The Great Acting Blog: “We Must Be The Judge Of Our Own Work”
As an actor, you are constantly being held up for inspection. If it isn’t agents and directors and casting directors, it’s audiences and peers. Each can offer a slightly differing view, with varying degrees of positivity and negativity. This myriad of responses can have a dizzying effect, causing us to lose focus and direction. Worse can happen, harshly negative opinions (which may be passive-aggressive) can create a crisis of confidence and derail us completely.
Be careful who you listen to then, by trusting and taking on board someone else’s view of your work, you potentially open yourself up to a world of pain.
Remember that we are the only constant in our careers. People come and go, opinions dissipate, crises become memories.
Only we know what we are trying to achieve, today, tomorrow, in this moment, and in the long term. In the end then, we must become the final arbiter of our own efforts. Yes, there are people who we trust and respect, and whose opinion we value, but the final judgement must be our own. This kind of discipline and focus requires terrific mental strength, which can be developed through practice in overcoming tough problems. This strength is essential however, if we are to progress towards meaningful goals continually over a 30, 40 or 50 year period.
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