Lisa Temple Actress Your Senator, Doctor, Teacher, Mom

Have you heard that if actors are smart, they’ll create their own content? Sure you have. That’s all everyone is talking about now. But unfortunately, like almost everything new that’s come along, I began by resisting this idea. After all, I’m an actor not a writer. And I’m certainly not a director or producer, which is perhaps the hardest aspect of creating your own content. I have no idea what I’m doing. How the hell are we supposed to accomplish such a huge project? And actually, why the hell should we have to take this on? What more do they expect of us? They expect a lot.

Just like with self-tapes, I have slowly warmed to this idea because I’ve had to. If I don’t figure out how to shoot an audition at home and make it look professional, I’m out of the game. I choose to look at these expectations as opportunities for personal growth, as well as career growth. The bottom line is, if I want to work in this business, then I have to play the game. If I don’t, some other savvy lady will play the game, and she’ll be on set working while I’m sitting at home watching her on television.

One action I’m taking to play the game has been to give myself a 100-Day Writing Challenge, which has resulted in this Friday Blog. It’s keeping me focused each week, and more fully aware of what I’m doing with my time; a huge shift for me. This challenge has also helped me finish writing ten episodes of my Web Series, completing the first season. This is truly an unbelievable accomplishment, something I never dreamed I could do. But I have. Now it’s time to take a deep breath and put a smile on my face. Because I have to put together a production team, fill out all the paperwork, and of course, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite! Yeehaw!

I’m now on the 60^thday of my challenge. I’ve kept at it by setting goals and sticking with them every week, especially when I haven’t felt like writing. I find that when I simply sit down at the computer and stay open, the words start flowing on their own. I must also acknowledge my husband Rich, who is a writer himself, and has helped me stay motivated and shown me how to refine each episode. In return, I’m proofreading Rich’s latest book about his mother. He’s going to self-publish, so we’re doing a final read through to clean up anything that might’ve been missed. We’re very blessed to have each other for support.

Turns out that creating your own content is just a step-by-step process. It’s one day at a time, or “bird by bird”, as Anne Lamott says in her book about writing, aptly titled Bird By Bird. And now that I’ve figured all this out, I can’t think of a better way to spend my time. It feels great to know what I want to do, and just do it. Thanks Nike!

In order to play the game and succeed, you must be willing to say what’s really going on in your head, so you can become aware of what needs to change. My attitude needed to change…big time. That’s why I’m so fascinated with human nature, mindset, and behavior. I’m learning that I really can change the way my life, and my career, are happening all around me. I can look at some circumstance or person in a different way, perhaps seeing the reality for the first time, and decide to build a relationship instead of holding back and letting it slip through my fingers. I can quit automatically accepting what the little voice in my head is yelling at me, and tell it to go sit quietly in the back seat. I know the voice will always be there, but I’m driving right now, thank you very much.

This is true empowerment. Self-trust. Self-belief. Self-love. Being the person I’ve always wanted to be, but never knowing the power was within me the whole time. This awareness is a tremendous blessing, and I’m forever grateful to have stayed on this path. I have committed to the long haul that is my acting career, and I’m finding ways to find the joy no matter what.