To Get Past a Bad Audition, find another one and nail it!

Bad auditions occur for every actor if he or she has enough of them. It can’t be helped. Just like people all people have good days and bad days. The first few years of acting, and on occasion even recently, I would go to an audition and afterward think about every moment from the time I opened my car door in the parking lot until I opened it to go home again.

When I have done a particularly good job, I find great satisfaction in the details of my performance as well the obvious flow of emotion, movement, etc. However, when I’m just not “on”, I feel haunted by the negative details that I think as an experienced actor I should not have exhibited. The other day I went on a commercial audition and ended up in a chair that required a great deal of cheating to the camera. About half way through, I sent an actor an improve gift that he dropped. We all have at one time or another. Then I tried to help him and ended up giving profile to the camera. Needless-to-say, there was no call-back on that one.

I thought I’d left the negative feelings from the audition behind me, but then I woke up the next morning having relived the mistakes multiple times during the night. It felt like Taye Diggs in his new television series where he relives the worst day of his life every episode. Fortunately for me, it was a 30 second audition and not nearly the worst of my life.


So, that day I determined to find another audition. Lucky me, I had a solid general audition in a casting direct workshop for Bonita Doneen who is currently working with April Webster Casting. I felt so much better. The audition and the dialogue between Bonita and us actors helped me remember that I’m a decent actor looking for the right fit. That’s what we are doing. We're looking for that next job, the next right fit!

So, the bottom line is to get past one audition, find another one and nail it! You'll be glad you did.

Sj's picture for the blog profile

To fellow bloggers and friends. You have to drop a picture in a post or be able to access it somewhere on the web to be able to put it in your blog profile. So, that's what this post is for. Thanks for taking a look! SJ

Take Breaks So You Can Go the Distance without Stressing Out

I took a much-needed 4 day-3 night trip to Shadow Springs last Thursday to Sunday. The picture of the view from our window is in this blog. It was beautiful! Most of the villas overlook the golf course and water. We’d originally gone thinking we’d play golf and of course take the tour for which they lured us to Shadow Springs, but there were so many things to see and do, so we walked their 2-mile walking path, hung out by the pool, and even shot some hoops. That’s me in the green on a Sunday morning right after coffee and before makeup and hair. Who does make-up and hair and then shoots hoops? LOL! Ok when I was younger, I did.

It was one of the best trips I ever took, because it was 2 hours east of home, required very little planning, and the villa was spacious, like a full apartment. And everything was new! So, it was the perfect time to clear my mind and just relax.

A lot of us give relaxation and vegging lip service, but the truth is it revitalizes our spirits and inspires our creativity. I have a friend who has been an advertising creative for 15 years and he makes vegging a part of his weekly routine. Sometimes, I ask him, ”So, what do you do last night?” And he sometimes says, “Nothing.” He really means it. He explained to me that it’s part of his creativity to really let his mind rest.

You hear on the news about how some celebrity had a nervous breakdown or how they ended up on drugs or how an alcoholic binge that got them in to a fight or a shouting match. I wonder if they took occasional down time and relaxation moments if it would lift the pressures from them and avoid or at least reduce their stress episodes.

If you’re an actor, take time to rest. Otherwise, you’ll burn out, have stress episodes, or get sick. No one can move ahead non-stop without penalty. In fact, I think some talented actors quit because they couldn’t pace themselves. We act for a lifetime if we’re lucky enough, and the road to making a modest living can be a long and arduous one, with sacrifices and choices that others do not have to make. Even successful actors need to take time to rest. The work is more of the same that you’re already doing at a different level. So, I highly recommend taking time for you. It doesn’t have to be a trip to Shadow Ridge or Santa Fe, although I highly recommend both at least once. It can be a trip to one of the local parks for which California is well-known or Central Park if you’re in New York City or it can be a trip to your apartment living room with candles and a windows open for a nice breeze and your favorite music keeping you company. In this business, tenacity and persistence are keys to success. So, take time for you so you can go the distance.