PROFIT from it (What It’s Like to Be Human And…) by Sam Cusson

You are seriously doing all you can. And I’m sure hearing that sucks. This will sound bleak, but it gets hopeful at the end: It’s an extremely daunting industry, and you’ve probably learned pretty quickly that talent matters, but resilience is key. Who books has a lot less to do with actors or talent. Lots of times, the industry is unfair, and hard work doesn’t pay off. We’ve been conditioned from school and local projects to believe that those who are the most talented or hardworking are the ones working or winning awards, and in the industry, that’s not usually true. What IS in our control is how we can adapt to this environment, though. Realizing what’s actually in our control and finding ways to stress about that allows us to enjoy being in this industry a LOT more.

All I can stress to you is try not to think about being in this industry as a race as much as you can. Many who “break through” have a good couple of years of “making it” before they fall out of what they believe to be successful. Then they’re trying to break through again. The stress we put on ourselves to succeed is only relative to how we compare ourselves to other people. And life is short, but it’s also suuuuper long, and enjoying every day doing this, whether we have “made it” or not, or even if we are working or not, is kinda the whole shooting match of being/succeeding/working in the entertainment industry. At least that’s what I’ve learned and been told by those who have been “succeeding” in it for a long time.