A medium size fish in a medium size pond

Welcome universe, to my newly focused blog. I am an Atlanta actor, as the title would suggest. I have been working as an actor almost exclusively for over 18 years now. Until recently I was able to pay my bills doing nothing more than pursue the dream. The downturn in the economy has hit hard and I am now working a "real" job. I know many of my fellow actors have always worked a "regular" job but it is new to me. I have always been able to find performance opportunities for pay even if it was doing singing telegrams, hosting trivia or karaoke... but as of late many of those wells have dried up for me. So now I am trying to find a different kind of balance. I will blogging about all my experiences here, be they good or bad. I will try to impart any advice I can as well as give unsolicited information that someone may find useful.

The game can be hard. There is a lot to know. I've been at it for nearly 20 years now and I continue to learn. The game continues to change also. I am always looking for ways to stay on my toes. Keep in a creative mojo. The one thing I struggle with more than any other is the administrative end. I suppose that is the curse of the creative. Somethings gotta give. I am trying to get better, and it's not a matter of discipline... it's more about just being lost on that world. It is, however, a large part of what we do. The words are "show business" and it is more business than it is show. I wish I could afford someone to take care of all my admin, but alas... I can't. So I am working to improve. That's all I can do at this point. Keep trying.

I went on an audition for a "Stop Motion" photography shoot. I like stop motion, big fan of it. I am producing/directing a music video using the technique... eventually. again, my administrative skills fail me. On this audition I was asked to put my name on a sheet of paper, with the ephemeral instruction to fill as much of the page as possible. So, whether it was an attempt at humor or just being literal, I filled the page with my name. Corner to corner in big bold bubble letters. In fact, here it is...

The photographer came over and lauded my name card boisterously! He was so happy that I followed his direction to a T. He confided in me that it is a litmus test he uses to see not only how well someone follows direction but how they run with an idea. He said I passed with flying colors. I felt good about my audition. Whether or not I get the job is another matter entirely, but it was fun to feel awesome. So, be observant... listen... you never know how it might affect what you are about to do.