So, it’s the summer after your first year at college and internship season is over. You sent in your applications to 30 of your favorite companies and 20 more you never heard of before but seemed to fit the mold of what you’re looking for. Weeks and weeks passed, maybe you heard back form one or two, maybe you even got an offer for an interview. But for some reason or another, you’ve ended up with nothing to do.

Oh dear.

What are you meant to do? I suppose you could go home and maybe pick up that food service job you held during senior year of high school, or maybe your job at the GAP.

But, let’s say you don’t do that, or and you have the luxury of staying in the City of Angels, the entertainment capital of the United States, for the summer. Just...with nothing to do.

I find myself in the current predicament, yet I’m not too concerned about my to-do list, because it is actually rather quite extensive.

Year one of film school leaves you with boundless friends and contacts if you’ve done it right and been a pleasant person to work with all year. If you’re not a pleasant person and people don’t want to work with you...I’m not sure how much help I can offer you.

The first barrier to overcome is the notion that there is never nothing to do. In Los Angeles, there is always something to do, something to help out on. Scour your Facebook groups and your friends for sets to work on. You might even stumble into something you never would’ve thought of doing before. Just be willing to help out. This might be the only 3 month period in your life where you can put a considerable amount of time into doing odd-job set work.

And practice in anything makes you a more valuable asset.

Likewise, instead of getting the retail job back home, see if there’s anywhere you can work nearby your favorite companies. Because the thing is… people are lazy, and creatures of habit, so those hot-shot big names that work at BIG NAME ENTERTAINMENT or BIGGER NAME STUDIOS all probably get the same drink every day at the same time at Starbucks. Build up a good enough relationship with these people, make them feel special by always serving with a smile on your face, and who knows you might ask to sit down to have coffee on your break.

This still leaves us with droves of time, yes?

The adventure of exploration can be extraordinary. It can be difficult to get around Los Angeles without personal transportation, but public transportation is relatively easy to access and there are droves of free things to do in the city if you’re a student! For example, the LA County National History Museum and venturing around Santa Monica/Venice.

Still not satisfied? Okay. Let’s make a plan.

Use this summer to brainstorm. To make ideas. To create. Do the things now you won’t have time to later. Write. Paint. Read. Watch. Learn who you are and the kind of content you want to make. Then research that content. Dive right in. Binge watch, binge read, and use this as inspiration to binge create!

But don’t do this casually. For artists, creating has to be our mecca. Storytelling is spiritual. Treat it as such. Be precious with your time. Be precious with yourself.

Having an internship, that magical entryway into the industry won’t be worth it if you aren’t still creating yourself.

If you’re not constantly telling stories, are you a storyteller?