The Joanne Baron Industry Master Class

This past weekend marks the end of the third Master Class I've done so far with master Meisner teacher, Joanne Baron. If there's something I learn every time I do one, it's that you're never "done" learning your art.

This year's master class taught me so many things about acting, but more so, I learned the importance of belonging to a creative tribe. How their enthusiasm rubs off on you, their encouragement when you feel your work is not successful, and their pride and inspiration to keep you humble when it is successful are all things that are necessary for anyone in a creative industry to keep their sanity through the rollercoaster ups and downs.

I'm so excited to continue moving forward with the acting part of my career. It has been such a fulfilling journey so far. Thanks to all of those who have supported me along the way!

Wish me luck on my next project: I am three weeks out from principal photography of my thesis film: The Homecoming. Click on the link to check out our website!

Inspirational Quote of the Week

Originality doesn't come from expressing what nobody has ever expressed before, it comes from being oneself.  -- Anonymous

It's amazing how artists are so concerned with being 'original,' yet are terrified of being themselves.  

As I myself am guilty of frequently wondering whether or not I am enough, I read this quote to remind myself that being myself is being original, because there is no one in this world who is anything like me nor will there ever be again.

This week's inspiration...

I'm not sure how many people follow Humans of New York's photo blog, but this week there has been nothing short of inspiration on it.

By chance, Brandon Stanton, the creator of the blog, met a young boy named Vidal in the Brownsville neighborhood of New York City.  When asked who the most influential person in his life is, Vidal responded that his principal Ms. Lopez was the most influential person in his life and this is why:

When we get in trouble, she doesn't suspend us. She calls us to her office and explains to us how society was built down around us. And she tells us that each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built. And one time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and she told each one of us that we matter.

Wow. Just wow.  And if that's not enough to make you feel good, Mr. Stanton then visited Vidal's school to meet Ms. Lopez which led to him doing a profile on Mott Hall Bridges Academy and eventually launching a fundraiser to send the scholars of the academy to visit Harvard.  As of this posting, that fundraiser is $12,000 away from raising $1,000,000 which will be used to fund the trip and summer programs for the next decade of students, and a scholarship fund created in Vidal's name with Vidal himself being the first recipient.

Faith in humanity restored.

If you're interested in following this story, check out the Humans of New York Facebook page.

If you're interested in donating, check out the fundraiser's IndieGoGo page.

Inspirational Quote of the Week

I've decided to begin adding an inspirational quote of the week to this blog.

Today I met an exceptional human being at the Martin Luther King, Jr. parade in South Los Angeles.

He is a motivational speaker and if you watch his Youtube videos, perhaps you'll catch the bug too.  His name is Billionaire PA and you can subscribe to his YouTube channel here.

Here it is:

Don't ever put your dreams into somebody else's hands because they will never love your dream more than you. That's your job.