Get Building
Hello
I have been in a bit of a hibernation
Shooting a series in Sydney
Prepping for a film in Nepal
Riding horses in the Blue Mountains
Chasing turtles in Freshwater
Being confronted with changing values as I age
Trying to balance family life with acting and travel
Attempting to understand home ownership in one of the most expensive cities in the world
And watching Kenzie Baby glide through the doors of daycare giving me a moment to read a book for the first time in two years
It’s certainly been a time of more doing than thinking.
So
Let me do a little stretch before jumping into this year
I have a few articles coming up
Some big questions from artists across the globe, including
How to manage $20k publicists
How to manage acting whilst becoming a parent - this is coming up a lot!
As well as how following a hunch and walking into a strange shop led to a feature film in the Himalayas
Cool
2025
Let’s ease in shall we
How to gently build your career your way
#1
Identify & nurture your secret sauce in order to help you contribute the most generous, meaningful and unique work you can to the tribe
A hint?
Your greatest weaknesses are your greatest strengths
#2
Get clear and be honest about that dream harbour on the other side of the world you would like to start guiding your ship toward
#3
The majority of actors allow their behaviour to be dictated by the industry
Don’t
Instead
Get clear about how you might need to behave in order to start making progress toward that dream harbour of yours
Then go first instead of waiting for permission to behave that way
The whole industry is waiting for those who go first
#4
At some point
Your value will be determined by how well you’re able to give generous work under pressure
So lean into pressure
Become anti fragile
Practice giving your best when it’s actually difficult & uncomfortable to do so
Rather than deluding yourself into thinking you’ll just smash it on the day
Remember
You will rise to the level of your practice
#5
You’ll spend the vast majority of this career waiting
So get really great at it
And what can you do in order to fill your time whilst you wait?
Live!
Get great at living
Take care of your health, wealth, passions, loved ones, environment, etc
Casting directors want human beings in front of the lens who are full of life
Not actors who are desperate to get a job because it saves them from their situation
#6
Skills
Develop skills
Confidence will comes from building skills under pressure
And everything in your career will become easier if you prioritise skill development
#7
Practice
Practice your craft in a way which actually results in progress
This includes who you are choosing to learn from!
Please - be careful with who’s advice you choose to listen to
If you romanticise suffering for your art
Your art might suffer
#8
With tapes, auditions, role preparation and even filming itself
Get great at reverse engineering
How do you want to feel placing your head on the pillow after that tape, audition, or day on set?
Then work backwards to design the steps it will take to get there (whilst doing it your way)
#9
Your agent, colleagues, your mentors, your friends
Hang out with people your body likes hanging out with
Human beings cannot do it alone
Nor can actors
So find healthy ways to do this career with people you like
#10
Find joy in the effort
An addictive process means fun and fulfilment
Fun and fulfilment means sustainability
And of course
A fun, fulfilling & sustainable process + Time = Results
Then you just get to keep doing it more :)
Hope this helps
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