Being in the acting industry (or trying to be) makes me look more closely at the way Jesus became famous. Now, I'm not trying to become famous, but I am trying to make a living off this stuff, which does require some amount of notice from people.
So I think it's interesting if you look in Mark chapter one because in there Jesus starts out going into the towns (where lots of people are) in order to teach and heal. Mark 1:38 says, "And he [Jesus] said to them, 'Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out'" (ESV).
But then as more and more people come to know who he is and what he does, he no longer has to go anywhere. In fact Jesus could be in the middle of nowhere semi-hiding, and people would be talking about him and come find him. Mark 1:45b says, ".. Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter."
This goes along well with something God's been giving me wisdom about lately concerning my career. I'm starting to realize that I should spend a little less time figuring out how to market myself as an actor (i.e. Should I cut my hair? Should I get new headshots? What agency should I go with?) and a little more time just acting.
Because though a certain look may get me in the door somewhere, do I really want someone to hire me because of my look? Will someone even hire me because of my look? It may help, but if I can't act, I'm not going to book it.
So I want to act. Act act act, and get better at acting, "for that is why I came out." And then pretty soon I may not have to go into the casting showcases and workshops anymore because people will be calling me!
"If you build it, they will come.."
People say it's a Catch 22 to try to make it into acting because you can't act without a good agent and you can't get a good agent without having good acting credits. But guess what, I can go to acting class, and I can get plays from the library and do scenes with my acting friends, and I can act act act so that I'm ready for auditions and can actually book something on the rare occasion I get the chance to. And then pretty soon marketing will be in the back of my mind instead of in the front so much, making me stressed and insecure trying to figure out the seeming impossibility of making my headshot so awesome that just a glance from a casting director will make him stop and go, I want her. How do you do that? I don't know.
This is why I'm just going to "act" for a while and stop worrying about it.
