How do you find merit in such an un-meritted profession?

As some of you may know, I just finished up my last semester in college. I am following a career in both film production and acting, and I'm in the midst of moving to Los Angeles, which makes it worse. When I say this to people, they give me the eye roll --Oh, another young clueless girl, trying to make it big in Hollywood. 

I don't explain myself to them because it's not worth my time right now. But it still hurts a little bit. No this isn't a dream or a fantasy of mine. No I don't want to be in tabloids or party with Paris Hilton.

I have worked so hard to establish my credentials in theater and performance studies, but the celebrity culture has stripped the acting industry of any merit. While I do get taken seriously when I mention that I am also active in film production, the same can't be said for acting. 

My mom supports my career choices wholeheartedly, but even she doesn't realize that acting is actually an intricate art-form. Considering she was a total stage mom, I don't really expect her to understand. But she wants me to become famous. No, she expects me to become famous. And that's putting a lot of pressure on me right now. The pursuit of fame isn't how I want my life to pan out. 

Not making any judgements, just based completely on my past experiences, Los Angeles isn't the best place to build self-confidence and respect for someone in my position. I've met people who disregarded me like used tissue paper. I hate having to validate myself to these people, but I feel that no one will ever take me seriously. And I hate the acting industry too. I hate 90% of the people in it. I love the profession but not the business.

It really gets you down 

My $.02:  If you want to be taken seriously in the performing arts, go to NY.

Original Post by lysistrata:

My $.02:  If you want to be taken seriously in the performing arts, go to NY.

THIS X2.  If I was even half the actress I THOUGHT I was in high school I would have gone to NYC.  Theater is TRUE art.

That's so much easier said than done. I would love to go to NY!! But I don't have the money right now. It's really, really expensive for someone who doesn't have a stable income 

This post is so ironic given your post last week about how you're so smart and everyone else is so stupid...

First of all, the people who give you the "eye roll" are worthy of only one thing from you.  Dismissal.

Second.  Realize that what you are are trying to do here is very, very important.  You are making history.  Even if your name is not lit up in lights.  When I was in high school I dreamed of being a musician, but i chickened out and went with a career that had a better chance of making more money for me.  I had to take a 15-year detour in the Army, but eventually I ended up being a programmer instead of a musician.  At one point, I thought computer animation would have been nice, but alas, I did not focus on art when I was younger to make this feasible.  I can want to make movies like Toy Story all day long, but if your cant draw, it's not going to happen.

So here I am today, making business programs.  I work hard at them and I try as hard as I may to make them beautiful and actually a form of art in their own right.  Problem is that after five to ten years, the next generation of programmers come in out of college and overwrite my work with their own ideas of what a program should be.  Be they right or wrong, it really doesn't matter.  In the end, my work is overwritten after a few years, but your work as an artist can endure for decades and even longer;  long after you and I have passed on.

Again.  What you are doing is very important.  Don't let anyone distract you from this.  If they try, they are simply not worth your time and energy.  Get rid of them.

i don't really understand your issue. is it self-respect that's lacking, or do you need the approval of others? if it's the latter, get over it. you can't make people think highly of you; they're going to think what they want to think. if it's the former, i don't know what that has to do with LA, the celebrity culture, or acting.

I can relate.  My husband and I are both professional musicians and I am also an artist.  Most of the time when I tell people what I do for a living, they give me this look like "Oh that's nice, but what's your real job?"

Its also frustrating that a lot of people seem to think that the only way that you can make a living in the Arts is as a teacher.  I do teach lessons, but it definitely ain't fo' the money,  I do it because I like to pass on my knowledge to the next generation.  When I was in college, my professors were trying to encourage me to become a performer while my family insisted that I needed to be 'realistic.'  They couldn't even see that I had chance to succeed because of their own fears that I would fail.  Talk about setting you up to fail.

But you can't look for validation through other people.  You have to work at your passion and refine your talents until your work becomes recognized for what it is.  Others in the business will recognize that you are serious about it and not just "another girl going off to LA to make it big."  Trust me, those same people that poo-poo your efforts now will be the first people to claim they "know you when" if you receive any sort of success or acclaim.  The most important thing is that you are doing what you love though and you remain true to your art and your message if you have one.

PG- No one takes my line of work seriously because I am a 20-something girl, and there are many other 20-something girls who are pursuing acting only to become famous. It is not that I am lacking in self respect, or I need other people's approval. It's that their "disapproval" tangibly affects my life.

For example I could be having a great conversation with a true intellectual, and I say that I am working to be an actress, then they lose respect for me, because there are plenty of 20-year-old wannabe actors/celebrities in LA; and when they lose respect for me, I lose a potential future friend/connection.

I don't expect a lot of you guys to understand what I'm trying to express here. I remember thinking that girls who go to beauty school are all dumb. Until my sister went to get her cosmetology degree, and I found out all the complicated things that are actually involved in chemically processing hair, styling/ cutting, skin treatments, etc. And how much she had to study, how little I understood about her homework, and how serious her license exam was. But nonetheless my sister was a huge disgrace to my family. Because in China, anyone can cut hair.

Hi mimi, I know exatcly what you are talking about.  I'm originally from Canada and I'm living in England right now.  I studied film production in Toronto and have always acted.  I love the theatre and I love film.  The UK has made alot of good things happen for me but I know what you mean about people rolling their eyes and not understanding.  My advice, and from my experience, it doesn't matter where you are it's what you do and how persistant you are.  If you want to make this happen, make it happen.  Professional film and theatre are tough, and you'll get alot of rejection and it hurts every time.  But eventually you'll get a yes.  I know you've probably heard stuff like this before, but I really do know what you mean and it's tough but you just need to believe in yourself and do anything you can to fill your showreel. Just keep trying and if you believe in yourself enough it'll happen for you in some way or another.  Good luck with everything :)

We live in a world completely dominated by the left brain. Art is trivialized, and therefore artists are presumed to be trivial people.

Unfortunately, in places like Hollywood, a lot of people buy into that scheme whole heartedly and end up being remarkably trivial; shallow, incurious, self-obsessed douchery abounds.

When you're in that environment and have those sorts of people as peers, you're gonna have to expect people to react to you in that way. You're going to need a thick enough skin to plow through that minimal resistance before you can even consider having a chance to get your foot in the door... and keep in mind that behind those doors are people who are considerably more brutal, and are paid to be.

So... keep your eye on the prize, learn to shrug off haters, do your best to adapt after receiving (often brutal) criticism and rejections, get an agent that'll kick some ass for you and do everything you can not to get glamoured into being another trivial plastic LA wannabe actress.

Edit - and prepare to wait tables or live off a trust fund until things come together. LA ain't cheap.

Original Post by mimi_js:

PG- No one takes my line of work seriously because I am a 20-something girl, and there are many other 20-something girls who are pursuing acting only to become famous. It is not that I am lacking in self respect, or I need other people's approval. It's that their "disapproval" tangibly affects my life.

For example I could be having a great conversation with a true intellectual, and I say that I am working to be an actress, then they lose respect for me, because there are plenty of 20-year-old wannabe actors/celebrities in LA; and when they lose respect for me, I lose a potential future friend/connection.

I don't expect a lot of you guys to understand what I'm trying to express here. I remember thinking that girls who go to beauty school are all dumb. Until my sister went to get her cosmetology degree, and I found out all the complicated things that are actually involved in chemically processing hair, styling/ cutting, skin treatments, etc. And how much she had to study, how little I understood about her homework, and how serious her license exam was. But nonetheless my sister was a huge disgrace to my family. Because in China, anyone can cut hair.

It sounds like you're associating with the wrong people.  If they can't relate to your industry of choice, frankly, they don't matter as far as future connections go.  Those intellectuals will never put a dime in your pocket, and they'll never get you a job.  Seek the company of those in your profession, people who know the ins and outs of what you do. 

Your mom would probably kill me for asking this question but have you considered going abroad instead of Hollywood?  I spent many years in the United Kingdom and acting seems to be taken much more seriously over there.  It seems more based on your skills than what you look like. 

Let's start with you giving your merit to your profession. There are still plenty of people out there who are not into the celebrity culture. In casting wide generalization to the populace, you snuff out your own hope for being recognized for your talent.

Original Post by stevis78:

Original Post by mimi_js:

It sounds like you're associating with the wrong people.  If they can't relate to your industry of choice, frankly, they don't matter as far as future connections go.  Those intellectuals will never put a dime in your pocket, and they'll never get you a job.  Seek the company of those in your profession, people who know the ins and outs of what you do. 

I agree with this ^ a lot. Seek out friends who act. At auditions, be a social butterfly and make all the friends you can. Make friends with people who own gigs you want to get into (plays, television shows, movies - whatever) to get your foot in the door. These people may also have useful tips or information for you for future auditions. Connections can only help you!

What exactly are you looking for mimi? When you say "serious" acting, do you mean acting in broadway plays? Sorry, just not quite sure what you mean. :)

Original Post by cajunrider:

Let's start with you giving your merit to your profession. 

this.

look at your original question, OP. how do you find merit in such an un-merited profession. it sounds like you're the one who doesn't see its value. the fact that you disparage the other young women who pursue it illustrates that quite clearly.

if deep down you think it's bogus, that's on you.

How is acting not worthy of merit? There are few things as satisfying as taking words from a page or a vague concept that once belonged to someone else and turning it into something that is wholly mine, and finding that other people can relate to what I've turned it into and find joy or truth in it, is...the greatest feeling I've ever experienced.

I'd never allow anyone to make me believe that acting isn't an admirable pursuit.

edit: And the "celebrity culture" and "acting" should never be mentioned in the same breath, unless the sentence ends with "have nothing to do with one another."

"You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too. That's a part of it."

-Denzel Washington

My kid wants to pursue the theater in NY. I find untold merit in his decision. I don't care if he makes it or not, I applaud the following of dreams.

Honestly until you believe in you nobody else will.

That said acting is fine and it is art  and great art has value however it has much lower value then many more practical careers. You will suffer hardship andf likely never make much money doing this. That is fine if you believe in the value of your own art. However if you do not believe enough in yourself as to know that you can make it despite teh odd s then yes perhaps you should find a career that is a tangable good. Great art has lots of value but bad art is of little value. So if you do not have the beliefand determination to make it work despite all then give up now and pick a different path. If you have the stern belief that you can do this then do it and stop giving a sh** what others think.

Kotov- Perhaps you couldn't understand the complexity of my title. Acting is most definitely merit-worthy, however, it has been unmerited with the exploitation of our personally-generated celebrity culture. We are constantly hearing young girls saying "I'm going to be a famous actress one day!" And because of that, it is easy to lose sight of the genuineness associated with acting, which is why I asked "how can you find merit in such an un-merited profession."

Un-meritted is quite different from not merited. Just letting you know that for future reference..

When I studied this artform, I was surrounded by very intelligent and great people. The theories and subjects I learned stimulated my intellect and I loved it. It felt real and definitely merit-driven. 

However, now that I am in Los Angeles, I am constantly meeting people who are fame-driven, who have not gone to official schooling to study acting or are not talented in general. And 100% of people roll their eyes at me when I tell them that I am working to be an actress. So, while I believe acting is a great craft, I feel that everyone around me care more for the Great name rather than the Great man. And that is rubbing off on me, in that it's making me doubt my career choice. I thought that somewhere, at least, I could find a small group of people who are genuine and really care about this profession. But I have yet to...