Take Pride in Being Deeply Flawed

An acting teacher once told me, "The pursuit of perfection is the pursuit of vanity." As a young storyteller and young person I wanted everything I worked on to be perfect. 

As I get older I realize what really draws people in is your ability to talk openly and honestly about your flaw and failures. It offers people a tremendous sense of solace, but more importantly it builds trust. 

When you seek courage through vulnerability you shine a light on your humanity and people see that if despite all your setbacks you were still able to achieve great things they can too.

That to me is far more inspiring that simply touting how great we are.

No Industry Like It

"Being an artist is the only line of work where you're considered a quitter if you move on to something else," I heard a friend say. "If you're a lawyer and then decide to teach, nobody says anything. You just switched careers."

I thought about his words for quite a while after our conversation. He had a point. Not only does walking away from being an artist often entail a stigma, but far more difficult, the loss of identity. "If I'm not an actor then who am I?"

All I've learned is the more you build up who you are as a person, broaden your understanding of the world, and clarify the role you hope to play in it, you'll slowly evolve into a person who refuses to be defined by just one thing. 

When you take comfort in the knowing you're a three-dimensional person with skills, stories, and gifts to offer beyond your art form, you'll take greater comfort in your hiatus from your first love, however long that may be.