*Originally published on March 27, 2018
Why acting? I get asked, and even ask myself this question quite often. My answer is always difficult for some people to understand; because I love it. I didn’t always want to be an actress; in fact, I started as a musician. I initially thought I wanted to play in orchestra pits; being underneath the stage instead of on it. I still love going back to the piano and violin in my spare time, but I found my passion for acting when I was fourteen years old. My mom signed me up for a summer camp with Chandler Young Actors Group, and I was cast as the Fairy Godmother in a show called Twinderella. That was it; I had caught the acting bug. My senior year of high school, I had the opportunity to be onstage as well as play in the pit. The show was Once Upon a Mattress, and it remains one of my favorite memories. These are the experiences that made me want to pursue it, and caused me to go to school for a theatre performance degree. Now, I have the opportunity to work that same camp, and give new groups of children the experience I was fortunate enough to have.
The theatre/acting lifestyle is certainly an interesting one. When you’re studying it in college, it seems like it takes up every second of every day. You’re living and breathing it, which is the ultimate goal of any aspiring actor. However, post-graduation is a vastly different story. You go through periods of no shows, little to no auditions, and enough rejections to make you want to give it up. The vast majority of people don’t understand why I do it, if it causes such a lack of stability in my life. The truth is, it is hard. I’d be lying if I said I don’t doubt my abilities and myself from time to time. However, at the end of the day, it’s about pulling yourself back up when you don’t think it’s at all possible. It’s the little voice in my head after a bad audition that says, “It’s okay, you’ll try again tomorrow.” When you do have the opportunity to become someone else, to affect an audience in the way only acting can, that’s the feeling that makes it all worth it.
So, there you have it. I’m a hopeful actress, aspiring blogger, and an overall creative kind of woman. I aspire to affect people the way my idols have affected me, such as Carol Burnett, Genie Francis, Stephen Nichols, and Mary Beth Evans. I’ve always believed that being creative isn’t just a hobby, but a lifestyle. I hope this blog turns into something you can identify with, or at least enjoy reading. Both acting and blogging will be quite a journey, but I firmly believe I’m in them both for the long haul. I hope you’ll jump on board with me!