13216: Are You Still Trying Desperately To Make Sense Of It All?
Hey there, hero!
Ever since we’ve been humans, from the very beginning of time, we’ve tried to make sense of the world around us.
And among the hardest things to make sense of is the creative arts…and the choice to become a creative artist. The randomness alone is mind-boggling.
If you try to make sense of it, you’ll fail. Especially if you try logic.
That works for other lines of work, but not ours.
And I’d like to remind you, in this episode, that you need to give yourself grace. A non-logical hall pass.
And I’d love to know how you personally get away with making sense of it all.
How do you live with yourself pursuing this nonsensical business? Let me know in the comments below.
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Raw transcript:
Raw transcript:
I sometimes sense a level of
frustration among writers and actors and
voice Talent when they start looking at
the way our business works and then they
make the huge mistake of trying to make
sense of it all just want to get back to
a little bit of the basics when you
choose to be in this business in this
episode of the vo Heroes
podcast so the question for this episode
is are you making this very common
newbie
mistake are you trying to make
sense of something that simply doesn’t
make sense our business whatever facet
of our business the performance business
that you’re in if you’re a writer if
you’re an actor if you’re a voice Talent
if you’re engaged in the process of
getting work in our business if you’re
engaged of once you’re booked on work
and enjoying and executing that work the
stuff that you face in uh a
collaborative session as a writer on set
in studio uh the process that gets you
there every single step of the way makes
people who aren’t in our business
scratch their head like you go home for
the
holidays and your families have
questions for you that clearly indicate
they have no idea what we do for a
living or how we do what we do for a
living right uh why don’t you sign up to
be on that one show that’s popular that
that’ be good wouldn’t it like like yeah
of course if I could do that of course I
would want to do that or why don’t you
just tell Simon and Schuster that you
want them to publish your book what you
know just tell them it’s like they don’t
get it they don’t get the pursuit of
creative work they don’t get just how
much isn’t in our control they don’t get
just how much uh decisions are are made
on a capricious random basis they don’t
get it and neither do we and sometimes
we make the mistake of thinking oh well
if I just apply logic to this if I I
just you know take a look at this from a
different Viewpoint it’ll all fall into
place it’ll all make sense it
won’t and the question you have to ask
yourself is are you okay with that are
you at peace with the idea
that a lot of stuff that goes into what
we do is random and can’t be relied on
to be reproduced on a regular basis are
you okay with
that might that possibly be the reason
that sometimes you’re frustrated with
how this business works and you raise
your fist to the heavens and you go why
it has to be different no don’t treat me
that way this is what we’re doing and it
and it’s kind of a follow on to the
other episode that I did on uh how
Showbiz isn’t organized for our success
and I don’t want to hear it I don’t want
to hear your your you know your your
complaints if you don’t understand
that is this something that you have to
remind yourself of perhaps let me know
in the comments below are you trying to
make sense of something that just simply
doesn’t make sense I’d love to know hit
the like button after you leave the
comment uh you can subscribe to the
channel you can be notified when a new
episode comes out you can share this
with other people who may not be able to
make sense of something that you can’t
make sense of I’m David H Lawrence the
17th I thank you so much for watching
and for listening and I will see you in
the next episode of the vo Heroes
podcast
(from YouTube)
I agree that the business is not logical at all. It is completely unreliable. It is not designed for our success.
This is where mindfulness training can be so useful. Embracing the present moment, embracing uncertainty, cultivating the skill of being comfortable while being uncomfortable. Actor Amir Talai says it well: “Have high intention, but low attachment [to the outcome].” All we can do is all we can do!
Hear you clearly on this one, David, so just staying after it…getting the job done!
The business we’ve chosen is not logical. However many people in my life think I’m not logical either. So maybe it’s a perfect match.
When I moved to New York nearly thirty years ago and got started it was a rude awakening. I could act kinda but I knew nothing about the business. How the heck could I even get seen or heard for anything??? I cursed every kind person that’d ever encouraged me. I was broke, desperate and totally ignorant. Decades later, it’s still crazy but I have now worked in most aspects of the biz and most regions of the country and got to meet and even work with a bunch of my heroes. I still get frustrated but if I could time travel back to my messy kitchen where I was melting down I’d give myself encouragement and tell myself to tone down the indignation. For young people starting out, keep it up. Never stop learning. Never stop trying.