Day 9: Researching Past Greats

When you really want something BAD you need to research those before you. Pick anything you want to do and research that thing for facts, trends, pathways, etc... I did this a few weeks ago with acting...actually with women within the past ten years who have won Oscars for best actresses. I simply wrote done the list of women who have won and I broke down a number of factors: their age when they won, their acting route, if they made their start in NYC or LA, if they had a family while they were in the midst of their careers, the projects they took on before they won their Oscar, what country they were from, how many years did it take them to get cast in a project that got them on the radar of the press and so forth. By doing this background research...I found out several factors...

Like the fact that I have more in common with Reese Witherspoon and Kate Winslet than Halle Berry. I oddly, thought since Halle was brown like me...that our routes to success would be like each other. Wrong! There are a lot of other factors that are more important that race and acting. It matters, but oddly your city of orgin and character traits matter as well. Like with Reese, by her being a Southerner I identified with her...also by her having children while her career was unfolding. I desire to do the same! With Kate I speak out on what I believe like she does and again that kid factor and family factor. Hillary's determination is unmatchable. Halle Berry's professionalism amongst women was untouchable. Halle took to acting and beat the industry hard until she got what she wanted.

Another thing I noticed of course is that I am entering the game as an older actress...however...there was one actress that was near 60. So the common age of winners was around 33/34...but I take it all in stride. By conducting that little bit of research it empowered me to see what it took in the past to get where I will be headed. With screenwriting I noticed that many times a woman would write an original book or screenplay and a man would adapt the script for the big screen. This has been done several times. Of course Sofia won an Oscar and a few more before did as well---but as a group and not solo as she has.

Actress/Screenwriter - Emma Thompson is the only actress that has won an Oscar for best actress and best adapted screenplay. I admire her and I desire to emulate her success as it relates to winning for best actress and best screenplay.

Research is good...no its GREAT!

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Day 8: The Killer of Success

I was working through my Success Magazine Decade Planning Class this week and it said the reason why most people dont find success is the lack of continued consistency. So pretty much if we look around the world and see very talented people but without success...a lot of times its simply because that person is not working EVERY DAY towards their goal in a measured way. Most of us float in life in all directions.

In a nutshell, it explained that when we have a goal we need to work on it everyday because when we back away from it for a while...we have to start from the bottom all over again.

An example of this for me is last year I lost 37 lbs. So after I had lost a bit, I stopped, however, because of that I did not meet my goal of loosing more weight. This weight loss goal started in Feb 2009, and now its Feb 2010. The cause of this failure? Lack of consistency. That's it! Of course since I know this now I can get back on this goal and just do it!

When I look at everything I am successful at and all I am not...it all boils down to consistency. Basically showing up to your dream everyday HARD!

I also read in a book this week that there are no shortcuts in life. I knew this too, but oddly I feel like I had been trying to find little short cuts or so along my way! I had met people who I thought could put me on and etc. It does not work. Now its one thing for you to be in the right place at the right time and help arrives...but EVEN if that happens--you still gotta work!!!

So what am I doing about the two new rules in my life? Im simply working towards all my goals each day even if its just a 5 min phone call, email, tweet, etc... Just this past week I read a industry book for auditions for like 5 mins---BUT the very bit of knowledge I gained helped me ace an audition I just had.

So moving forward the rest of this year and forever more...daily work towards goals.

I WILL not murder my dreams simply because I did not show up to meet them everyday :)

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Day 6 & 7: Hey you! Dont Judge me :)

So I missed one day---I think it was my ohh so busy Sunday :) Its all good---cause best to believe I will NOT miss one day cause God willing next February the Heavens will grant me my prayer to be fully into a professional acting and writing career. As odd as it feels nombing my little fingers to this keyboard to type this...I already feel really successful. I feel like the more I keep on stepping forward into the unknown...the closer I get to bliss. I am pretty sure this time next year God will bless me with my wildest dreams. I wouldnt even be surprised if I were blessed this very year---2010.

So what do I have to type about today?

Sofia's film, "Lost in Transulation". Well if you have seen the film you know that it takes place in I beleive Tokoyo ( spelling). Long story short a young wife meets an older man and they bond on loneliness. Well my thought for today is what happens when you are in the country that you were born and you experience that same feeling? Well I read in this book that I am reading"Zen and the Art of Falling in Love" , by Dr. Shoshanna---that we dont have to be lonley, but we will be alone at times. She explains that there is a difference. I beleive that...

So I took that info and I applied it to acting. I feel that I am never alone in the acting process. If I do my job and do it with focus and a positive mindset---I will get the love and dedication that I put into the craft. If I focus and give my acting and writing quality, I feel that I will recieve quality. The acting world, entertainment industry and etc...can run its self mad with new trends, new stars, and new trends in film. Yet as for me the actor and writer---I will simply give my confident, focused, on point best and I just feel that what I give I will get...in due time.

I feel that the "in between" time will serve as ground for further training for me and more material to write about. I beleive that life--my life is ideally the best education that I can recieve that can assist me with my artistic endeavors. But it has to be my life that I live out slowly and not rushed.

How can I make use of a rushed and impatient life?

I cant...its not usable for me anymore.

BUT a life lived out with full awareness...now that will help me deeply enjoy my everyday living , help me serve the world, help me with my acting projects, help me write, help me educate people, help me love better, and help me recieve knowledge through a patient heart and no judgement towards others.

Those are my thoughts for today and yesterday!

PEACE

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Day 5 Give and Get

I had the most awesome audition this afternoon. I went in and submitted my headshot and resume and went and let them record me on the green screen---the director coached me a bit and I did the scene. I thanked them all for the opportunity and I left with joy. I will let the heavens decide if the opportunity is for me.

I have detached myself from that outcome. This coming week I will be doing some "dream gardening". I feel so much deep joy in my whole life right now and I just want to give and give and give and you know what I expect to get all I give and more from any medium.

This coming week I will give my heart out and I desire to get so much love in my career, love life, family life and etc...

Have a great week ( you invisible followers you).

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Day 4: Jean Léopold Dominique

Its 2:06 am EST and I am just getting back from a day that started at 5am!

This entry will be short and sweet, however, I am committed to writing every day! Through the GOOD and BAD!

Starting off with the not so good. I received two more rejection letters. Oddly, each letter is rather a nice form letter to all writers. To be honest like a child...I'm just happy to just get in the game. I know its a form letter that was sent...nothing personal. yet, the letter was delivered to a personal address and in the craziest way... I feel honored to get rejected...because it means I am getting closer to my goal. My two books will get published this year. This is a promise to myself. I have not received any response from my UK agents. Of course I will keep all updated.

On the acting front. I am creating a new career treasure map aka vision board after I type this post. I cant wait to get to cutting and pasting :)

Now on to Jean Léopold Dominique. I am just now discovering this man's story and I am in love! Not romantic love but love in a sense that I have seen with my very eyes another human that carries the same type of passion for his life... I went to a local film festival today and I saw the film, "The Agronomist"...and from this man's in your face persona, to the deep love he had for his wife, to his "grunts" when he spoke Kreyol. He made you laugh and cry. Google this man and learn about him. After watching the film I decided that I want to focus on indie and documentary films. I of course desire to be involved in commercial film projects...yet documentaries like this one gets deep into your soul. If it were not for documentaries like this one...how would I have ever found out about Jean? Through other people's stories, a Google search, or some short footage on YouTube?

Well after the film I was still slightly confused about the political situation of Haiti. However, what inspired me was that he never gave up on Haiti. He never gave up on his desire to tell the people of PortaP the truth. He was a straight shooter with his communications and it was sort of like Larry King in Haiti. It was amazing to see his strength even in the midst of chaos. I gained strength from his story today and hopefully, if his wife is still living...I would love to meet her.

There was this part of the film were a peasant boy would listen to the Radio Haiti and get inspired by this unknown man. In turn Jean would speak what he felt in his heart about the conditions of the land. The boy was so inspired he found a way to the Radio station and began working for the station. The story goes on and on...yet it was just amazing to see two lives connected by just going after your dreams...

Okay well its 2:25am EST...I am about to complete my treasure maps and go to bed.

I am ending this day both happy and sad. If that even makes sense.

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Day 3: Fail More

I read this yesterday via Success Magazine's Darren Hardy...

If you are going to achieve goals you have never achieved before, you must be willing to do what you have never done before. One of those things is to allow, no actually push, yourself to FAIL. And if you want to succeed big, you have to fail big. There is no way around it!

So my daily update???

On the writing front, I received another a rejection from my book queries. This is hard to take, yet I was thinking after I read this quote above...that I will submit to even more agents for my two books.

On the acting front, I have been reading this book, " How To Get The Part without Falling Apart" by Margie Haber with Barbara Babchick ( wow what an interesting last name) :). Along with reading this book I have subscribed to this enewsletter with the www.thesavvyactor.com

So all is good with my daily progress.

On twitter I even spoke my mind about how I felt about a certain celeb judging a man that is going to prison for a matter. Of course what the man did was bad. But I told the celeb they should not judge the man. The celeb tweeted back to me saying " Girl Please...he deserves this". Then like clockwork the Celebs followers on twitter followed suit and Retweeted what I wrote and etc...kind felt like a rejection/disagreement/made to look bad. But actually that small experience gave me experience with speaking my mind and being okay with other people's thoughts and opinions. But I place this in my "fail more/go with my gut/be authentic " vibe :)

Today I will fail more!

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Day 2: Who am I?

Ha! So I have challenged myself. There's something that happens when you do that! First its just a verbal connection with your desire. Then you get comfortable with the words coming out of your mouth. Then you are like hmmm...maybe I can change the course of my life. Well that's me...and oddly when I set forward with my goal yesterday ( I posted it on FB), I felt an odd sense that I wll indeed follow my goal of being a professional and consistently working actress and screenwriter in Hollywood this time next year.

Well, after I made my little challenge public...I felt good by the little support that I received on FB. Each supporter of my dream matters...even I matter. Cause if I am not my biggest cheerleader...who is?

So the question now is...who am I to write this blog? What's my background? Why follow suit like Sofia?

Who am I? I am a professionally trained scientist. I graduated from North Carolina A&T State University in Agriculture Science. I have worked in research for around ten freaking years! Mostly during graveyard shift hours researching my dreams! My dream started before I knew it was a dream at 5 years old...on Valentine's Day when my parents bought me a red notebook and a cute white teddy bear with a velvet red heart. I am not sure why but I took that bear and placed it on my bed and I took that notebook and wrote my heart out. I have been writing ever since. In regard to acting...Ive been performing since around the same age. Started performing at one of my best friends homes in her parents basements. We were around 5 years old then. I would coordinate a routine and we would put the show on for our mothers that were seated in the front room. As odd as it sounds I needed to write ( introverted activity) and act ( extroverted activity). Ive been at odds about it for a while now...because I am good at both. I feel confident in my ability to out write and act anyone. I feel confident in expressing myself through both mediums as well.

Back to my story....born in W-S, moved to Atlanta to live with father at 12/13. Attended Tri-Cities High school in East Point, GA. Let me back up my first play was in 7th grade, A MidSummer's Night Dream". My art teacher asked me to audition and I did and made it :) It was for the part of Hippolyta. That was my first taste of acting. So I went to performing arts school for drama in ATL. I fell in love with theater there---specifically black theater.

Fast forward to my high school graduation ---I left acting and writing behind. It seemed to be a shaky career to have and I pressed forward in a new direction. I was first a Governor's page in the state of NC under Gov. James Hunt ( PR page), and then I went to college first as a political science major and then science major. I ended my college degree working with graduate students at A&T. Now when I think about it...I always accomplished what I set my mind to...even if it is the wrong thing.

After college--I went back to Atlanta. I gravitated to cinema again. It was like a magnet. I started volunteering for this event called, " Black Cinema Cafe". I loved the events concept...although I felt that the people in Atlanta were more supporters of film and not in show business.

After 9/11 and Aaliyah's death I thought of my own life and I got a plan together to move to LA. I would use my degree to get me there. I moved back to my mothers house in NC and worked at one of the largest labs in the world--Lab Corp. I worked there for around a year and then I relocated with them to LA. While in LA I worked graveyard shift while I did the following:

1. Voluteered at A LOT of film festivals
2. Provided script coverage at SimmonsLathan Media Group ( under Angela Northington)
3. Interned at Edmond Entertainment ( asst. Tracey Edmonds)
4. Interned at Morgan Freeman's Revelation Entertainment
5. Asst. Casting Director Monica R. Cooper
6. Networked like hell

I did a lot...yet I was focusing on areas that I had no passion in...but were safe. Sadly, I left LA for DC to attend Howard University for MFA in Media Studies.

I arrived at Howard with hope for my career. But now when I look at it I was a bit directionless. I did not have a mapped out plan. I attended one year at HU, yet I left because academia Media is not the same as Show Business. Many of my professors at HU had never even worked in LA or NY, so it deeply confused me as to why they were teaching in the subject matter.

So I went back to the sciences while going after my dream. I worked at Baxter Healthcare for a bit and then Discovery Communications as an online editor. In DC I also worked as a personal assistant to night club mogul Marc S. Barnes. I walked off that job and pretty much soon after moved back to NC. I had to get my life together deeply before my next major move.

So here I am now. I have been in NC since Spring 2007. I have been working in the sciences making good money, acting when I can, and writing. While in NC I turned 30 and now I am 32. Dont worry...I know how people are with age and all when it comes to an acting career. I dont care. Ive been home in NC now for almost three years. I am so proud of these three years its been as if I have been in therapy under God's intensive soul care. I have done things I would have never thought I would have done and bottom line I got a life. I become Mashawnda. Yet through it all, my desire for my dreams will not go to sleep ( although I have tried). My dreams have to live. Or as Paulo Coelho says your "personal legend".

In the book, " The Alchemist" he states the following:

" When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision".

This is true for my life. I believe I realized this when I traveled to Rome last year...and out of all places I ran into this grand exhibit of the late Great Grace Kelly. The exhibit displayed everything from her acting career from rejection letters, delayed opportunity letters and pictures, and pictures of her wins and her life.

I believe that trip in Nov. 2009 did it for me.

I then realized that I had gotten off my path and this blog will follow me to getting back on my path.

So where does Sofia Coppola come from? Well initially it came from the fact that she had won a Oscar for best screenplay for , " Lost in Translation". Then I re read her bio...and oddly it appears that a lot of her opportunities came from her father. I have to be honest.

So in honor of my commitment to my father ( My God)...I am going to grant myself the same opportunities as she :) Odd connection but its all mine.

You will enjoy my ride ( TRUST ME)

I said all of that to give you an update for today.

UPDATE: A commercial audition booked for Saturday. I have received two rejection letters from book queries that I sent out in Jan 2010 as well. I am thankful for my progress to date.

My next entries will not be as long...just updates and things of that nature.

Have a great day!!!!

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Day 1: Challenge to Myself!

I am starting this blog as a challenge to myself to simply get in the "game". The game I refer to is the entertainment industry ( acting, screenwriting, and directing). I was deeply inspired by the film " Julie and Julia" and so I will simply do the same. The person I will semi-follow suit like will be Sofia Coppola. Now, I know that she is mainly a screenwriter/director, yet she started out as a actress. My goal is to do the same...simply get all way in what I call the game. This blog will follow my everyday from today, Wednesday, Feb. 17th, 2010 to Feb. 17, 2011. At that time God-willing I will officially be in the game and thriving. My plan to get there is to take pointers from Sofia's career.

I invite you to join my journey :)

365 Days and my journey starts NOW!

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