Looking Back
November 20th, 2014 was my 1-year anniversary of my big move out here. Seems impossible that an entire year has gone by but in the blink of an eye it most definitely has. Although a lot has happened it was nothing like I had “planned.” Ha! Is anything ever as we had planned? I think not. While I did get off to a good start with my acting pursuits, just a few months after I arrived things went awry and I found myself down the proverbial dark alley with threatening shadows lurking from every corner. It turns out most everyone who ventures to this land of glitz and glamour has a rough first year. Thank goodness I was not the only one. And lots of people move away after that first year. LA is a tough town and not for the faint at heart. Making it to year two is a “right of passage” or a weeding out process if you will where only the strong will stay…and go on to make it. My strategy to get me through the rough days was to keep my eye on the prize and not let current realities veer me off track of why I moved out here in the first place. Besides I’m a New Yorker! Can’t let things get in my way dammit. As any true New Yorker will tell you we figure things out. My mantra quickly became “I will not be deterred.”
For clarity, I was “smacked up the side of the head” with two major challenges within a few short months of arriving. First, soon after I got here I was involved in a head on collision (not my fault-I’m fine-I did not suffer severe injury) and my new car that I had just bought to move out here with was totaled. Yes totaled. This resulted in a lawsuit, of course which is still on-going with weekly doctor visits, lawyers etc. The second was not being able to find a suitable and reliable “money job” which only compounded the residual effects of the car accident. I needed/wanted a job that did not require meeting sales quotas or a lot of mental strategy and attention and most importantly was completely flexible. The one I did find early on, that looked like it was a solid, long-term gig ultimately turned out to be anything but and even now as I write this I am in the throes of locking down that ever elusive reliable, well paying and flexible money job. Thankfully, I do believe I have done that and it looks like in the next few weeks I can put the whole job search behind me and finally get on with why I moved out here. Hallelujah!
I’m happy to report that despite these obstacles I somehow managed to add a credit to my IMDb page www.imdb.me/victoriamarie (now I have two) by booking a lead role in a TV show, took an improv class at the Groundlings and wrote my monthly articles for MsInTheBiz http://msinthebiz.com/author/victoria-marie/. I had expected to do so much more but I am grateful for what I did accomplish.
So what are the take away lessons for me from this first year?
Perhaps the two biggest are that before I can put much attention to anything including the pursuit of an acting career I must have a stable income and home life. Many an actor has done it differently by having a succession of temp jobs, living out of their cars, living with 3 to 4 different roommates…you get the picture. However for me to feel relaxed and motivated I need to have those two things in place: a reliable income and a relaxed living environment which means living alone unless it’s with a significant other. No easy feat here in LA LA Land. Thankfully my living situation was secured within a week of me arriving so the last piece to the puzzle was/is the money job which looks like I’ve finally, at long last secured. The details are being worked out as I write this.
What Does This Mean For You?
My advice to newbies arriving to LA or NY to pursue any kind of a career in the entertainment industry is find what works for you. No two actors/singers/dancers etc will have the same path so don’t worry too much about what someone else is doing. Jennifer Lopez is reported to have lived at the dance studio where she was taking class and Madonna is known to have lived in the Music Building without proper shower facilities at one point (in the music studio where she rehearsed). Everyone will have an opinion for you which is great and worth listening to but at the end of the day go with the decision that resonates with you. You’ll find security and a sense of peace by doing so and most times it will be the right decision.
Moving Forward
As 2014 comes to a close and I determine and think about what I’d like to accomplish in the coming year I’ve learned whatever it is, it’s best to keep my goals loosely in focus. If I hold too tightly onto a set of specific goals I might be doing so at the expense of something bigger coming to fruition so it’s wise to keep things a little loose. Specifically I will decide what I’d like to write about a year from now and then work backwards in terms of what steps I need to take to make it all happen. Specifically I’ll determine 2-4 major goals I want to accomplish by next Dec 2015. Then I’ll set smaller goals in blocks of 3 months towards those 2-4 major goals. Jan-March, April-June, July-Sept, Oct-Dec. Perhaps 2-4 goals per month for a total of 6-12 for each of the 3 months. I’ve had an idea for a documentary since I got here a year ago so I’m going to see if I can get that off the ground. And I very much want to get back to doing my YouTube videos https://www.youtube.com/user/BabyBoomerActress.
In closing I want to wish everyone the happiest of holidays and may all your dreams come true in the new year. Remember, live life with no regrets.
Til next time…Victoria xox