"crystallize your goals."

as mentioned in my previous post, i wanted to take some time to write out my goals for june  - august 2013.
i've always made dream boards and the like but there's something about not only writing down your goals but how you'e going to go about achieving said goals, that i feel holds you more accountable.
*holy run-on sentence, batman.
it's like paul j. myer once said:

crystallize your goals.

make a plan for achieving them and set yourself a deadline.

then, with supreme confidence, determination and disregard for obstacles and other people's criticisms carry out your plan.

so, i present to you my goals (aka. dreams with a deadline) for june - august 2013:

1) sign with a new agent!
it's no secret that i am unhappy with my current representation.
complaining and whining about the situation i was in did nothing to better it.
i found myself in the same spot...with elevated blood pressure.
so, i've decided to start taking the steps towards finding better representation.
last month, i had a consultation with one of toronto's top acting coaches.
after our meeting, that the acting school will help me get in contact with bigger, better agents in the city.
having their support is amazing and i can't wait to start the process.

2) book my second union project!
one step closer to full union status!
**i'm just going to throw this one out there - DEGRASSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!

3) attend the mandated workshops for ACTRA apprentices
this one's pretty self-explanatory.

4) contact YEAA and start attending meetings (network, network, network)

those are basically all my goals for the time frame mentioned above.
i just want to audition regularly!

because the relationship between the number of auditions and the number of bookings is a positive correlation - the more you audition, the greater the likelihood of you booking something...

pray for me.

xoxo,
TA

how dare my last blog post be on may 7th?

i've always been the worst at keeping up with diairies/journals/blogs/the kardashians, etc.

but i will try and be more diligent with this blog starting...now.

anyways, from my last blog post, i have some updates for you all - i've decided to kill two birds with one stone and cross of the items off my goals for march - june 2013 list as i update.

so, without further ado...

i) book an actor or SOC role (or two) on a union project  
at the end of last month, i booked my first actor role on a union project!

i also got thisclose to booking a recurring role on a episodic here in the city...

when i got word that i got a callback with the writers and the producers, i was like:

when i got word that i had in fact not booked the role, i was like:

the CD later sent me a note saying how i was fabulous and how i've grown so much as an actress in the past year and to be discouraged, and i was like:

"no, it's totally fine.
thank you for the opportunity."

i was just about to crawl under a rock and fall further into the abyss that is rejection when i got the most amazing email from my wonderful sister.

(i loved it so much that i actually wrote it out in it's entirety and read it often to keep my morale up.)
a little excerpt:

you don't know what amazing, wonderful, incredible reason there is why you didn't get that role. 

you have know idea what's coming, but whatever it is, it's going to be AMAZING. 

i know it!

after reading her email, i was like:

"you right, you right."

i'm now ready and anxious for the next audition that comes my way. 

ii) contact ACTRA toronto as soon as i receive my first union credit and begin the paperwork needed to become an apprentice
i'm now happy to report that i am an ACTRA apprentice member!

*i don't know who this baby belongs to, but i love him!

iii) as soon as you're all set up with ACTRA toronto, contact YEAA and start attending meetings - set up connections!
i'm slacking on this one...

iv) continue practicing and working on my craft in the downtime - get together with contacts, watch movies, practice cold reads, etc. 
i've signed up for a week long workshop with the director of one of toronto's more prestigious acting schools.

v) and lastly, don't get discouraged!

so, yes.

that's bascially what i've been up to in a nutshell.

since these were my goals for march - june 2013, i should probably create a list of goals for june 2013 - august 2013...

until next time.

xoxo, 

TA

hallelujahhhhh!

my prayers have been answered in the form of an audition for this monday.

when i saw the email from my agent entitled "audition notice - ********", i actually could have cried.
a principal role on a tv series shot in toronto is just what the doctor ordered.
go figure that it shoots around the time i'm to leave for my sister's destination wedding but i'm hoping the Lord will hear my prayers and the stars will align to help me book and shoot this.

in either case, my agent finally did her job and now it's time for me to do mine.
i'm gonna learn these sides like the back of my hand and walk into the audition room like:

*throws sides.

luck is just preparation meeting opportunity, right?

it's a good thing i'm prepared :)

xoxo, TA

"keep calm and be patient" - goals part dos

"people with clear, written goals accomplish far more in a 

shorter period of time than people without them

can ever imagine."

i'm well aware that i've already written a blog entry on the importance of setting goals.
but apparently, i didn't write them down effectively as i've had absolutely NO AUDITIONS this month...

*dying.

i've been checking in with an actor friend of mine who has very similar specs and she, too, has had no auditions this month.
so, i guess that's a consolation.

since i have so much downtime, i decided to re-visit my goals for 2013 and perhaps, focus my attention on the time leading up to the summer months (which i'm hoping and praying will be busy).

i present to you, my goals for (the rest of) march - june 2013:

i) book an actor or SOC role (or two) on a union project  

ii) contact ACTRA toronto as soon as i receive my first union credit and begin the paperwork needed to become an apprentice

iii) as soon as you're all set up with ACTRA toronto, contact YEAA and start attending meetings - set up connections!

iv) continue practicing and working on my craft in the downtime - get together with contacts, watch movies, practice cold reads, etc. 

v) and lastly, don't get discouraged!

until next time.

xoxo, TA

full circle.

"the wheel is come full circle, i am here."

shakespeare's king lear

act v,  scene iii

we've all heard the stories of "normal" people being catapulted into fame just by being in the right place at the right time:

rosario dawson - discovered while sitting on her front stoop in NY

pamela anderson - discovered after appearing on the jumbotron at a CFL game

johnny depp - attended an audition with a friend out of sheer boredum; asked to read for a part in the film by wes craven himself; nailed it; booked it

charlize theron - discovered by an agent after throwing a fit at a LA bank

natalie portman - discovered while eating pizza in long island

jennifer lawrence - discovered while walking through the streets of NY with her mother

david boreanaz - was out walking his dog in LA; a talent manager spotted him and thought he'd be perfect for the role of "angel" in "buffy the vampire slayer"...

and, my personal favorite: 

harrison ford - while building cabinets for george lucas, he was asked to read lines for absent actors starring in his upcoming film, star wars; steven spielberg overheard these readings, loved them and hired him for the part of han solo...

i think you get the picture.
now, i am in no way demeaning the success of these actors/actresses but their respective "big break" stories is something most actors dream of.
that is why i find it so refreshing when i hear stories of successful actors whose rise to fame didn't come so easily.

one of my favorite examples of hard work and persistence is bradley cooper.
a few months ago, i watched his episode of "inside the actor's studio" and i was enamored.
he talked about being a student at the actor's studio drama school and asking robert de niro a question to starring alongside him in "limitless" (and now, silver linings playbook).
it was such an awesome feeling to watch him get emotional at the realization that he had just come around full circle.
the entire interview had me inspired and now has me longing for the moment when i realize that i, too, have come around full circle :)

enjoy the clip below!

xoxo TA