Recently, a friend asked me if I planned to pursue acting again. I wasn’t offended by the question, but to me, I never really stopped pursuing it. But I also know I haven’t been doing the same things I used to do. And because it seems like time moves faster each year, I haven’t really focused on acting as much as I probably should have for the past 2 1/2 years. And I know that there have been a few reasons why.
When the pandemic hit, everything shut down. Nobody knew when there would be acting work or what was going to happen. And at the same time, the agent that I have been with for the entire time I have had an agent sold the agency to someone new. They were going to take over the agency and keep the same client list, but of course, things got crazy since nothing was happening. I know we were supposed to meet with the new agent and get things underway, but that was all postponed. And I really wasn’t worried about making that happen since I had so much else on my mind.
For so much of 2020, I was focused on figuring out my work situation. I had reduced hours and then lost my job like so many other people. And when I was out of work, my main focus was to get a new job. And once I did get a new job, my focus was getting through my training and to be working so I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to pay my bills. At that time, there still weren’t vaccinations available for everyone, so I also knew that if I had any in-person auditions or booked work, it would be a risk for me. I was still doing some self-tape auditions, but I really didn’t have that much going on. But I wasn’t worried since it seemed like everyone else was in the same boat as me and nobody was auditioning or working the same way they used to.
I don’t have a great excuse for why I wasn’t focused on acting again right after I got vaccinated, but I did look into getting some new headshots and possibly looking at talking to other agents. That didn’t happen, and then last summer was when I found out that my landlord was selling and I got into searching for a condo. And from the time that I started that search until just recently, the condo was the big focus of my life. Finding a new place, planning the renovation, and moving took up a lot more mental energy than I expected. And at the same time, I was dealing with some work changes that also took more focus than I expected. I wasn’t expecting to take this much time without a big focus on acting, but that’s how things happened and I can’t really go back and change anything.
And I know I’ve said this before, but I really do want to get back to being more serious about my career. I know I need new headshots, so I want to figure out a good time to get those done (and save up the money for them). I know that it would be good to get back into class, but I haven’t found one that I’m interested in just yet. And I have to work around my work schedule and so many classes would be during work time for me. I am still doing my self-submissions every day and trying to be productive as much as possible, but I know it’s not enough. So I also need to decide if I want to stay with my agent or consider trying to find a new one. Finding an agent isn’t easy, and it can be even harder now that things still aren’t fully back to normal. But it might be smart to look into options so I can make some good decisions about what I want my next steps to look like.
I know that it might not look like I’ve been pursuing acting for the past few years, but that’s not really how I’ve seen it. I know that it does look different and I haven’t done everything that I could, but I always do keep it in mind. But I need to do more than just keep it in mind and really get back on track and push forward. I know I need to do that or else before I know it another few years will pass me by.
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