Sunday, July 25, 2010

Actors Working At Being Employed

Auditions for voice-overs, and film and tv, coming up. Send out good vibes for me.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like, to NOT feel the need to act, or write.
And despite being very imaginative, it's truly difficult to imagine being without that drive.I recall a wonderful Professor (renowned British film and stage actor,Paul Massie) saying to us eager college-students, waaaay back-in-the-day(University of South Florida, where I went to school) that "....if you can do something else, do it....You should only act if you HAVE to do it."
It's true.
This business is immensely rewarding in terms of self-expression, the relationships you form, and the discoveries you make about yourself--and other human beings, through the creative process, is amazing....but unfortunately, much of society rates a human being's worth in terms of the dollars and cents they make from their profession. It is sometimes depressing, to work so hard, and receive so little money.
Of course, plenty of A-List actors make a fortune, but the rest of us working actors feel fortunate that we just get paid.
We've all acted, or written poems, or written plays, for little or nothing, just to get to do it.
Most of us also work at a "job-job" (or two), my term for a non-acting or non-writing-gig, in order to pay bills, and/or save money for classes or workshops, etc.
So, I'm curious:
Any of you out there, who would be willing to do your chosen profession--whatever it is--for little or no money?

6 comments:

Don't Feed The Pixies said...

I already do my chosen profession for little money, or at least a lot less than everyone else that works with me gets. But then i didn't really chose it so much as fall into it, and if someone came up to me and said "go be an artist/musician, you won't be rich but you can make enough by a-b-c" then i guess i'd rip their arm off to get the chance to be creative for a living

But ultimately when you have responsibilities and bills you often have to chose to do something you dont really want to in order to survive - i think the trick is to find ways to still do what you want outside of work - and for that i wish you all the luck in the world that you should live your dreams and be successful in them xx

Dave Dubya said...

I've been an underpaid musician and an unpaid blogger...

Now I am retired after years of insanity and stress for better money.

Now I'm looking for gigs. Will play for beer.

Dave Dubya said...

Then again, maybe we just do it for the attention.

Lisa Nanette Allender said...

Pixies--Hi there! Thank you for the input. Always honest and sweet, and funny, you are!And thanks for the good wishes for me, too!
Dave Dubya--Knew you were an artistic-type. ;)
"Play for beer"--funny! :)
Dave dubya--We ALL want/need the "three A's":
Attention
Affection
Approval
I feel I personally need the first two, alot. The last one, not-so-much.

Anonymous said...

I used to grapple with this a lot - the incredible amount of work for very little recompense. But you know what? I love to write. It defines me. I firmly believe I would be a lesser person without it. So I will be poor if I have to. And I will be sending out lots of good vibes for you, Lisa!

Lisa Nanette Allender said...

Selma--Hi there.
Thank you so much for your thoughts, and good vibes!
Great news for me, today, regarding acting work! ...btw, HOW may I reach you by e-mail?(I know u said you don't do Facebook, so...?)
I LOVE that you are a writer--and $$ or no, you are a very sensitive writer with much "communion" with the world, Selma.
Keep up the superb work! :)