Sunday, December 14, 2014

Keep on Keeping' On

There's a part of me that's been debating about posting for the last month. But I have found something worth addressing.

After my last entry, I felt conflicted as to whether it was necessary for me to keep writing about every audition I went on. Not only would it be tedious, predictable and rather redundant, but at this point I've found my groove and am essentially going through the same process each time:
1. Get sides from agent (Hooray!)
2. Memorize/work on sides (adorn Clark Kent glasses)
3. Print off resume/head shots (NEVER FORGET THESE!)
4. Sleep (only once lines are down)
5. Run lines successfully in shower (steam helps me remember)
6. Commute to audition (they are never in convenient locations)
7. Arrive and assess competition (give the occasional stink eye when they're not looking)
8. Have a mini panic attack (everyone is so attractive!!!)
9. Find a space to warm up (usually a closet or alcove)
10. Warm up, get my breath under me (calm the heck down)
11. Audition as rehearsed (ideally)
12. Walk out with a sense of completion (or having learned something)
13. Move onto the next one (like a BAUS)

Honestly, that's it. If something crazy happens, I can assure you I will write about it.

Post done.

But for real, I've rediscovered my confidence and am riding it like a wave with my foot strapped to the board of humility.

Now, the reason I'm continuing to write is because I want focus on a part of an actors life that deserves more attention than I think it's given.

Since my last entry, I've been feeling rather drab because my personal life as been...uneventful, I find myself trying to connect with people online, or what have you, as a way to exert energy without really committing to anything. I make going to the gym my BIG event for the day then come home, take my pants off and play Batman/Pokemon till the wee hours of the morning. I've been spending way too much money on eating out because it's easier than cooking, which ironically I love doing, and although I have had some great conversations with people over the last few weeks they all end up turning into the same thing, "Yes, I was in British Columbia for 4 months...I don't know if there is gonna be a season 2...I'm just bopping around doing auditions...No, this is my first Christmas not going home...etc" I'm honored that people want to talk to me, but the reason I'm bored of those conversations is because I actually have nothing else to talk about, because I have been doing nothing else.

Some of those delightful friends have been levelling with me and telling me that, "its okay to be lazy and enjoy your free time...its okay to have dominos three times in one week...I would love to play Batman with you... drink more whiskey..." and this is all true, to a point. I'm rolling into my 5th week since finishing Olympus and it's high time I started to get my life back together. To be honest, I function so much better in chaos than idleness. I thrive in calamity. So, I must create this for myself, or at least schedule it. I have to start creating positive rituals and scheduling even the mundane, like getting a head start on my taxes (yes, that time is nearing), if I want to be successful.

I was speaking to my mother, the incredible woman that she is*, and she broke something down for me which I had yet to realize. She said, "Wayne, your life is the opposite of everyone else's, we all schedule our lives around work, our freedom comes with an annual vacation, if we're so lucky. You have to learn how to schedule your life, because your work is your vacation."

Bam.

Momma just laid it out.

Enjoy free time, be in post show slump, play video games without pants, drink pumpkin spice whiskey, but eventually one is gonna have to get one's personal life in order, because it's that preparation of the mundane that creates an opportunity for incredible work.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in the moment of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in the times of challenge." - Martin Luther King Jr.

The only way I will truly rise above is by having my artistic and personal life on point, running alongside each other, in harmony.

As the New Riders of the Purple Age said, I gotta "keep on keepin' on."

W.

P.S. I recently wrapped an episode on Remedy, Season 2 which will be premiering on Global in the New Year.

Please check out my fan page and/or website for more info on how to watch for me.

*Mother endorsement