Craft: Lifelong Commitment

Craft: A Lifelong Commitment

by Mario A. Campanaro

It is essential for the actor to consistently explore, exercise, and cultivate the craft of acting. The craft of acting takes work. Plain and simple. It takes discipline, commitment, accountability, consistency, and, most of all, dedication. We must understand that our craft will only support us if it is ingrained in our being—if it becomes a second muscle, easily accessible for the demands of our work. It will not be there to fully support us unless it is exercised. It cannot just live in theory. It cannot just live in our head or in an idea space.

We have to know what we are doing, how to get there, and why we use certain tools to fulfill specific aspects of the life of the text. We must be in the known so that we can live in the unknown of the moment. And it all has to be practical, tangible, usable, and executable. It has to make human sense. For that to happen, it needs to be exercised, again and again, no matter where we are in our career or how long we have been doing it.

The work asks us to consistently exercise, explore, and discover the myriad of physical, psychological, behavioral, and emotional muscles that we rarely tap into in our everyday civilian lives—not to mention the textual detective work, the art of actively listening through filtered wants and needs, pursuing, overcoming, and executing the true nature of action. And then, we must have the tools, awareness, and ability to utilize our instrument—so that we are truly able to do and reveal the extraordinarily complex human experience within the work.

Let’s be honest—most do not have the privilege of doing this work every day. And depending on an audition to test out or attempt the work is not enough. That is an entirely different set of muscles, and our craft needs to support us in fulfilling the text with truth, authenticity, and uniqueness in the room or on tape. Just like holding off on going to the gym, if we do not work out those muscles, they weaken. They lose stamina. They lose the know-how to fulfill the task at hand.

We live in a time where everyone seems to want the easy road. Why wouldn’t we, right? Insta-fame has become the new norm, the expectation, the desire. It is natural to want to take the easy way when social media presents notoriety as something instant. But when we choose this path as actors—as artists—we must be honest with ourselves. There is nothing easy about this journey.

We cannot be lazy in the pursuit of our work. We must be responsible. We must reveal the complexities of the human condition. We must go to places within ourselves that are complicated, vulnerable, and uncomfortable. And then, we must be generous enough in mind, body, and spirit to share a piece of ourselves in service of the text, for the purpose of art, and in honor of the human condition.

As we exercise those muscles, we will experience growing pains—again and again—as we explore the full color wheel of the human experience. And we must do this in a safe yet challenging professional creative environment. It is through these difficult moments, through the act of exploration, that our greatest artistic inspirations will emerge.

"On the job" is not the place to experiment and find our craft. When we are there, we are paid, and the expectation is to deliver—to already know what we are doing so we can do the job at hand. We have to keep our instrument awake as we do our part in understanding the fullness of life in the text, what gives birth to the text, and what exists between the lines. And then we must have a toolbox we can depend on, one that supports us in going to the places within our instrument that are necessary to live the full spectrum of the life of the text.

Studying the craft, training in a responsible studio that is dedicated to learning, exercising, challenging the work, fostering honesty, accountability, responsibility, and industry demands—this is essential. A place that values growth, exploration, discovery, support, collaboration, and providing every actor with the tools necessary to experience all of the above is invaluable.

So do it for yourself. Do it for your dreams. Stay in the learning. Remain a student of life. But approach the learning as a professional actor and artist. As long as we are alive, we will have to continue to study the craft—because life itself is an endless, unpredictable, complex lesson. And so is every piece of text presented to us.

Copyright © 2025 Mario A. Campanaro, All rights reserved.