Tis the season for giving! Many creatives I know are so used to giving and sharing their talents with others that they often neglect someone very important– THEMSELVES! You should use your holidays as a way to recharge and energize yourself as an artist and I have always been a believer in doing a little something for yourself each holiday season. So actors… read on to learn more about just a few simple gifts actors should give YOURSELF this December.

A NEW CREATIVE FRIEND/MENTOR

Jim Rohn said one of my favourite quotes; “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” I love this thought and I think it is important to audit your top 5 people regularly, especially when you are feeling life is a little lackluster. Are you surrounding yourself with people who inspire you? Are you surrounding yourself with people who are going after their own dreams and goals and love that you are pursuing your own? Exploring and strengthening an older friendship or finding a new inspiring relationship is one of the great gifts actors should give to yourself as you finish out wacky 2020 and head into a more hopeful 2021.

AUDITION-WEAR

What you wear regularly to a potential job basically serves as a uniform. You want to make sure those clothing items are clean, pressed and help you to look your very best without having to plan a whole new outfit every single time. For this reason, it is a great practice to have several items in your closet that fit you PERFECTLY, that you can keep clean and ready to go and ONLY wear them for auditions. Not first dates. Not family dinners. Auditions only! That way, they are there on the hanger, waiting for that self-tape with the quick turn-around. No need to worry about wrinkles or pulling something together–because you have several great items always ironed and ready in your closet! During this holiday season, treat yourself to a few “audition only” clothing options to keep you stress free and looking your best for last minute opportunities. Oh and take advantage of those holiday sales and pull together a few different career looks appropriate for characters you often play!

TIME OFF

In this fast-paced industry, it is easy to feel worried that you may miss a big opportunity if you don’t stay on point and connected 100% of the time. Without taking time out for yourself, however, you won’t be able to operate as efficiently and creatively as you would have if you allowed yourself a little rest. So this holiday season, give yourself permission to take time OFF! Completely off! Tell your agent you are booking out for a few days and put an autoresponder on your email that says to call you in an emergency… and then UNPLUG! Don’t work on new sides or monologues, don’t research another headshot photographer and don’t make adjustments to your website. Take time off for YOU and to do something completely unrelated to the industry that brings you joy. Paint. Take a Hike. Bake (and eat) cookies! Have a mini home wine tasting. Just enjoy the other aspects of life for a little while. Don’t worry– there will be plenty to hustle about in January!

Covid made 2020 challenging. Plans got cancelled, our industry stood still for a bit and life was drastically changed. If there was EVER a reason to love yourself extra in a holiday season… this year’s events would be it. You are a survivor. An adaptor. A creator. You deserve the extra self love and care this month– because 2021 is craving the best of you. And you are gonna BRING IT!

Image kindly by https://unsplash.com/@kadh.