If you are just starting…
1. DIVE IN!
When I say dive in – this applies to wherever your natural giftings reside. If you have a natural gift for writing and have written something where someone has told you “this is amazing, you’re a great writer!” Test it! Send it to various places, and get feedback on your work. Have people read your content and get a gage of where you’re at. If it’s directing, test your skills in storytelling. If you want to be an editor, try partnering with someone who wants to learn how to edit!
Whatever medium you’re trying to go into – business, writing, directing, acting – dive in and see where you’re at. Diving in is the best way to figure out where you belong.
If those doors don’t open, go and study it!
Which leads me to…
2. EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION
I always encourage studying. I actually went to school for nursing prior to becoming an actor. And coming from a family who valued academia, my mother would tell me that if I was to become an actor I had to study the same way as any medical student who had to take their medical boards. I began my journey as an actor, but somewhere in there I knew I had the ability to express myself. I had the desire to tell my own stories and direct myself in them too! I went to school and studied writing and directing for many years. I always knew I had the gift, but I needed to understand the science behind it all.
I had to study to put a language behind a script and deliver the industry standard. It’s not enough to know final draft, you have to know how to format a script, how to layout your acts, and how to set up your plot so that your script can be taken by any director and they can shoot it.
I studied continuously while I was pursuing my acting career. In between acting jobs, I’ve always chosen to study. It’s a part of my life and I believe a key to success!
After you’ve studied…
3. FIND WHAT DRIVES YOU
For me, I’m socially driven – social justice is a really big part of who I am. The idea of laying out solutions for society that makes us think fuels me – the reshaping of our minds against racism, classism and the social injustices that are happening all around the world. This is what drives me! Once you find what drives you, it will serve as an undercurrent in whatever you do (writing, producing, acting, etc.)
As you’re growing…
4. FORGET THOSE THAT AREN’T FOR YOU
There is always a potential for backlash when you choose to follow your “gut instinct”. This also applies whenever you speak up or use creative works to communicate a truth that you believe in. Once you overcome your first backlash you realize that you’re a lot more courageous than you thought. Backlash can’t stop you! On the contrary, I would encourage that you stand up and take a risk, knowing that you are going to receive the backlash and overcome it! Then, you won’t be a “backlash virgin” anymore! Ha!
Backlash can help you understand society and the way it perceives what you’ve said. It enables you to study your approach in a particular matter. There is no gaining ground without a good fight!
Be encouraged as you continue to pursue!.