What’s stopping you from really letting go? This is a really tough question to answer for many people. Believe me, I was the same. Many people are afraid to just let go and really be themselves. They think they aren’t good enough or they will be “found out”. It’s kind of bizarre actually when you really get down to the nuts and bolts of it. We are willing to accept that there are other people who can make a success of their creative career, but they must have “something special” that makes them different from us. They are born with a glowing halo and orchestral music in the background!
I used to go around telling everyone that I am a serial recluse. Someone who is extremely introverted. I still do. In truth, I still am! What I don’t do is use it as crutch. What you will find is that when you speak to more and more people who are successful in their creative career, you will find that they have their own problems and insecurities. We’re all humans for goodness sake! A supremely unique species who still really haven’t figure out this “life” thing. The deeper you dive into the most successful people, the more “unique” and “quirky” personalities you will find. And believe me, they all have their own issues! Man, it’s hard not to mention names!
The difference is - they didn’t let it get in the way. If you have a passion for something, why do you persuade yourself that you are not good enough? That you shouldn’t lay it all out for everyone to see. Yes, allowing yourself to be completely vulnerable could possibly lead to some form of ridicule. But do you really, truly believe you can make a success of a creative pursuit if you don’t lay yourself bare? If you think back to some of the most memorable performances that you have seen or heard, they all will have one thing in common. That person gave everything they had into that performance. Were they afraid of ridicule? Maybe they were. But they allowed themselves to be vulnerable because they knew it was the only way to really make a difference in their performance.
At the end of the day, it is a simple choice. Do you give it everything you’ve got, or do you hold back for the fear of someone saying something that will embarrass you? Analyze that for a second. Who will actually do that? Do you think if you send in an audition that people will actually make fun of you when they listen to it? That’s a bit precious. Most people in the casting process are listening to many auditions and they don’t have time to stop and make fun of a performance. And even if they did, how would you know? Why would you care? If you gave them everything you had and it didn’t make the cut then hey ho! Life’s a bitch! Move on.
Don’t ever regret not giving it everything you have got. I know that is easier said than done but you have to train yourself into that frame of mind. I might be an introvert, but I believe in EVERY audition that I send in. Why wouldn’t I? I would be doing the client an injustice if I sent them something that I held back on. Take an Improv class, go to a local acting school. Do something that shows you that making a fool of yourself means nothing. At worst, people will laugh at you, at best they will laugh with you. At least you made both sets of people feel something. And that is something very special indeed.