Issue link: https://takingitglobal.uberflip.com/i/1350781
S O Y O U W A N N A B E A N A C T O R 145 Find a community that supports you, that uplifts you, that empowers you and that helps get your name out for opportunities or shows you opportunities that you might be suitable for. Rejection can be hard and having people to encourage you can offset that. With a circle of friends, you can create your own projects and get exposed to opportunities you might not have known about otherwise. Having a community is really important and it really makes all the difference in the world when it comes to feeling supported. And when it comes to feeling like even when the roles are slow and business is slow, when you feel like you're struggling the most, these are the people that are gonna support you and they're gonna uplift you and remind you of why you wanted to do acting, why you wanted to be an actor. Take advantage of workshops, training and keep improving your skills. You will feel more confident in auditions if you do. "It doesn't make you any less of an actor or any less serious because the big name actors, they still do drama classes." Leverage the power of social media. Use it to share your work and get your art out there. "These social media communities can really get your name out there further can connect you with more people and can show you opportunities that you've never seen before. I feel like the film and television industry is so interconnected through social media and a lot of the interactions that are happening now are through social media." Be realistic and manage your expectations. Don't expect huge roles immediately. The industry is highly competitive. "Sometimes I feel like we get too hopeful and we let ourselves down, we start at the beginning of the year and our new year's resolution is 'I want to book a lead role this year' and sometimes it doesn't happen and that's okay." Don't expect your journey to be linear and that you are going to move from background to supporting to lead. "Sometimes you go from supporting to a lead to supporting again, and it can kind of get you down on your confidence a little bit, but you're not going to be the lead in everything. Even the most skilled person in the world is not the lead in everything." Don't give up. Your next role might be right around the corner. Keep trying, keep trying out and keep looking out for those opportunities. Keep being you and keep confidence in yourself.