I may not have made this clear to many, but this is why I moved to New York. I've been acting since high school, I graduated college with acting, and a year later I found opportunity in New York. Why not LA? Because in my first year as a graduate, working with my dad in LA, I didn't go on a single audition. I didn't even try. I came up with every excuse why I couldn't do it at the moment, why it had to come later, why I needed to do something else for someone else. And I was just about give up the thought of pursuing this career altogether when I got a call from an old friend who started working as an actor during college in New York. We acted in high school together, and she had been telling her manager about me, and offered me an opportunity to audition for her manager. In God's peculiar providence He gave me a hint that maybe I shouldn't give it up after all, and that maybe I need to get away for a little while. The events after that include a lot of reflection, prayer, and seeking to know God's will for my life...and after all that here I am, living in New York, represented by Smith Talent Group, a working actor working on the working part. For now, at least.
I don't think New York is permanent for me, but then again God changes our minds and hearts as times passes so we'll see.Let me correct an earlier sentence: I know I hadn't made it clear to many. To be honest I avoided mentioning it altogether, and only brought it up because I didn't want people to call me one day surprised to find out I moved to the East Coast. Yet I still refrained from mentioning it, mainly because I didn't like telling people I wanted to be an actor. It often leads to small talk that, although sincere, is just kind of hard to deal with; involving comments on the financial instability, the industry superficiality, the strong racial barriers, etc...all the while I have to seem as though I like being reminded of how hard it's gonna be. They might give me advice like start with commercials or do extra work, and then ask me to remember them when I'm famous. I don't know how to put it -- there is no surefire way to build a steady career, and it isn't necessarily about being famous -- so most of the time I just nod my head, smile, and try to change topics.
I don't know why now I find it so much easier to confess this stuff. I think I was just so insecure before. But nearly half a year later I think I'm finally starting to get in the rhythm of this business. I've had a handful of strong auditions, read some insightful books, am studying at a great studio, and am getting a real handle on my career. They tell you it takes a year to get settled into New York, but with hard work and some real motivation I think I settled in a lot more quickly. Again, I'm not planning on this move to be permanent or even really long-term. I want a career in LA but I have to prove two things first: #1) This is what God is calling me to do & #2) I can actually maintain the rigid and enduring discipline it takes to manage an acting career. I'm almost sure of #1, but I'll know better by how soon I achieve #2.
And how am I making that discipline happen? Ah, that is the next post!
