Positive Thinking Doesn't Work

One of my favorite blogs to read in my down time is LifeHack.org.  I can't tell you how many story ideas I get come from bloggers.  Questions like: "Why is this person writing this right now?" and "Why is this resonating with me right now?" can lead in some really productive directions.  

In any case they posted an article on 4 Reasons Positive Thinking Doesn't Work (and What to do Instead).   In a related factoid, (I can't remember where I read it but)  there was a study done recently which basically confirmed this premise.  If you spend time imagining what you most desire, you will be less compelled to experience it in reality.  The research suggested that the fantasy is as good as reality in these cases.

But when reality finally rams its ugly phallus through your ears making you face the realization that the day dream is no longer attainable, you end up with shit like this:

In real life you have to work hard to attain any kind of success.  And now that only 1 our of every 2 graduates are getting decent jobs out of college it no longer just applies to the arts.  The really remarkable thing is that the harder you work for it the sweeter the success feels at the end.

Now, I like working hard --  I like picking my writing apart, figuring out why it sucks and moving forward.   I tend to be my harshest self critic.  A person with a "It'll turn out all right in the end" or "rainbows, unicorn farts, and prayer will fix it" kind of attitudes really piss me off.

"No you don't understand --  I have a draft due to that prospective manager or agent in a week and I need to get it done."  Is not a defeatist statement and it can't be fixed with positive / wishful thinking.    My first reaction to this is, "how dare you trivialize the mountain of work I have to do."

(SIGH) -- The loved ones mean well.  

And they do.

When you (and by you I'm really writing to myself here) spend too much time in critical mode, it can lead to a downward spiral of negativity through every aspect of your life.  There must always be a balance.  The positivity comes in the form of perspective.

Feelings Toward School

This was a letter I wrote to a friend of a friend who is about to graduate high school and wants to be an actress.  She is talented enough to get into AMDA, but couldn't afford to go.

So you can't afford to pay for your school.  As an actor you need to realize that this is the first in a long long line of disappointments and denials. even successful actors hear "No" or "You can't" a thousand times more than they hear "You got the part" - The hardest aspect of the job - isn't acting, it is withstanding rejection and other pitfalls.  When I first moved to LA someone told me that every "overnight success" is ten years in the making. 

Take heart there are always alternatives. 

The best part about school is that it is a relatively stress free environment that is structured to make you learn. Finding a play or film to act in is easier in an educational setting than the real world. Networking is easier. And there is Homework - Are you really going to read a biography of Bertolt Brecht on your own instead of watching TV? What if you have a paper due on said book? The point is that education sets up incentives that real life doesn't. And a degree from a good school will unlock doors and give you opportunities that will otherwise be closed to you.

And there are plenty of better places than AMDA. I would hate to break it to AMDA but studying only musical theater and dance is really limiting for someone trying to enter a contemporary entertainment industry. If you've got good grades USC, NYU, Cal Arts, UC Irvine, Southern Oregon Uni... all have good acting programs and have carry more academic weight than AMDA does. If you don't have good grades, there are community colleges that you can use to get into the better schools. 

The other alternative is not going to school - Speaking as someone about to finish a masters in screenwriting that will cost me over $100,000, sometimes the schooling can be a hinderance to success. I say will cost me because the majority of that 100 grand I borrowed (student loans). For the next 30 years, I will be paying about 800 dollars a month for this education. That is on top of rent and bills and everything else. This makes it hard to take time off do other things that could further a career in entertainment or other life goals for that matter. Despite all the great promotional material, and other things these schools say - No School (not even the best school in the world) guarantees a job or a the part of your life in a show that'll make you famous/rich/successful.

If you want to be an actor - move to LA or NYC get a job with a flexible schedule and start doing any jobs that will get you on set. (Production Assistant, Extra) you can find these online with a quick search. Volunteer at places where you will meet other actors, writers, producers, directors, and other creative folks. Buy some books (or better yet get a library card and borrow the books) on acting, improv, play scripts, tv scripts, movie scripts - read as much as you can. Take classes in improv (UCB, Second City, Groundlings) or acting (ask around - private teachers can be shady). There's nothing like practical experience. Stay away from credit cards, embrace a thrifty life style, and realize that success (whatever that word might mean to you) will take a longer than you think. 

And if you decide at some point you want to go back to school, or do something else- it will ALWAYS be an option. The time to take chances and make mistakes is when you are young. 

This is just my epic 2 cents. I wish you the best of broken legs as you decide your future.