The Wise Words of Helen Keller.

This makes me think of Helen Keller. She's hardcore.

"The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse."        -Helen Keller

My long time, dear friend has a 'Helen Keller Quotes' app on her iPhone (Yes.) and yesterday I was in desperate need of some wise words. She quickly sent me this quote and it couldn't have been more appropriate. Miss Keller was a wise woman and it always humbles me to think of what she overcame in her lifetime. Let us reflect on one of her shining moments in history.

She was a born fighter.

Oh Helen. What a trooper.
Well, that's enough of those shenanigans. I'm going to get serious again for a bit. You were warned.


I didn't really feel like writing much last week. Being an actor can be tough. I was feeling discouraged and angry, and silly for wanting to pursue such an insane career path. At times I can get self-conscious about my life and how I'm not where I would like to be in the entertainment world right now. But then there's always perspective...with which my patient friends enlighten me, and remind me that I haven't been doing this all that long and the fact that I haven't gotten a gig yet doesn't mean anything about me as a person or my talent. It doesn't always feel like this is the case, but its true. And as Helen Keller astutely says, the victory is going to be all the more sweet after pushing through the trials.


On Wednesday night I went to a really interesting and helpful career class called, "Clearing a Path to Your Career" put on by Capes Coaching (http://www.capesco.com/). Betsy Capes described the four traps an actor can fall into while building an acting career and the solutions to combat them. She went on to discuss the importance of setting goals and how they need to be SMARTE! (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time Sensitive, and EXCITING!!) The "E" is their own personal touch and I think its much needed. If we aren't excited about our goals, we're definitely not going to work towards making them happen! It was also good to be in a room of other artists (actors, dancers, writers, directors, etc.) who were just as confused and overwhelmed as I am! Ha...misery loves company. Sometimes it seems as though everyone in the industry has it all together,but that is just NOT so. Phew! So this was an encouraging evening and I felt more focused afterward. Oh and I have a new friend to keep me accountable for the exciting goal that I set in the class. (deadpan) I can hardly contain myself. (beat) I might need to revamp it.
Well, a new week has begun, with a sunny attitude and another audition! A holocaust play! I had a good time in the waiting room today. Met up with some old friends, and made some new friends. There are so many interesting people at these auditions! I was happy with how my monologue went, though I was given a "thank you very much" instead of, "take a look at the sides and come back in." I believe that means I'm cut. OR I was so fabulous that they knew at once they needed desperately to have me in their production. Well, I found out later that the roles I was auditioning for were supposed to be 13 year old girls...so maybe that was it. It could have been a plethora of things, but I left feeling pretty good anyhow. There was a feeling of growth...I'm getting better! Uh oh world.
The rest of the week I plan on working a great deal on my monologues, overhauling my resume and maybe start thinking about mailing out to some agents. Also to really consider what kind of work I want to be doing, and making some plans for the coming months. And set some SMARTE goals and stick to them!


Stay warm everyone!


Note: At this time you may find it useful to review my earlier post titled, "Tips for Surviving a Canadian Winter."