely made-up holiday! I'll leave you with my reel to check out. It's finally finished! I've been working on some cool projects both pre and post 2012 that I will share whenever/if ever possible.
Untitled from Gilli Messer on Vimeo.
