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I've
never given Paris Hilton much thought; I've got better ways
to spend my time. But until a few months back, I realized
I've been giving her way too little credit. Somewhere in the
back of my mind I had passed her off as someone who fell into
success by simple happenstance.
Then
I heard an interview with her and her shrewdness emerged:
"I always wanted to build a brand. Barbie's a brand.
I knew I could be like that - an American princess."
Well,
maybe not the kind of princess I want my daughter to aspire
to, but she certainly has built a brand. Do a Google
search on "Paris Hilton" and see how many pages
come up for her. Then do a search on Julia
Roberts. Or Brad
Pitt. Compare the results and you'll see what I mean by
the power of her brand.
Don't
get me wrong, I don't think Paris has a great intellect. I
don't even think she thinks she has a great intellect.
I certainly don't measure success by the same standards she
does, but I do think she has incredible self-knowledge: she
knows just how shallow she is, and uses it to her greatest
advantage. In this business, that's one of the keys that will
mean the difference between success and giving up.
I
talk to a lot of people that decide to become actors and take
off for Hollywood or New York to "make it in the big
time." And of course, if that's your dream, you've got
to chase it. But you've also got to be totally honest with
yourself, or else it's going to be a nightmare.
This
may seem like common sense, but take another look. It's important
to know who you are, for a few specific reasons:
1.
You need to know if you can handle the pressure, the rejection,
the frustration of taking yet another survival job, the pitfalls,
the cruelty. Sometimes the highs can be just as difficult
as the lows. Are you ready to ride them all?
Most
importantly, year after year, will you put your hunger to
succeed above your fear of failure?
2.
It can't be said too many times: as an actor, you're an entrepreneur,
and you are the product you sell. When you're standing in
front of that casting director, are you giving her a great
reason to buy what you've got? If you don't know your product
inside and out, you can't effectively sell it.
In
other words you must accept all the nasty little flaws that
you can't stand about yourself, as well as the things that
make you magnificent. If you don't you won't be operating
in the real world and that's where it all happens.
3.
You'll never reach your peak as an artist unless you're willing
to face yourself head on. Part of acting is the exploration
of who you are and who you could be given the right circumstances.
Denying any part of yourself defeats your ability to give
your characters the complexity they demand. Allow what's truly
inside you to rise to the surface and you'll increase your
range dramatically.
Understand
who you are deep down, what lights you up, what terrifies
you, and ultimately, what keeps you moving forward day after
day and year after year and you'll understand your product.
In marketing terms, you'll know what solution you provide
to your customers and greatly increase your power to get cast.
Attached
is a worksheet to help you dig deeper into who you are and
what you offer your customers. It's a PDF file, so you may
need to go to Adobe
to download the reader for fr*ee.
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The
freedom to pursue their dreams:
meet my friend Miata
Last
month my feature article was about using creativity to bring
in more income. As a follow-up I'd like you to meet my friend
Miata Edoga. 
The
Confidence Factor: A huge hit as a guest at our Marketing
Marathon this past Spring, Robin is leading this highly interactive
free seminar designed to impact your confidence level at auditions
and bookings. 
Are
you getting your RDA of art?