As an actor or other artist, you are called to a career in the arts. How do you feel about that career and your identity as an artist?
How do you stay in touch with your motivation, confidence, and energy?
Photo: Paula Patton in ‘Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol’ (2011). She has commented about the creative depths of filmmaking:
“A movie is painting, it’s photography, it’s literature – because you have to have the screenplay – it’s music. Put a different soundtrack to a comedy and it’s a tragedy.
“A movie combines all those forms and forces you to pay attention for two hours with a group of people.” [imdb profile]
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“Making art is satisfying on so many levels.”
Pat Autenrieth is a mixed media artist using photography, digital printing, silkscreen, rubbings, rubber stamps, drawing, painting, collage, embroidery, applique, photo dye and quilting.
Her work has been shown at the Museum of American Folk Art in New York, the National Museum of American Art in Washington, and elsewhere.
She was Project artist for American Masterpieces: The American Quilt 2009, Textile Museum, Washington, DC, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In our interview (from a number of years ago), she commented:
“Making art is a way toward being whole.”
She notes that art is, at least “to some degree” a form of therapy. But, she adds, “I don’t know of any working artist who doesn’t need to make art in a larger sense. Making art is satisfying on so many levels, that it has got to have a healing effect.”
From interview article: Pat Autenrieth: “Making art is satisfying on so many levels.”
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More perspectives in the article below:
- “As a true artist, you have both the need and the ability to reconnect with your creative energy over and over again. That’s what keeps you alive.” Dr. Mihaela Ivan Holtz of Creative Minds Psychotherapy
- “This is my calling, not my career.” – Angela Bassett
- “I think, ‘Where’s the relevance of this? But then I think you only have one life and I am a vessel for stories to be told.” – Samantha Morton
- Many actors, musicians and other performers may be highly sensitive people, and also HSS – High Sensation Seeking.
- “I’ve decided to start really just telling myself I’m an artist.” – Judy Greer
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What Judy Greer Believes Her Art is For
“In her book ‘I Don’t Know What You Know Me From: My Life as a Co-Star”, Judy Greer reveals her insecurities towards calling herself an ‘Artist’.”
Sam Jones, host of The Off Camera Show:
“You said something in the book that I thought was really interesting – you said for a long time you questioned whether you were an artist, and you finally came up with the idea that your art is holding a mirror up to people…”
Judy Greer: “I still struggle with being an artist but I’ve decided to start really just telling myself I’m an artist and seeing if I start to believe it…”
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Jessica Chastain wins SAG Award for Best Actress in The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Jessica Chastain: “I’ve wanted to be an actor my whole life and ever since I was a kid it was the only thing I really ever thought about and there were years of studying and auditioning and not getting jobs and I know what that feels like and I know the loneliness of what that feels like.
“And so for those of you who are struggling and feeling unseen I just want you to know to keep going because you’re one job away, I promise.”
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“Storytelling has always been essential.”
Jane Fonda was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment at the 2021 Golden Globe Awards.
- Part of her acceptance speech:
I’m so moved to receive this honor. Thank you.
You know, we are a community of storytellers, aren’t we? And in turbulent, crisis-torn times like these, storytelling has always been essential.
You see, stories have a way to, they can change our hearts and our minds.
They can help us see each other in a new light, to have empathy, to recognize that for all our diversity, we are humans first, right?
You know, I’ve seen a lot of diversity in my long life. And at times, I’ve been challenged to understand some of the people I’ve met, but inevitably, if my heart is open and I look beneath the surface, I feel kinship.
That’s why all of the great conduits of perception, Buddha, Muhammad, Jesus, I would say all of them spoke to us in stories and poetry and metaphor because the nonlinear non-cerebral forms that are art speak on a different frequency, may generate a new energy that can jolt us open and penetrate our defenses.
So that we can see and hear, what we may have been afraid of seeing and hearing.
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Angela Bassett: “I really believe that what I do as an actress is my God-given talent. This is my calling, not my career.”
“The first time I acted was in high school in Florida, and when I heard that applause I felt so alive and felt that electricity go up my spine.”
“The three things I said when I came out of school were I want to work consistently, I want to do good work and I want to be paid fairly, and that’s happened. But I didn’t become an actress for the money. I do it for other reasons.” [Quotes from her imdb profile.]
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Loving what you do.
Samantha Morton: “Acting and music are self indulgent professions and they are a luxury unless you love what you do.
“I have a love/hate relationship with what I do. I think, ‘Where’s the relevance of this? I’m not a doctor, I’m not an aid worker.’
“But then I think you only have one life and I am a vessel for stories to be told.”
[Quotes from her imdb bio; photo from article “Samantha Morton: ‘Maybe I was the first person to publicly answer Weinstein’” by Danny Leigh, The Guardian, 2 Oct 2018.]
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Creative people and the challenges of arts careers
Dr. Mihaela Ivan Holtz of Creative Minds Psychotherapy helps creative people in TV/Film, performing and fine arts.
In one of her articles for entertainment business site Stage 32, she addresses some of what draws creative people to arts careers, and some of the many challenges.
- Dr. Holtz writes:
You love being an artist. When you create, you feel at home in your own realm of imagination, fantasy, and storytelling.
It feels meaningful and it feels right.
At the same time, you don’t necessarily feel happy or fully satisfied with your career.
You feel that your reality doesn’t quite match your dreams, and that’s a challenging place to be.
It’s hard to feel like you aren’t getting where you want to be in your career.
You keep asking yourself why you’re so stuck.
Did I make the wrong choice to be an artist? Did I overestimate my talent?
Am I living in a fantasy world? How did I ever think this is possible?
After all, everyone else says being successful in the arts field is like hitting the jackpot.
How do you bridge the gap between your dreams and reality?
Acknowledge That Creativity is Essential to Who You Are
Only you get to decide if you are a true artist or not.
If you find yourself deeply connected to something greater than yourself when you create, you are an artist.
If you’re drawn to express your feelings, life experiences, hopes, or struggles through acts of creativity, you are an artist.
If you feel alive when you make your art, you are an artist.
Being an artist doesn’t necessarily mean you always feel 100% connected to your art and your sense of creativity.
It does mean, however, that you can readily enter a state of creative flow.
You have the skills and the experience to set the stage for your own creativity to unfold.
You know how to kindle your own inspiration and motivation so you can get back to the work of developing your art.
As a true artist, you have both the need and the ability to reconnect with your creative energy over and over again.
That’s what keeps you alive.
When you’re disconnected from your creative energy for any reason, you feel like you’re dying inside.
Simply said, it’s your responsibility to prevent anything or anyone from taking you away from your creative self.
That amazing creative energy inside you needs to be nurtured and expressed.
If you put a lid on that energy, you end up repressing one of the vibrant aspects of your life force, and that can throw you into a cycle of feeling creatively blocked, stuck, or even anxious or depressed.
Acknowledging the artist within you doesn’t have anything to do with the career you choose. It’s just about you being connected with and manifesting a vibrant part of who you are – your creativity.
Practice Mindful Reality Checks
It’s absolutely essential to look at the reality of your life and circumstances.
You need to have a clear perspective on where you are in your career in relation to what you want to accomplish.
However, looking at reality is a complex process – reality is subjective, deceptive, and multidimensional.
You look at reality through the lenses of your own conflicts, fears, doubts, hopes, and dreams.
Continue reading her article:
When You Aren’t Achieving What You Want in Your Artistic Career, What Do You Do?
Also see more Creative Mind posts featuring excerpts of articles by Dr. Holtz on these and related topics.
Coping with rejection
In another article, Dr. Holtz notes:
“Rejection lurks around every corner in the arts world. In fact, for you, the creative or the performer, knowing how to tolerate, be with, and work with rejection is almost a career requirement!
“Even if rejection hurts, you can learn how to turn in your favor.
“Rejection can actually guide you to find your true place in the world and in your art.”
See more in my article – with quotes by Sandra Oh, Sarah Paulson and others:
Artists need to cope with rejection – always part of the arts world.
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How many hours do you invest in your acting career daily?
In a Backstage article, Erin Cronican writes about a New York Times article (“That Hobby Looks Like A Lot Of Work”) that, she finds, is “a fascinating look at folks who have given up their day jobs to follow their dream of being a professional artist.
“The article, featuring artisans from Etsy, looks at the sacrifices and rewards experienced by those who give everything they have to do what they love.
“What an easy parallel to what we deal with as actors!”
Cronican asks, “How many hours per day do each of these artists spend on their businesses? Eight hours? 12 hours? More? Let’s be conservative and suggest that these folks average about eight hours per day focusing on their business.
“Now, take a moment and count up how many concentrated hours YOU spend on your acting career daily. Wow, that was fast. My guess? Far less than eight.”
She adds, “Why do we, as actors, think that anything less than full commitment will somehow be enough?
“And why do we often stuff the hours we do dedicate in between all of the other things in our lives (rather than putting acting first and bending all others to fit)?
“Perhaps it’s because we were told somewhere along the line that we needed to ‘think more seriously about our future.’
“Perhaps we get too frustrated with the lack of tangible results in our career. Perhaps we just don’t believe in our talent, or we are too scared of success? Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps.”
How to Make Acting Your Career, Not Your Hobby By Erin Cronican | Backstage January 31, 2014 Last Updated: April 18, 2016.
[Profile from article: “Erin is a professional actor (SAG-AFTRA/AEA) with over 20 years of experience performing in film, TV, plays, and musicals (NYC, LA, tours.) She also produces and directs with the Seeing Place, a critically acclaimed non-profit theater in New York City. Passionate about sharing her knowledge, Erin Cronican is the co-founder/coach with the Actors’ Enterprise…”]
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“The business is a lot of fun and games and free stuff and fame and fortune and working with people and spotlight and glamour — but the only thing that keeps me in the business is being a messenger for something serious and important…” – Vera Farmiga
From my article It’s a profession so much to do with ego.
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Many Actors and Performers are Highly Sensitive People, or High Sensory People
“I’m very sensitive in real life.
“I cannot not cry if someone around me is crying…even if it’s not appropriate.
“I have that thing in me, a weakness or sensitivity.” Jessica Chastain
She has made a number of other comments that indicate she is probably a highly sensitive person (HSP), as well as introverted.
On rehearsals: “They’ll say, Save it, save it. I tell them: Don’t worry. I have a bottomless well of tears.”
On earlier in life, perhaps when she was a student at Juilliard: “I’m not the girl at the club on the table. I’m going to be the one in the corner, quiet and so I don’t call attention to myself.”
Her comment about “weakness or sensitivity” probably reflects the kinds of disparaging attitudes and criticism – or just lack of undertanding – many non-sensitive people have about those who are sensitive.
High sensitivity is a trait – not a weakness or disorder.
Strong emotional reactions (like crying) are often part of our trait, and can help actors, musicians and other artists be more powerful and expressive in their creative work.
Elaine Aron, PhD is one of the leading writers and researchers on the personality trait of high sensitivity (sensory processing sensitivity) – present for about 15 to 20 percent of us.
She declares that HSPs (highly sensitive persons) “do cry more readily than others. It was a strong finding in our research.”
See more in article Jessica Chastain And Being a Highly Sensitive Person – including links to articles to learn more about the trait.
Also see article Being Creative and Introverted, Shy or Highly Sensitive in the Arts.
Actor and singer Gloria Reuben commented about experiencing strong emotions:
“I am the kind of person that feels so much that if I didn’t have acting (and music), I would burst from all of the emotion inside!”
See much more in article Why are we more emotional as a highly sensitive person?
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Highly Sensitive and High Sensation Seeking
Many actors, musicians and other performers may be highly sensitive, and also HSS – High Sensation Seeking.
Nicole Kidman: “For me, it was never going to be work.
“It was almost like I needed to have a day job, because [acting] was too much fun.
“But I was a highly sensitive child, and the last thing my parents wanted was for their child to go in and get hurt.
“Most actors are highly sensitive people, but you have this incredible scrutiny. You have to develop a thick skin, but you can’t have a thick skin in your work.
From article Nicole Kidman on fame, and actors as highly sensitive people.
Both a high sensation seeker and highly sensitive person
Julie Bjelland, LMFT, is a psychotherapist and author specializing in the trait of high sensitivity.
The image here is from one of her Facebook posts about her article on this topic. She explains:
“Some highly sensitive people (HSPs) also have the trait of being a high sensation seeker (HSS) and this experience can be a bit like having a foot on the gas and brake at the same time.
“There can be advantages and disadvantages to this. Being an HSS may mean we like to have new and different experiences, but being an HSP means we might also feel overwhelmed by them.
“In my work with HSPs, I’ve seen that those that also have the HSS trait need to balance both parts carefully.”
Read more and hear her podcast in her post “High Sensation Seeking HSPs” [July 2020] in the HSP Blog section on her Sensitive Empowerment site.
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Douglas Eby (M.A./Psychology) is author of the The Creative Mind series of sites which provide “Information and inspiration to help creative people thrive.”
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