Voice Over Off to a Good Start, the Loss of a Mentor, a New Teacher and Always More Auditions

It has been a while since I have posted, but let me do my best to catch you up... In my last post I announced I had secured voice over representation with NUTS, Ltd., and I'm happy to share it is going great! In the past few months I've been fortunate to find myself in a number of sound studios recording. One of the finished projects is below, you can see others on my Voice page and on my YouTube Channel. I am learning so much every time I step in front of the microphone, and I am grateful to my agents and everyone I am working with in studio for challenging me and helping me grow so much, every time.

In December, Laurie Carlos, mentor and friend, died of colon cancer at the age of 67. She was an Obie Award winner, a singular performer and person, and a friend. She challenged you to be fearless in the pursuit of your authentic self. She was fierce. I can't do better now, so below is an abridgement of something I shared on Facebook after I learned of her passing.

"The power is already yours. You just have to claim it." - Laurie Carlos

So rare to encounter a person who didn't want a better you for any reason other than a better you will be braver and more honest and better for you. Most of my teachers barely noticed you at all if it didn't make them look better. She didn't need you to make herself look better. She was a work of art and a work in progress and she owned the hell out of that. The first meeting - I sit, in a circle of powerful women, honored to even sit among them, looking across at her, our leader for the session. She watches and she listens, with her whole body it seems. And when she speaks, in a few simple words she destroys the nonsense of every member of that circle in turn. She does it with compassion, love and honesty but also completely and irrefutably. How many people would take that time? How many would give so freely of themselves time and again? I've known precious few. Because of her I strive to be another one.

Like all actors, I fancy myself a lifelong learner. I struggle mightily with languages. I study accents. I study movement. I study martial arts. I sing. I write songs. I play guitar. I study history. I study people. I read. And I act every chance I get. All of these feed me, teach me, grow my performance skill set. However, around the end of 2016 it dawned on me that it had been a while since I had studied with an acting teacher directly and I began to look for a new one. Enter Sandra K. Horner, She is an actor, director, teacher, producer and all around focused beam of positive energy. But before I knew that, there was one piece of intelligence that assured me we'd be a good fit, she spent, what I can only assume was, an hilarious day beating Arnold Schwarzenegger over the head with her purse on the set of Jingle All The Way. Clearly, she is a brave soul. AND I have also had the honor of studying with Eric Morris, who was one of Arnold Schwazenegger's first acting teachers in Hollywood. Talk about bravery! I'm in good hands.

It's been a couple busy months with screen printing and auditions. The thing I love most about auditioning in other cities is getting out of Minnesota in the winter. But a very close second is seeing friends and having new acting experiences. In some ways, an audition is an audition is an audition. In other ways, getting in the room in LA and getting to do your thing, is a thrill.

It has been a bit of a roller coaster ride since my last update, so I hope you'll forgive the tardiness. If I've learned anything, it is to be grateful for everyday and to never give up on your dreams.

Now stop reading this and go make some art!!