JSW

This business never ever ceases to amaze me. You can put your whole mind, body, heart, and sell your soul and you still get responses that affirm how much you aren’t enough or aren’t valued. It’s not enough to be beautiful, talented, and smart. You somehow also have to skinny, sneaky, and well a genius with a lot of time on your hands.

Time is the killer. Timing is everything and having time to do everything takes time. My favorite part about this business is you can dress for success have realistic answers, opinions, input, and it still gets misrepresented somehow.

The way I see it, is this isn’t a game, it’s your life and if you want to live your life on the side lines then who told you the Entertainment Business was for you? Knowing that this is your life you shouldn’t need an invitation to play the game and if you do, stick to your day job. I know way to many people working too hard on all levels of their work to be side swiped by those with a sense of ego or entitlement. Get humble! Yes, the job title is a title but if your not doing the work then what does the job title really mean? I want to work with those who deserve my hard work, and understand it. I want to play on a level where people fight for their ideas because they matter. I want to play on a level that not everyone gets to play at. I’m young and impressionable but neither of those things mean I’m dumb and naive.

You learn the tricks of the trade and then you learn how to do them very well, fast. If your dealing with someone who likes to be silent and keep to themselves, treat them like a lemons, squeeze the juice out of them to make lemonade. If you don’t get anything out of them, than you have to let the lemons go, (throws hands) or something like that. If your a chatty cathy and want to voice every possible opinion and thought on the planet, then great let’s talk in circles until we find the answer. If you treat people one way you can’t expect to be treated a different way. So either start talking or chose not to participate.

In this business you have to look out for number one, but while your looking out for number one you have to be honest and most of all humble. Artists helping artists is what it’s all about. You have to surround yourself with bright, intelligent, successful artists to stand 2 seconds of an 18 hour day in this world. Fake it ’till you make it, and if that doesn’t work fake it harder.

On a less preacher note, things in career land are going well aside from the bumps and lumps here and there.

Learned more fire techniques in Montreal, finishing up an amazing run of a show this weekend, pushing forward with great projects that are continuing on the uphill horizon. Once we hit the top, we’ll be able to concur level 1 and then move on to the next one. It’s all about keeping the faith and working towards making the things that matter work!

So let’s go to work!  Work harder, Work fearlessly, Work with education. It’ll get you further and build you up so you can take the challenges that will almost kick you all the way to the curb down the sewer and floating down, down, down….

Or lift your chin up, say where there’s a Will there’s a Way, (and there’s always a way you know who you are!!!! ) And at the end of the day, don’t forget we do this because we love it and if we didn’t love it than, why would we put ourself through the craziest roller coaster of life?

Most Infatuated Song of the Moment: Letting You Go by Ja’Shayla and Sydaiya Rehema

Sober

It’s an incredible feeling to have such extremely brilliant powerful females surrounding your life. I’ve been so blessed in my life to always find these exquisite people and I’m so grateful for their talents, personalities and most of all their hearts.

This career path is an exhilarating, adrenaline rush of failure and success. Having these major assets of support to help you through and push you forward is a major deal. I grew with the beautiful belly dancers in Los Angeles, Lotus and the heartfelt vaudevillians of the Maggy Keegan Variety Hour. I’m now growing with some very established performers in New York. Between my weekdays working on the Takeover with Ja’shayla and the team, Syd and D. To the weekends with CriqEvolution, Mary Anne, and my favorite Gays, Robb and Jon. I’m truly in a position where a positive journey lies ahead, and happens to make it extremely hard to complain when your surrounded with greatness and overall Genius.

I’m steadily performing every weekend in Upstate NY. I’m working every weekday on furthering my theater career and my choreography career. To be where I am today and know that its really just the beginning is strange knowing that I’ve had such extreme joys and successes in Los Angeles. To now… The sky is truly the limit and helps me realize how much I still have to grow and learn about myself and this world. It really is exciting!

This past weekend I got to see my Grandfather reach the top of his career being awarded with the Remington Honor Medal, which would be the equivalent to an Oscar in the Entertainment world. He truly reached his goals in so many different worlds of Pharmacy. Seeing him as family and knowing the career he’s managed with this family is truly aspirational. He has it all, not to say it was easy, the once bass player has now concurred his world and has become a prestigious pharmacist with excellence across the board. He’s someone I only hope I can succeed with the same amount of humble maturity and driven grace as he’s shown throughout his life. He was able to achieve genius at a very early age, setting records for being the youngest to be awarded with several awards which include the APha Daniel B. Smith Award. It’s an incredible thing to watch and makes me only want to work harder and be as gracious and generous as he’s been with his career. Taking risks, is one of the many admiral things he’s done. Testing the limits is where my heart lies and I hope I can be as persistent and loving towards my own career and life as he’s done. Not to say he’s done because I’m sure he’ll pull something else out of his hat that’ll not surprise us, but give us an “Of course he’s got more in him, moment” Which I can’t wait to see happen. He’s a legacy and the father of Pharmacy at this point, I can only be so lucky to create a career so timeless and respected.

Switching gears, you might wonder how I title these blogs, and there’s usually a purpose. Something that happened relatively close to the time I wrote the blog is usually part of my inspiration. I’ve always been one to decline a drink if it means I can have as much fun as the next person with my own off the charts amount of energy and joy. “Sober” happens to be named after the night I just had with my lovely Ja’shayla and her manager Sydaiya… Just being able to enjoy each others ideas and ideals while being sober and acting like ourselves, which is goofy and dancey. Dancing, eating,  and enjoying any conversation material. Knowing that we can be ourselves to the fullest without interruption. The best thing I’ve found in life is being sober and being myself. It’s always brought the most joy to events that happen and on top of that I get to remember things very very down to the nitty gritty details. Watching a process, like I currently am right now, of a career on it’s way, being able to look back at it one day and say “I knew her when, and still do” will be just as rewarding as her making it to the finish line.

I have great respect for the people in my life. Especially those in entertainment, we really do have to work together to see everything through and enjoy the ride while its happening, whether or not we’re in the fast or slow lane. It’s still a lane and has room to move forward, so “Let’s Go!”

Most Infatuated Song of the Moment: “I Still Believe” by Cristofani

The Take Over

Another weekend in snowy Syracuse, NY. A great show with some great energy as we loose a  cast member to the life circle of entertainment. Your cast becomes your family and when you loose one you loose sense of who the family is. The energy shifts, the night is arranged differently, it’s a new show to get used to in some aspects of the word, new. Not that every live show isn’t new, because it is every time, but it’s a different type of new.

As a performer we have certain options. We dance, sing, act, improvisor, we work. As a dancer we only have so many years before we can’t dance like we were 18 again. Our bodies physically break down and we loose our ultimate drive, for me at least it’s the adrenaline rush of dancing and performing. So what happens when you can dance, but you feel your body wearing on you? You change careers? whether you stay in entertainment or drift away, you have something else going on that isn’t the end of your world but the beginning of the next chapter.

We can always create, we can alway sing, act, improvise, choreograph. We cannot unfortunately always dance. I don’t face this battle today, I won’t face this battle for a number of years, but to focus on what my career needs to look like for the next few years, will have to have the utmost focus on dancing and performing. It’s the truth of the matter that has to be realized. It’s always been said growing up but is now becoming very very clear to me.

Some really exciting career things happening, that will hopefully get published soon, stayed tuned

I got to dance last night and perform. Feel the adrenaline rush and allow it to just take over all of me. Absolutely can’t possibly trade it in for anything else! Dance like no one is watching, because in essence they aren’t!

This girl has a lot of work to do, and the work won’t be ending here.

Most Infatuated Song of the Moment: Lifted by Ja’Shayla

Veritas

Waiting…. Waiting….waiting….and being patient. This is the calm before the storm, and the storm is the going to be a hurricane, blizzard, tsunami combined, topped with a volcanic eruption on top! I work, quietly and patiently….and soon the dam will come down.

Fortunately this was on Sunday morning. Monday afternoon part of the dam broke, and the journey can now truly begin.

Watching the Oscars, made me realize a lot of things about my career. I have to work harder. I can’t sacrifice time right now or anytime in the coming months. Every step from here on out must be articulate and well decided with some weight.

Natalie Portman is a stunning actress, who has owned her craft with her role in Black Swan. Colin Firth is a bold actor, who took his career to extraodinary limits in the King’s Speech. A discussion of whether an award show is find out who’s better than the other, or competing for a gold man, is not the topic that comes up with true artists. Everyone is excited to share the moment and grateful to even be in such a category of looking at 5 brilliant actors or actresses who have made their lives something just a little bit more memorable on one particular night. We get to take a magnified glass on those who brought the to screen or stage brilliant work. They almost always state in their acceptance speeches, something along the lines of being in such an exquisite category of talent. It’s not a competition, it’s an achievement that you get to share with your whole community. It’s a level of respect, and recognition of  being an artist.

Watching this with one of my dearest friends and roommate is exciting. From the artistry to the fashion, to the level of talent and hard work involved to being at this level is just exciting. What’s more exciting is that this level of artistry is something we’re working towards. From starting school in Los Angeles to moving to New York City, our journey has just begun but our support system is becoming incredible.

Auditioning by weekday, performing on weekend nights. Putting a show together in all of the cracks in between and becoming the performer I want to be is hard work, but somehow I have to work even harder, so let the games begin.

Most Infatuated Song of the Moment: Rolling Deep by Adele

Memphis

Looking around in the handful of rows back, all I could think of was “This is what I’m supposed to do.” Its so passion driven, live theater is where my heart lies and will lay for a long time. From the beginning of the show to the end I was on an emotional roller coaster of learning these people’s lives. Its funny to think of how many learning instances we’ve been apart of in our live. Putting myself in situations where all you have to do is learn, and once your seated in a Broadway theater not only is it a balance of learning and surrendering, its being vulnerable with the actors and respecting the level of commitment they bring to the table every night. The energy is absolutely hands down the most ecstatic in New York.

The dancing, singing, acting, writing, music, lighting, sound, the list goes on and on was exquisite. I aspire to be many things, but aspiring for the whole package is the dream at stake here, and its going to happen. It was very articulate and precise, but at the same time luxurious and powerful.

I’d say this show is instantly inspiring and the work behind it I can now appreciate on no other level but excitement for what’s to come in my career. These actors, cast, crew succeeded and are continuing to succeed every night they step on stage. The level of respect that graces their appearance on stage is absolutely beautiful and I can’t wait to one day be apart of it at that level.

There are so many amazing career movements in my life right now, that I’m not at liberties to discuss yet, but hopefully very soon I’ll be able to shout them from the roof tops. I’ve had the most incredible inspiration strike me this week and I wouldn’t be able to trade it for anything in the world if I tried. The small packages that come through my life have never been so extraordinary and I can’t imagine where I’d be if they hadn’t occurred. From meeting someone at my favorite event of the year, burning man, to months later being able to share lives together and continue on the journey that we’ve already been riding. Its exactly the life I want, and am living.

They say dance like its the last time you’ll dance, and I really try to apply that to my life on a daily basis, but the past 3 days were my piece. I’d say I did a beautiful job of letting go and surrendering to the moments that were happening.

Really beautiful. Honest, and bright.

Most Infatuated Song of the Moment: I Still Believe by Cristofani!!!

Happiness

The Journey continues…. Everyday something I’ve worked for has unveiled itself. I’m excited to announce we’ve auditioned dancers for all of my upcoming projects now.  Yesterday we held auditions for Ja’Shayla’s dancers for shows in the Tristate area and music videos. A few weeks ago I held auditions for the new show I’m working on entitled “An Evening of Dance and Romance.” This weekend and for the next several weekends I head north to perform in, “Wild Child” by Atomic Entertainment being performed at Lava Nightclub.

In “Wild Child” I get to be a Mermaid, Fembot, and Geisha. The world of entertainment is extraordinary, to be able to say that last sentence. Working with an amazing cast, Atomic Entertainment has created a hi-tech circus, where creation has no limits.

Having auditioned the past several years a dancer, singer, or actress, the nerves that come with being on the other side of the table are just as high. You’re never sure what’s going to come out of the audition. Whether you find exactly what you want or nothing you want. I’ve found that the talent that’s come out in New York vs the talent I’ve seen in LA is very different. Different styles, attitudes, numbers. I’m building a name in a new city, not to say my name traveled very far in LA but it still was built up. It’s fun building a name, you never know what to expect and you do your best to make your name the best it can be.

I think the most exciting part about this part of my process, is that every project I am working on has such great supportive teams behind them. To be working with such great talents is so amazing. To have been working on this career for several years, and now to only work with great casts and teams, is truly honest and beautiful. Having a great team around you, and a supportive team to bounce ideas off of makes my job so much easier. I bring the creative sense, walk in, do it, and walk out. It’s brilliant, no wasting time, no sitting around, just doing it, loving every second of it, and enjoying what I’m doing!!!

Random side note, if your headshot doesn’t look like you, you need a new headshot, and don’t lie on your resume.

This week, I found time to audition, attend phone meetings, choreograph, hold auditions, and my favorite, dance for myself. I took a Hip Hop class at BDC by Luam and a contemporary Lyrical class at Peridance by Diego Funes. Both teachers, RAD!!!! To maintain my sanity and my creativity and really my joy for dance it’s essential to be dancing for myself as an artist and to learn and explore what I’m capable of in a classroom environment. Always take class, it’s so good for you, and I know it’s expensive, but it’s grand!!!

As a choreographer, I’ve found my brain is now working as quickly as it would if I was thinking as a dancer. It’s a more efficient way to work, and it’s great to hear from your team that “the choreography was great”, or from the dancers that they “Really enjoyed learning my choreography” It just means I’m on the right track and very soon, the world will know, or at least my world will know what I’m capable of.

Most Infatuated Song of the Moment: Might Have to Get Crazy by: The Cristofani

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