The Art of 'The In-Between'

Question: What does a performer do when they find themselves floundering in unfamiliar territory that is not the stage / studio or rehearsal room? How does an actor stay motivated and engaged in their craft during 'out of performance' hours?
I am beginning an inquiry into 'The In-Between' times which every actor experiences. These are the times when we are out of work based solely around our professional practice. I would love for people to comment their experiences and solutions to these times.
There is no quick fix to these out-of-professional-work times - everybody has to find their own rhythm of life and find out what works for them. Initially, when I was first graduated from college, the real world swallowed me up whole and it felt like a race to try and keep up with looking after my well-being alongside getting enough hours of work to make ends meet. It's only recently that I feel as if I've gotten into a sort of comfortable pace of life which I am in control of. Here are some ideas which I have thought of during reflection-on-action that sum up the factors that work for me to stay 'in practice' when technically I am 'out of practice'.
When I returned back from my panto contract; I got over-consumed with 'normal' work. After an unhealthy month of crazy shift hours and tiredness - I made a conscious decision to myself to become in charge of my timetable and make it work around me, and to know when to say no to things. I thought to myself - what is the definition of 'self-employed'?
The definition, according to Google search, is 'Working for oneself as a freelance or the owner of a business rather than for an employer' Synonyms include: 'freelance, independent, casual'.
I related these synonyms to my life. Am I independent of an employer? Do I take my money-maker work casually? Or is it consuming my life a little bit more than I would like as a seemingly 'freelance' artist?
It was these questions that made me conclude that I want to view the everyday work I do as 'in-between'. As a performer, I never know when my next contract could come up. Therefore it is a positive mindset to view my in-between work in this light. It resulted in the workload becoming more casual and made me focus less on merely work hours and more on the valuable time I had outside of that work.
I want to outline some of the techniques and steps I have undertaken to make my life in the 'actor's purgatory' more liveable and beneficial. PLEASE feel free to add suggestions of your own.

1. WORK

I evaluate the work I do regarding the benefits, the value for time, enjoyment and what it gives to me creatively. I have a part-time job at a gym which I thoroughly enjoy on a social level, but more importantly I can train for free in a top range facility. This particular gym also offers classes which include ballet technique classes so as I can benefit from these also and work them into my routine. Instead of having to commute to a gym after a long day at work, I can choose to train before or after work or during my break without having to worry about getting to another job on time. On top of this, many of the casual workers alongside me are performers and we forever help each other out in regards to covering shifts for auditions. It makes me feel in touch with the performing world when I am not directly in a show.

I have gotten a lot more teaching work since the New Year. I enjoy my weekly class of teaching tiny tots. It makes me reflect upon how much I loved my performing arts classes when I was a kid and the whole reason I wanted to go into it in the first place. Besides being good hours for pay - more importantly it gives me a weekly dose of creative passion for my craft. I have concocted many musical theatre and acting workshop classes over the past few months and I have to say I thoroughly enjoy sharing my passion with the younger generation. They give me a positive outlook on my practice.

I have landed on my feet in terms of getting involved with good hostessing companies and jobs. I used to do any promotional work available (BIG UP TO YOU FLYERERS OUT THERE - I'VE BEEN THERE AND LITERALLY WORE THE T-SHIRT) - however, I soon realised I can value myself in the promotional work I choose to do. I take hostessing work as an unreliable bonus each month and generally thanks to the right connections I get a few hostessing shifts a month which sees me over. I enjoy this line of work because, again, I am mainly working alongside performers; the work is very social for a naturally friendly person like myself and part of the job description is to be well-presented which is part of my professional practice anyhow.

I think the trick is finding out what work suits your personality, lifestyle and location; alongside somewhat aiding your career and creativity.

2.                                                                STAYING ENGAGED

Leading on from 'perfecting' my in-between rent-paying jobs - I then realised the advantages which being in charge of my own timetable offers. It gave me more time to meet up with my friends - and not being too tired and stressed about work to enjoy it. I go to see my friends in their shows. Cast discounts are generally never over £15 and sometimes even free! I put my local Picture House to good use and often go to see new releases for only £7 a pop. I began to try out new things - i.e. a free kick-boxing class trial. All of these things contribute to helping me stay engaged and motivated in my practice. They add to a higher standard of living. I was beginning to feel like the free 'self-employed' person described in the definition of the adjective...

3.                                                          ENHANCE CREATIVE LIFE

The cherry on top of taking control of my life was perhaps the energy and drive this gave me to develop creatively. I felt like I could focus my energy on my degree course. A knock on effect from this meant that I realised how much I missed creative writing and literature in my life, which followed on to my own script-writing. These series of events may have happened in a different order - who knows? The fact of the matter is that:

Instead of feeling isolated from my practice in an all-consuming job; I felt creatively liberated and made the conscious choice to feel more involved in the progression of my practice.

Writing my own stuff - however small and insignificant it may seem - has worked wonders on the creative clogs ticking away in my mind. I am enjoying the freedom of being self-employed. I am actively engaging in my professional practice. I am a working actor even if at times I am technically 'out-of-work'. I engaged in a very interesting conversation with an actor in a bar during one of my hostessing shifts about our trade. He said, if an athlete said he wasn't training hard for their next competition - everybody would look at them as if they were mad. Therefore when people ask 'So what have I seen you in?' to an actor - we have every right to say we are taking classes / writing / engaging in aspects of our practice. This is the equivalent of a marathon runner replying to the question of 'So what are you working on at the minute?' with 'I am currently training for my next marathon'. As actors, we deserve the same reaction to our reply as an athlete would receive for their reply. If we are constantly training towards our next 'professional' job; then we are working actors.

I believe the key is to make the in-between employment as beneficial / enjoyable as possible; without it becoming your life.

No matter how much I may ring my Mam up and overload her with worries about 'Where the hell is my next rent money gonna magically appear from?!' - I know I would turn stir crazy with a reliable 9 til 5 job. The monotony would over consume me. There is a certain exhilaration I get from having a different timetable each week. I receive reliability from weekly work such as the gym and teaching; and I get new experiences from doing different jobs at various locations. After all - the in-between job just has to get you over the edge.

So what if you are debating whether or not you can afford the 'luxury' of orange juice one week, if you are happy?

Hostessing Work Never Fails to Surprise

Self-employed 'in-between' work can be exciting and creative, based around performance

Being self-employed means making decisions and choosing work options which benefit your practice

*SIDE NOTE* It would be rude not to mention the musical 'The In-Between', give this song a listen if you have a chance and see if you can relate... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09NQiXTAM_A