4 Ways an Attitude of Gratitude Will Boost Your Acting Career

This time of year, feeling grateful is all the rage. Thanksgiving nearly sneaks up on us in the middle of a busy fourth quarter and the very nature of the holiday encourages us to slow down, take a breath, and look at all the incredible people and situations we have in our lives.

As artists, we have an especially poignant reason to be grateful: we are living our dreams as reality! Okay, so maybe you didn’t book all the roles you wanted this quarter, but the mere fact that you were able to pursue them speaks to how purely you honor your life’s calling.

Now there’s something for which to be grateful!

In my experience as a Clarity Coach, I’ve seen tremendous things happen for actors as soon as they step into a space of gratitude. Sometimes it’s a challenge to remember why gratitude is important, so in case you need a reminder, here are the top 4 ways an attitude of gratitude will boost your acting career...

Courtney RiouxNovember 24, 2015 Comments

A Blog is Your #1 Online Actor Marketing Tool (Okay, Maybe #2)

These days, everyone is inundated with so much marketing information that, as artists, it can feel like individual actor brands get lost in the shuffle.

Have you visited IMDB lately? The site is often so plastered with ads that even the page’s background is littered with images that scream for attention. How can one individual actor who’s forging his or her way through the thousands compete with something like that!?

Well, the good news is that you don’t have to. When you’re at the point in your career where you’re booking co-stars, guest stars and indie films, the best thing you can do for your future PR team (and current endeavors) is build a solid foundation in anticipation of working your way up the ranks.

IMDB Will Still Trump

The way things are going now, it looks as though IMDB will still be the standard for casting directors looking up actors for years to come. Of course, it’s vital that every working actor have an IMDBpro account so they can manage their images, credits and organize their resume should they choose to add one.

It’s almost as though IMDB is the actor’s equivalent of LinkedIn for the corporate world: make it look clean, professional and appealing.

And by the way, have you noticed that when you post images of yourself on your IMDB account, those images are some of the FIRST to pop up in a Google search result for your name? IMDB has tremendous sway in Google search results.

If you’ve been thinking that Googling your name is lame/vain/egotistical, time to have a change of heart. Here’s why...

Courtney RiouxNovember 11, 2015 Comments

3 Common Beliefs that Keep You Jealous

Okay, I admit it. I used to be insanely jealous of other actors who were having more success than me. I was unhappy with my career and I thought I should be further along than I was.

The funny thing is, the more I focused on lack and comparing myself to others, the harder it became to allow new opportunities and growth to come into my life.

Ever been there?

...Are you there now?

It sucks, doesn’t it?!

When it comes to money or opportunities, a “lack” mindset can really keep you feeling like crap. Energetically, there’s no room for growth or success in that space.

Courtney RiouxOctober 20, 2015 Comments

10 ways to stop being a “starving artist.”

It never fails. I’m at a networking event, talking to an actor and without hesitation they give me the excuse, “Well, I’m a starving artist.”

I smile politely but I really just want to shake said actor by the shoulders and scream, “It doesn’t have to be this way!”

The term starving artist came from geniuses back in the day, like Van Gogh, who sacrificed everything and never sold a painting in his lifetime.

However, even back then, other artists lived remarkably well, like Rembrandt, Dickens and Warhol.¹

So here’s why you should give up the “starving artist” belief:

You are what you think you are. Beliefs effect your actions and your actions create your destiny. If you believe you are a “starving artist,” you will push money away. You’ll limit new revenue streams and find ways to lose money once you make it (accidents, tickets, bills, etc.)
You are limiting your success. Success begets success...

Courtney RiouxOctober 6, 2015actors, starving artist, money, gratitude, beliefs Comments

Let It Go!

My friend recently auditioned for a reputable theatre company. She’s dreamed about working with this company for years. She’s a fiercely talented actor and it’s totally possible. However, her attachment to this goal is getting in her way.

She can walk into any other theatre company in town and nail audition after audition. She knows what she’s doing, she’s prepared, she does it well, and she lets go after.

She walks into this one theatre company’s room, however, and she’s a mess. She sweats and stumbles over her lines. She’s awkward! The casting director knows her, even likes her, and is most likely rooting for her. But my friend self-sabotages her success.

One of the hardest things about being a goal setter is the ability to let it go. But believe me, by letting go of your attachment to a goal, it may actually become easier to achieve.

Courtney RiouxSeptember 9, 2015goals, ego, success, emotionsComment

A 2% change for GIGANTIC results

You’ve got talent, you’ve got drive, you’ve got the look, so why the f@#$ aren’t you booking the part?

When things aren’t going right, when it appears that the world is conspiring against you, you might think that you need to change EVERYTHING. But let’s take a breath for a moment because that’s often not the truth. Take golf for example. Moving your thumb in your grip ever so slightly – or so my husband tells me – can drastically change the direction of the ball when it leaves the club. In other words, it’s a small change that produces a giant result.

Courtney RiouxAugust 4, 2015goals, success, changeComment

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