Crashed and

I burnt myself out last week.

In the lead up to writing the first part of the Actors Who Hate Social Media Playbook I had more ideas for a piece than I’ve had in a long time.

I felt like Zach

And then I just sort of dumped them all out onto you in a very long, very unedited stream of consciousness.

For that I can only apologise.

For anyone who was a little worried that I had finally snapped, I cannot be sure I have not.

But this week I am going to take a step back from the Playbook.

It seems social media is a rather intense world to be in if you are not too used to it. If you have not set yourself boundaries.

So instead, today, let’s talk about the adventures in my bathroom.

A night time convo

“I’ve left an adventure for you in the bathroom”

I look up from my laptop

“…What? Sorry – i missed that”

“I’ve left an adventure for you in the bathroom.”

“You-“

“I’ve left. an adventure for you. in the bathroom…Night.”

I blink.

I look back at my laptop.

A problem

Without a problem to solve, you do not have an adventure.

Without an adventure it is very easy to feel dissatisfied.

When you encounter an adventure,
no matter how big or small
​it’s hard not to feel the spirit of life coursing through you.

The harder the problems you encounter, the more intense the adventure.

The more intense the adventure the more alive you feel.

Earlier that evening

We’re both looking at the front door.

“Do you have your keys?”

“No i forgot them”, I say “- you don’t have yours?”

“They’re in the bag we left at your parents”

“…right…”

It’s raining.

Margot’s holding Sunny.

“Did we leave the bathroom window open?”

We both look up.

I try it.

We left it open.

“Right…”

I begin emptying my pockets.

Car keys. Notebook. Five pound note and two 50ps.

I kiss Margot and I kiss Sunny.

“I love you and I love you”

I begin to climb.

“Be careful”

It’s not particularly high but I will have to descend upside down.

I’ve done it once before. It was a bit sketchy.

I can’t slide over the top edge. I left a book in my jacket pocket. It’s about digital decluttering.

I take it out without looking and wiggle it back at Margot.

She takes it.

I go to flip over the lip.

My hand gets stuck in the blinds, i try to free it by pulling the pull chord but the blinds snap off the wall and bounce off my head.

They land with a crash on the toilet beneath me.

16 dead flies spill out across the bathroom.

I close my mouth.

Sunny starts to cry.

What keeps us in it

Without problems you do not have an adventure.

I do not have any science to back this up

But i can feel it.

In my bonesies.

I believe this is the reason I am still an actor:

• At some point along the road, in fact at many times along this road, people have told us that it’s going to be near impossible to make a living doing this job

• And yet we keep pursuing it
• Hundreds of little tiny problems leading to one ALMIGHTY problem:

​

​

One almighty problem.

Makes one almighty adventure.

​

Later in the evening as I listened to the sound of 16 flies “ffppp“ing into the hoover, I thought about how alive I felt tackling that particular problem.

I was grateful. for both of us not having our keys.

I was grateful for the problem.

Grateful for the adventure.

The parcel

After Sunny went down Margot gave me a parcel that had arrived earlier.

In it is the first purchase – the first bit of costume for a short im planning on shooting this summer.

Another adventure.

A tactic to take on the big problem.

No matter what the industry chucks at us, it is fuel for our big adventure.

We will find a way.

I am not going to give up trying to figure out how I can make a career out of this.

It’s too interesting a problem.

I’ll be here every week to help you figure out the answer to that problem and to remind you that you are not alone on your big adventure.

That we, the other readers and I, are right next to you, saying comon then, lets f*kn have it, industry, give us your worst,

we want more adventures in the bathroom

It makes us feel fucking alive.

​

​

Know an actor who wants to see the industry change, who loves to make things and wants to make more?

They might find this newsletter useful:

​sixfigureactor.net​

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Reader Wins

• Last week, after building and testing his home recording booth in the nook of his room, reader Jordo sent off his first audiobook audition. Then his second, then his third. Well done for getting there dude, huge win.
• Readers Phoebe and Floss have decided to make a film together.
  This is big – this is two separate people, both of whom read this newsletter making something together.
  This is a win squared.
  In Phoebe’s words “Well, i’ve said it now so now we’re going to have to do it”.

• Reader my Mum painted this, i found it lying on the table at home this evening. Someone who has always encouraged me to make things. This is awesome mum, well done.

• And a huge thank you to reader Lizzie for leaving the below – it makes such a huge difference and I think it’s great that it feels like you’re popping out of the screen, slapping the reader twice and shaking them by their lapels. Just the way it should be. Thank you.

​

A Money Tip

Early on in his book, Ramit Sethi get’s you to define what “rich” means to you

– aka what do you value?

Starting a family?

Love going to weird restaurants?

Saving to make your first short film?

Once you’ve figured out what will bring richness to your life, you begin to prioritise.

You allow yourself to buy store brand bake beans instead of the Heinz good stuff because you know exactly why you are making that (huge) sacrifice and where exactly the money’s going.

It is simple. But challenging.

This is just one of the many ways this book has helped me become a little more financially savvy – (there are a few more ways that are relevant like paying yourself a salary, and pensions – but I’ll cover these in a future edition)

This is where you can find Ramit Sethi’s I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

How do I make a sustainable living as an actor? is a huge problem to solve.

But

You are professional problem solver.

You are a professional adventurer.

And you are never alone.

We are on this adventure with you all the way.

Have a great week this week,

A x

🤙

P.s. it’s half term – so give yourself a break. You deserve it.

P.p.s next week we’ll look at how actors are using the internet to solve the big problem and…how to set boundaries.

P.p.p.s Let us know what you thought of this week’s newsletter 👇 or hit reply to this email with what you liked/despised/if you have a win – I read and reply to all of them!