Tuesday, June 21, 2016

#CareerReboot Challenge Week 2: Role Models

So, last we took a look at the stuff we're good at. This week, let's think about people we admire, and who have the careers we would like to have. This one was pretty involved and took some time. No, I don't think you should model yourself after someone 100%, but if we see someone who reminds us of ourselves a little bit, or has the types of roles we want, we can get clues as to how we can market ourselves a little better.

Do people ever say you look like someone? Have you been told you're a doppleganger for a particular celebrity? This is a good place to start. Celebrities I tend to get:

  • Julia Roberts (before I had braces, when she had curly hair)
  • Minnie Driver (I don't see it, I think it's just the hair)
  • Andie McDowell (see above)
  • Zoey Deschanel
  • Emily Blunt
I don't know, I don't really see it...

Now think of actors you really admire; who do you look up to? What do you like about them? These can be any gender. Think about what makes them special, and the roles they tend to get. 

Now connect some dots. What do you have in common with these people? To get to this, I made a mind web. I listed my role models, then some of my favorite performances, then came up with adjectives to describe these characters. I tried to avoid the phrase "strong woman" for a lot of them, and instead came up with what the specific qualities of a "strong woman" are. Then I highlighted in red the qualities that I thought I shared naturally. Obviously, I think I can play all of them, but we're trying to be honest with who we are. Plus, vulnerability is something I tend to struggle with in performance.

Anyway, this was time consuming but fun, and I think it will help me analyze performances better in the context of the kinds of roles I would like to play. Oh, and if you'd like to use the same program for your own mind map, I used bubbl.us.

If you're playing along at home...

Who are your role models? What kinds of roles do you want to be playing? Comment, or tag me on twitter or instagram!

See you next time!