What is your passion?

Last night was week two of Killian's Workshop (it's actually next week that we are taking off, not this week). We did 2 seperate auditions, one with dialogue for Terminix commercial, and another without that we did as 2 groups of 5 for Chrysler. I am absolutely loving the class! I come home excited and feeling enlightened. The workshop motto is "Make them believe you believe" and Killian's motto for life is "Leap and the net will appear". I wasn't really sure what this meant entirely, but I think I am starting to have a better understanding of it now. For example, last night during the Chrysler audition, we were all pretty much under- exaggerating the ending. We were all guilty of it! We need to not be afraid to jump up and down in excitement, burst into tears, fall to the ground, etc. What did we do instead? We stood there with looks of mesmorization on our faces. Doh!! Or for the Terminix commercial, we learned that we can play it up, have fun with it, THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX, and you know what? If they want it flat, boring, married to copy, they'll tell you! They want to see that you can bring it to the table. I think it's better to see someone bring life to it and to tell them hey, just do it like it's written......as opposed to tell someone uhh, could you try to make it more interesting? Bc you don't know that that person CAN make it more interesting, yet almost anyone could do it exactly how it's return.
So that's my take on Leap and the net will appear. Don't be afraid to take risks. Most likely they are looking for someone who isn't afraid to take risks rather than the regular guy - bc fact is, they are probably seeing 400 regular guys, and maybe only a handful of the risk-takers! And who do you think will stand out more?
Anyhow, I was thinking about how happy I am after my classes. They really put me in a great mood and I thoroughly enjoy myself while I am there. It got me wondering - I am curious as to whether everyone who is going after their career of choice (or the career that chose them!) feels the same way about what they do! For example, if you want to be a doctor and are in med school, does it excite you? Do you love what you do and are you eager to learn as much as you can about it? How about wanting to be a mechanic, how does being in a garage working on cars make you feel? This goes for every profession. And then I ask, how do you think you would feel about acting? Does taking technique classes, auditioning classes, callback, improv, etc classes, and reading book after book about the business of showbusiness and marketing yourself and then DOING THAT sound exciting and fun to you? Bc it IS for me!! This is a business but I love it SO MUCH that it feels like I'm playing. Of course it's work but I couldn't love a career any more than I do this one.

Moving forward, I need to get going so I can get my workout in this morning. I plan on spending the rest of the day reading 'Self Management for Actors - Getting Down to (Show) Business' by Bonnie Gillespie. Yesterday I finished ' The Actor's Art and Craft: William Esper teaches the Meisner Technique' written by William Esper and Damon Dimarco. It got me very excited to take a class studying the Meisner Technique!! I read The Power of the Actor by Ivanna Chubbuck, and I think she is brilliant and I am positive that I will incorporate some of her into my work, but I really have a feeling that Meisner is right up my alley. Chubbuck is a bit complicated to me, and to be honest, trying to break the script down the way she does, scene by scene, was a bit frustrating for me. Meisner, however, seems to be more focused on spontaneity, imagination, playing off the other actor. And that is exactly what I am looking for I believe.
So, all that being said, off I go. I'm going to lose 25 lbs by Noah's first birthday :)

Have a fantastic day, everyone!!!