Get paid for art & Why Failure IS an option
Today I want to feature two amazing Black business owners (who also happen to be creative types too). I'm not just featuring them because it's Black History Month. They're just amazing humans, and I'm so honored to call them my friends. They don't know I'm featuring them today in my blog, so it will be a bit of a surprise for them. I did get their permission to share it on my blog, when they first wrote and sent out the below in their email newsletters. So, enjoy my friend!
Can we freaking normalize getting paid for our craft?
Let me say it AGAIN --
Can we normalize getting paid for our craft?
“I just want to act, even if it’s for free. " If you've said these...or you have someone in your circle that's saying this...
No. No. No.
I need you to stop. Right now. And ruuuuunnnn from that person.
I’m just going to keep it all the way 100.
We get to get paid for our craft. For our art. We do not have to keep repeating the thoughts and the consciousness of actors past — who “just wanted to act.”
This was the starving actor loop. We do not have to keep repeating it.
Barf.
You can 120% be a brilliant actor AND be brilliant at business and GET PAID.
I fully believe this is why our union — out of all the sister Unions — is perceived as the weakest. Because a lot of actors share the expired belief that they would do it for FREE. And would and have crossed picket lines to prove this.
Let me calm down before all of the THEATRE TEACHERS and ACTING COACHES come after me. (Who are getting paid!)
Look, you don’t have to do it for FAME, but you get to be paid for what you do.
Heck, everyone else is getting paid for what they do on a show. Producer, Director, Studio, Network, Crafty…why the heck not you?!
I believe in you. I know your heart. I know how bad you want to do this. I mean it when I see I you.
It will happen. You don’t have to…nor should you…do it for free.
Next time you hear our fellow actors repeating this trope I want you to say, “Nope, I want to get paid for what I do.” Can you commit to that?
Wasn't that exactly what you needed to hear? Of course, as a money coach, I 100% agree with what DaJuan said above 👆 . If you want to work with him, just go
HERE and click on "Work With Me" to find all of the ways you can work with DaJuan. He really knows his stuff. He's been on Amazon's Bosch (it's sooo good, if you love detective stories), Grey's Anatomy, and very recently, I spotted him in a Doritos commercial during the freaking Super Bowl!!! So, he's definitely someone you want to learn from.
How many times have you told yourself this big lie?
Failure is not an option.
So how many times?
1 or 2 times? Several times? Is it on constant repeat in your head?
This is a lie.
Full Stop.
Now, you might be thinking:
“How could this possibly hold me back? If I tell myself that failure’s not an option, then that forces me to push myself and work harder towards the only option left, which is success.”
Interesting… but no.
“Failure is the most readily available option there is at any given moment."
Chael Sonnen, the retired mixed martial artist who said this, is completely right. Why?
Failure is...
Easy.
Effortless.
Expectation-free.
It’s easier to NOT do the thing than to do the thing.
It doesn’t take much effort or energy to fail.
And no one has any expectations of you when you’re a failure.
So of course failure is an option!
Now back to your earlier objection:
“Failure is not an option” keeps you stuck in anxiety and stress, and out of choice and power.
But owning your power to choose is what makes high achievers more confident and proactive than most.
And I know you want to be confident and proactive in everything you do.
So here are two important things to do right now:
Drop this lie. It’s old and tired.
Grab your spot for a complimentary intro session to bust through other lies that have kept you stuck at whatever plateau you’ve been sitting at for a while now.
Tilita Lutterloh is a high performance coach who loves helping purpose-driven high achievers take their fitness and performance to the next level so they have more strength and energy to get after their bigger life goals the way they want to and sustain their high performance for as long as they want to. Tilita is giving away a limited number of complimentary intro coaching sessions this month. She will help you feel more on track with a strength & conditioning routine that not only makes sense, but also connects to your bigger life goals. I also just have to say that Coach T is very knowledgeable, down to earth, and I get a lot out of my work with her because it's so much more than fitness! Of course, Coach T also works with clients on an ongoing basis. So, after your first session, I’m sure she’ll share what it might look like to work together regularly. Whether that’s something you’d be into or not, just be sure to snag an intro session with her, as she doesn't offer them very often. You won’t regret it!
Here’s a link to more details about Tilita's complimentary session →
With Love & Gratitude,
P.S. Last few days to snag your FREE Money Guide for Couples before I take it down. If you want to a comprehensive guide on how to talk and organize your money with your honey, then go HERE to get that guide!