I’m sitting here at the gate, waiting to board my flight to Chicago, and enjoying a little snack while the sun tries to break through the marine layer (it’s not happening at this early hour). As I examine the contents of this little box of gluten-free goodies that I picked up along with a bottle of water at the Hudson News, I find myself reading the story of why this company chose to use sunflower seeds in its spread, rather than nuts, and why they call it “sun butter.” I’m reading about the fruit leather they selected. I realize, I’m reading their STORY, and I’m fascinated enough to keep reading.
Read that again: I’m *fascinated* by the story of the nut butter.
Sure, it’s not the type of thing I’d seek out and read during downtime. It’s not like I’d Google “what’s the story of my snack pack” and check out this tale online. But suddenly I’m remembering being a kid and reading the story on the back of the box of breakfast cereal before school. And I’m thinking about just last week when I read the story of the how the water got into the bottle I was holding. (I think it was from the happy clouds.)
As always, that got me thinking about you, my fellow storytellers. It got me thinking about actors and the stories they tell (not just in service of the script that’s in their hand at any particular time, but in service of communicating their own brand).
Now, last week I talked about planting seeds so that buyers could find themselves intrigued. So that buyers would look forward to having a conversation with you about things at which you hinted in your cover letter, your resumé, your bio, your website. This week, I want to explore whether you’ve got your amazing story READY, so when you are asked about… whatever it may be… you are sure to deliver your on-brand best.
Does your word choice support my understanding of YOU and what you deliver as an artist? When you’re talking about yourself, are you using words that are congruent with the message you convey, or are you sending us in several different directions, making us unsure of what you’re really about?
Formal? Polite? Balls-out? Rebellious? Strong? Quiet? Enthusiastic? Reserved? What is your tone and what is your message? Actors get in trouble when they want to stay available to BE ANYTHING. Because, while it’s true that you absolutely do have range (beautiful, wonderful range), it’s also true that you will be given more opportunity to show the depths of that range the more well-branded you are for your specialty.
Are you teaching people what to expect from you, just by the story you tell? Or are you mysterious, and therefore not sharing a story at all? There’s no ONE right choice, here. But not sharing a story because you’re not sure what your story IS is probably not a good idea.
What’s your WHY? Read everything you’re putting out into the world through the lens of that WHY. Kill off anything that’s trying to “keep options open” because what it’s actually doing is clouding your message. It *reads* as lack of assurance, lack of specificity, lack of purpose.
Share your story with me! I’d love to help you tweak it here in a future column. You know how to reach out. My email address is in the footer of this here article! 🙂
Tell your story. We like stories. They get us invested. And isn’t that what you want from a fanbase? Aw, yeah.
NOTE: Eric Morgan engaged via Twitter to let me know that last week’s column reminded him “of enthymeme in Aristotle’s rhetoric: Leaving just enough for imagination. He makes a big deal about it in comparison to syllogism. Audience reaches conclusion themselves… more committed to [the] idea.” I *love* that and just wanted to share it here, because I thought it was so dang juicy!
FURTHER NOTE: You may have heard that we’ve launched the campaign to keep Self-Management for Actors in print. Y’all, if the book has ever meant something to you, you can help us keep it available by sharing this link today. Thank you! Truly.
Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!
Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/001717.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.