by Enci
Plan B
The more experience we have in life, the richer our artistic expression becomes and the more risks we can take. Experience in life can come from circumstances that were out of our control and also from experiences that we have built for ourselves, like working on our craft, finding opportunities that are unrelated to our artistic endeavor, or jumping at any opportunity that is offered to us.
I pretty much jumped on every opportunity that I was offered since I moved away from home. When I was 18, I got my first job in a bar in Germany because I refused to take “no more room” for an answer at the coat check. The guy refused to take my coat because he said that there was no more room for jackets, even though I saw a lot of room in the back. I told him that if he won’t hang my coat, then I will, and I jumped over the counter to hang up my jacket. After I hung my jacket, the guy offered me a job. We are still friends. 🙂 I got into modeling because a makeup artist and a photographer needed someone for a photo shoot when another model bailed on them. My first acting gig I got because a director saw a photo of mine in a portfolio of an up-and-coming makeup artist.
Along the way, I have always been free to pursue opportunities because I had a backup plan in place. When I came to America I had my savings which allowed me to take risks and chase my dreams. Along the way I developed some skills that allowed me to earn a living so that I could seize crazy opportunities, opening doors along the way that liberated me from the fear of failure.
After all, what’s the worst that could have happened? That I would lose the job that I didn’t have last week?
Over the years, many opportunities arose, from surveying land in West Mojave for the Bureau of Land Management, to building websites, to working in front of the camera while learning from those behind the camera, to earning a living as a photographer.
I worked outdoors and indoors, with creative people and with paper pushers, in clubs and in sales, and now I have a full-time job as a mother. All these past life experiences have enriched me with a foundation of marketable skills, my Plan B, so that I can pay bills between acting jobs. These opportunities also made me more confident to take risks in my art. I can’t wait to see what opportunities life will offer me next.
In this new year, I would love to hear from you. I want to hear about your Plan B, your second career. Are you doing something other than acting and taking acting classes? Do you have a hobby that brings you income and fulfills you? Are you involved with something that makes a difference in someone’s life? Are you a politician, a chef, a carpenter, a docent, a teacher? Are you a consultant, a gardener, a musician, or a doctor? What is your Plan B?
If you have a Plan B, a second career, please email me and I will feature you in my upcoming articles. Please put in the subject line: “Actor/Actress with a Plan B”. Tell me your name, what you do, how long you have been doing it, and please include a photo of you (at your Plan B job) and a link to your acting and Plan B website.
I wish you all a very Happy, Creative, Joyous, Healthy, Peaceful, and Successful New Year filled with Love, Laughter, and lots of Inspiration and job opportunities.
Enci is a Mother, Actress, Artist and Activist.
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