I got rejected by an agent last week.
I moved to Chicago eight years ago. I’ve been submitting to agents for seven. I’m well aware that rejection is part of the process. But this time, it stung.
I thought my search was over. I had an interview. It went great. I came prepped with questions and got great feedback from my self-tape. I left the meeting feeling as though I had nailed it, that this was my person, my agent, who would want to represent and work with me. So when I got that “Sorry” email, I wasn’t ready for it.
In fact, the last time I was caught so off guard from a rejection was from my at-the-time girlfriend. (Spoiler alert: She’s not my girlfriend anymore.)
READ: How to Get an Acting Agent
To make matters worse with this whole agent thing, it came during tech week for a production I was in. I was sleep deprived, going through some personal challenges...it was not a good week. But hindsight is a wonderful thing. Now that I’m able to look at the situation a bit more objectively, I’ve come to realize two big things:
1. Life responds to seasons, not emotions.
If you hate the cold and are dreading cold weather and then cold weather shows up, it’s not as if life has thrown you a curveball—it’s just doing what it’s supposed to. It’s December, which means it snows and it’s cold. In fact, here are six feet of snow that won’t melt until April. We’re emotional creatures; life isn’t.
2. Life doesn’t respond to your timeline.
You know that timeline that says, “Oh hey, life! Can you get me an agent and a girlfriend and let me quit my day job all within five years of graduating?” No sir. Life responds to “You’ve been such a hard worker and you’re an even better person but this is going to take about three times as long. Oh, and be ready to see a bunch of your peers get all those things before you.” Again, life isn’t emotional.
If you’re hurting right now because your goals aren’t coming to fruition as quickly as you want, I hear you. But it’s going to be okay, I promise. The more hardships we face, the more we realize just how much we can truly handle.
You, my friend, can handle it. I’m rooting for you. Keep going. And as long as you don’t quit, I’ll be seeing you on set.
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