Photoplayer Hater

Acting is such a difficult career to succeed in that it's hard understanding what motivates people to pursue it. First and foremost actors should want to be a servant to a good story, but we can't help but have more selfish motives also. It's not bad to have a self-serving reason to be an actor, but it's good to be clear what that motivation is so you can keep it in check. Unchecked, an actors can easily become the type of actor that is boring to watch and a pain to work with.

Performing High

It might be before your scene starts, during or right after; but many actors feel on top of the world from performing a role. They don't even need to do it well, there is just something about it that excited and lifts spirits. It's not bad to want to get this feeling from your performance but an addiction to it can become more of a problem than boon if not managed. The excitement of a performance can wain once it becomes rote and many actors are constantly changing the way they do a scene not to do it better but make it more exciting for themselves. There will be highs, but you will not get them all the time. Embrace that and you'll be a better actor.

Do Fun Things

In scenes we might be called on to kiss people, slap people, flap our arms like a bird, or just simply cry. In our everyday lives we may not get frequent chances to do these things so acting helps us express those things we can't normally. The problem can arise when you choose material based on fun things to do that are in it rather than it having a good story. It can also limit your skills as an actor where you're always looking for obvious fun things you can do when doing less is just as important a thing to learn to do well.

Attention, Validation

This is a form of getting high but the problem is that it only works when people are watching and the more the better. These are the people that feel life isn't worth living without an audience or camera watching. This, too, can lead you down the path of hackdom. If you are so worried about the attention of people you will be tempted to make poor decisions. First you might want to always please these people and therefore not have your character do anything groundbreaking or controversial. Second with such a fascination with performing for others you will likely neglect the homework needed to build a character and the solo rehearsing that is necessary to get your performance ready to be unveiled. Temper that desire for validation with a healthy amount of work before you give yourself that high and you'll be a better actor.

Learn About People

Some actors are introverts and don't get much interaction with other people. Acting is a great way to be forced to be around others; namely other actors. In addition, they will be motivated to get inside their character's head doing research and asking questions of similar people in real life to get that performance just right. The problem can come when the obsession is on the new and not portraying the character of the moment. This mindset can easily slip into a short attention span that will have you abandoning a character once you think you've learned all you can. There's nothing that says you can always be learning new things about new people but you need to temper it with a healthy respect for your current character. New doesn't mean better, so don't run for a new character to play once there are no surprises left.

Mimicry

It's fun to imitate people. People react well to it, there just seems to be an inherent pleasure in it. One of the things that children do that is so fun to watch is try to be like adults. You make a sound, they repeat it back to you. You smile, they smile back. This isn't a bad thing to want to do in acting but it can limit you. Mimicry tends to be a comedic form and your mimicry is limited to people you've seen in the world. You won't easily be able to bring as much of yourself as you could to the performance. Instead of working on internal feelings that will provoke genuine behavior you will be working on the outside trying to perfect another's mannerisms. So enjoy it if you have the knack for it, but don't let yourself get stuck in that area alone if that's not the actor you want to be.

There are loads of reasons to be actors and some might even be worse than these. The important thing is to consider your own personal reasons for acting. They may not be any of these or they may be a combination of a few. These desires are ultimately not going to, in and of themselves, help you make a career of acting. In the end you need to do what an audience or producer wants and that will be to serve a production. So strive for balance, nobody will manage you as well as you can.