I was sitting staring at my computer, looking at the dark blue background of an unwritten blog post. Staring into the void is always fun. All these blog ideas kept popping up and I would bat them away as quickly as they came:
- how to start writing a solo show (nope - too involved for my current brain space)
- what to do when you are feeling uninspired (nope - I couldn't think of anything beyond the usual "get outside", "go drink a glass of water" and since I am currently doing neither of those things to help with my lack of inspiration, it felt a little hypocritical)
- ...
That was it.*
My eyes were glazed over and I was looking out the window wondering if it was going to rain. I was desperately wanting a distraction and I realised I hadn't opened my advent calendar yet. I sort of wish we could have advent calenders all year round. A little gift each day. It really does cheer me up and brighten my mood. Something to do every day. And then from the depths of my brain, an idea emerged. A blog idea. I thought I would share with you the best bit of advice I have ever received when it comes to this career. By "this career", I mean the creative things - for me that's acting. But it could be acting, writing, producing - whatever floats your boat. Although, now that I think about it, this could be applied to anyone pursuing the passion in their lives.
Do something every day.
That's it. Do something every day. Now at first this can sound overwhelming. EVERY DAY?! Excuse me?! But it can be small, it can be big, it can be whatever you make it. Some days this might mean sitting down and writing a couple of scenes from that new play, or getting out your self-tape equipment, learning a monologue, performing it, calling a friend to work on a scene. ANYTHING. It might be an audition, or a call with your agent. It can also be small: one email that you've been meaning to send, reading an article about approaching shakespeare, reading a chapter of "The Actor and The Target" that's been sitting on your shelf getting dusty while you stare at it from your bed.
It can be tiny. It can take two minutes. It can be inspired and take the whole day. It doesn't matter. Both of these will happen. Both are equally valuable. The key thing is. Every day. Make it a habit. Go after your passion every day. Sometimes even sending that one email can be hard. You can do it. I believe in you. And yes, this blog post counts as mine for today. Tomorrow...well, we'll see.
*If you would like to hear about either of these topics, do let me know. I think on a less grey day I would enjoy writing about them.