#1-SURVIVAL

I'm an actress- first and foremost. It is my best skill. It is what I am here to do. I know this. I am also a comedian, a teacher, and a film/theatre producer. I also sell real estate. I've had to navigate my way through jobs until I found my way. This is where I will share my experiences and discoveries as I travel a path as a gal in showbiz.

Sadly, when most actors say they are actors most people assume they must be waiting tables. They assume this because it is generally true. Artists of every kind struggle with finding a way to pay the bills in a way that makes them feel good about themselves. I'm convinced that this is because employers have a bad association with artists and feel their careers are an interference with the way the world works. What they don't realize is that actors can be the most loyal and fabulous employees who will do anything for you. Just let them go to auditions! Appreciate them. Encourage them. It's not their fault they were born with this talent.

My path is like any artist. A labyrinth and puzzle pieces leading me step by step through the gauntlet of survival. It's the same challenge for anyone who wants to do anything in show biz- survival. Yes..when you want to be in one of the most competitive businesses there is, chances are survival while you try to reach your goals will be a challenge. A huge challenge. In the beginning I babysat, waitressed, hosted, and answered phones. Those are what I call "typical" actor survival jobs. What I learned is that I'm a terrible waitress, but I'm funny. As long as everyone else at the restaurants I worked at understood making people laugh is what got me 20% tips and left me alone, I was fine. I was lucky enough to have 2 jobs like that. The other restaurants didn't have the pleasure of my company for very long. I've met many actors who have shriveled into dry, hard husks from working in restaurants. It's one of the saddest things ever. I was fortunate enough to have people in my life who reminded me I was an artist first and foremost and I had to honor that. To do that meant I needed to find a survival job that nurtured me and didn't kill me.

I started to temp. I figured I could stand an office as long as I wasn't there long enough to get involved with office politics or gossip. I am certain to this day that if companies just eliminated all of the hang out, gossip, liquid lunch, chit chat, water cooler, cigarette breaks of corporate America then everyone could get a work day squeezed into 4 hours and go home. I plan to try this theory when I'm working for my production company full time. I'm very efficient.

So..temping. Day 1 my supervisor pulls me aside and tells me to stop working so fast. I thought I misunderstood him. He was giving me little assignment here and there as his assistant and I was ripping through them like gangbusters. Like I said, a 4 hour day and work ethic like mine would made a better world. Anyway, he wanted me to "milk it". Stretch the filing, sorting, alphabetizing, whatever until 5pm when we would all run to the elevator like the building was on fire. I found "milking" was like a slow horrible death and a pox on my soul.

Luckily for me the next day I got a job offer. A small event firm run by a friend wanted to bring me on to produce events for huge non for profits. They would pay me $10 more than I was making is Lazy Town, and I'd be working with a bunch of young and creative women. I left at lunch and the temp agency put a hex on me. I didn't care. I just got my first paying gig in producing!

Links: My favorite waitressing job was in college at MY HERO in New Paltz, NY