I've had an acting dream since I was a kid. So far I have barely no acting experience, but acting is my dream and I just can't let it go. If I don't at least give it my best shot I know I'm going to regret it later.

But can anyone help me understand why my family and relatives can't support my dream/goal? I've told them what I want to do, but they always say I'm too unrealistic, that I'll never make it, that I'm too old cause I'm over 20 and if I'm going to succeed I would have had to start at a younger age.

As long as you can afford to chase your dreams, keep on chasing.

Try to ignore those who wish to persuade you not to.

On the other hand, if any of these people, who seem so negative, are supporting your lifestyle financially right now, then they have the right to request that you start doing something to support yourself.

Your family and relatives don't support your dream/goal because it's incredibly hard to make it as an artist of any kind. They want to have the security of knowing that you will be going into something in order to make a living for yourself that is a "sure" thing. You can start at any age to be in whatever arts field.

I do agree that if someone is supporting you financially, then they do have a right to have a say as to what you might do for a living. I know that you are over the age of twenty, however, the following quoted answer can have relevancy no matter what age you are.

If it's your dream to go into acting, then I would suggest taking the steps necessary to do that. The answer below outlines some of the things that might be necessary in order to accomplish your dream.

But, please be aware, that there is much truth to the saying about the "starving artist." Most artists of any type only do it on the side and not directly as a living. It's really hard to make it in the arts of any kind in order to make a career and also a living with doing it.

I ran things together below intentionally in order to be "artful" in my response and to also show that it's a "war zone" out there for anyone who wants to make it in anything in the performing arts. There is much confusion as well as sacrifice made for anyone wanting to make it in the performing, or for that matter, visual arts of any kind.

Most of the time, people haven't really read my answer like I have given below and repeated things that I have said. I am a performing artist in music and on the stage as an actor. I know how the system works. I also have a cousin who makes his entire living performing around the country in dinner theaters.

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Practice, practice and practice what you are going to be performing in front of people. Spend money on singing and/or acting lessons and/or dancing lessons, try out for any play or musical that might call for children as actors or actresses, have parents that are willing to spend the money to send you to a special school where children can take regular school and at the same time learn to do the things to become actors or actresses or artists of other kinds - like in dance and the musical arts. Be able to pass the auditions to be accepted at those sort of schools - not everyone who goes to those kinds of schools is accepted to them, although many will try. Be willing to give up a lot of your free time as well as the time that you might want to spend with your friends in order to hone your skills in your art so that you can maybe be successful without the guarantee that you will be successful. Be in the right place at the right time so that certain people will notice what you are good at doing who can get you to where you want to go as far as a career is concerned. Be willing to audition for the part where there might be hundreds of other people auditioning for the same part that you are. Be willing to take risks that what you are going for might not work. Be willing to go through many auditions, travel, studying of scripts and very long rehearsals for performances that might only last a few minutes. Be not afraid to be seen by many, many people, maybe even millions, all at the same time. Be willing to rehearse late and get up tired in order to do exactly the same thing for many hours the next day. Be willing to wear clothes that you don't like, but that others think that by wearing them, you will be portraying the look that they want and not what you really want. Be willing to have the world look at you, and not really know the real you. Always be willing to look and act your best, even when you don't really want to and would really just rather lean back, lie down, sleep or just do your own thing rather than what others want you to do.

It ain't easy...

I don't really mean to make it all look that negative, but just wanted to give you a reality of the picture of what you don't see about the "stars" and "famous" people that we see and hear about, sometimes everyday, on the T.V. and in other types of media.

Oftentimes, the real picture behind the "smiles" of the famous people that we see, is not really the way that they are...

Although, they really might have some real satisfaction inside of themselves a lot of the time...

But, not all of the time...

But, they (or, maybe their parents) have made a choice. Oftentimes also, a person's love for doing a certain type of art, such as that in acting, dancing or music, is all it takes to motivate them to keep going at it. It might not matter if they make a lot of money or become "famous" at all. Most artists are that way.

Some people really need to be entertaining other people in order to realize their own worth and to feel as though they are contributing to the well-being of others because the others who are watching what they are doing are gaining something because of the person doing the entertaining.

A person can become famous right around where they live because of the excellent way that they do a special thing that takes a lot of work. Whether they become famous or not outside of the boundaries of where they are located is another matter. Sometimes, just being famous around where you are located is enough to inspire and make you want to keep going at the thing that you do best in whatever art you are doing in order to keep you happy.

And, it could be that the kids and their parents really love the sacrifice that it takes to achieve what they have concerning the art that is being presented, the accomplishment as well as the publicity that is received as a result of all the sacrifice they have given toward that endeavor.

If you are interested, please do read my profile. Click on my name on the left of this post and you will be able to find out what I have done in the arts.

If you love what you do, then go for it!

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Clough, Thanks! That really helps!

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Originally Posted by steph86

Clough, Thanks! That really helps!

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I'm glad that it was helpful to you! Please let us and me know how things go for you! :)

Thanks!