How do You Keep Yourself Going?

People always say how difficult it is to be an actor because you hear "no" all the time.  This is actually  not true - most of the time you hear nothing at all.  The way most actors find out they were rejected is when they see another actor playing the role they auditioned for on TV.  Oh, awesome, that goofy bug-eyed girl got that commercial I went in for ... again.

But there is no way around it, being an actor is a life filled with rejection.  And I'm not going to lie: it is difficult and it will get to you.  The people who have longevity in this business are the ones who can take the rejection and keep moving forward.

When the rejection starts to get me feeling down, I look at the reasons I chose this career in the first place.  I love to act; I love the theater; I love performing; I love movies; I love plays.

My first step in fighting the rejection blues is by watching some of my favorite actors in their best performances.  I get the classics down and watch Casablanca, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Singing in the Rain - the movies that made me want to be an actor in the first place.

Another way for me to fight the blues is by wandering around in the play section of my favorite used bookstore, The Iliad.  I grab a couple well-loved, marked up, highlighted plays for a couple bucks and curl up in a dark corner somewhere to read.  One secret of mine: I always act out all the parts in my head while reading a play.

If I am not on an upswing yet, then I pour myself into being more productive.  I find new classes; go to workshops; find offices to intern at.  Suddenly, I am too busy to feel depressed over some lousy one line role or a cheesy car commercial I didn't book.

What do you do to keep yourself moving forward?