I recently started a longish running job, and overwhelmed at being at full time work again, I complained to my agent at how busy I had suddenly become and how I really needed time off to do 'normal civilian' activities, you know, the boring life maintenance things that celebrities have minions to take care of. Yes, I have given myself a slap since for being so ungrateful and now I am fully on board with the whole work thing, and loving it. (It's amazing how quickly you forget right?)
She did, however, bring up a very good point regarding my chosen lifestyle, that it is a 'famine or a feast'. And it really is. I have been flown off at short notice to shoot on locations for months on end, and landed career changing jobs so soon before shooting that I cannot believe they leave casting such roles until so late in the day. But the point that I realised on this particular call to my agent extraordinaire was that you should never expect to be free indefinitely. For two main reasons:
I now have a backlog of things I should have taken care of before. Not because I didn't believe I wouldn't work again, but I was still knackered from the last one and what can I say, I default to lazy when civilian activities include boilers, GP appointments, car maintenance, bank visits... hash tag boreoff.
And now I'm swamped; I don't have time to go to the doctors, so I might die (drama queen, yes, I am an actress), and I can't take time off to have my boiler serviced so I'm looking forward to its imminent breakdown (thank god it's Spring soon, or is it now? Fuck knows what with this random Island of UK weather).
Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. This is not just sound acting advice, it's good general life practice. Don't wait until tomorrow to write that email. Don't wait until next week to call your friend. Don't wait to tell someone you love them. Sorry kids but tomorrow is not guaranteed. Just assume that you only have now.
What are you waiting for?
She did, however, bring up a very good point regarding my chosen lifestyle, that it is a 'famine or a feast'. And it really is. I have been flown off at short notice to shoot on locations for months on end, and landed career changing jobs so soon before shooting that I cannot believe they leave casting such roles until so late in the day. But the point that I realised on this particular call to my agent extraordinaire was that you should never expect to be free indefinitely. For two main reasons:
- If you think you will have loads of free time coming up because there are no work prospects on the horizon, then you will exude this L-oser impression in your general being. This kinda sucks when you go into an audition room.
- The Law of Sod: if you keep putting something off, the one time you really need to do it, will be the time you have an audition, or actually book a job.
I now have a backlog of things I should have taken care of before. Not because I didn't believe I wouldn't work again, but I was still knackered from the last one and what can I say, I default to lazy when civilian activities include boilers, GP appointments, car maintenance, bank visits... hash tag boreoff.
And now I'm swamped; I don't have time to go to the doctors, so I might die (drama queen, yes, I am an actress), and I can't take time off to have my boiler serviced so I'm looking forward to its imminent breakdown (thank god it's Spring soon, or is it now? Fuck knows what with this random Island of UK weather).
Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. This is not just sound acting advice, it's good general life practice. Don't wait until tomorrow to write that email. Don't wait until next week to call your friend. Don't wait to tell someone you love them. Sorry kids but tomorrow is not guaranteed. Just assume that you only have now.
What are you waiting for?