Apostle of Hustle

The amount of breath wasted on auditions is huge. Not merely the auditions themselves, but the discussion of auditioning. Go into any bookstore, and, no matter how small their drama section is, chances are you'll be able to find titles on auditioning, a book of monologues, and some Shakespeare. Shakespeare is obvious, but monologue books are synonymous with audition booklets. Why would one peruse a book of monologues unless it is to find one to audition with?

But, that being said, it is a topic that has been on my mind more often than not recently. I've got several auditions coming up, some of which I would even venture to call important. Not necessarily because I'm banking on getting them, but because they're big and, for the most part, they're first impressions. They're the first opportunity I have to show people what I can do. Which is exactly why I'm so excited about them. I had a friend mention to me the other day, "I don't see how you can do it. Constantly putting yourself out there for auditions has to be exhausting." And, yeah, it's tiring, but it's an opportunity for more work. Why wouldn't I be excited about that? Why wouldn't I want to give it my all. Especially when I'm auditioning for such high profile places.

As of right now, the Henry VI project is the last thing I've got on my plate. After that, I'm no longer a working actor, and back to the world of the day job. I can't have that.

One of the best parts about this job is getting the job. And to get the job, there is one attribute more important than any other. Not talent, not luck...but one of my favorite words in the English language. Hustle. I may not be the best actor out there, and I'm certainly not the luckiest, or the one with the most special skills, but those are things I can only control to a point. What I can control to the fullest extent, is my intensity when pursuing a job.

It's like the man said, "Definition of the hustle, is mind over muscle."