Find Your Happy Place
My kids Derek and Jackie hugging before he left to go back to the USA. (Photo by Erik Steen)
That can be difficult in these times. Have you seen the news from Minnesota? Is the COVID-19 still here? Have you gotten any auditions lately? That’s what exists and we have to face it. So let’s face it and then carry on and use this time to strike back and be better than ever. As a Person, as an Actor.
Listen to some new music, read some new books, take some online classes, be mindful - PREPARE yourself for when the calls from your agent start coming in again, or when you want to do a new project. Make your own content — that will be an eye-opener… WHICH IS WHAT YOU NEED. Eyes wide open. Life to learn, life to be experienced — life. That’s your “draw card” when you need to tune in to a character or feel the "feels". It’s very clear that the world can’t survive without entertainment. We won’t let it.
So “you’re welcome”, world. Gotta get people to their Happy Places - and/or - Deep and Meaningfuls! Work on that.
My Four Stages of COVID-19
DENIAL - What? I don’t believe this. Talent was cancelled as were jobs. Well, I still have my regular client to count on to pay the bills. We can handle this, but ouch!
BOOM - Saturday AM my regular client called to cancel all actors TFN. OMG this is REAL. Can’t last for long. I’ve never been not working my butt off in my life. Yes, it can last that long and all entertainment is dead.
DEPRESSION - As reality is settling in I cry and cry and cry. And I’d like to say I was scared — but I’m too proud to admit that! I did some sleeping too.
TIME ON MY HANDS - There are a lot of fulfilling projects I would like to have had time to bring to fruition and hopefully enjoy the process - as long as I have someone to assist me with the technical side of things. As everyone else is not working, I have people to assist! Although my son (my technical wizard) is in America, we now FaceTime every day and I am writing my 2nd BLOG and have recorded two PODCASTS!
My suggestion to you is, it’s okay to feel the pain as long as you have to and do absolutely nothing. And I sincerely hope you start to work on anything that brings you joy, personal advancement and - uh duh - and ideally some money to help you stop worrying.
“We are all in this together.” What lovely thought. I call out BS on that one! Someone living in a mansion and having ice cream delivered every day may have some inconvenience, but, they got ice cream and I don’t!
I would like to now introduce you to my son, my Creative Technician and biggest fan of me, my hero — Derek.
Derek on assignment at the W Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.