Keep on keeping on...

It's February and the first month of the New Year was a doozy. Emotional roller coaster would be a good description. 

I returned from a wonderful complimentary trip to Melbourne, Australia for New Years and kicked off the year practicing my tail off for the numerous gigs I had booked. 

I had a Dinner Detective gig that was a last minute add, a house concert and an invite to play at The Fire again on 2/2!  I had an audition to play a chemo patient for a hospital. In addition to that I managed to get an invite to audition for Book of Mormon again and a talent agency responded to my email with an invite to see me!!! It was a magical month!

Busy bee! 

Now, I don't know if I'll ever get into Book of Mormon because I'm 40 and fluffier than most of the younger auditioners. But I know I slayed the audition because she and the accompanist seemed to loved all of my work. But hey, it was a 2nd chance to be seen. 

As for the chemo patient audition, I wasn't sure I got that gig. The woman walking out of the office as I was walking in was a true patient. I didn't think I had a chance. I cried on cue and gave it my best. And I was called back and according to the casting director, I was pretty much "in". I just had to wait until Monday. Well, Monday came and I got the sad news that at the last minute the client wanted a real patient not my acting self. I heard that the producers loved me and pushed to keep me- no good. I celebrated the fact that I got that far. 

Then the call from the new talent agency. I sent my info to them unsolicited (which isn't always the best or advisable thing to do in "the business") but my new musician-actor pal told me to put his name in the email as a reference. They called me in, the meeting went well and we have a 6 month contract to work together! I sent them every link, picture and file they asked for. I just need to send a video of me doing a 2 minute monologue. It would be easy peesy to do it except for the fact that I have a monster ear infection and may be shouting whole damn thing at this point. Lol!

I'm hoping to knock the taping out today before we leave for a Super Bowl party. I'm rooting for the Panthers because Cam is hot and they had an amazing season but I'm not a true fan so I won't be faking the funk and wearing the colors and all that. I'm there for the wings, beer and meeting new people. I love a good party!

Getting back to the career voice...

The house concert was canceled due to a snow storm. We are rebooking for March. Which is already next month!

The gig at The Fire on 2/2 was amazing! I had people in the audience this time! That makes a big difference.

The rejection in all of these musical and acting pursuits isn't getting me down. It's the not having a constant paying job. My savings that I put aside are dwindling. 

My acting gig is drawing some money in. I make about $50 in tips which is amazing for one night. However, I have been conditioned for 18 years to get up, got to a job I loathe and seek my dreams part time. Flipping that script has been a challenge. I am trying like hell to get a survival job (that's what actors call it) so I can make ends meet while I get my coaching business off the ground. No one wants to hire an MBA to answer the phones part time. I know this sounds odd but I dream of working at a medical or dental office where I can wear scrubs to work every day and help check people in. Yes, this is a dream of mine. That and working at a movie theater. But the popcorn smell all day would be a major detractor. Dream crushed. That and a GM at the theater I applied to after college laughed at my resume and told me I was too qualified to work there. 

I'm still craving the adrenaline rush of saving lives in an administrative job. It was soul crushing and draining. It was my life not my job. Because of my obsession with my work-  I lost a dear friend, my sanity and my balance. But that was due to my choices to stay in an unhealthy environment for almost 20 years. I won't do that again. 

Now that I seek my life's passion out, I just want a job job and folks are freaked out because I have too much experience. Which is true in some cases but not in others. There's so much more out there that I want to tap into. 

My life coach said I need to claim what I want. Just put it out there. Here it goes:

I want a job where I can work 3 -4 days a week earning about $20-$30 an hour. I want it to be in Center City so I'm not commuting over an hour to get there. Flexibly is key. 

Starting over has been awesome in some ways and super difficult in others. I'm developing some more structure in my days so they aren't so monotonous. Focus one day in my business and other on my performance. All the while building on my relationships. 

I can't quit just yet. It's only been 7 months. I want to give this a full year of full time dream catching. If this still doesn't pan out, I know I gave it my best shot. I may have to go back to full time work. But if I do, it's going to be in my passion wheelhouse. I want to enjoy what I do. Hopefully my career coaching will take off and I can do what I love when I want to do it.  Or just maybe, get a gig that will turn me into a star! Ok, ok, maybe not a star but a working artist! Haha! A girl can dream though!

I have The Voice auditions on 2/20! Wish me luck! 3rd times a charm they say.