Just Acknowledge The Damn Elephant

Get Focused, Rock Your Work, and Slay Self Tape May!

Apr 30, 2026

Last week we talked about letting yourself want to book the part and how acknowledging YOUR want can actually help you stay focused on what your character wants in the scene.

So often we’re instructed as actors to NOT think about booking.

DON’T THINK ABOUT BOOKING!

DON’T THINK ABOUT DOING A GOOD JOB!

DON’T THINK ABOUT HOW CASTING WILL RESPOND!

But if I tell you, “Don’t think about an elephant!” what’s the first thing that pops into your mind?

• Stop thinking about the elephant.

• ‘Let go’ of the elephant.

• You’re probably not gonna book the elephant anyway.

All you can think about is the damn elephant!

What we’re practicing today is “Oh look! An elephant. Makes sense to see him in this setting.” And also, “Oh look, a character want that I’m going to focus on so I can do this scene.” (Because the elephant actually represents our desire to book the job. You get it. 🤣)

Both wants — the actor’s and the character’s — exist in our present moment. Mindfulness helps us acknowledge our want without resisting or attaching to it. From that acknowledging, non-attachment space, we are free to focus more easily on our character’s want.

Let’s Practice!

This week we’re gonna put that idea into practice! I have a guided audio that’s going to help you get out of your head and rock your audition.

To make the most of this audio you will need…

• a scene (audition, classwork, job, etc)

• to know what your character wants in that scene

Once you’ve done all your standard actor prep, then you can use this audio to help you get present and focused for your scene work.

I originally wrote this audio with auditions in mind, so the actor want we acknowledge is wanting to book the job. If you’re using the audio for a class scene, or a scene that you’ve already booked, or Self Tape May (tis the season, see more below) you can adjust your actor want to suit those circumstances.

• If you’re doing a scene for class, your actor want might be “I want to experience a deep emotion I don’t normally get to play” or “I want to impress my teacher.”

• If the scene is for a job you’ve booked, your actor want might be “I want to do a good job for the director” or “I want to hold my own in the scene opposite my celebrity crush.”

• If you’re participating in Self Tape May, your actor want might be “I want to nail this medical jargon” or “I want to post a good tape online.”

Again, IT IS OKAY to want any of those things.

You’re allow to want whatever you want!

You are not egotistical, self-centered, or narcissistic EVEN IF your want relates to the end product and wanting others to respond positively to your acting by booking you, commenting on your post, or saying “nice work!” in class.

You are human.

You care about your work.

You want to do your job well.

Those human, actor wants are as much a part of your present moment as your character’s want. And now we can practice staying focused on the want that serves us best in the scene — the character’s want.

Because, again, unless you’re playing an actor filming a scene, your character is probably not thinking about what this moment they are in looks like to an audience.

Let’s practice!

Get Out of Your Head and Rock Your Next Audition! (8:13)

If you want to be able to download a copy of that meditation to keep forever and always, you can get it here free.

Put it to good use in your Actor Life.

Let’s Practice Regularly in Self Tape May!

An especially good way to start practicing with this audio is to use it for Self Tape May.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Self Tape May is a completely free challenge created by Audrey Moore of The Audrey Helps Actors Podcast. You can learn more about Self Tape May here.

The “Self Tape” part of Self Tape May refers to the self-recorded auditions that TV and film actors in the USA create and send into casting directors to book jobs. The challenge was born out the goal of improving that particular skill set, but the heart of Self Tape May is really just about creating a regular, sustainable acting/skill practice for yourself, so if you depending on your market, you can adjust the practice to suit you.

Additionally, as part of your Self Tape May, you can also be practicing all the mindfulness and mindset ideas that we talk about week after week. Ideas that are going to support you in your full Actor Life.

• Practice with the audio I gave you this week — so that you feel more and more comfortable acknowledging your desire to book, and then noticing when you’re focused on that and need to shift your focus to what your character wants.

• Practice finding 3-5 moments you like in each tape — so that you’re training your inner “biggest fan” to be louder and your inner critic to keep its opinions to itself, because your inner monologue plays a crucial role in your motivation, confidence, and general mindset.

• Practice trusting each tape you complete is increasing your reputation in the entertainment industry regardless of the result — so that you get better at moving on more easily after each audition.

• Practice daily mindfulness meditation — so that you can calm your mind and body, and restore your energy so that you can actually do all 16 tapes.

• AND Practice daily mindfulness meditation — so that you can be fully present in your actor life and feel more and more comfortable living and engaging in the life of an actor — riding the highs and lows of The Acting Career Roller Coaster — with calm, confident resilience and without throwing up.