'Friends' Correspondant

Last week I blogged about the Hosting Interview I had so after the Interview there was some paperwork to fill out and a 5 Minute Video I had to film talking about one of my favorite TV Shows.  After answering all the test questions and filling in my information I was ready to shoot my Video about 'Friends.'

Hey Guys!

Neil helped me out by being my DP (Director of Photography) and I came up with some ideas I wanted to talk about and then we rolled camera and Action it was.  I was worried that I wouldn't be able to talk about 'Friends' for 5 minutes without getting too in-depth but it was a breeze and as Neil gave me a countdown and the sign for 'wrap it up' those 5 minutes had flown by.  I talked about my favorite characters, watching the Blooper Reels, guest stars and some memorable moments!  There were some small mistakes, and 'ums' (which of course I was super aware of) but we had just filmed this 5 minute Video, on the first take, and after compressing it, I sent it in.  One take and we were done.  I wanted it to be real, I wanted it to be me; I'm not always perfect, but I'm fun, I hope I can draw you in and be interesting, and teach you something you didn't know and I think this video achieved that!

At this point, it's just a waiting game...and it's so hard to be patient but watching to see if they've watched the video on YouTube is like waiting for a watched pot to boil, so I just have to not think about it and let it go.  So difficult though...fingers crossed!

Last weeks Karaoke songs were fun because I had a couple friends that I hadn't seen in a while, so there were songs I hadn't sang for a long time and some new ones as well.  I opened with 'Everytime We Touch' by Cascada for Marty, then 'To Make You Feel My Love' by Adele, dueted with Marcus to 'Cruisin', switched over to some country singing 'That Don't Impress Me Much' and my new song of the night was 'I Need You' by LeAnn Rimes.  It was definitely challenging as she has range but it was a good new one to try.  There was a group of us so we all sang 'Loveshack' and it was by far the best I've ever heard it done; Marty was born to sing the male lead in that song and I closed with 'Careless Whisper' by George Michael as a sing-a-long for everyone!

Potential Hosting Job?

On Tuesday night I headed up to Encino for a Hosting Meeting/Interview with a semi-new (at least to me) Company that has After Shows for pretty much every single TV show out there.  I wanted to skip traffic so I left early, found myself a Starbucks, got a Chai Tea, did some work and then headed to the Interview and was right on time!

There were a few other potential Hosts there as well because they only have these Interviews a few times a year.  We got the tour of the studios, screening rooms, kitchen (SCORE!) and the rest of the residential-turned business.  I was already excited!  Next, we watched a video that we were requested to take notes on, learning their format for the show, some rules, do's and don'ts and other procedures.  Next up we chatted with the main Producer and a Host and talked about our favorite shows, what we like to watch and talk about, and had any questions we had answered.  This solidified for me that I couldn't wait to be a part of this awesome community which seems like an incredible opportunity.

When I got home I e-mailed the Producer immediately and started filling out the paperwork and Test and at this point just need to send a 5 minute video of me Hosting/Talking about one of my favorite shows.  I would love to work with this talented group of people on a weekly basis and am hoping to film my Show sometime this weekend when I can find some free time, so I can send it in, keep my fingers crossed, and find out the final verdict.

As nerdy as it was, I had to take a picture of the manicure I gave myself yesterday before Karaoke ...pastels, sparkles, and even a heart!  And speaking of Karaoke last week's songs were 'Gold Dust Woman' by Fleetwood Mac which I opened with, then 'Jealousy' by Natalie Merchant which I haven't done in at least a year, and then 'What I Like About You' to get everyone dancing.  My new song of the night was 'Head Over Feet' by Alanis Morissette which was a super fun song to sing that I can't wait to do again!  Then I switched it up and did some R&B with En Vogue's 'Don't Let Go' and then 'Who Will Save Your Soul' by Jewel which is one of my favorites.  Everyone ended on a country vibe so I closed out the night with 'Any Man of Mine' and it was a very solid Karaoke night!

Till then...keep smiling and share some love with those around you <3

Soap Opera Intensive Day 2

My Class didn't end when I left on Saturday evening, it was still going as I wanted to be as prepared as possible to do my best work for Casting Director, Bob Lambert, who casts Days of Our Lives.  The second day of our Intensive started on Sunday morning but I rehearsed as soon as class was done on Saturday and right up to class on Sunday morning!

Neil helped me prepare and go through my scene, being an awesome 'Cara.'  My scene was between my frenemy, Cara, and Amanda, whom I was playing.  Basically, I tried to get her deported because she's in love with my husband, but is marrying someone else and she confronts me on her Wedding Day.  The scene had a lot of fun moments and I was able to take my note from the first day to make sure that I had variety, levels, and changes throughout the scene to really build it and make it fun.  By Sunday morning I was memorized and Neil and I had played around with emotions and ideas for Amanda and I felt very strong and understanding of my character.

Annie and I practiced on Sunday morning of Day 2 as soon as she arrived at Act Now.  I had to laugh when she walked into the room because we were both wearing a sweater of the exact same color (Bright Royal Blue) and style.  We must have been on the same wave-length as we got ready in the morning and wanted to wear something bright that popped.  After running the scene a few times we hit a high point and decided to stop because we wanted to keep things fresh for both of us.

Day 2 began with Bob showing us some examples of good and bad Headshots and Postcards and also gave some notes for taking good headshots and what he likes to see on Resumes.

Next up, each scene went one by one into the room with Bob to run our Screen Test where we slated and then performed the scene.  Annie and I hit the mark as both of us really felt the scene and became a part of the world and Bob noticed and gave us some great compliments.  He said it was strong and perfect for the show, so different than yesterday, he could feel all of our emotions and we kept the scene going and the energy up.  He loved the emotion I had brought to the scene and my final moment where I actually had tears in my eyes.  YAY!  After each of us performed our scenes we got to watch all of them on camera and I was really proud of Annie and I and the changes we had made to make our scene pop and come to life!  It was very relateable and the connection between the two of us was strong and I knew my moments were truthful because I realized I couldn't remember what I did because I lost myself in the scene.

The last part of the day were one on one meetings with Bob and when it was my turn he asked about my representation and said I had really proved myself and he would love to call me in when a role fits me!  We talked about my headshots and a little more about the scene and I thanked him for giving me new ideas to think about, that I had learned a lot from him and that I was thankful for such a wonderful experience.  

I would recommend this Intensive to anyone interested in Soap Operas because Bob has a vast knowledge of information to share, he makes the class fun, and really helps you improve on your Audition skills and wants you to succeed.  He was honest and fair and ran his class with enthusiasm, and I can't wait to work with him again :)

Soap Opera Intensive Day 1

This weekend was crazy busy for me...I had work on Friday and Saturday night and had a Soap Opera Intensive with Bob Lambert all day on Saturday and then again on Sunday morning until the afternoon.  Running around well weekend was so worth it for a wonderful learning experience and a lot of fun!

The Intensive was at the Act Now Studios in Sherman Oaks and Bob arrived right on time and a bundle of energy and smiles.  He is a Casting Director for Days of Our Lives and used to Cast for All My Children.  We all introduced ourselves, talked about where we were from and what our experience was.  Bob was full of information talking about the types of roles they cast for Days of Our Lives, what to expect, pay rate, and the Audition process for each of them.  We had a note-taking session on all of this which also included expectations from Soap Opera Casting Directors and Audition notes specifically for Soaps.

We were all given a scene that we looked over in the hallway and 20 minutes later we were all performing our Cold Readings on Camera.  Bob gave some re-directs and ideas for each of the actors and some of us performed again and after everyone finished we all sat down to watch the performances on camera.  He gave me some great notes, telling me that I was a strong actor, had good pacing, and that I was living in the scene.  He said I could add more levels and variety so I made sure when I was Reading for the next Actor I was already applying that note.  When I watched myself on camera I saw what he was talking about and would make sure my next performance on camera would include that note.  I don't usually get to see myself Audition or on camera so it was nice to see what a Casting Director or Producer may see after Auditions.  This way I was able to see what worked and what didn't work which was super beneficial for future Auditions.  I was really nervous when I got up there and was actually shaking but as I watched the playback you couldn't tell at all so that was awesome!

What does this Headshot sell to you?

Next up we talked about the Camera Shots they use on Days of Our Lives and most Soap Operas, blocking, and what to do during your scene based on the camera angles.  Then he gave us some more notes on what to look for in your Sides and talked about our Headshots and Resumes.  I have an exercise I'll be working on this week to make sure my Headshots are selling me and how people see me.

The last part of the day was working with a Scene Partner where he gave us another scene and we would be doing a Screen Test.  So Annie and I worked on the scene for a few minutes, he gave each group blocking and then we rehearsed the scene once through and next up we were filmed.  Our scene definitely felt like it dragged and that was the first note Bob gave was that the energy was brought down with the emotion of the scene and even though there were some sad notes we still needed to keep it up and exciting.  When I saw it on camera, he was 100% right, we were kind of boring, and although he said both of us were living in the moment and were natural there was room for improvement and we were up for the challenge!

That was Day 1 of my Soap Opera Intensive with Bob Lambert and I felt like I had already learned so much and had so many ideas for what I wanted to do with my scene and couldn't wait to perform again and show him the changes I would make to make our scene exciting and feisty!  He's a fantastic teacher and made this intensive interesting and fun :)

Act Now!

I was on my way to my Act Now Interview on Tuesday with a 45 minute window to get to Sherman Oaks when Google Maps had predicted a less than 20 minute drive and I got stuck on the 405 behind an accident for nearly an hour and a half!  Thankfully, my Consultant at Act Now understands the traffic in LA (she is also an Actress) and just told me to get to the Office safely as I sat with my windows rolled down, sun shining in and jammed out to some music during my wait.

I've always wanted to play a Vixen on a Soap Opera!

Upon arrival at Act Now I made my way to their suite and after having an initial meeting, my Consultant left me with my 3 copies to rehearse for about 20 minutes until she came back; one was a Commercial copy, the second was a Comedy scene from 'Scrubs', and lastly a dramatic piece from an Indie Film.  I pulled out my notes to make sure I was getting the most from my scenes, finding a moment before, pulling from my own personal experiences, and allowing the words to disappear off the page as I started to memorize all three pieces.  Obviously, I wasn't going to have 3 different copies memorized in 20 minutes but I wanted to have a good understanding and be able to take direction if they wanted me to change anything.

The 30 second Commercial Copy was a breeze, fun and sassy, while the Comedy piece was very quick and after a quick re-direct I had the pacing spot-on and it became more funny as the scene went on.  The Indie piece had some great moments and I felt like I really connected with the character, wiping away a tear at one point.  Both Consultants in the room liked what I did and said those were parts they could see me playing so I was glad I was comfortable with the variety of scenes and was able to perform my Cold-Reads well under pressure in a short amount of time.

The point of meeting with Act Now was because they offer longer Workshops and Intensives to build a better relationship with Casting Directors and network.  I'm taking a Bob Lambert Intensive this weekend, as he's the Head Casting Director for 'Days of Our Lives' and it'll be my first Soap Opera Intensive!  I've been looking forward to this for weeks and I needed to have this meeting to make sure that I was at a high enough skill level to be placed in this workshop.  The second half of the Meeting was talking about what my type was and what shows I would like to work on and whom I should take Workshops with to have the opportunity to be called in for Auditions.  Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have a little more freedom with my schedule and will be able to take some more Intensives.

I'm so excited for this weekend...it's going to be crazy busy with work but I can't wait to do some Acting Work for Soap Opera's and learn some new skills!!

'Les Mis' & 'The Help'

I have been waiting to see 'Les Miserables' since it came out in theaters on Christmas Day and I finally got to see it last week with Neil!  I'm still sick with a cold and finally had a night off so tonight I watched 'The Help' which was another great Award-Winning movie!

I first saw 'Les Mis' on Broadway when I was a Senior in High School and remember being so moved by the story and performances that I cried throughout the whole show.  It was incredible!  Since then, I saw the movie with Liam Neeson and last week got to see the SAG Awards nominated movie and cried throughout the whole movie was well!  I did get my Screener for it in the mail but Neil and I knew we wanted to see it on the big-screen, unfortunately, the surround-sound was out in the theater so I felt like we were missing a little of the dialogue and really feeling like we were in the action.  For the most part I was completely impressed by the movie; to me, the women blew the men out of the water, with just 15 minutes of Anne Hathaway I wanted to see more because the close-up shot of her singing 'I Dreamed a Dream' was heart-wrenching and so honest.  Not only was her singing fantastic the performance she gave was so beautiful and raw and made me excited to be an Actress!  I loved Samantha Barks as Eponine and she nearly stole the show with her version of 'On My Own' which once again brought me to tears with an inspiring performance.  I was surprised to hear Russell Crowe sing, and do it well, but didn't feel like he was obsessed with finding Hugh Jackman, who's acting was incredible and moving as well.  Aaron Tveit was my favorite for the guys as his singing and acting were strong and I absolutely loved his voice and character!  The music was just beautiful and I'm so glad that my choir in High School did a 'Les Mis' Medley and I was able to sing along with all the songs even though I haven't heard most of them in over 10 years.  I'm already looking forward to seeing the movie again!

Tonight I watched 'The Help' which I had wanted to see last year and had just forgotten about it after Awards Season was over.  I thought it would be a little slow-moving but it was actually really interesting and I found myself really loving the movie.  Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer were my two favorites in the movie with Emma Stone and Viola Davis as other wonderful characters.  I'm a big Emma Stone fan and am looking forward to her Hosting the Academy Awards this year!  I loved the story and was very moved by some of the performances and found myself angry at some of the women, which means the actresses were doing a great job!  

I'm so glad I got to see both movies...now I just need to catch up on the other SAG Award Nominee's so I can cast my votes for this year's 2013 Awards!

Since I was talking about 'Les Miserables' in this entry it's the perfect time to talk about my Karaoke songs from last week which were: 'Hungry Eyes' by Eric Carmen, 'Love You Like a Love Song' because we had a lively crowd, a couple Adele songs starting with 'Rumour Has It' and then my new song of the week which was Adele's version of 'To Make You Feel My Love'.  I sang 'One of Us' by Joan Osbourne for Judy's Birthday and then closed with 'Heartbreaker' in case I needed to sing something rock & roll at my Myspace Interview last Friday!

Weekend Auditions!

It's been a busy work week and on top of that this weekend brought my first two Auditions of 2013!  My first was on Friday morning for the new Myspace and the second one was this afternoon for the role of Mimi in the musical 'Rent!'

 

Myspace is doing a re-launch this Spring and it will no longer just be a social media platform it's going to be focused on Artists in all fields.  My Audition on Friday morning was in Hollywood at a Casting Studio and after filling out a long questionnaire about myself including my background, skills, aspirations, inspirations, and other fun info I was ready to do the on-camera Audition.  It wasn't actually an Audition, more of an interview from the questions I had answered, and like usual, I was being filmed and had to slate, but this video is actually going to go up on my new Myspace page once it re-launches this Spring!  Basically, they're editing the interview into a 1 minute video that will sell you and try to get sponsorship from producers looking for new talent.  I pitched one of my ideas for my own show that I want to film and put up on Youtube, and also talked about Hosting Karaoke, Cooking and making up Recipes, as well as Acting.  The interview seemed to go by quickly and about 10 minutes later they told me I was all set.  The totally random part of the whole thing was that the cameraman was from Wisconsin and the Interviewer's brother lived in Wisconsin and worked at Epic, which is where my brother used to work.  I love how small LA can be at times!

 

Today I had an Audition for the role of Mimi in 'Rent.'  I've been fighting off a cold for the past couple of days because everyone has been getting sick and to be perfectly honest, I knew I would catch it at some point because I come into contact with hundreds of people when I'm working at the bars or Hosting Karaoke.  I just hoped it would wait until Monday when the Audition and Call-Backs were over and as fate would have it, I woke up this morning and could barely speak.  I've been taking good care of myself all week, not drinking, eating healthy, and trying to get sleep even though I've been so busy with work.  So this morning as soon as I got up, I made this Immunity Boosting Tea, took a nice hot shower, had a healthy breakfast of oatmeal and tried to practice my two song selections which were 'Another Day' from "Rent" and 'Gravity' by Sara Bareilles.  I figured if I couldn't sing my absolute strongest at least I would look the part of Mimi and put on some patterned tights,  my combat boots, left my hair wavy, and did more Latin looking make-up, to try to look as close to her as possible.  There was a dancing portion so they had told us to dress appropriately for that and I was comfortable but still looked the part.  I grabbed some hot tea from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on the way and had a packet of Emergen-C in my bag for my water bottle when I finished the tea.  I prepared myself as best as possibly, trying to rest my voice and only sing when I had to.

 

Channeling Mimi from 'Rent'

When I arrived at the Audition it was in a 2 hour block and there were about 20 people that were auditioning for the Musical.  Everyone got to sing their songs first and then there would be a Dance portion at the end.  Most of the girls at the Audition were auditioning for the role of Mimi so I also said I would consider Maureen because it would give me another opportunity but I really wanted the role of Mimi.  We were told we only had to sing one song and to pick our best one and if they wanted to hear the other one they would tell you.  People went in one by one and I went outside to practice one last time before I auditioned.  I decided on 'Another Day' and when I got called into the room, the Casting Director told them my name and I went in with energy and smiles, got my starting note from the accompanist and sang my song.  My voice wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be but there was nothing more I could do about that and I had done my best to be able to make it through the song, so I sang with emotion, love, hopefulness, and strength as Mimi did.  I felt the part, I felt the song, and as they thanked me when I finished up, I knew that I did my best but that this time it just wasn't good enough.  Once everyone finished we went downstairs to learn the choreography and that was pretty easy and a lot of fun.  We got partnered up and worked through the choreography a few times, rehearsing it in front of the Directors and Producers and then doing it in small groups.  I felt a lot stronger in my dancing because of my theater background and my ability to have fun with the steps and add some flair to it.  I also knew, no matter how well I danced, they had already made their decisions for call-backs, so I had fun, smiled, and flipped my hair with sass.  

 

They announced the names of those who would attend call-backs tomorrow and I was not one of them.  I'm definitely bummed but there's nothing I can do.  I did my best and I got to Audition for a show that I've always wanted to be a part of and hopefully I'll get another opportunity when I'm not sick with a cold.  I'm proud that I went to this audition and gave it my all, no regrets, and they'll be more challenges and opportunities in the future!  As for my Myspace Interview, that'll be up in the next few weeks and I'll post that link as soon as I have it.  

 

Stay warm everyone and keep your eye on the prize!

Follow Through with the New!

This week has kicked off with a bang and I'm going to be working 4 different jobs in the next 4 days!  I'm Bartending at The Garage on Motor Avenue in Culver City on Friday for the Grand Opening and I worked my first shift on Monday for the BCS Title Game.  Unfortunately, Notre Dame lost, but it was a good shift and a great start to the week!

Yesterday, I got back to my normal work-out routine and I'm sore today from running my 3 miles and doing 6 sets of stairs...but it feels so good!  I also sent out a bunch of Cover Letter's to Agencies because I'm trying to get Representation now that I'm Union and I had a few referrals from friends and was hoping that would help.  I still need to mail in one hard copy to an Agency but it feels great to have set a goal for myself and achieve it.  That was part of my SWOT report, in setting weekly goals, and something as simple as e-mailing Cover Letter's is still important, and was my goal I set last week.

Last night, I caught up with my friend, Thi, and we had Dinner at The Belmont, one of our favorite places in LA.  We haven't seen each other in a couple months and she's heading back to New York on Sunday so we were in dire need of Girl Time!  Special thanks to Dylan for comping our cocktails :)  Thank you!

Dinner with Thi at The Belmont

Tonight I'll be Hosting Karaoke at Gabe's and my song choices for last week were: 'Bullet-Proof' by La Roux because I can't remember the last time I sang that, 'Rescue Me' by Fontella Bass since we lost an incredible singer this past Christmas, and 'Ironic' because there was an Alanis Morissette super-set.  My new song was 'Don't Speak' by No Doubt and I closed with Jewel's 'Don't.'

I've got a couple Auditions coming up this weekend and got my first screeners in the mail for the SAG Awards so I'll be watching some great movies as well!  Exciting exciting :D

'Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReinDoors'

This Sunday I went to see 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindoors' (the classic story with music from The Doors for a modern twist) put on by the Troubadours at the Falcon Theater in Toluca Lake and what an experience it was!

Ready and waiting for the show to start!

Andy invited me to the show and I'm so glad that he did because it was an absolute blast!  The Cast came out caroling a few Christmas songs and when the show was about to start, something happened with the video play-back and they had to Improvise through it but it was actually more funny without the video.  Donner narrated the whole show and really had a tough job of keeping the show upbeat and moving forward and he did an awesome job!  The Cast brought so much energy to the show it made it so much fun for the audience.  Each member of the Cast played different roles throughout the show with multiple costume changes and it really made me miss doing Theater and the excitement of playing to a live audience and how each show is different.  What made this show even better was that there was so much Improv and how they worked with the elements to make it special for each performance.

My favorite parts of the show were the group numbers because at one point there was an Aerial Dancer doing tricks above the stage, my friend Andy, was juggling while on top of a ball that he rolled across the stage, and there was even an acrobatic stilt walker that was a dude and kicked higher than some of the cheerleaders on my college team!  The music really brought life to the Play and I realized I knew a lot more Doors songs than I thought!  Another favorite part was the snow falling throughout the audience during one of the final scenes and Rudolph flying all over the stage and also reciting the whole 'Rudolph' story that we all know and love.  The Cast got the audience involved by having us sing along, they called people out and joked around with them too.  I loved when Andy played a Mini-Elf and almost fell out of Santa's Sleigh!

It was a really great show and I'm so glad that I went; not to mention that doing something new like going to see a Musical/Play is one of my Resolutions this year!  I will definitely see more shows at The Falcon Theater put on by the Troubadours because this was very special, so different than anything I've seen since I've moved to LA and it makes me really enjoy being an Actor and making people laugh and smile :)

Off to a good start!

It's the first week of 2013 and I feel like it's already off to a good start!  I've been submitting for jobs all week long, I've read some really amazing articles on Backstage.com, made some plans for collaborations on music and hopefully can come out with a new job, and I'm going to a play tomorrow with Jamie!  The next couple of weeks are going to be really busy but I actually thrive on that so I'm hoping to get a lot accomplished while I'm working my jobs in addition to doing creative things.  Here's my collaboration with Neil Daly at Universal Bar & Grill back in March of U2's 'With or Without You.'

The article I read on Backstage.com was about creating your SWOT Report for an Acting Career, including my strengths and who I look up to or admire, my weaknesses and what I can be working on and improving, my opportunities, am I really getting myself out there as much as possible, and what's threatening my progress and how to overcome it.  I wrote down all the information and it helped me to get a better outlook on what I need to work on and continue doing to really succeed.  This was super beneficial to me and a good way to get my start for 2013!

Next week I'm sending out some e-mails to Agencies for Representation.  It's a fresh week, so hopefully no one is still hungover from New Year's and is ready to get back in action and have an Actress that is determined and hard-working on their roster!  I've got some new collaborations in the works and would love to record some new music and collaborate, and I want to do some more Hosting and gain more experience in that field in a different area because I've worked with Cars and Drivers and loved that!  This new work will hopefully aid in getting an Agent because it shows persistence and drive.

I got my first screener since I joined the Union of 'Argo' so I know they'll be coming in as the next couple of weeks go by because we'll be voting on the SAG Award Nominee's for Best Actress, Picture, Director, etc.  I can't wait to watch all the movies and be a part of the voting process :)

Cheers to a positive outlook, new ideas, and success!

2013 Resolutions and Goals!

I can't believe how quickly 2012 flew by and I'm sure that 2013 will only follow in suit!  Obviously, we all survived the Mayan Death Calendar, although my flight landing in Wisconsin on the 20th during a Blizzard made me think I might go before the 21st, it's already January 3rd and we've got a long road ahead of us to enjoy so much!

I'm so happy that I was able to keep up with my resolutions from last year and will continue to challenge myself to keep them this year because it does feel like a lifestyle change for the positive and I can't wait to add more to that!  Some of my new resolutions seem more like goals, but at the end of the day, I'm striving to achieve more, so either way, if I stick to something and work hard, I'll be happy with my decisions.  These are my goals for 2013!

1.  Create my own Web Series or Show and post Episodes on Social Media.

Watch out 2013...here I come!

I have so many ideas floating around in my brain and this is the year I plan on putting those thoughts on camera!  It'll probably have something to do with cooking and recipes, crazy stories, cars and other fun stuff so I'm really looking forward to making that happen and perhaps even Hosting my own show!

2.  Get Representation.

Now that I joined the SAG/AFTRA Union in November I need to get Theatrical and Commercial Representation so I can go out on more Auditions, book work, and build my resume!  I enjoy submitting myself and book most of my work and jobs on my own so it would be nice to have someone supporting me and getting me out there so I can form new relationships with Casting Directors and Industry people :)

3.  Do new things and go out of town more.

I've been living in Los Angeles for over 7 years and I've been to San Diego once, Temecula once, and Las Vegas a few times.  I have always wanted to go to Catalina, Santa Barbara, etc.  These are places that are a car-ride away so I want to take a day or two and enjoy a different city on occasion; it'll make me appreciate where I live and give me an opportunity to try new things.  I also want to do things I don't normally get to do, like going to plays or seeing Musicals when they come to LA, trying new restaurants instead of sticking with a stand-by, or taking a fun new class.  Groupon and Bloomspot offer great ideas for restaurants and things to do around LA and I often buy restaurant stuff but I'll push myself to buy some activities from now on too!

I think my 2012 positive lifestyle changes in addition to these new resolutions and goals give me a lot to look forward to in 2013!  I'm determined, I'll work even harder, and I'll keep smiling and be patient because one of these days, my hard work will pay off and I'll achieve my hopes and dreams :)

My Resolutions of 2012 :)

Well, 2012 has come and gone more quickly than I could have ever imagined!  I'm proud to say that I kept true to my resolutions from last year :)

1. To do something creative or artistic every day.

Whether it was performing Karaoke (in which I sang a new song every time I Hosted Karaoke and I plan on continuing that challenge), reading a play, taking a Casting Workshop, Auditioning, writing lyrics, painting, submitting for castings or e-mailing Agencies, I did something creative each and every day and I feel more fulfilled in my Acting Career because of it.  I filmed a Commercial in Spokane early in 2012, did a Politcal Spoof for Palpatine Vader, created a Doritos Spec Commercial for the Super Bowl which currently has nearly 60,000 views, worked a Medical Tradeshow and was a featured Model in Wheels & Heels Magazine.  I became a part of SAG/AFTRA which was one of my goals for a long time so I'm looking forward to even more success in 2013 and will also continue to do something creative or artistic each and every day.

2.  To be more patient.

Writing in my journal has really helped me to be more patient and aware of myself.  It's been such a great outlet for me to get out my feelings and think before I do something and I love writing out the best part of my day in addition to the creativity of it.  Even though I don't plan on journaling as much as I did in 2012, I will still write in it from time to time when I need a breather and break from the world and to share specific stories and feelings.  In addition to my journal, I took Yoga regularly and that also helped with my patience, breath, and inner peace and I continue to look forward to more of that in 2013!

3.  To smile more :)

With patience and understanding comes communication, and strengthening friendships and bonds and even though I want more, I'm happy with the progress I've made in so many aspects of my life and definitely feel like I've been smiling a whole lot more!  Part of smiling more is encouraging others to smile as well and I'll continue to make me people laugh and enjoy life just a little bit more.  I'm fortunate to work in a career where it's my job to make people laugh, and even when I'm Bartending, I love entertaining people, making them feel welcome, and it makes me feel great when I see the smile across there face when I remember their name and their drink :)

4. To start a blog.

It's been a year and 197 entries later, I have kept up with a blog and sharing parts of myself with the world.  I've gotten a little feedback recently and I will continue to keep up with my blog but I'm going to try to keep the entries shorter, therefore keeping viewers entertained without boring them (hopefully).  I'll try to include more pictures and write creative entries as well as share my funny and crazy stories with those that are interested in reading them! 

I worked really hard last year to stick to my resolutions and after a year they no longer feel like resolutions, I'm hoping they become more of a lifestyle and positive change.  I'll continue to challenge myself and keep up with them in addition to new resolutions, new goals, and new ideas.  And that all starts now...Happy 2013!

Thanks for being a part of my world :)