things are happening. good things. to me - happening. now. today. tomorrow. i can feel it.
now here's where i might break out into "something's coming" from west side story, but i wouldn't be singing about a girl. well, i guess tony isn't really singing about a girl named maria - yet. he's excited. he can feel something in the air. a vibe that is bringing something good. so if i was singing the song it would be about the opportunities that have been happening and blossoming for me.
as many of you know, this past winter i applied to tisch school of the arts for their graduate musical theatre writing program. it was exciting. i thought it was a done deal. but reality set in when i realized there was no possible way to pay the $65,000 tuition PER YEAR (and it's a two year program). so for 3 months i told myself i knew how the next two years of my life were going to go. but when i realized that all my plans went up in smoke, i panicked and literally didn't know what to.
so, i went back to florida for a month to stay with my parents. this was good and bad - the good was spending time with my parents, the bad - not knowing if i should stay in nyc, keep doing music...i really had no idea or no mental strength to figure it out. so after a month of hanging out with mom and dad, i knew i had to come back to nyc. the moment i got back i knew i was suppose to be here. yeah, i was poor - didn't know how i was going to pay for everything, but at least i was in the city of opportunities.
so when i arrived, i still had no idea what i was going to do. one night i was looking at - what else - craigslist. side note: yeah, people (including me) complain alot about craigslist and all the flakes and the "all too good to be true" sounding deals and opportunities. yep, it's very true. but i started looking at all the categories of jobs and a neon sign went on in my head: i will market each and every last skill i have to make it in the city, all working toward my end goal of being a creative person in a city i love. this is what i did: marketed myself as a freelance mover, a housecleaner, an actor, an errand runner, film crew production assistant, and of course, a musician/ composer.
i knew i had major acting experience but didn't have a resume or headshot. so i decided to whip one up and turn one of my pictures into a temporary headshot (i get my new ones taken next week). i took a deep breath and started answering ads on craigers looking for acting.
i could not believe what happened next. i started getting responses from people wanting me to audition for their films. some independents, some students. so i started going out on auditions and my first audition i landed the LEAD! and 7 films later (all leads i might add) i am now working on getting a DVD copy of the films and creating my film reel so i can show people my work and get an agent and paying gigs. to tell you the truth, this does not seem as crazy as it might have sounded a year ago. what i'm learning from my film roles this summer is that i am a good actor and i have raw talent to become an amazing actor. the film makers i have worked with this summer, crew, and also fellow co-stars have all commented on how great my comedic timing is, but also how i make the dramatic moments shine, too.
so, my goal is to have my reel completed by the end of august and to get an agent and my SAG card by the end of the year. in the meantime i will take any acting roles that interest me, even if they are non-paying. right now my living expenses are somewhat low. i'm cool with that. yep, sometimes i don't know where the $ is coming from for food, but for the first time i believe this is only temporary (tonight i was so poor i only had money to buy 2 mcdonald's hamburgers. good thing this week i am filming and they feed me on the set!]
i love new york. because it is here and allowing me to find my answers in the midst of all its gotham-ism. stay tuned: i've got 4 auditions scheduled for next week.
now here's where i might break out into "something's coming" from west side story, but i wouldn't be singing about a girl. well, i guess tony isn't really singing about a girl named maria - yet. he's excited. he can feel something in the air. a vibe that is bringing something good. so if i was singing the song it would be about the opportunities that have been happening and blossoming for me.
as many of you know, this past winter i applied to tisch school of the arts for their graduate musical theatre writing program. it was exciting. i thought it was a done deal. but reality set in when i realized there was no possible way to pay the $65,000 tuition PER YEAR (and it's a two year program). so for 3 months i told myself i knew how the next two years of my life were going to go. but when i realized that all my plans went up in smoke, i panicked and literally didn't know what to.
so, i went back to florida for a month to stay with my parents. this was good and bad - the good was spending time with my parents, the bad - not knowing if i should stay in nyc, keep doing music...i really had no idea or no mental strength to figure it out. so after a month of hanging out with mom and dad, i knew i had to come back to nyc. the moment i got back i knew i was suppose to be here. yeah, i was poor - didn't know how i was going to pay for everything, but at least i was in the city of opportunities.
so when i arrived, i still had no idea what i was going to do. one night i was looking at - what else - craigslist. side note: yeah, people (including me) complain alot about craigslist and all the flakes and the "all too good to be true" sounding deals and opportunities. yep, it's very true. but i started looking at all the categories of jobs and a neon sign went on in my head: i will market each and every last skill i have to make it in the city, all working toward my end goal of being a creative person in a city i love. this is what i did: marketed myself as a freelance mover, a housecleaner, an actor, an errand runner, film crew production assistant, and of course, a musician/ composer.
i knew i had major acting experience but didn't have a resume or headshot. so i decided to whip one up and turn one of my pictures into a temporary headshot (i get my new ones taken next week). i took a deep breath and started answering ads on craigers looking for acting.
i could not believe what happened next. i started getting responses from people wanting me to audition for their films. some independents, some students. so i started going out on auditions and my first audition i landed the LEAD! and 7 films later (all leads i might add) i am now working on getting a DVD copy of the films and creating my film reel so i can show people my work and get an agent and paying gigs. to tell you the truth, this does not seem as crazy as it might have sounded a year ago. what i'm learning from my film roles this summer is that i am a good actor and i have raw talent to become an amazing actor. the film makers i have worked with this summer, crew, and also fellow co-stars have all commented on how great my comedic timing is, but also how i make the dramatic moments shine, too.
so, my goal is to have my reel completed by the end of august and to get an agent and my SAG card by the end of the year. in the meantime i will take any acting roles that interest me, even if they are non-paying. right now my living expenses are somewhat low. i'm cool with that. yep, sometimes i don't know where the $ is coming from for food, but for the first time i believe this is only temporary (tonight i was so poor i only had money to buy 2 mcdonald's hamburgers. good thing this week i am filming and they feed me on the set!]
i love new york. because it is here and allowing me to find my answers in the midst of all its gotham-ism. stay tuned: i've got 4 auditions scheduled for next week.
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