The Great Acting Blog: “This Quest For Validation Is Just Another Excuse”
Most young actors search for validation from someone who they perceive to be in a position of authority (an agent, casting director, director, etc). They long to be handed the keys which, they believe, will unlock the feeling of acceptance inside of themselves, and then, and only then, will they set about undertaking the hard work of becoming an artist. It’s as though they need to be given permission before they will proceed with full commitment.
For most people, this validation never comes. For most people, it just never arrives. They never receive that ordination from that authority figure and so they toss themselves onto the scrapheap of former actors. The truth is, this quest for validation is just another excuse. An excuse not to commit to undertaking the real work of the actor. It’s an attempt to relinquish responsibility for oneself by taking the decision to continue out of your hands and then blaming somebody else (namely the agent etc who didn’t validate you) when you “fail”.
Forget about validation and the attendant excuses. The only question you really need to confront is a very obvious one: are you going to be an actor or not? If the answer is yes, then get on with building a body of work for yourself. If however, you really have got your heart set on validation, then you validate yourself and get on with your work. You don’t need permission from anybody.
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