Actress Identity Crisis

Hello my loves!

Today marks my one year anniversary working at SoulCycle. With all the frustration surrounding the new website launch and me being stressed from working 7 days a week in general, I may have not seemed as devoted or excited about SoulCycle in 2014. Putting that aside, I am so thankful for SoulCycle. It has changed my body physically, but also the way I see myself in the mirror. A few weeks ago riding in Lindsay Buckley's class she said that perfection is not the result, but the effort we put in to achieving said result. In that moment in class, giving 100% and sweating my ass off, Lindsay told me I was perfect. My effort was perfection. These are encouragements I hear at SoulCycle so often, and not just in class. My Brentwood family listens to my boy problems, my money stresses, family events. My Brentwood family strengthens me as a human being and is the reason why LA has not defeated me. I love my Soul family. The women and men I work with are all working their butts off everyday in everything they do. You are all inspiring. Thank you SoulCycle.

In acting news, I had a few auditions last week. One for a book trailer. My first book trailer audition! I didn't get it, but I felt the audition went very well. I sat down and really used Margie Haber's techniques to prepare. It helped me a great deal. As much as my roommate was wondering why I was so sad when she returned from work on Thursday night since I was in the middle of living the life of a woman who's son was just diagnosed with leukemia. Emotional drain.

I also shot some hosting clips for an upcoming MTV YouTube station. I will post links to those videos as soon as I get them. I will have them in March sometime. It is called Anton MTV Music Television. 

In singing news, well there is a lot more music news than acting news. This Saturday HOME is having a concert in Venice at Witzend. Come see us!!! $10 and we're on the Westside, you westsideians!!

We tested out a new lead guitar last Friday night. He's sick! Come and see him!! D has also been posting a ton of videos from our last concert at Kulak's Woodshed. Here is the one of my solo moment!

AND one of all of us. A little taste of HOME

Okay geez enough videos.

I also jammed with Eric Fortier's third project on Friday called Mad Bear. Another great band in the making! I hope to be a part of that :)
Finally I am singing back up for KULA's CD release concert at El Cid on Feb. 28th. HOME has a concert that night at Kulak's Woodshed again at 8pm. Tune in, because we will be streaming live online HERE. Don't worry. I'll remind you.

So I'm working 7 days a week. I take class at Margie Haber's every Monday night. I have about one audition a week, sometimes more. I am in two bands and helping out a third. And I'm still walking those pups. Life has been a little stressful and busy. 8 days a week people.

LAism of the Week:

The dreaded day job(s). As many of you know, if you didn't skip everything I just wrote to read this brilliant section, I love my day jobs. Both SoulCycle and I am enjoying being the part time assistant at Margie Haber Studio. I have no time to create though. At least I like my day jobs, but what am I doing out here if I am not creating? EVERY actor I talked to before the big move warned me about money and falling into the day job spiral. And here I am. And it is extremely frustrating. I am too tired when I get home from my three other jobs to write a script, or make plans to start a hilarious viral YouTube video, or bust my ass on casting websites. Sometimes I'll nestle into a chair with my guitar or ukulele and play for an hour, but I do that when I'm home alone because I don't want to disturb the lovely lady with whom I SHARE a ONE bedroom apartment. I am not alone here. I'd say day jobs that drain artists is among the top 10 frustrations of musicians/actors/writers/fine artists. How do we fix this? I don't know. Work harder? I barely have time to eat and sleep.

There and Back Again

I'm a blog slacker!!

I could use the excuse that I went home to celebrate my mom's birthday, but that was two weeks ago today...also, Ohio has the internet...

Instead of beating myself up and giving up, here goes another round of LA wonders and magic.

Aqua sent me on a Dominoes commercial where I played a College Student. Yes. Makes a little more sense the Urban Clubber #2. First audition went well. I was a little late so I used my late angst to be the stressed out student studying for French. omg. My college life was over.
Callback! We played developers for Angry Birds this time. So my first suggestion coming off of "action" was to develop a Game of Thrones Angry Birds a la Star Wars Angry Birds which was immediately shot down by my "team." After cut, one of the producers was like, "Wait, before you guys leave, I want to hear more about that Game of Thrones Angry Birds" I was like YESSSS in my head. Didn't book it, but won the office. Which is a victory all to itself. If they like me, they'll remember me for future Angry Bird developing scenarios. Boom. Acting.






Also here is a quick picture of me singing at a blues bar Downtown called The Lexington. Keri Fantastic invited me back, so hopefully I'll have some more future pictures to show as well :)









So just because I'm going to use going to Ohio as an excuse for not being a loyal blogger here are some Ohio pictures for all of you Californians who ask me "What is Ohio like?"

War of 1812 Reenactment

My last two weeks back to LA have been filled with getting myself back on track. I have noticed that when I go away, I don't check my email for auditions or to submit myself for auditions, you know actor things. I also got an inflated sense of what kind of money I have. I threw a great Great Gatsby Party, but forgot that I'm actually kind of a little poor because I had a doctor appointment that was expensive, I paid rent, and paid for the other half of my acting class deposit all the day before I left for Ohio which left me with the paycheck I got when I returned. LA life is not so glamorous when I have to eat ramen for the next few paychecks to get back on track. And I will concerned parents and friends. This is just the truth of the super-fabulous-not-yet-working-actor life.

But the Gatsby party was fun. I'm sure ours was more extravagant than the movie, which I haven't see yet.

Good News though this week! I auditioned for a really quick role in a short film and was cast, Thanks to my LOVELY roommate Dotty! My only line was "can I walk you to your car" and then I have to lick a girls face. Dotty was my reader and my face for my video audition...here are a few takes. Neither of these are the one I sent in.

Boom. Acting.

Actual acting is happening in my life...not to say that video isn't acting, but let's not start a debate. I started my Margie Haber Fundamental Intensive this week and, you guys, it feels so SO good to be in front of a camera doing some work. If you haven't heard of Margie or her method, buy her book How to Get the Part without Falling Apart.
On Tuesday we worked on establishing a true relationship with your reader, even if your reader is someone who doesn't even look at you. Today we worked on the "where you came from" before the scene began. Basics, yes, but Margie's technique is so set on "living not acting" that it is a completely new approach for me and helping me a lot. I personally am so tired of the GOAT method and well methods. Especially out here when one does not have 6 weeks to establish a character and 12 performances or more to realize it. Sometimes you only have 15 minutes to create a love relationship, a deep friendship, or being a parent, etc. I love the class so far. I cried tonight during a scene and I wasn't even trying...what? haha.

LAism of the Week:
As fast paced as LA is, everything happens slowly. LA is almost human. Ideas, projects, careers, all develop slowly at their own pace like a human mind developing. Sure some careers are catapulted, but only exceptions to the rule. Just like a traumatic event will change a person over night. Realizing this is helping me, because I don't want to admit it, but I was sure I would have booked one big thing by now. And now I see how silly that was to think. I'm still green and casting directors can smell that a mile away. All I can do it be here, take classes, plant my roots and grow.