As we’ve stated before, your acting career is all about momentum and growth.

Whether or not you’re booking gigs, the objective is to stay creative, stay inspired, and develop your craft. In the lulls when bookings are sparse, it’s important to not let yourself get too comfortable in the quiet stillness of your creative atmosphere. A lot of rising stars out there, while working on various projects, are making things happen for themselves through their own creative outlet. Some great examples are Rory Uphold, writer/creator/star of virally popular web series HELLA and Ben Sinclair, actor/co-producer of critically acclaimed, 420-themed comedy web series HIGH MAINTENANCE, which was taken on by Vimeo, only to then be picked up by HBO for a 6 episode deal. The theme here is that these very talented and comedically-ripe actors began creating their own content in which they could act in, thus providing their own platform to show the many facets of their creativity. They get to write for themselves and produce GOOD content they’d want to watch, all while being able to partake as an actor and develop their character work.

All that being said, it’s certainly not for everyone. If you’re not a writer and you have no drive or desire to be a writer, then perhaps a different path would suit you best. If you’re not CREATING, the goal is to be COLLABORATING. Maybe you’re not a writer or producer, but you likely have friends and colleagues who are. The collaborative process can be a rewarding one; everyone gets something out of the end product, everyone is motivated by each other’s work, and everybody stays inspired and concentrated on their own craft while being devoted to the collective machine. If you’re connected to a small creative community or group of friends who all want to get busy working – sometimes the best thing you can is put your skills together and create your own content. Not only does this exercise your creativity, it can also help your career.

A recent article on BACKSTAGE touches on the topic of creating your own content; specifically, what making a Web Series can show casting directors, agents, and potential employers. Backstage spoke with Saturday Night Live comedienne Sasheer Zamata and her fellow UCB-alum friend, Nicole Byer (MTV’s Girl Code). Their creative partnership over the years led to a great collaboration; Zamata and Byer teamed up and co-created the web series “Pursuit of Happiness” which premiered its second season on Above Average. The show featuring the female comedic duo ended up being a huge success much like its genre-mates “Broad City” (Comedy Central) and “Playing House” (USA). “Female friendships are the best relationships to watch. They’re based on support, and it’s so nice to watch women have love and adventure without romance,” Zamata says. More from the BACKSTAGE article:

Byer and Zamata see Web Series as important to their careers for different reasons. For Byer, it helped her continue to work and hone her ideas. For Zamata, it was the perfect exposure tool for a young comedian. “I’ve gotten a lot of work because I can write for myself. And putting my work online is an easy way to show people that I’m funny. People still talk to me about the ‘Flasher’ videoI made with Chioke Nassor, and that was years ago,” Zamata says. “The first season of ‘Pursuit of Sexiness’ was also years ago, but people still remember it and watch it because it still lives online and we’re still working.”

Ultimately, your goal is to get work and to have fun doing it. But whenever there’s a quiet period – why not take it as an opportunity to create your own opportunities, produce your own content, and have a blast working with people you like? The sky is the limit! If you’re tired of not having enough work, sometimes the best remedy is to create the work yourself. You never know – you may attract the positive attention from an audience, an agent, or talent scout! That’s all, folks. Stay inspired!