So, I was just watching a really cool interview with Neil Patrick Harris and he was talking about all the rejection involved with acting. He basically described the Los Angeles lifestyle as a culture of rejection. If you get the callback, you don't get the job. If you get the job, they end up recasting it. If you get the pilot, it doesn't take. If you have a series, you don't get the Emmy. If you are nominated for an Emmy, you don't get invited to Madonna's after-party. The list of rejection goes on and on.
I thought this was an awesome description of acting (and a reality check that many actors I know need to have). I realized that this kind of rejection is really just a part of any life, especially if you are pursuing extraordinary things. When you are doing great things, there will always be the nay-sayers, the people who don't like you, the detractors.
In my case, I feel like I do get overwhelmed by the nastiness (hello- just look at the title of my blog, and I suppose it is fairly obvious that I can get stuck in my own head with this stuff). But, it has to happen when you are pursuing excellence. All of the mediocre, lazy, scared, stupid and ignorant people do start to come out of the woodwork when you begin to do something awesome and have some measure of success. They have to- you are upsetting their comfort zone, and your excellence is forcing them to face their own inadequecies and insecurities.
My life may be the theatre, but I have a real side-love for psychology (so much so that I actually got a Psychology Degree). One thing that I learned in studying psychology is that people will do almost anything to avoid feeling anxious. When you are being awesome, and therefore forcing someone else to face the fact that what they are doing may not be so awesome, you are causing them anxiety and stress. Rather than just feeling the anxiety or changing circumstances to change the cause of the anxiety, it is a lot easier to lash out at the so-called "reason" (or person) causing that anxiety.
Just because you have detractors does not mean you aren't doing the right thing. In some cases, you may just be onto the most awesome thing you could be doing.
I don't read your blog every day, Andrea, but when I do .... I find it interesting and insightful and sometimes amusing, as well. I think you have a good understanding of life and people, and a good way to "lighten the load" of day-to-day life is by journaling. I even think your writings could be helpful to someone else reading your blog. So .... there are 2 good reasons for your blogging, which is 2 more than many bloggers seem to have. Oh, BTW, did you & J know that Christian Borle, who won the Best-featured-actor Tony for his role in PETER AND THE STARCATCHER (and also has a major role on tv's SMASH) is a Pgh'er? I loved his acceptance speech .... so cool. Toggle on and all good wishes to you, my dear; love 2 u both.
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