ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT YOU?

Yes. Well you hope they are anyway. Plus you want it to be positive. Please realize it is not always a bad thing and if you are serious about what you are doing that is what you want them doing. When you walk out of an audition, meeting, someone just read your manuscript or interviewed you they are going to talk about you to someone. When you present your ideas, art, talent or any number of abilities people are going to discuss it. Was good? Inspiring?

With that in mind and what I really wanted to talk about is accepting the fact they are going to talk about you and what impression will you leave on them. You also have to accept the fact that you may never know what they said and odds are you will not ever find out. That is truly okay. If you are true to yourself, your art and your life then whether they liked it or loathed it really does not matter. We tend to put too much on other people's opinion and even let it override our own self view. We present our art for people to make an opinion so why get upset when they do? Because they did not like it? How many things have you seen or tried and did not like? Did you feel guilty about it? Probably not.

We live in a subjective world and especially today feel that we are so right that other views are just wrong. Heaven forbid if something is just different. I was very fortunate to be allowed to sit in on the casting for a film I wrote. I had been in front of the audition table many times but never behind it. My acting coach Michele Condrey at R.E.A.C.T. Studios said that sitting on that side would change how you view the process. She was very right. We had over 100 actresses apply for the role and was narrowed down to about 25. I tell you there was not a bad audition. Literally every one of them rocked the audition. I listened to them discuss things like chemistry, looks and a ton of other intangibles. So I now no longer worry about the audition. I do the best I can and hope for the best and walk away with my eye on the next opportunity.

As I got more confortable with that I started to apply that to my writing and teaching. You write something because you want to express yourself and when your done you have accomplished that goal. Be proud of it. Send it out but do not judge yourself on it. Some will like it, some will not and others will tell you an opinion but you don't know if they are just being nice or mean. It does not matter. It is your work.

Now with all that being said I am not talking about someone giving you constructive criticism. We all need constant guidance and support and occasionally a hard lesson. The difference is really this, we ask for those critiicism in the process of creation to get to an end result. We have know when we are done with a project or not. Confession time. Even though I truly believe that and intellectually understand it. It is one of those things easier said than done. Have I gotten better about it? No doubt. Am I there yet? No way!

I have been known to finish a script and have it done in a table read and taken the whole thing and dumped it in the trash. Actors did great. Critiscism was fair and on point. But when I heard the words spoken, it did not match what I had heard in my head. I tend to overreact. Guess what everyone had a huge discussion about that when I left. See they do talk about you. A few went he is crazy. A few went what a jerk. The mix of I understand and the how sad all that hard work. I did it because it was improtant to me to make it right. It was my project. I like the new version so much better. So when you present yourself, your art and talent just remember be true to yourself and understand everyone want see it your way, or like it or love it or hate it or everything in between. Just remember if you were true to yourself, honest with yourself and put your best foot forward nothing else can be asked of you. Be kind, consider others, be supportive and honest. Even to yourself.