Living the Dream Acting

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm having doubts. How can I continue to afford these acting coach lessons? How can I possibly have enough time to work on my craft, my music, my dance when I'm constantly chasing a four year old around, working a full time job, barely getting enough sleep, let alone getting all the laundry done, and so on and son on and so on, ad nauseam. I'm feeling 'overwhelmed' is an understatement! Maybe I'm crazy and I'm still trying to pursue a path that's closed its door to me many, many years ago. If I'm not performing now, and I didn't move to NYC at 26 when I had the chance, and I'm still dreaming about performing more than doing it then maybe I'm just a dreamer, not a doer, and I need to stop pretending that things are ever going to be any better, and just accept that this is as good as it gets! I'm pretty nice to myself aren't I? This was a rant I began on August 30th of 2010, and one I have mentally revisit...

Kevin Pollak's Chat Show ...an amalgamation of random celebrity impressions; "Tweet 5s"; "Ask (or Ass) Kevins"; "Who Tweeted?"; Faux Buffering; and "The Larry King Game". Kevin Pollak , best known for his stand up comedy and extensive film career, first came on the celebrity scene with his role as Todd Hockney in The Usual Suspects , also starring Kevin Spacey , Benicio Del Toro , Stephen Baldwin , Gabriel Byrne , and Chazz Palminteri . One of his newest ventures is Kevin Pollak's Chat Show , an interactive video podcast. "We're just not ready," is Kevin's unofficial opening theme. A fitting description for the prevailing atmosphere of the show, one purposefully lacking in the pursuit of fomulaic perfection and filled instead with humor and a let's-keep-the-show-going-no-matter-what rhythm. The show features fascinating, in depth conversations with celebrated performers about art, the business, and the journey that...

Some days ago, my 4 year old son asked me if I'd ever been on TV before. I looked at him, and before I could respond, the Voice of Negativity in my head began its rant with responses like - "you were only in the background of that commercial; it was just a student film; you only made $40 that one time; you haven't done anything that anyone's ever seen so none of it REALLY counts!!!" At this point, I took a couple of deep breaths, reigned in the Negativity, and simply said, yes that I had been on TV a couple of times. Then my son said, "I wish I could see you on TV Mommy.", and I replied, 'Well, Mommy's working on that."

I am really interested in the ways artists "give back" to their communities. I think the payoff is cyclical. Many artists have been known to vacillate between narcissism and debilitating insecurity. When we put others first, it can center and ground us. Our focus shifts from competition, commerce, and presentation of the self to the joy, well being, and inspiration of others. This past year, I became involved in BookPALS: Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools . It was founded by the non-profit Screen Actors Guild Foundation. This is a great way to get started, and you don't have to be a member of SAG to volunteer. Artists are needed for reading stories in the classroom, recording stories on community phone lines, and writing letters to students through programs like PencilPALS. To find out more, go to: www.storylineonline.net www.bookpals.net www.sag.org - (go to the Divisions and Branches drop down list to locate your area and get more information) I taught ...