Some experts will tell you in order to be successful, you need to find your niche and stick to what you’re good at. While that may help you get ahead in certain aspects, that may be the very thing that holds you back creatively. Don’t stunt your own growth! All the tools you need in order to grow as an actor lay right outside your comfort zone. Every opportunity to explore and expand is AWAY from your safety net – away from your go-to methods, characters, genres, and styles of delivery.

Our friends at Backstage recently published a fantastic advice piece titled Are You Living In Your Comfort Zone? – it touches on how to broaden your horizons and push your boundaries so that you can grow as an artist! Our favorite excerpt comes from fellow Backstage expert, LA-based manager Tammy Hunt:

Yes, it’s a challenge to perform outside your typical boundaries, but this is what being an actor is most about at the end of the day. Exploring every angle and personality that you possibly can in order to be as versatile a talent as possible. This is what is most valuable to you and to the casting directors watching you.

In addition, there are typically unexpected consequences of exploring an expansion of one’s talents. Getting into the head of your character and analyzing his/her psychology becomes a talent itself. So often when we see a truly remarkable performance we become awestruck by the actor’s ability to get inside the head of their character and in some ways become that person.

Don’t forget the artistry of it all – this isn’t JUST a job. It’s a passion, it’s a craft, it’s an ever-changing part of who you are. Give yourself room to explore and learn new things. Give yourself a chance to experience new things and try new ways of doing things. You mays surprise yourself with how easily your’e able to connect with a role or a scene by experimenting with different techniques! Good luck! Take a deep breath, get out of your head, and venture into the great unknown.