Staying focused

It's been a while since I've updated this blog.  Nearly a year has passed, and I've grown not only as an artist, but as a human as well.  I don't feel you can separate the two - ie. who you are as a person versus your artistic talents.  The two are intertwined, and an adjustment in one will have a profound impact on the other.

Probably the biggest lesson I've learned over the years is staying focused.  I think it's one of the greatest struggles an artist will face.  

For most, talent generally isn't an issue.  If you're crazy enough to pursue an acting career, it's probably because somewhere along the way you felt or experienced a quality of work that gave you the idea that you could play in the big leagues.

So what separates talent from success?  To quote one of my favorite authors, Charles Dickens (from the semi-autobiographical "David Copperfield"):

I have been very fortunate in worldly matters; many men have worked much harder, and not succeeded half so well; but I never could have done what I have done, without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one object at a time, no matter how quickly its successor should come upon its heels, which I then formed.

Order.  Concentration.  Focus.  These are the things that separate the wheat from the chaff.  Unfortunately, we live in a society with tremendous distractions. Facebook.  The Internet.  Shopping.  Alcohol.  Video Games.  TV.  None of these things are inherently evil, but they will not make you a better artist. They will not propel you towards success in your goals.

Focus is knowing what you want.  Focus is knowing what's important in your life, and having the strength and wisdom to realize when something's a distraction.