#TechniqueTuesday
Setting the Stage for Success: A Guide to Effective Goal Setting for Actors
Welcome to 2024! It’s January and if you haven’t made your New Year’s Resolutions—there’s no time like the present. And even if you have, maybe you’d like to reassess now that it’s mid-month and that ambitious list you made on New Year’s Eve is looking a little daunting. But first let’s talk about the importance of goals—especially for actors.
Goals should be achievable, not overwhelming. They are most helpful if they guide us toward our success, not stop us in our tracks. And if we can make them simple enough, meaningful enough and achievable, we’ll be able to stick with them and create more success.
My favorite way to set goals is to use the Liechty Acting Technique with them. What? You can apply acting technique to goals? Yes! In acting our characters want something. And then there is an obstacle in their way and then they use tactics to work against that obstacle to get what they want.
You can do the same thing with goals.
Here’s how:
Figure out what you want. What you really want (your objective, just like your character). Let’s get specific. Say you’d really like to snag a great agent this year. So that’s your goal, your objective. Now look at what’s in the way of that. 1. You’re not sure how to get one. 2. You’re not sure if you have the materials/skills etc. to attract one. These are your obstacles.
Break down each of these obstacles and figure out what tactics you can use to overcome them.
Goal: Get an agent
Obstacle One: Not sure how to get one.
Possible Tactics:
1. Do research on how to find an agent
2. Ask all your actor friends how they got their agents
3. If you don’t have actor friends who have agents make friends with some that do
4. Join a well-connected acting class where you know agented actors attend and get to know them
Obstacle Two: Not sure if your materials/skills are good enough.
Possible Tactics:
1. Find out the industry standard for actors’ packages—what are people putting together to present to agents? How many clips? What kind of headshots? What kind of “calling card” —Actors Access accounts, LinkTree, website, etc.
2. Maybe take an acting business class to help you sort all of this
3. Figure out your types so you can get great headshots/perfect clips
4. Look at working actors—do your acting skills match up to them? If not take an acting class
Wow! OK. Look at all the actions you can take toward your goal.
But let’s not get overwhelmed, because that can just make things backfire.
I suggest you pick one or two tactics from each obstacle to start working on them. Pick the ones that seem most interesting to you.
So, for that first obstacle perhaps you’ll start with asking all your actor friends how they got their agents. OR jumping into that well connected acting class.
For your second obstacle maybe you’ll pick the tactic of figuring out your types—there’s tons of suggestions how to do that/google forms you can send out to friends and social media for feedback. (In fact, here’s something you could check out right now— https://bonniegillespie.com/your-castable-brand-and-type-survey/ – Bonnie’s a friend of mine)
Alright now you’ve got some tactics you can work on to get your goal!
The next thing is staying motivated.
The best thing for that is to connect to WHY you want to achieve this goal in the first place. Nurturing your why, strengthening it is super important AND the best way to do that is to LISTEN TO IT!
Yes, take time to sit with why you want to achieve your goal. That is your fuel. If you want to get an agent, ask yourself why. Because you want to act? Because your passion to act is so strong that you’ll burst if you don’t? Because you’ll have regrets for the rest of your life if you don’t try.
Sit with these. Do some meditation. Daydream. Visualize yourself fulfilling your desires to act. Let yourself generate the feelings that motivate you and inspire you. You will need those positive feelings to fill your sails and keep you moving. Life can get difficult, obstacles can bite back, you’ll need all the positive motivation you can find. So, make sure you lean into feeding your why. In fact, you can use that as one of your tactics to achieve your goal—make a deal with yourself that at least once a week, or every several days, or whatever the time amount you need you’ll take time to keep yourself inspired by nurturing your desire for your goal.
RECAP:
Get your goal by:
Knowing what you want—Objective
Knowing what’s in your way—Obstacles
And picking things you can do to overcome those obstacles—Tactics
Lastly nurture your why—Stay Inspired
Hope this helps! Can’t wait to see you take over the world this year!
If we can be of assistance with your acting goals let us know. We have ongoing acting training—both in person and online. AND WE’VE JUST ADDED A CLIPS RETREAT OPTION—where you are guaranteed amazing clips that are spot on for your types, specifically written for you, exquisitely filmed and edited. Visit our website for more information. www.actorsinactionconservatory.com