Sunday, November 28, 2010

Winter Motivation


I have now been a college graduate for a week and a half. I have nothing pressing to do and I have an excellently warm down comforter that I have become very fond of in this 25 degree mountain weather. Unfortunately there is an issue amidst all of this which is the lack of motivation I have felt in the past during winter breaks. My college is on a quarter system, meaning that the typical school year consists of three intense ten-week sessions. They are exhausting. Contrary to popular belief, art school is very demanding. Anyway, the end of fall quarter usually involved me taking a train home, collapsing in bed and getting absolutely nothing done from mid-November to January. Having graduated, that has now become mid-November to infinity. Which means it's time to start fighting inertia.

I came up with a plan which is to do one thing every day for my career. Simple, easy, but also easy to forget. So what have I done so far and what little things can you do to keep invested in your career over the snuggly break?
  • I've compiled a group of contacts for career updates out of professors, directors, agents, acquaintances in the business, and so forth.
  • I have begun the search for monologues for upcoming auditions.
    • Check the company's season
    • Research audition requirements—how many pieces, how long, classical/contemporary?
    • Make a list of possible monologues for you as well as pieces you already know.
    • Mix'n'match to the requirements
    • Get memorizin'!
  • I have been in touch with the marvelous photographer Carly to get my headshots touched up.
  • Checking in with my professor about when she's holding Non-Equity auditions for her production at GA Shakes.
  • I've been checking in on Playbills vs. Paying Bills, my personal favorite actor blog.
  • I have contemplated and executed a few ways to make some money (listed my drumset, textbooks, sold cookies at the farmer's market)
  • I started this blog.
Other things I'm going to be working on...
  • Continuing audition prep.
  • Working on my application for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival's Dramaturgy Award (more on dramaturgy and the process in another post)
  • Reading all the plays that I've been pretending I knew what people were talking about when they were brought up.
  • Watching all the movies that I've been pretending I knew what people were talking about when they were brought up.
  • Early planning for the move to Chicago.
    • Even if you've got a while before the big move to a new city, you can start looking at apartment rates, researching what are good neighborhoods, as well as agents and theatres that you would be interested in. Do you know anybody there? When can you visit? Where are the best places to get pizza?
  • Email update/holiday greetings to earlier mentioned contacts group.
  • Possible trip to New York to see some really good theatre.
  • Start reading the New York Times and American Theatre.
  • Use TCG's ArtSearch to look for potential jobs and internships.
Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list, as fifteen or so bullet points is a lot less than infinity. But it's a start. I've been pleasantly surprised that in doing one thing, I have been quickly led to another. Even in writing this post, I came up with several other things to work on. Without school bearing down on me with due dates and expectations, it has become more manageable and (dare I say it?) fun. So while that down comforter is awfully cozy, crawl out for a while and just start on something. It will be there when you come back.

Any additions to the list? Post them in a comment!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

To Begin

On November 18th, I walked out of my last class in Crites Hall in Savannah, Georgia and stepped into the "real world" armed only with a BFA in Performing Arts, which is, well... not always effective in the real world. Like any freshly-graduated actor worth her salt, I have decided blogging might be a way to come to an understanding with the concepts of "unemployed" and "professional." Or at least it's a way to pass time when audition preparation becomes maddening. So here it is, a blog.

I will mostly be writing on theatre, acting and "the business" with possible occasional jaunts into current events, personal anecdotes, etc. It will also serve to keep everyone up-to-date with my fledgling career. We can all hope that in doing so, it will require frequent updating.

The title of this here blog, "Half Speed, Full Intention," has been shamelessly stolen from my combat teacher, Martin Noyes, who likes to boom these directions during fight call. He actually likes to boom any directions, but these in particular defined the focuses in fighting and acting, and for that matter, getting through life. Protect yourself, protect others. Move with intent. Attack with specificity. And make as much noise as you want.