"I say luck is when an opportunity comes along and you're prepared for it." - Denzel Washington All transit strike worries aside, 2009 has been off to a really great start for me. On New Year's Eve, I was at a party and found the coin inside the "Money Cake". Apparently this means that I will be lucky all year and I can't really complain if that's the case.
Already I've finished a short script that I am quite pleased with and submitted it to a couple festivals. I've got new headshots in my possession from a really great new photographer and two acting workshops scheduled for January. I've already started one in Physical Theatre and I'm having a blast. Two professional auditions have already come my way and I get to stay at home and work on projects that interest me (though I quickly realized that grant writing is not interesting in the slightest).
That said, it's easy to sit at home and become complacent and lazy, especially when you can't get around town without assistance. I've got a few plays and books I need to read. I've got a script I need to stay focused on and finish writing. I've got monologues to prepare so that when an audition that requires it arrives I'm not running around like a chicken with her head cut off wondering how the heck I will memorize and prepare all that verse. And most of all, I need to realize that I have friends for a reason and that I don't have to/can't do this alone.
For the longest time I would prepare monologues on my own. Practice in the shower or in front of the mirror or walking from the fridge to the couch... but never in front of anyone. I'd save that for the audition and to be honest, those auditions usually sucked. However, I've noticed a remarkable improvement in my work when I practice with a partner.
You know sometimes you do something really stupid and then you look back and go well duh, that was stupid, why did I do that? Really, why in the world would you want to put yourself in an already stressful situation without having done everything you possibly could to make it less stressful?
I had a workshop with a casting director once and she said do your 3rd take in the room. Best advice I have ever heard.