Acting and Being Happy

Can actors be happy with their careers? Yes, but happiness depends on various factors, internal and external. Living a passion for acting brings immense satisfaction. The joy of exploring and honing one’s talent can be rewarding. Finding pleasure in storytelling and embodying different characters adds to the sense of happiness. Additionally, growing as an artist through dedication keeps life exciting and meaningful.

External factors also contribute to acting and being happy, such as:

• having a great agent or manager on your team;
• being part of a supportive community;
• counting on family and friends who are your fans.

[Read also: Rejecting The Idea of Rejection]

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: We carefully curate our ads and links to match our recommendations. We sometimes receive a small commission at no cost to you when you click through the affiliate links or ads on our website. Click here to check our detailed privacy policy.

When the Industry Slows Down

Pursuing acting and being happy can be tricky when the industry slows down. As actors, working is important for us to even “feel alive.” But our industry is a roller coaster, and we are faced with long pauses due to many factors, including:

• summer or holidays;
• casting hiatuses (for “pilot season” projects);
• entertainment union strikes.

Regardless of what makes you feel like nothing is happening in your acting career, you can continue your acting journey. Rather than depending on the industry to be consistent, you can be creative and take advantage of the slow times.

[Read also: My Acting Career Stalled]

Keep Learning

Take acting classes so you are working even when you are not being paid. After all, we are actors because we love acting! Ideally, we should always be auditioning and booking paid roles. But reality is different, and to keep acting and being happy, we may need to spend time in a classroom. 

Classes can be networking and community-building opportunities. As you rehearse and perform together, slow industry times may have little to no effect on you as an actor. 

Moreover, you can take many different types of classes, such as:

• improv;
• method acting;
• scene study;
• special skills (languages, accents, singing, etc.).

Continuous learning is a great way to stay in your acting journey and improve your skills.

[Read also: 11 Acting-Related Things Actors on Hiatus Can Do]

Create!

Engaging in creative projects is a great way to continue acting and being happy. Hiatuses give you time to collaborate and maybe even explore writing, directing, and producing for yourself and fellow actors. Creative projects can be:

• Independent movies;
• short movies;
• community theater;
• various stage productions (musical, solo performance, etc);
• web series;
• social media content.

In this day and age, your independent productions can be shared with the world easily. So, even when you don’t have an acting job, you can still perform and keep your creative soul happy!

[Read also: Why Taking a Vacation Can Actually Improve Your Acting Career]

Revive Relationships

Personal and professional relationships can benefit from your breaks. You can reach out to a friend you haven’t seen in a long time and schedule coffee to catch up. Sending out a few emails to your favorite industry peers is also something you can do to stay in touch with them and be on their mind for their projects. A few ways to use your time to revive relationships include:

• Reconnecting with family and friends;
• emailing casting directors, industry peers, and fellow actors congratulating them on their current projects and achievements;
• reaching out to people you have worked with to get an update on their careers.

Relationships are important, personally and professionally. When taking a break, the last thing you need is to feel isolated and unproductive. Reaching out to a friend can be the opportunity to help them with a project, or be involved in their lives in a meaningful way you typically would not have time to do. You can be someone’s support system, and they can become yours.

[Read also: 5 Surprising Ways an EPK Can Boost Your Acting Career]

Take Care of Yourself

When the industry slows down, it is a great time to take care of ourselves. If your body or your mental health have been neglected, you can use the time to get in shape and decompress from the stress and the pressures of our industry. Some suggestions are:

• Get in an exercise routine;
• practice mindfulness or meditation;
• come up with a healthy diet plan;
• discover new hobbies and interests;
• seek inspiration from movies, plays, and books.

There are so many ways you can spend idle time to take care of yourself. Getting phisically and mentally sharp can only improve your life and get you ready for the next busy season of your career.

[Read also: An Indie Movie Renaissance: 5 Ways The Strikes Revived The Love Of Cinema]

Work and Plan for the Future

Just because you are not doing acting work it doesn’t mean you should not work at all. Even if you have saved money from a well-paid gig or two, being busy can be great for you. You can teach acting or take a completely different job while on hiatus. That way, you can keep some income flow and plan for your next acting career opportunity.

• Working and planning for the future involves:
• updating your internet presence (IMDb profile, actor website, and EPK);
• staying informed about the industry (through industry-related publications);
• taking new headshots or producing new acting reels or clips.

There is so much you can do to be ready for your next acting opportunity. So, take advantage of the slow times to get organized and update your materials.

[Read also: 5 Unquestionable Reasons Why Pilot Season is Dead]

Conclusion

Acting and being happy can go together even when the industry is slow. When you have a plan, you can focus on personal and professional growth regardless of how busy you are. One of the challenges of an acting journey is to balance busy times with hiatuses that can be lengthy. Remember that you are a person before being an actor, and your mental and physical health can use more attention when you have a break. Moreover, it may be time to reconnect with friends, family, and industry peers, so you don’t feel isolated while your break lasts.

How to support us

At Teacup of Wisdom, we share knowledge and insights about the entertainment industry from the actor’s point of view to inspire and empower your acting journey.