Yesterday evening, on the way home from hiking at Runyon Canyon, we passed a guy walking his dog in his scrubs. I don't know who he is or if any of my assumptions are correct, but it just made me think how wonderful it must be to do what it is you love doing. What if I loved coming to work everyday at my survival admin job? What would it be like to be content and happy with where you are and what you do? What will it be like when I can say the same for myself?
Xan and I were talking recently about how much easier life would be if we were content living somewhere else, pursuing different careers, and raising babies like so many of the people we know who seem to be perfectly happy doing that. It seems like a romantic ideal, but the difference is that we know ourselves and know that while other people are happy with that, we wouldn't be. Good to know, I suppose. Sometimes I wonder if I had a Morpheus offering me a pill where I would remember nothing and be content with a different life if I would take it.
I don't think I would. But sometimes it's tempting.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Neat-o
Rearranging your thinking is powerful stuff.
Friday I got a call from the guy that I had an awesome audition and callback with back in early March. I emailed him after the audition thanking him for his kindness, which truly was above and beyond. He told me the only reason I'm not in the show is that I was too young and pretty to play his wife and that he wanted to extend himself to me as a resource. I think that is so awesome and can't wait until I'm a working actor and can extend a hand to someone who is just starting out.
Friday night I got a call from a student who found me on LA Casting and was friends with someone on my resume. When he called the other student director, he recommended me and now I'm shooting with him this weekend.
I think that's pretty neat.
Friday I got a call from the guy that I had an awesome audition and callback with back in early March. I emailed him after the audition thanking him for his kindness, which truly was above and beyond. He told me the only reason I'm not in the show is that I was too young and pretty to play his wife and that he wanted to extend himself to me as a resource. I think that is so awesome and can't wait until I'm a working actor and can extend a hand to someone who is just starting out.
Friday night I got a call from a student who found me on LA Casting and was friends with someone on my resume. When he called the other student director, he recommended me and now I'm shooting with him this weekend.
I think that's pretty neat.
Friday, April 3, 2009
I broke the seal...
...and now I can't stop! Two in one day!
The episode of "Leaving Bliss" that I'm in is up. Xan and I both have small parts at the beginning. I'm thrilled to be involved in something so hilarious. This episode features David Lawrence from "Heroes." My friends Shanna and Steve have done yet another fabulous episode.
The episode of "Leaving Bliss" that I'm in is up. Xan and I both have small parts at the beginning. I'm thrilled to be involved in something so hilarious. This episode features David Lawrence from "Heroes." My friends Shanna and Steve have done yet another fabulous episode.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Want to be a good actor? Try being a kid.
My mom can keep tabs on her children by the frequency of their calls. With my sister, no news is good news. With my brother, no news is good news because if there is news it's usually big news. And with me, no news means I'm not doing very well.
The same seems to be the trend in my blogging.
I'm fine, please don't be alarmed. But March was rough for me, both personally and actorally. (Those are the same thing. But I just made up 'actorally' and I wanted to use it.) March was a month filled with more self-doubt and "what am I doing with my life?" moments than I would like. But March is over now, so we're moving on.
I just started the Foundation Intensive at Margie Haber Studios. I had been shopping around for acting classes and had audited another that I hope to attend in the future, but we happened to go to this orientation the day after it occurred to me that I haven't been in an actual acting class in a time long enough to grow a fairly medium-sized child, and that that is entirely unacceptable, so when they said "Class starts Tuesday and we'll offer you $100 off" I jumped at the chance.
Last night was our second class. I like it. I spent the beginning of the first class battling my ego in my head, as only about 4 out of the 14 of us have any acting experience whatsoever. But it doesn't matter. It's all on-camera and it's all audition technique, both of which are things I desperately need to learn.
The approach is basically "Hey, remember when you were a kid and you played and used your imagination? That was when you were a good actor." It's interesting. Actually imagining and living the life of the character is already helping me get more specific and more truthful and less actor-y. The beautiful side-effect is that this approach allows me to find the art in creating a character every time, even if I only have two pages of sides. I've found a way to link acting with auditioning that works for me. That makes me happy.
As with all things, I'm taking some of it with a grain of salt. I will concede that I have some bad habits that I need to un-learn, but I don't think I need to throw out everything I've ever learned about acting ever. That's a bit extreme. I appreciate what the teacher is saying, but her approach is at times lacking in the finesse department. She yells and curses to make her point and then says "I'm not yelling at you, I'm yelling with you" or "I'm sorry, I'm just very passionate." That sounds an awful lot like the guy who treats people like shit and then excuses it with "Sorry, I'm an asshole. That's just who I am." But hey, we all have our faults. And her nuggets of brilliance outweigh her moments of yelling.
So. I apologize for the writing hiatus. I hope you're well and April is a beautiful month for us all.
The same seems to be the trend in my blogging.
I'm fine, please don't be alarmed. But March was rough for me, both personally and actorally. (Those are the same thing. But I just made up 'actorally' and I wanted to use it.) March was a month filled with more self-doubt and "what am I doing with my life?" moments than I would like. But March is over now, so we're moving on.
I just started the Foundation Intensive at Margie Haber Studios. I had been shopping around for acting classes and had audited another that I hope to attend in the future, but we happened to go to this orientation the day after it occurred to me that I haven't been in an actual acting class in a time long enough to grow a fairly medium-sized child, and that that is entirely unacceptable, so when they said "Class starts Tuesday and we'll offer you $100 off" I jumped at the chance.
Last night was our second class. I like it. I spent the beginning of the first class battling my ego in my head, as only about 4 out of the 14 of us have any acting experience whatsoever. But it doesn't matter. It's all on-camera and it's all audition technique, both of which are things I desperately need to learn.
The approach is basically "Hey, remember when you were a kid and you played and used your imagination? That was when you were a good actor." It's interesting. Actually imagining and living the life of the character is already helping me get more specific and more truthful and less actor-y. The beautiful side-effect is that this approach allows me to find the art in creating a character every time, even if I only have two pages of sides. I've found a way to link acting with auditioning that works for me. That makes me happy.
As with all things, I'm taking some of it with a grain of salt. I will concede that I have some bad habits that I need to un-learn, but I don't think I need to throw out everything I've ever learned about acting ever. That's a bit extreme. I appreciate what the teacher is saying, but her approach is at times lacking in the finesse department. She yells and curses to make her point and then says "I'm not yelling at you, I'm yelling with you" or "I'm sorry, I'm just very passionate." That sounds an awful lot like the guy who treats people like shit and then excuses it with "Sorry, I'm an asshole. That's just who I am." But hey, we all have our faults. And her nuggets of brilliance outweigh her moments of yelling.
So. I apologize for the writing hiatus. I hope you're well and April is a beautiful month for us all.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
With a Little Patience, 'Leaving Bliss' Has Arrived
My friend Shanna's hilarious webseries got reviewed by tubefilter! You should watch all the episodes so that you'll be caught up by the time I have a part in Episode 7...
With a Little Patience, 'Leaving Bliss' Has Arrived
Posted using ShareThis
With a Little Patience, 'Leaving Bliss' Has Arrived
Posted using ShareThis
Thursday, March 12, 2009
March 12 of 12
My March 12 of 12 is live in Decatur, GA, where I'm home for my grandmother's funeral. Good to be home and to see my family while we celebrate Mama Sue's long life.
1 of 12 - 9:30 am - Up and at 'em. View from the bedroom in my Mom's house.
2 of 12 - 10:00 am - Mom doing some morning emailing.
3 of 12 - 10:45 am - Brunch with my dad and sister at Sun In My Belly in Decatur. Got my grits fix!
4 of 12 - 12:00 pm - Time to wake up our brother.
5 of 12 - 2:45 pm - Shopping with mom and sis. Looking for funeral wear...found awesome tracksuit instead. That should work, right?
6 of 12 - 4:12 pm - Trying to cash in the change Mom's students brought in for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We think we broke the machine.
7 of 12 - 5:45 pm - Mama Sue was a looker in her day. I love looking at these old pictures.
8 of 12 - 7:30 pm - Peter, my brother, climbing a tree per usual on our walk before dinner. Loving daylight savings time right about now.
9 of 12 - 7:35 pm - Whoever preceded me in the Candler Park parking lot shared my sentiments.
10 of 12 - 8:07 pm - Artistry to accompany paella at La Fonda Cantina.
11 of 12 - 10:45 pm - Peter on the phone with his ladyfriend.
12 of 12 - 11:55 pm - A trip down memory lane before bed. Love that Mom has all these pictures out in the living room.
1 of 12 - 9:30 am - Up and at 'em. View from the bedroom in my Mom's house.
2 of 12 - 10:00 am - Mom doing some morning emailing.
3 of 12 - 10:45 am - Brunch with my dad and sister at Sun In My Belly in Decatur. Got my grits fix!
4 of 12 - 12:00 pm - Time to wake up our brother.
5 of 12 - 2:45 pm - Shopping with mom and sis. Looking for funeral wear...found awesome tracksuit instead. That should work, right?
6 of 12 - 4:12 pm - Trying to cash in the change Mom's students brought in for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We think we broke the machine.
7 of 12 - 5:45 pm - Mama Sue was a looker in her day. I love looking at these old pictures.
8 of 12 - 7:30 pm - Peter, my brother, climbing a tree per usual on our walk before dinner. Loving daylight savings time right about now.
9 of 12 - 7:35 pm - Whoever preceded me in the Candler Park parking lot shared my sentiments.
10 of 12 - 8:07 pm - Artistry to accompany paella at La Fonda Cantina.
11 of 12 - 10:45 pm - Peter on the phone with his ladyfriend.
12 of 12 - 11:55 pm - A trip down memory lane before bed. Love that Mom has all these pictures out in the living room.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Effie Mae is looking for a date
Effie Mae, my alter ego, is lonely. She decided to do something about it.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Le sigh.
So I was waiting to post because I thought I was going to have some Really Exciting News. But the longer I wait, the less likely it seems that that specific Really Exciting News is going to pan out. Hence le sigh.
So I'll just talk about the good part. Monday night I had an awesome audition that turned into a callback for a theatre in Glendale. It was a blast. The material was fun, I was right for the part, and I nailed it. They had me read over and over and over again with different people and seemed impressed and were very complimentary. At the end of the night, they sent everyone home but me and another girl, and had us read another scene together. Then they sent her home and sat me down and talked to me about cutting my hair, what my work schedule is like, where I live, etc. I left at midnight and felt like they had basically said everything except "We'd like to offer you the part."
And that was Monday. Sigh. But! It's the nature of the biz! And I'm not completely giving up hope.
I've also started another venture, which I think could turn out to be really cool. It's a blog of free stuff in LA. Please check out BrokeLA. If you don't live here, it will let you know all the cool stuff you're missing.
I got a cute message from my mom and stepdad this week telling me I could come home because they're shooting a movie in my hometown of Decatur, GA. It's actually sort of tempting, because I'd probably have an easier time getting my last SAG voucher being an extra there than here. So maybe I'll go home for a much desired visit in pursuit of my SAG eligibility. And their awesome cooking.
So I'll just talk about the good part. Monday night I had an awesome audition that turned into a callback for a theatre in Glendale. It was a blast. The material was fun, I was right for the part, and I nailed it. They had me read over and over and over again with different people and seemed impressed and were very complimentary. At the end of the night, they sent everyone home but me and another girl, and had us read another scene together. Then they sent her home and sat me down and talked to me about cutting my hair, what my work schedule is like, where I live, etc. I left at midnight and felt like they had basically said everything except "We'd like to offer you the part."
And that was Monday. Sigh. But! It's the nature of the biz! And I'm not completely giving up hope.
I've also started another venture, which I think could turn out to be really cool. It's a blog of free stuff in LA. Please check out BrokeLA. If you don't live here, it will let you know all the cool stuff you're missing.
I got a cute message from my mom and stepdad this week telling me I could come home because they're shooting a movie in my hometown of Decatur, GA. It's actually sort of tempting, because I'd probably have an easier time getting my last SAG voucher being an extra there than here. So maybe I'll go home for a much desired visit in pursuit of my SAG eligibility. And their awesome cooking.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Balls in the air
What up gees.
February is closing out. I'm not sorry about that. I'm ringing in March and Mardi Gras by drinking a lot and dancing to live music at my friendly neighborhood Southern bar. Can't wait.
I had five auditions last weekend, four of which I made it to, and two of which I felt good about. Haven't heard anything. Le sigh. Such is the life of the actor. I had another one today that went well, and she said she'd call me tomorrow. We shall see.
Just checking in. Don't really have much to say. Peace.
February is closing out. I'm not sorry about that. I'm ringing in March and Mardi Gras by drinking a lot and dancing to live music at my friendly neighborhood Southern bar. Can't wait.
I had five auditions last weekend, four of which I made it to, and two of which I felt good about. Haven't heard anything. Le sigh. Such is the life of the actor. I had another one today that went well, and she said she'd call me tomorrow. We shall see.
Just checking in. Don't really have much to say. Peace.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Day 4 of unnaturalness
I've refrained from blogging about the master cleanse/diet because I didn't want this to be a blog about the master cleanse/diet. Let's just say that my body has...er...produced things I didn't know were possible, I miss eating food, and I'm super excited about drinking fresh orange juice tomorrow morning to start the tapering off phase. Extenuating circumstances necessitate me eating on Sunday (those extenuating circumstances may or may not be the Oscars and the party we are hosting), so I'm starting to come off tomorrow. I set out to do five days, and I have done that. Not to say that I was steadfast - I almost broke Tuesday night, but was safe thanks to Xan asking "Do you really want to do that?" when I called him and asked if he wanted to go to Souplantation for dinner. (Have you been there? It's amazing. Soup and salad bar with awesome vegetarian soups and fresh bread and foccacia and desserts and A SOFT-SERVE MACHINE. Call me Southern, but I sure do love a good buffet. Especially when it has A SOFT-SERVE MACHINE.)
So that's the what about this thing that I'm doing. Oh...this is an acting blog you say? I'm supposed to be talking about that? Oh yeah. Well -
Last night I did another casting director workshop with a CD who saw me in the Cricket Feet Showcase. I really can't say if it went well or not, because I was so frustrated by other factors (the guy who runs these particular workshops is a buffoon, we started reeeeally late, and there was an odd number of folks so I didn't have a scene partner) that by the end of the night I really just wanted to be done and get home. But I liked her, she had good things to say, and I think I did alright. Nothing to write home about. But I really do need to figure out how to put aside frustrations and aggravations and distractions and still do my best every time. Until I learn how to do that, I'm just adding yet another obstacle for me to hurdle.
And, finally, I just wanted to share that I've really had New Orleans on my mind lately. This is the first year in two years that Xan and I aren't scheduled to go (yet! staying positive!), and it's where we got together, and I love it...if anyone wants to have a ridiculously good time, they should go to the French Quarter Festival April 17-19 and take us with you. We dance on command. What's more fun than that?
So that's the what about this thing that I'm doing. Oh...this is an acting blog you say? I'm supposed to be talking about that? Oh yeah. Well -
Last night I did another casting director workshop with a CD who saw me in the Cricket Feet Showcase. I really can't say if it went well or not, because I was so frustrated by other factors (the guy who runs these particular workshops is a buffoon, we started reeeeally late, and there was an odd number of folks so I didn't have a scene partner) that by the end of the night I really just wanted to be done and get home. But I liked her, she had good things to say, and I think I did alright. Nothing to write home about. But I really do need to figure out how to put aside frustrations and aggravations and distractions and still do my best every time. Until I learn how to do that, I'm just adding yet another obstacle for me to hurdle.
And, finally, I just wanted to share that I've really had New Orleans on my mind lately. This is the first year in two years that Xan and I aren't scheduled to go (yet! staying positive!), and it's where we got together, and I love it...if anyone wants to have a ridiculously good time, they should go to the French Quarter Festival April 17-19 and take us with you. We dance on command. What's more fun than that?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
