How Am I Unique?

I’ve been pondering on this question for some time. I mean, I know each and every person is unique. But what are the qualities that make me unique from other people, and how can I stand out?

I’ve been reading books about auditions & acting. A few mention finding my niche (or unique character presentation). Something that differentiates me from other actors. Not stereotyping, but rather, what role do I want to be identified with?

For example, do I want to be the heroine? Or the girl-next-door? The regular gal, or the explorer? The sage, the outlaw, the magician, the lover? Caregiver or creator? Jester or ruler? Confusing terms, but basically, how do I want to classify myself so people will remember me and the characters I embody? How do others view me?

 

Right now, I think I would like to build my niche as an explorer-cum-lover.

EXPLORER:  Someone who wants to experience a better, more fulfilling life. Avoids conformity & seeks new things. Being true to my inner life. The seeker, the wanderer, the pilgrim. A.k.a Johnny Depp.

LOVER : Someone who desires intimacy & relationships. Passionate, grateful, appreciative & committed. Having a comfortable sense of “belonging” with others. A.k.a. Drew Barrymore.

So basically, I am someone who wants a life out of the ordinary, but yet desires relationships with other people. And I believe this is being true to who I am on the inside.

 

To go into acting is like asking for admission

to an insane asylum. Anyone may apply,

but only the certifiably insane are admitted.

Why would one go into a profession in which

it is nigh impossible to earn a living?

It’s filled with ironies, the profession of acting.

Most people go into acting to get out of themselves,

to get away from their everyday humdrum selves and become

someone else who is glamorous, romantic, unusual, different.

And what does acting turn out to be? Using your own self. Working from what’s inside you. Not being someone else,

but being you in different situations and contexts.

Not escaping you, but using yourself naked and exposed

up there on the stage or the silver screen.

I’ve always thought it’s better to give up sanity.

Settle down and admit you’re crazy or you wouldn’t want to act.

**When you find out what acting is like

and what the odds are, and you still persist,**  

the proof of your own insanity is inescapable. Accept it. **The life of an actor is a bit easier to take

if you admit you’re bonkers.**

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Find the dream in you and learn to put it right up there on stage,

where everybody can see.

You have to be crazy, thank God, to want to do that. 

- “Audition” by Michael Shurtleff -