If your child wants to be an actor, musician or other artist, you can support the dream and still plan for income. Agree on a written plan that includes training, a way to earn money and regular check-ins on progress, and judge the first two years by effort and growth rather than big breaks. Structure, not a deadline, is what helps most.
Support the dream and still plan for income
Parents often feel stuck between two bad options: crushing the dream or funding it with no end in sight. There is a middle path. Sit down together and agree on a plan that covers:
- Training: classes, a degree program or private lessons, and how they will be paid for.
- Income: a job or skill that pays the bills while the creative work grows. See balancing a creative career and a day job.
- Money support: exactly what you will cover, for how long and what changes after that.
- Check-ins: a review every few months of what they did, what they learned and what comes next.
Frame the check-ins as reviews, not ultimatums. The question is ‘Is this plan working and what should change?’ not ‘Have you made it yet?’ For help writing it down, see how to write an independence agreement.
What a realistic first two years look like
Most creative careers build slowly. In the first two years, a serious young creative is usually:
- Training consistently and getting feedback.
- Building basic materials, such as headshots and a reel for actors, recordings for musicians or a portfolio for visual artists and writers.
- Working a flexible job to cover living costs; see actors and survival jobs.
- Taking small opportunities: student films, showcases, open mics, collaborations and unpaid projects with peers.
- Hearing ‘no’ far more often than ‘yes.’
The best measures of progress early on are inputs: classes taken, auditions or submissions made, songs finished, projects completed. Those are within your child’s control. Bookings and breaks are not.
Should my child move to LA?
It depends on the art form and on readiness. Screen acting work is concentrated in a few cities, including Los Angeles, so many actors eventually move there. Music, writing, visual art and content creation can be built from almost anywhere. Before a move, ask:
- Do they have savings and a realistic plan to earn money quickly?
- Can they handle independent living: rent, bills, cooking, getting up on time?
- Do they have a plan for training and community once they arrive?
- Would a trial period, like a summer or a few months, make sense first?
For minors, California has specific rules for children working in entertainment, including work permits; look into them before any work starts. For young adults, our guide on moving to LA to act covers the first year in detail, including how to avoid scams.
How to help without managing
The more a parent manages the career, the less the young person owns it. A few habits help:
- Ask about their weekly process (what they practiced, submitted or finished) rather than results.
- Let them handle their own emails, schedules and applications, even when you could do it faster.
- Be clear and calm about money; see should an adult child pay rent.
- Celebrate effort and follow-through, not only bookings.
How a mentor can help with structure
Creative careers have very little built-in structure, which is where many talented young people struggle. A mentor helps your child set weekly creative and work goals, manage money between gigs and stay steady through rejection, with text and phone check-ins between sessions. For high school students, a parent or guardian is always involved. For young adults, with their permission, the mentor shares progress updates with the family. A mentor does not act as an agent, manager or acting teacher. Sessions happen in person in Los Angeles or by video anywhere in the United States, which also works if your child moves. See mentoring and coaching for actors and creatives and mentoring for families.
Related
- Mentoring and coaching for actors and creatives
- Moving to LA to act
- Balancing a creative career and a day job
- Talking to your adult child about the future
Common questions
Should I let my child pursue acting?
Many families find it works best to support the goal with a clear plan: training, a way to earn income, defined money support and regular check-ins on progress.
How long should we give a creative career before reassessing?
Rather than a hard deadline, many families agree on reviews every few months, looking at effort, growth and whether the plan needs to change.
Does my child need to move to Los Angeles to act?
Screen acting work is concentrated in a few cities, including LA, but training and early experience can start anywhere. A move works best with savings, a job plan and readiness for independent living.
Can a mentor help a young actor or artist?
Yes, with structure: weekly goals, money habits, a routine around a survival job and steady support through rejection. A mentor is not an agent, manager or teacher.
Get started
Want structure and support for your child’s creative goals? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.