Choosing a life as an artist can never be about becoming rich and famous. The average actor makes $2000 a year as a performer, and in good times, 97% of us are out of work. We never stop studying and auditioning. We are all jobbing, with side hustles and creative living arrangements. There, that is that out of the way. Absolutely, there are those people who attain stardom and never again have to worry about paying taxes or healthcare, but those stories are like those about people who win the lottery or get struck by lightning. What we really should hope for is a life of balance, some consistency, and the opportunity to explore our lives as artists and influence and touch as many people as possible. Our job is to remind people of what makes us truly unique as humans, to touch that part of us that is unexplainable, the soul, whether it be through art, film, photography, music, theatre, writing, we need to provoke deep thought, heartfelt laughter, profound emotional responses, good and not so good sometimes.
I started working professionally as an actor when I was 17, and to be honest, I took my good fortune for granted. I worked consistently until I was 30, and decided to change tracks for a bit, taking up my studies more seriously to become a teacher. I knew that I wanted children, and a home of my own, more than I wanted anything else. I also knew time was ticking on, and I needed to get a move on.
Again, I took my luck in those years for granted, I did voice overs and scratch voice work for characters in animation, I performed in musicals, and did studio work as a session singer. I landed my teaching job at Sheridan in 1997, after 2 years of subbing there, and launched my teaching career. I still had my other job in fashion, which to be truthful, was how I got a mortgage and created the stability to convince the government to let me adopt children.
It wasn’t until my 40’s that I was permitted to start working in NYC. I finally had the connections, the resume, and had joined all the necessary unions in order to justify the six magnificent years I spent as an artist exploring the Big Apple.
Many of us are living lives as artists, supporting families, paying taxes and mortgages and simply hoping to keep working. The reality is that in Canada we do not have a star system. One year you might land a Mirvish contract, and the next you are auditioning and working as a cashier at Canadian Tire. There’s no shame, we all make choices. I choose to not take any contract that takes me away from my kids for more than 2 weeks. When they were little, I wanted to make sure I could put them to bed at night. Those were my choices. It meant sacrifices, but no regrets. I arrange my teaching to make sure that I can make supper for them, and we can sit down and eat as a family. I make sure I finish at 9 pm, in order to say goodnight. We live fully as artists here, it may not a star-studded existence, but it is our little “Bohemian Paradise”. There is no rush in art, the older we get, the better we get. The average age of Broadway performer is 40. Many of you reading this will think 40 is old, but for me, 44 became fabulous, when I got to do the things I had dreamed of. It is never over, it is never too late. Hang in there, these crazy days will pass, and a new renaissance will emerge.
Louisa
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