Last Friday, the ever-empowering @ErinCronican retweeted @NYActorsTweetup’s quote: “A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want.”  ~Madonna

In addition, I snagged this Tweet from @ACTORSandCREW back in March: In #Film, the first thing you must do is decide what you really want.”

How does a person figure out what they want? How do you know you want something? Why do we so often not allow ourselves to actually want what we want? I think one of the most powerful, essential things a person, an actor, can do for themselves is to pin down what they really desire. Mostly, this is accomplished by listening to our instincts through trial and error. For example, why does a child pick up one toy and drop another? They listen to their impulses, their gut reactions; trying out one thing and trying out another. Identifying what you want to achieve in this career happens by being honest with yourself. And through this honesty, it’s important to be open to what we find inside, as opposed to judging or pushing away our truth. Our emotions and instincts are there to guide us through this wilderness of a world; to reflect back if we are really on track with what we want, need, desire… or not.

As a base line, do you want to focus more on theatre or film? That dictates where you will live. Past that, are you wanting to live in a regional market, or go balls to the wall for a career on Broadway? Do you want to become a series regular, or supporting actress? This is just the very surface, but will completely change where your career (literally) takes you.

Firmly declare what you want in your life, and phrase it positively. So instead of, “I don’t want to do poorly at this audition,” or “I probably won’t even book this job” try “I am a great actor, and I am excited to share my story and preparation.” Just altering our words makes us feel a completely different way (more positive)! Speak this out loud, sing it in the car, do a dance for how it feels, whisper it to yourself, write it down. Visualize yourself in that audition room as a calm, prepared, enthusiastic actor (or whichever positive words are grounding and centering for you). And do remember that nothing is too high or too low for us; everything in this world is available and attainable.

So what can you start doing today to make your career, and your life, more focused on what you truly want? Start with awareness. Start with specificity. In addition to what you are drawn to by impulse and instinct, what would you fight for? What would you go to war for? That is what matters to you most. This is what you truly want. Explore your findings, and watch what notes they strike inside. Know thyself. First and foremost, know you.

Feel free to share your discoveries, and what you find works to help you define and stay focused on what you want. I would love to hear what you observe, and what additions and changes you are making to the way you pursue your goals :)

Find out more on Anne Woods on Twitter, IMDB, and Facebook.

I was on set for “The Disappearance of Benjamin” all weekend: 12 hours Saturday and about 13 Sunday – best way to spend two days! :) I’m sharing with you some photos from our shoot. Great professionalism, lots of much appreciated hard work, and so much fun! Can’t wait to get on set again with everyone!

The beautiful Angelique O’Rourke (Celine) and me, Anne Woods (Lucy)

BRIGHT lights, and lots of action

Our fantastic DP, Austin Hobart

Stealing pictures of each other! Coltron James (playing Benjamin)

Lunch break under a beautiful tree

Angelique O’Rourke (Celine) and Rollyn Stafford (Trevor)

Thanks to Angelique for getting a shot of me whilst I was capturing everyone else!

Find out more on Anne Woods on Twitter, IMDB, and Facebook.

“Plan your progress carefully; hour-by hour, day-by-day, month-by-month. Organized activity and maintained enthusiasm are the wellsprings of your power.” Paul J. Meyer

Organization is one of the top priorities in my career. It keeps my head in the game, and keeps me focused on what exactly it is I want. I have several resources for organization that I geek out on regularly.

I am currently using an app called iPerform ($5.99 in the App Store) to track my auditions, callbacks, bookings, rehearsal schedules, industry contacts, (basic) finances, and wardrobe for each audition. One thing I love about the wardrobe function is I can take pictures of my outfit I wear to an audition, and, with a description of what I’ve got on in the picture, link it to the audition. This is especially awesome for callbacks; I can simply go back to the audition page and look at what I wore to keep consistency. I find this can help jar the memory of the casting director when I have the same cute scarf or shirt I had on the first time they saw me for the role. With iPerform, I can also keep my industry contacts organized by title (Casting Director, Producer, Writer, etc.), and by name or company. In addition, there is a function to keep a schedule of related events for any job I book (including rehearsals, fittings, screening, and airdate), which once saved are directly added to my iCal. Ridiculously rad, eh? Also, it has finance, mileage, and To-Do modules. And within each module are more little details I urge you to check out! I pretty much fell in love with iPerform the instant I got it :)

There are definitely other apps and sites that you can utilize with similar functions, for example PerformerTrack (anyone use this?), but I have yet to use them. One thing I would like the iPerform app to do more thoroughly is track finances in a very specific way, instead of simply entering them like notes. And it would be fan-flippin-tastic to have the finance module geared more toward tax season :) Does anyone know of, or have experience with, an app or website that does that well for actors?

Another organizational tool I am using right now is Excel, for a very specialized reason. I think we all know what Excel is, and I used to think it was primarily for numbers. But I’ve decided to use it mainly as a simple form to compare and list agents and managers who I am focused on pursuing. (I also have a separate one for Casting Directors, with it’s own details. And you can really use it for whatever you want to compare or list: headshot photographers, people you’ve worked with or met, apartments or cars, anything I guess!) This spreadsheet I am totally nerding out on is SO helpful already because I am moving to LA in three months, and I want to do as much preparation and research as possible before I move. In this spreadsheet, I have columns labeling each agency, the agent(s) within the agency I want to work with, their contact information, their website, what types of people they represent, notes about why I am pursuing them, and any articles or interviews I’ve found about them. Even though this much manual data entry can be considered tedious, I love inputting each piece of information so that while typing, I see and feel everything I learn. It makes me feel closer to the information, and more importantly, the people beyond the screen. I am able to research these industry professionals pretty darn accurately on IMDB-pro, which I have found to be an extraordinary, mandatory tool for my career.

If you don’t have IMDB-pro, and especially if you’re focused on the TV/film industry (as opposed to primarily theatre), definitely sign up for the free two week trial here, and give it a spin. Even if you can’t afford the monthly or yearly cost this very moment, tasting the soup will get you inspired to go back for more. It’s so worth it, I don’t even need to mention how worth it it is! :) The prices after the free trial are here. You can find (nearly always) updated, accurate contact info for industry professionals, as well as be able to see who represents each actor. This is how I have been able to see which agencies and management companies represent different actors whose careers inspire me, or who are on a course similar to the path I want to, and am, creating for myself. In addition to looking at everyone else’s profiles and more in depth information about them, you get to put up your own headshot, resume, extra pictures (up to 100), and reel. You can see mine here.

These are only a few of the tools I use for my career. I want to dedicate single, more focused posts to headshots, resumes, postcards, business cards, career supporting websites, and other items in the ole toolbelt :)

I am constantly looking for more efficient ways to organize my business. I would love to hear about what you use to organize and focus your career. Please share your experiences! I’d love to geek out with you :)

My name is Anne Woods, I am an actor, and I am in action. With this blog, my aim is to collaborate with other actors and industry professionals, and assist in activating our careers in fresh, growth-inducing, goal oriented ways. My goal here is to share my experiences in the field, and learn about yours. I want to discuss what has worked, and what hasn’t, for scenes and characters in class and auditions. I want to discuss what has and hasn’t worked in our career moves, and in turn, what we can do differently to make our careers what we want them to be. I will also be posting what I find inspiring: be it an insightful book, a play or film that soared, quotes, photos from working on set, and different days on my journey. I want you to feel free to post what inspires you too!

I don’t call myself an expert by any means, I am always learning, but I know that the experiences I have thus far as an actor are valuable. They are the building blocks upon which my career is growing.

I want my blog to be a place where giving feedback is very encouraged and happily accepted :) I will also be sharing resources I use to work on my career, and I would love to hear what you use as well. I want to collaborate as artists, and further develop a strong community. Let’s learn from each other, and keep each other accountable, one piece at a time.

 “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

We all take one step at a time. Sometimes it’s a leap, maybe it’s a shuffle or a skip, but it’s always one at a time. Let’s support each other in reaching that next level :)