If you’ve ever hit submit on a self tape or left an in-person audition and immediately started tearing yourself to shreds, this is the episode for you.
Hello and welcome back to The Aligned Actor Podcast. I’m Amy Schloerb your fellow actor, and mindfulness and mindset coach for actors, and this is the place where I share practical tools and mindset shifts to help you thrive in your craft and your career. I want you to feel resilient, empowered, focused, playful, relaxed, and confident in your full actor life.
One of the ways we can do that is by actually doing something to change your relationship with your inner critic, who I bet is abusing you with their never ending monologue of harsh criticisms.
Stuff like….
If you were a better actor you’d be booking more.
Ugh. That moment was so fake.
I can tell you were in your head on that line!
Gawd, why are you so terrible in this tape?!
I bet casting will watch this and laugh…not in a good way!
Sigh.
Why do we do this to ourselves?
Yes, it’s good to have high expectations, but does the voice in our head need to be sooooo self-critical, harsh, and downright abusive?
No. It does not.
But we’ve given it a lot of practice over the years and literally have created a whole saying that affirms it’s normalcy in our lives.
I am my own worst critic.
And yes, that statement does imply that no one else is judging our acting as harshly as we are, and that we’re “better than we give ourselves credit for,” but at what mental cost are we continuing to feed this beast?
There’s an Indigenous parable about two wolves that battle inside each of us. One is good and one is evil. The one that wins is the one that you feed.
Now, I’m not saying that our inner critic is all evil. It’s trying to protect us from the judgments of others by expecting a lot from us. It’s trying to keep us safe.
But when its criticism is excessively negative and harsh, it doesn’t feel very safe and it can actually harm our overall actor mindset and impact the actions we take in our careers. It can cause us to feel unmotivated, get in our heads during auditions, and lead us to feeling burnt out in our careers.
Fortunately, there’s another “wolf” that lives within us — our Inner Fan.
This is the part of us that knows we’re an amazing, talented, highly book-able actor.
Now, maybe the idea of an inner positive, supportive, “you’re so talented!” type of “voice” makes you feel uncomfortable. Amy, isn’t that just bragging?
It’s actually not bragging at all because to quote Robin Williams in The Birdcage, “you keep it all inside.” That’s why it’s called your INNER fan, same as your INNER critic.
Feeding Your Inner Fan
Practicing your inner fan voice is all about intentionally acknowledging your talent instead of only seeing your flaws. Intentionally noticing and acknowledging when you do good work helps break the default habit of judging your work solely through the eyes of your inner critic.
Maybe you’re used to finishing a scene and immediately pointing out everything you did wrong in it.
“Eh, I was in and out on that one and I rushed that line at the end. And now, watching the tape back, I can totally tell I’m acting. This is all terrible. I’m terrible!”
Those self-critical, wet blanket statements are your inner critic running a muck! Nothing is ever good enough for them. They will never be able to see your good work, even when it’s right in front of them.
But your inner fan knows and recognizes your true actor talent. You can practice their voice out loud (or in your own mind) by intentionally acknowledging your skills as an actor when you feel them and see them. Evaluate your work through their eyes for a change.
After you finish a scene, notice and acknowledge the moments in the scene that felt good to you.
I really felt connected in that moment.
That part in the middle felt awesome.
I really had fun with the character in that take.
Watch your self-tapes. Notice and acknowledge the moments where you enjoy your work.
I like my reaction on that line. I can tell I was really listening there.
I was really going after my character’s want in that moment.
I’m proud of how committed I was at the end there.
If your inner critic is especially good at their job, this new way of doing things may take a lot of getting used to. At first you may have to practice by saying, “Oh, my inner critic has a lot to say about that take, but let me ask my inner fan to point out at least one good moment.” It’s okay to start small and let this practice grow.
Give It A Try!
Self Tape May a great time to practice seeing your work with your inner fan’s eyes.
Practice finding 3-5 moments you like in each tape. Ask yourself, “What does my inner fan think of that take?”
When you train your inner fan to be louder and take control of the microphone of your mind more often, you will be amazed with how much better you feel in your actor life. I bet you feel more motivated, more optimistic, more creative, and enjoy your craft and your career so more than ever.
That’s what I want for you.
I want you to enjoy your full actor life and feel confident in your craft and your career.
Your inner fan is the key.
If you found this content helpful or inspiring, I’d be honored if you’d leave a comment and/or share it with your actor pals. Also, check out my free audition meditation and my mindfulness ebook below.
I’m a professional actor, a mindfulness and mindset coach, and I’m ready to help you thrive in your actor life.
🎭 I’ve been a professional actress for almost 20 years. I’ve survived 3 industry shut downs - 2 strikes and 1 global pandemic. I’ve worked in TV, film, commercials, and produced my own award-winning web series.
🧠 I’ve been a life coach for 5 years, specializing in mindfulness and neurolinguistic programming and helping people become more aware and focused on making positive changes in their lives.
💖 I blend lived experience with powerful, proven coaching tools.
🎢 Let’s get you feeling resilient, empowered, focused, playful, relaxed, confident, and riding the acting career roller coaster without throwing up! 🤗
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