In the past year of the Playbill feature series, How Did I Get Here, actors, directors, designers, musicians, and others who work on and off the stage to create the magic that is live theatre shared their journeys to Broadway.

These diverse artists also offered much hard-earned advice—tips for those starting out in the business and words of wisdom they would have offered their younger selves. Read some of their advice below, and click here for the full series of interviews.

Stage manager Christopher Kee Anaya-Gorman:
Listen to learn. Those who listen to learn will better understand what is needed to move forward and resolve. Network! Send that email. Say hi to that person on the street or when the opportunity presents itself. If you don’t, someone else will.

Actor Laura Benanti:
There’s enough to go around. Someone else’s success isn’t your failure.

Actor Sierra Boggess:
Keep “the work” up. There is no “arriving” and then stopping. Our achievements and goals are simply that. Then the world keeps going, so we gotta keep going, too! Finding that you never stop improving your craft and never stop practicing is really important to your survival as an artist! And to know that the world is looking for your voice. Imitation is great to find places in your range you didn't think were possible. But then make it your own. The world wants what you have to give! You are enough as you are, and the rest is icing on the cake!

Musician Elena Bonomo:
I would tell my younger self to keep doing what you're doing, because everything is going to be okay. If we all spent a little less time worrying and a little more time being present, we'd enjoy the ride a lot more. It's not just about reaching the finish line because... It's never-ending, especially if you want to keep growing. It's all about the journey!

Vocal coach Gigi Buffington:
Where are doors opening to you in your life? Pay attention to those openings. How do you want to live your life day to day? There is no one way to do anything. Tune into your own unique self. If your life becomes one of despair and misery, chances are, you are not in sync with your unique nature. Align yourself. Breathe. Be present. If you have an intuition, an impulse, act on it.

Lighting designer Isabella Byrd:
I wish to find some reinvention of the phrase “Fake it tell you make it.” I know I subscribed to this ethos in some ways, but I also regret not asking more clarifying questions when I was younger. I pretended to understand things I didn’t, and I think I may have been able to make larger creative leaps had I illuminated a few more things. I ask more questions now.

Don’t work for assholes. (Or once you see they are, don’t work for them again.) Life is too short!

Set and costume designer Bunny Christie:
Be prepared for the long haul. Be on time. Don’t take on too many things at once. Take holidays. Re-charge. Be brave.

Actor Jordan Dobson:
Don’t put career before real life. Live an authentic life, and it will lead to the career opportunities that you’re actually meant for. We don’t have long on this earth, and our lives should not revolve around Broadway.

Music director Dominic Fallacaro:
Relationships are really everything, and not in a transactional, network-y kind of way. Building friendships and a wide list of collaborators mean that you don’t shoulder the life of a creative on your own. You can help with other’s success, and they, in turn, can lift you up as well. “A rising tide lifts all boats” is definitely something I return to as a touchstone in the life of the arts. Root for your friends, and they root for you!

Actor Hawley Gould:
Present-tense-ness is a prerequisite for fun. There is simply nobody better to be than yourself. The rest is still unwritten.

Actor Nathan Lee Graham:
Here’s some advice. Stay healthy in every way. It is truly the only way to actualize your full performing potential. And, remember, show business is not set up for you to fail. It’s set up for you to quit! No one wants you to fail—if you’re winning baby, everybody’s winning! But one less person to have to do deal with…well, is one less person. So don’t
quit. Unless “you” want to.

Sound designer Kai Harada:
I think one of the best pieces of advice I received at the tender age of 19 was, "Shut up and listen." There's an obvious double-entendre there, of course! But it's true—one of Tony Meola's top mixers pulled me aside one day to share that piece of advice when I was talking too much, and it stuck. When you're young, you do think you know more than you do—maybe you even have a degree or two to show for it—but really, there's so much that can be learned by simply listening and observing. Know the time to ask questions. Know when to shut up. Know that this a grueling industry and the hours are long and the time can be extremely stressful. So if there's something you'd rather do—go do that instead—but if you can put up with all of the stressors and do what you really love to do, you can be one of the luckiest people in the world.

Scenic and costume designer Tim Hatley:
Listen to people. Look at what is going on around you. Be a sponge and absorb as much as you can. Believe in yourself and keep your seatbelt fastened, as being a theatre designer is not an easy ride.

Director Michael Herwitz:
I spent a lot of time waiting for someone who I perceived to have more power than me to pick me out of the crowd and put me on the path to success. Lots of internships, lots of coffee dates. And while I gained a ton from mentors, teachers, and people further along, my greatest resources are my friends—my peers. No one is coming down from on high to scoop you up. It’s the people to your right and left who are your greatest resource. They are going to pull you up, and it’s your job to pull them up, too. Lateral mentorship is the most important form of mentorship, I think.

Actor Brian d'Arcy James:
It's a marathon, so take your time, and don't forget to stretch. Also, a watched pot never boils. Don't fixate on something that didn't happen—take a walk, read a book, look the other way, and then get back to the pursuit.

Actor Nikki M. James:
Say “thank you” more, for both the good and the hard experiences. Each of these moments will become a part of your foundation.

Casting director Geoff Josselson:
It’s so hard to see the bigger picture when you are young. Not to be cliché, but I always try to remind myself (and others) that it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and to focus on where you are. Everyone's journey is their own. I'm proud that I was able to carve my own successful path, and it doesn't look like anyone else's.

Actor Adam Kantor:
You are enough. It may sound cheesy, but it’s so true. Your weirdness, your quirks, and perhaps even your greatest sources of shame are deeply worthy of excavation and celebration.

Actor Bianca Leigh:
Lie about having waitress experience. Look at auditions as building blocks, not job interviews. Stick with it, one tape at a time, and the casting directors will get to know you, which is far more important than being perfect on a tape. Learn how to carry a tune even if you are not a singer, per se.

Stage Manager Danielle Ranno:
Don’t take yourself too seriously. Laugh! Have fun every day! Do not think that you have to mold yourself for the job. When a production manager or PSM is interviewing you for a spot on the team, they want to see what you can bring to the table. They already know you have the basic skills or else you would not have made it to the interview. Do not be afraid to be your true, authentic self. They want to see your personality and how it would fit with the rest of the team. We all have weaknesses… don’t be afraid to share them. Oh, and always have a joke in your back pocket… It may be the thing that gets you past the finish line!

Actor Jelani Remy:
No doesn’t mean no, it means not right now. Ask questions. If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.

Video and projection designer Finn Ross:
Don’t take no for an answer; believe in yourself, even when it feels impossible, an idea or an opportunity will present itself. Take all opportunities you can get your hands on. Learn to collaborate with and listen to your colleagues. And don’t work all the time. Take breaks—it’s good for the creative mind to step away. Also, don’t feel you only have to work in theatre; there are so many avenues for a video designer, be it rock and pop, installation, or events, etc. Try it all.

Actor Paulo Szot:
Learn more! More instruments, more languages, more coachings, more of everything. But I wouldn’t change a thing. I value every step, every stumble, failures and achievements.

Costume designer Paul Tazewell:
If I could talk to my younger self and encourage myself as I was starting out, I would stress showing up with confidence and the importance of taking up more space and attention in a room, by allowing my voice to be heard as loudly as possible. I have learned in my years in this industry that nothing comes from being small and quiet. All comes from being present and making that presence known.

Actor Michael Urie:
I think it’s impossible for one not to compare themselves or their careers to others, but it really is silly to do so. No two artists have ever had the same trajectory. There’s no one right or wrong way to do this crazy business, and we all spend too much time worrying about how we compare when there’s just no real way to compare.