Lucas Van Engen is an NYC-based acting coach who helps actors master on-camera auditions and self-tape techniques with clarity and confidence. Through personalized coaching and supportive community-building, he empowers actors to book more roles and grow their careers from anywhere.
Compared to Who?
|
I've heard Dax Shepard say some version of this for years: "I compare myself to me six months ago." Every time I hear him say it, I think the same thing. I wish I had that kind of confidence. It's such a simple idea. And yet, my brain doesn't naturally work that way. Like a lot of actors, I compare myself to the person who just booked the role. Or the actor whose IMDb suddenly exploded. Or the friend who's having a great year. It's almost automatic. Comparing myself to me six months ago? That feels like a completely different way to keep score. And the more I've thought about it, the more I think there's something really valuable there. Bookings matter. Callbacks matter. Auditions matter. I pay attention to all of those. They're valuable feedback about where my career is at any given moment. But they're also a little wonky. They're dependent on the state of the business and so many factors outside of my control. And they're not the only scoreboard. I've had stretches where almost nothing was happening professionally, but I could feel myself becoming a much better actor. More relaxed. More specific. Better on camera. Better instincts. If I only measured bookings, I would miss that progress. Writing this email made me realize something. I don't need to become the kind of person who naturally thinks like Dax. I just need a reminder to ask the question. Am I better than I was six months ago? That's a comparison I can actually make. Today's Practical TaskFind an old self-tape. Or a scene you worked on about six months ago. Watch it. Don't judge yourself. Don't cringe (ok, you can cringe a little, but keep going). Write down:
That's enough. Estimated time: 15 minutes. See you soon, Lucas Ways to Work Together🎥 In-Person Scene Lab (NYC) 💻 Audition Lab (Zoom) 📱 Self-Tape Coaching Open Studio Acting, NYC |
Open Studio Acting
Lucas Van Engen is an NYC-based acting coach who helps actors master on-camera auditions and self-tape techniques with clarity and confidence. Through personalized coaching and supportive community-building, he empowers actors to book more roles and grow their careers from anywhere.
Hi Reader, It’s been a minute since I sent one of these. I started this series a while back asking: What can I actually do for myself as an actor? Then the end of the summer got busy with auditions and work, and the series went dormant for a bit. So, let's get back to it. People occasionally come to me for help casting their projects. And when I think an actor might be right, I've noticed I have a pretty consistent way of presenting them. Usually, I start with their Instagram. If there's a...
Hi Reader, I started a series earlier this summer about what we can actually do for ourselves as actors. Then I got a little quiet. Fortunately, the reason was a good one: the end of the summer got very busy. In just the last several weeks, actors I’ve been working with: Booked and shot a major streaming series, working directly with a major director. Two actors booked the same episode of a miniseries. Had a Tony Award winner attach to a feature they’re creating, with the announcement...
Oh man, and then there's "networking." Networking can feel transactional. Like every conversation is secretly about getting something. The relationships that have mattered most in my career didn't start that way. And they definitely didn't come from going to mixers where I was shoulder to shoulder with casting directors who knew exactly why I was there. Years ago, one of my acting coaches used to say the same thing on repeat. "Look around. All of your connections are in this room." Every time...