Ah, it's Friday. In December. Another week is spent. Another year is winding down. It’s that time of reflection. (More to the point, yours truly didn't get a couple callbacks on roles for which I was honestly a little cocky about at least getting a callback. Happy humble-pie-day to me.)
Small setbacks aside, I’m not throwing in the towel. Don't get me wrong, there are days (okay more like the past two years) where I miss having my moderate, reliable teaching salary and the comfort of knowing that retirement funds are being neatly added up in my name. The pragmatic side of me (I’m a Gemini; the duality is real!) is as stern as any parent about the foolishness of resigning after 10 years of teaching to follow my lifelong dream of acting in film. In case you’re wondering, that lecture looks something like me staring in the mirror at my mid-life fine lines to the internal monologue of Charlie Brown’s teacher, “Wah wah wah wah. Wah wah wah wah. Wah wah. Wah.” The dreamer/schemer/go-getter side of me thought this blog post on reflection would be a better use of my Friday and told the pragmatic to chill out for a while.
So here I am like frickin’ Evita wondering “so what happens now?” Thanks to teaching, I know that great accomplishments are made slowly by setting small, achievable goals and celebrating small wins as they are met. (Hey, the pragmatic is good for something anyway.) Winning the lottery or several national commercials (okay, okay, I’d settle for just one next year) would be so much easier if only I could arrange that.
Anyway, in terms of small wins, it’s actually been a pretty amazing year. On-camera booking ratios are up and jobs this year were larger than any other year! This web site is up! Studio teaching days rose 143% from last year! I have plenty of time to be home and do Mom things with my daughter and Wife things with my husband (easy now!). Last, but just as importantly (and a top ranker on my 2014 list of professional resolutions, drum-roll please…), I’ve found steady, flexible work to keep funds up between industry jobs as a private reading tutor. (Feels awesome to put that M.A. to use and support kids who really need a boost.) Oh, and have I mentioned that I met CRYSTAL THE MONKEY this year?!?!
Okay, so yeah, monkeys win. Goodnight, Dreamers.
P.S. If you need some inspiration, The Alchemist is a must read and re-read! Seriously, I ugly-cried while reading this book because it totally struck a chord. Listen to your heart. Follow your dream. It won't be easy and in the end it probably won't look like you thought it would, but it will be worth it.
Small setbacks aside, I’m not throwing in the towel. Don't get me wrong, there are days (okay more like the past two years) where I miss having my moderate, reliable teaching salary and the comfort of knowing that retirement funds are being neatly added up in my name. The pragmatic side of me (I’m a Gemini; the duality is real!) is as stern as any parent about the foolishness of resigning after 10 years of teaching to follow my lifelong dream of acting in film. In case you’re wondering, that lecture looks something like me staring in the mirror at my mid-life fine lines to the internal monologue of Charlie Brown’s teacher, “Wah wah wah wah. Wah wah wah wah. Wah wah. Wah.” The dreamer/schemer/go-getter side of me thought this blog post on reflection would be a better use of my Friday and told the pragmatic to chill out for a while.
So here I am like frickin’ Evita wondering “so what happens now?” Thanks to teaching, I know that great accomplishments are made slowly by setting small, achievable goals and celebrating small wins as they are met. (Hey, the pragmatic is good for something anyway.) Winning the lottery or several national commercials (okay, okay, I’d settle for just one next year) would be so much easier if only I could arrange that.
Anyway, in terms of small wins, it’s actually been a pretty amazing year. On-camera booking ratios are up and jobs this year were larger than any other year! This web site is up! Studio teaching days rose 143% from last year! I have plenty of time to be home and do Mom things with my daughter and Wife things with my husband (easy now!). Last, but just as importantly (and a top ranker on my 2014 list of professional resolutions, drum-roll please…), I’ve found steady, flexible work to keep funds up between industry jobs as a private reading tutor. (Feels awesome to put that M.A. to use and support kids who really need a boost.) Oh, and have I mentioned that I met CRYSTAL THE MONKEY this year?!?!
Okay, so yeah, monkeys win. Goodnight, Dreamers.
P.S. If you need some inspiration, The Alchemist is a must read and re-read! Seriously, I ugly-cried while reading this book because it totally struck a chord. Listen to your heart. Follow your dream. It won't be easy and in the end it probably won't look like you thought it would, but it will be worth it.
