“I could never be an actor.” We hear it all the time. What people really mean is, “I would be terrified to do what you do.” While most people cringe at the thought of getting up in front of a bunch of strangers and performing for their judgment, we’ve learned not only to overcome that terror, but to feed off of it. Pretty cool. But we also know a secret… Fear shows up for us in other, sneakier ways that hold us back every day.
There’s nothing wrong with fear. It’s a normal, healthy instinct designed to protect us from risk. But unlike most professions, risk is a critical part of being a working actor. So to be a working actor, you have to do something most people don’t; Learn to manage your fear. And that’s what the next few posts are about.
In the world of fears, Fear of Failure is up there with heights, clowns, and insects. It’s the big dog, the Eye of Sauron, the Voldermort of fears. And fighting it is like Whack-a-Mole… You crush it in one spot, and it pops up in two more.
Here are a handful of common ways Fear of Failure shows up for actors:
- Stress about what will happen if you don't succeed as an actor
- Questioning your instincts or acting choices
- Procrastinating things you know you need to do for your career
- Worrying about achieving an emotional result in a scene (crying, laughter, etc.)
- Complaining about the same things for weeks or months with little change or progress
If we’re honest, most of us have done all of those things at some point. (And sometimes we do them from a healthy, confident place, like when we change our acting choices because of new information about the scene. But when we do them with that bubbling anxiety in our bellies, we know it’s coming from fear.)
The first step toward conquering Fear of Failure is recognizing that we all deal with it. You have never seen a performance by an actor who is immune. The only difference is the degree to which we’ve each learned to manage it. How? We'll get to that soon :) For now, think about other ways Fear of Failure shows up in your career. If you’re inclined, take the fear-crushing step of sharing your thoughts in the comments. Whatever it is, you’re not the only one.
Next week, Fear of Failure’s even-more-evil twin, Fear of Success…