--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Right now, my focus is really acting and…" description: "\"Right now, my focus is really acting and directing. But I see the creativity and the work that goes into building a network, and it's fascinating to me..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/shiri-appleby-13432_creativity_right-now-my-focus-is-really-acting-and_3135148.jpg" --- # Right now, my focus is really acting and directing. But I… ![“Right now, my focus is really acting and directing. But I see the creativity and the work that goes into building a network, and it's fascinating to me. If those doors open for me... I think just learning as much as I can at this point is really what it's about.” quote by Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/shiri-appleby-13432_creativity_right-now-my-focus-is-really-acting-and_3135148.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/shiri-appleby-13432_creativity_right-now-my-focus-is-really-acting-and_3135148.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/shiri-appleby-13432_creativity_right-now-my-focus-is-really-acting-and_3135148.jpg) > “Right now, my focus is really acting and directing. But I see the creativity and the work that goes into building a network, and it's fascinating to me. If those doors open for me... I think just learning as much as I can at this point is really what it's about.” [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She emphasizes learning and building networks as essential steps before opportunities arise. **In simple terms:** Learn and network before doors open. Key Takeaway Focus on learning and networking now. Themes career development networking learning opportunity creativity Mood motivated curious Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - acting career - building professional contacts - skill development - seeking mentorship Key Concepts personal growth strategic planning skill acquisition Questions to Reflect On - What skills are you currently developing? - How can you turn networking into concrete opportunities? A Different Perspective Networking alone may not guarantee success without tangible results. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I loved theater and went to Circle in the Square's post-graduate program for two years and studied acting and directing and I loved it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-maccallum/i-loved-theater-and-went-to-circle-in-the-square-s-post-graduate/) [Martha MacCallum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-maccallum/) > [I personally don't prefer acting and directing in something because I don't have the same objectivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malik-yoba/i-personally-don-t-prefer-acting-and-directing-in-something-because-i/) [Malik Yoba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malik-yoba/) > [When I was acting, I did not have any directorial plans in my mind then. But I did not enjoy acting as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/when-i-was-acting-i-did-not-have-any-directorial-plans-in-my-mind/) [Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/) > [I started working on how I would direct this a year before we started shooting "All We Had" and I was prepping, acting, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-holmes/i-started-working-on-how-i-would-direct-this-a-year-before-we-started/) [Katie Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-holmes/) > [Acting and directing are two separate disciplines that rarely mix.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-sethupathi/acting-and-directing-are-two-separate-disciplines-that-rarely-mix/) [Vijay Sethupathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-sethupathi/) > [I love acting, but directing and writing have always been just as important. I started to write so many things when I was even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-laurent/i-love-acting-but-directing-and-writing-have-always-been-just-as/) [Melanie Laurent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-laurent/) > [I learn a new thing every single day about acting, about directing, about producing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-wolfhard/i-learn-a-new-thing-every-single-day-about-acting-about-directing/) [Finn Wolfhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finn-wolfhard/) > [Writing is close to acting. In directing, you control. Acting, you can't control how good you are, and you can't control how good you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-may/writing-is-close-to-acting-in-directing-you-control-acting-you-can-t/) [Elaine May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-may/) > [I started as a writer; I started writing when I was little. The acting and directing was an outgrowth of my desire to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-white/i-started-as-a-writer-i-started-writing-when-i-was-little-the-acting/) [Mike White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-white/) > [I never really think of acting and directing as being separate; they are just different expressions of the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/i-never-really-think-of-acting-and-directing-as-being-separate-they/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [First of all I can only focus on one creative project at a time. I wish I could focus on two, because I really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/first-of-all-i-can-only-focus-on-one-creative-project-at-a-time-i/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [I've never wanted to do just one thing. I don't have an attention span for that. I can focus really well on one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jackson/i-ve-never-wanted-to-do-just-one-thing-i-don-t-have-an-attention-span/) [Christopher Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jackson/) > [When you're one-dimensional, someone can just focus on that and really stop that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taysom-hill/when-you-re-one-dimensional-someone-can-just-focus-on-that-and-really/) [Taysom Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taysom-hill/) > [Our busy lives force us to focus on things we do from day to day. But the development of character comes only as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-m-nelson/our-busy-lives-force-us-to-focus-on-things-we-do-from-day-to-day-but/) [Russell M. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-m-nelson/) > [To hate is to show you still care, who needs that, focus on what's really important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/to-hate-is-to-show-you-still-care-who-needs-that-focus-on-what-s/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) ## More by Shiri Appleby > [Back in the day when I was on The WB, I may have only had one or two female directors throughout the entire run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/back-in-the-day-when-i-was-on-the-wb-i-may-have-only-had-one-or-two/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > [She wasn't as naive and innocent as she was in the first season.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/she-wasn-t-as-naive-and-innocent-as-she-was-in-the-first-season/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > [A lot of the things I get sent are the girlfriend or the wife or the assistant, and those are not that exciting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/a-lot-of-the-things-i-get-sent-are-the-girlfriend-or-the-wife-or-the/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > [My career after 'Life Unexpected' took a really big dip, and I realized you have no control as an actor over the process of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/my-career-after-life-unexpected-took-a-really-big-dip-and-i-realized/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > [Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, you name it - I'm interested. I'm free. I'm looking for acting work. At the same time, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/steven-spielberg-woody-allen-you-name-it-i-m-interested-i-m-free-i-m/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > [Most of the roles I've had, usually the story's about how the man affects my character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/most-of-the-roles-i-ve-had-usually-the-story-s-about-how-the-man/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > [I do feel like I have a lot more confidence now. I can shot list the episode before I start, but then, as things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/i-do-feel-like-i-have-a-lot-more-confidence-now-i-can-shot-list-the/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > [It's hard to get material. I haven't made a movie before. I have two episodes of television that I think have come in really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/it-s-hard-to-get-material-i-haven-t-made-a-movie-before-i-have-two/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > [I'd love to be a huge television director. I definitely want to do that. I could imagine me going more and more into that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/i-d-love-to-be-a-huge-television-director-i-definitely-want-to-do/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > ['Baywatch' was one of those shows that you auditioned for all the time as a young girl. I auditioned once to play a blind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/baywatch-was-one-of-those-shows-that-you-auditioned-for-all-the-time/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > [I feel like I get really stressed out sometimes. I just want someone to tell me, "Relax, it's all going to be okay." I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/i-feel-like-i-get-really-stressed-out-sometimes-i-just-want-someone/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > [As an actor, I love being pushed. I love the feeling of, "Oh my god, I have to keep trying. What else is there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/as-an-actor-i-love-being-pushed-i-love-the-feeling-of-oh-my-god-i/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > [I'm a total 'Project Runway' junkie. I also watch 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/i-m-a-total-project-runway-junkie-i-also-watch-keeping-up-with-the/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > [I never went to any of the Hollywood child parties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/i-never-went-to-any-of-the-hollywood-child-parties/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > [After years of struggling with how I looked, I'm pretty comfortable and proud of my body now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/after-years-of-struggling-with-how-i-looked-i-m-pretty-comfortable/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) [Explore all 50 Shiri Appleby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) Andrei Amalrik > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) Christoph Niemann > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Right now, my focus is really acting and directing. But I see the creativity and the work that goes into building a network, and it's fascinating to me. If those doors open for me... 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