The Acting Business Boot Camp Podcast
Episode 245: Wisdom & Inspiration
Today, I will read you something that a listener sent me, so thank you, Margaret.
I absolutely love this, and I'm going to read it just as it was presented to me because I think it's so inspirational about not giving up and also just it's about tenacity.
"Hi, Peter. I ran across this post on Twitter and had to share some good points. Didn't know any of this about the film Rocky. In 1975, Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay for Rocky. He shopped the script to every producer and studio in Hollywood but was repeatedly rejected.
Eventually, one production company, Chartoff-Winkler Productions, expressed interest, but there was one condition…
They didn't want Stallone to play Rocky. They wanted a "more marketable actor" for the leading role.
In fact, they were so desperate for Stallone to *not* play Rocky that they kept offering him increasing large sums of money to go away.
"It went up to $360,000," Stallone said, "to go away to get off my lawn, boy."
Stallo...
Episode 244: Feelings & Surrender
Today we're going to talk about a humbling subject: feelings and surrender.
It encourages us to suppress our egos just enough. If you can, think of that game of limbo to get under the bar.
Can you suppress your ego enough to get to the lesson that the universe is trying to teach you on the other side?
And I think that that is so interesting as an actor because I always feel like a character is teaching me, but for the character to teach me, I need to suppress who I am a little bit. See what they are saying, and so allowing that character to come to me instead of putting myself on that character.
The idea of that character allowing and suppressing that ego just enough so that that character can speak through you so that you can truly be a vessel for the character.
The Language Of Letting Go
"Surrendering is a highly personal and spiritual experience."
And I just mentioned that because I think that surrendering to the universe is, is a very personal thing.
Some people get on t...
Episode 242: Letting Go of Chaos in Chaotic Times
I have a choice. I can get involved with the turmoil and, you know, continue to make it more miserable for others and for myself. Or I can stand for peace and reason and strength within myself.
It's really about keeping the focus on yourself during the chaotic times, especially when there's so much chaos around us right now.
"Letting go of chaos. No good work comes from unrest. Unrest, fear, anger, or sadness may motivate us. These feelings are sometimes intended to compel action. But our best work emerges after these feelings have been replaced by peace."
When I am too hot in my response or my reaction, I'm just getting into the problem and trying to control it.
A response is a reaction with a pause and a thought behind it. And really, what I'm talking about there is when I have given myself a cushion of peace.
Because I don't do my best thinking, I don't make my best choices when deeply embroiled in fear, anger, sadness, or some other...
Episode 241: Inspiration from Martha Graham
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I take pride in this podcast that I just let you see me for who I am, a flawed human being.
Cause that's what artists and characters are.
I try to use these little mistakes I make as teaching tools on how to be kinder to ourselves.
"I confess that I had a burning desire to be excellent but no faith that I could be. Martha said to me very quietly, there is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action.
And because there is only you. And because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly to keep the channel open.
You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urg...
Episode 240: Scarcity Thinking Around the Strike(s)
I'm just going to talk about scarcity.
What is scarcity thinking?
It's not enough. There's not enough.
There isn't enough work out there.
There isn't any work out there.
Jealousy is a type of scarcity thinking because it is not acknowledging that there is enough for everyone.
And this kind of thinking as an actor really only hurts you.
The phrase is, you take the poison and wait for somebody else to die.
And, you know, it's the same thing with scarcity thinking.
First of all, it's not true. Scarcity thinking is based in your ego thought. It's not based in universal thought. And I always talk about kind of like turning your internal dial to universe as opposed to ego.
The thing about me and my ego is that I know my ego.
Even though you think by the word ego, it would want everything good for me. I have learned over many years of studying this work and practicing it that it's actually quite the opposite.
If I need to choose betw...
Episode 239: It's Time to Celebrate YOU
Today we are going to talk about celebrating.
"Take time to celebrate."
Now the funny thing is that I rarely take time to celebrate, and I need to keep doing it more and more and more because it is in the times of celebration, and it's in our resting times that we are getting prepared to do and accomplish more.
But it's so important to reward ourselves. It's one of the things I talk about in time management to reward ourselves for all our hard work.
"Celebrate your successes, your growth, your accomplishments. Celebrate you. And who you are because through celebration, we are truly loving the self. We are truly celebrating who we are."
And isn't that what we are putting out to the business? We want to put out, "Hey, I've got this great product. It's me!"
I mean, isn't that what it's all about? It's show business. Let me show you me.
It's important to have joy.
"For too long, we have been too hard on ourselves. Others have spilled...
Episode 237: Letting the Past Hold You Back
Letting the Past Hold You Back.
"Many people come to me and say they cannot enjoy today because of something that happened in the past.
Because they did not do something or do it in a certain way in the past, they cannot live a full life today. Because they no longer have something they had in the past they cannot enjoy today. Because they were hurt in the past, they will not accept love now. Because something unpleasant happened when they did something once, they are sure it will happen again today. Because they once did something that they are sorry for, they are sure there are bad people around them forever. Because once someone did something to them, it is now all that other person's fault their life is not where they want it to be today. Because they became angry over a situation in the past, they will hold on to that self, self-righteousness. Because of some very old experience where they were treated badly, they will never forgive and forget."
Ways ...
Episode 235: Letting Go of What We Want as an Actor
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"It is important to identify what we want and what we need, but where does this concept leave us? Well, generally, what it leaves us with is a large but clearly identified package of currently unmet wants and needs, but we've taken the risk to stop denying and to start accepting what we want and need.
But the problem is now that the want or the need hangs there unmet. This can be frustrating. Painful, annoying, and sometimes obsession producing."
After identifying our needs, there is a next step in getting our wants and needs met. The next step is letting go of our wants and needs after we have painstakingly identified what they are and the steps to achieve them.
We let go. We give them up on a mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical level. It's not always easy to get to this place, but this is usually where we need to go."
I'm not talking here about giving up as an actor and giving up your dr
...Episode 234: Keeping at it as an Actor
Keeping at it as an actor.
For me, that means continuing to practice healthy habits as an actor, meaning a devotion to training, business skills, to core work, which is the work on yourself.
We need to work on these things with diligence, effort, and repeated practice.
But every time we go just a little bit out of our comfort zone, that's where we get stronger, and that's where our new boundaries end.
We can practice our acting training, do business skills, and work on ourselves even when we don't quote-unquote feel like it.
And again, I would say especially then, because if we don't feel we are worth it and we do it anyway, we are acting our way into right thinking and sending a very powerful message to not only to ourselves, but to the universe as well.
We can act as if it is worth it. We can act as if we are worth it, but we need to do it and do it, and do it, and do it, and do it day after day, year after year.
It's unreasonable to expect this a hundred percent commi...
Episode 233: Actors Who Try to "Make" It Happen
Today I'm going to talk about making it happen or if you're me forcing it to happen.
"Stop trying so hard to make it happen.
Stop doing so much. If doing so much is wearing you out or not achieving the desired results, stop thinking so much and so hard about it.
Stop worrying so much about it. Stop trying to force, manipulate, coerce, or make it happen."
Now around an acting career, it feels like so much is out of our control, so I get it. The actor mentality is, well, I'm going to make it happen. But again, it's out of our control.
"Stop doing so much if doing so much is wearing you out or not achieving the desired results."
Recording a podcast, I need number eight, nine, and ten energy, and I was operating at four, so it wasn't working.
Also, there's obsession. Oh, obsession. You know, one of the things that I used to suffer terribly from was that my thinking was unbearable because I would just obsess about wanting to be a working actor or a fa...
