Friday, June 19, 2009


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Alright, y'all, it's the end of week # 2 of my three-week stint on the BET Awards. I haven't had an audition since Monday, and though that doesn't help my bottom line ($$), not driving back and forth across Los Angeles, changing clothes, and looking for a parking spot that wont result in my being towed has helped me to hang on to the little bit of sanity that I have. I'm still balancing!

This blog started off solely as a way to chronicle my adventures in show business as a way of lighting the way (at least partially, because we each have our own path) for other actors. As time went on, I started to realize that a lot of the broader concepts were not just relevant to show business or acting, but to life as a whole. No, most people don't have to concern themselves with headshots, auditions, and reels, but many people DO face concerns with issues such as success, living on purpose, and achieving balance. So, while I started out for one path, I ended up on a side road, and along the way I'm sharing what I find. Hopefully you'll find it useful and relevant.

Often, while we're going through things, we question the reasons. All but the most Zen among us ask "Why is this happening to me?" from time to time. This week, I've had two examples of why my path couldn't and shouldn't have been as smooth as I would have liked for it to be. One came in the form of a friend who has been stalling at getting a acting career going. I've answered questions, drawn diagrams (for real), and a number of outlines for this friend, still lots of hesitation. Finally I realized the problem. My friend has had a front-row seat to the ups and downs in my career. That, added to all of the information that I have shared is O-V-E-R-W-H-E-L-M-I-N-G. I know that because I quit acting once, before I had even begun. I had gathered so much information and hadn't the slightest idea of how to prioritize it. It all seemed like much too much, so I quit. Then when I started encountering people who had to build their careers brick-by-brick, just like I was going to have to build mine. I was able to do what they did and tweak their habits to suit my own personality. That old riddle comes to mind: "How do you eat an elephant?" Answer: "One bite at a time." I'll just have to provide bite-sized pieces for my friend (like people did for me) until it's time for solid food.

The second example was a total blast from the past. I sold something on ebay about 6 years ago. During emails back and forth regarding payment and shipping, I got into a conversation (via email) with the woman who bought the item. Her young daughter wanted to be an actress, and asked me to send an autographed picture. I don't believe I had ever even been paid to do any acting at that point, but I obliged, along with the admonishment to hold on to the pix because they might be worth something one day.

She emailed me this week - apparently she had been cleaning up, ran across my headshots, and googled me. The subject of the email she sent? "You made it!" Wow. I guess I have. And because of that, hopefully, her daughter (who is a teenager now) has one more example of what is possible. I'm not where I intend to be, but I'm not where I used to be either. I do believe that I am where I am supposed to be at this moment. And the fact that I'm "doing it" shows that it can be done. Whatever your "it" is, "it" can be done.


--Nicole

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