A New Year - Anything Goes

   Sorry it's been a while since postings... It's been a crazy past couple of months. You know... "Holidaze". Lots and little has happened since you last saw me. I've triumphed and failed spectacularly, and I've tried to survive this city as best as I can. Still confused, still fresh, and still optimistic. Still struggling and hustling when I can. Working hard on all things me. Here we are... 2012. Supposedly we have less than a year left if you follow your favorite Mayan calendar. Guess I gotta make some things happen, like now. 2011 was pretty good to me through all of my bitching and moaning.  I got my first major paid gig, shot a CollegeHumor sketch, made a house team at an improv theater in NYC, made more good friends, saw incredible theater, and really grew as an artist and a person. Yes I'm still single... (That's whole other post.) Through it all, I've been very grateful to everyone and anything that has helped move me to this place thus far.
    I did have a good New Year's holiday. Rather then do the Manhattan thing, I visited a friend, watched a movie, shared a bottle of wine, and then attended a house party in Astoria, Queens. We'll just ignore the four drunken hours I spent trying to get home falling asleep and waking up all over the New York City subway transit system... Thank God I had the next day off. I met up with some friends for brunch in Hell's Kitchen and just finally took it easy...

Anything Goes...

   I also saw a show on New Year's Day that got me really inspired. Of all things, it's a remount of a musical classic: "Anything Goes". Yes I saw the one currently on Broadway with Sutton Foster. I could barely afford the ticket, but my friend Colleen was in town. I also have this thing of seeing a show each month. It keeps me grounded, and it makes me feel good as an artist. It's funny because we did the show in college, and I always hated it. It was one of my worst auditions ever. You know the kind where you leave the room and burst into tears? I saw our college production, disliked it save for my friend Eileen, and hated the show forever for cheesy plot and racist undertones. So as I entered the theater for the Broadway production, I had my fingers crossed. I was praying it would be a decent show. After all, you can't go anywhere in New York without hearing the praises for Sutton, and my personal hero Joel Grey was in it. He's a Broadway living legend! As the curtain fell, I left the theater being wowed and falling in love with Sutton Foster. I was also in awe of the terrific cast, dazzling sets and costumes, and furthered steeled myself that I want a career like Joel Grey's... I even ran into Michael Gladis from Mad Men on the way to the bathroom! Seeing the show helped me find my resolve that I deserve to be here. I belong here. My new motto is "Anything goes!"
   All that being said, I still feel like I've got a lot of work to do. It's hard for me to relax and do nothing. I've got to keep pressing on. There are a lot of goals and things to do left on my bucket list. A new year usually brings resolutions made and broken. I try not to make them, and I prefer to shoot for targets. Keeps me focused. So for all of you and myself, a simple list of targets. Here we go:

1. See/do more with this city.
2. Date more.
3. Keep building that acting career.
4. Eat less. Keep being active/healthy.
5. Stay happy. Write more.

   There... Not so hard, right? Granted, these are not resolutions or promises. They are targets. Some are easier to hit, and some are terribly difficult to shoot. I'll just try to attack them as best as I can. I hope you'll hold me to that. It's all I can offer. I'll definitely be writing more... Stay tuned.

Life in Art

   Thanks to a friend, I went to the Moma (Museum of Modern Art) this past Sunday. I'd forgotten how much I love visiting museums, and I need to get out and see more. Especially when you live in a city bursting with art and creative influences. I only really had two and a half hours to walk through the exhibits before I needed to run to class, and now I've been kicking myself for not spending more time there. Walking through the halls, it is incredible to see so many different individual pieces. Each piece is so unique and inspired. You can almost hear each piece say, "This is my voice. What do you think?" Some I loved, some I hated, some didn't make me feel anything, and some just moved me to an emotional place I hadn't been to in a while. Especially this one:

   This is just the final segment from a huge triptych called "To Be With Art is All We Ask...". To see the rest of the work is stunning. It's this huge manifesto, a love letter to art from the artists Gilbert & George with two side portraits of the artists. You read it and fall deeper into the rabbit hole with each line. Seeing it helped spark something in me. A new appreciation for what I do, why I love it, and why I must share it with the rest of the world. Here in the city, it's easy to become bitter and forget why you even pursue this thing called art. You can learn to hate the work, the process, or the bullshit you have to fight through. I've seen too many people give up on art or themselves. They lose the spark, and at times I worry that it will die out in me too. It's nice to have something feed the fire in you again. To feed your heart, your soul, your mind. Granted, it's also good to keep people around you that inspire you and celebrate what you do. You can't do it alone. It's a paradox. Most of the work you do alone, but you work together with many others to grow, learn, and reach success. Just like good old Gilbert & George here you build something together, but first you must develop yourself. Here in New York, it's easy to surround yourself with creative and talented people, and I'm very grateful for that. They only make you look better, work harder, and be stronger. I've been doing theater for almost twenty years now, and to be moved or pushed to keep growing is a wonderful feeling. It's why I love art. It challenges and brings us moments of sheer brilliance and passion. Seeing this piece at the Moma only heightened my love for what I do and encouraged me to press on. To continue. To fight. To love. And so, to be with art is all I ask...