Shoots, Shows, and Funding

So, I have a couple of shoots and stuff coming up! :) First, I have a runway show on Thursday for a company called Usanii House. Then, next Thursday, I have a mock Engagement shoot, and I also have a Devotional video shoot for Catholic University in the works. I got hired for that one because of my eyes. :) Yay! That last one is the only paid job of the three... but hopefully more will come.
My facebook fan page has been growing! I have been networking and getting tips from a fellow Marine wife and model - Tinisha Portillo - which has been super helpful with marketing myself.

On a side note, last night I took some headshots for some actors from the show I was recently in (for which I was paid) and imported them into my laptop and a few minutes later, my computer promptly crashed and wouldn't turn back on. After driving all over today going to the Mac Genius Bar and another store to try some other method they couldn't do at the Genius Bar... there has been so far no luck at recovering any of my data. SO MANY PICTURES! On top of the many headshots I just took (about 800 pictures) there were also 1200 pictures worth of my sister's engagement session, and a friend's newborn session. Tomorrow I am taking it to a local Apple store that was closed today to see if there's anything they can do... but it looks like I'm going to be needing a new computer. I knew I needed one, and was planning on replacing it... but not until the end of the year. So, that on top of other things spurned me to wonder if people might help contribute to funding my career. Gas alone is expensive - I've been paid, but not enough to cover the cost of gas, let alone my acting lessons. And when I get back to California, I want to continue my screen acting education as well as take dance lessons. So, I set up a GoFundMe account. This page, aside from being super cute, allows well-wishers, and kind and generous folk, to donate to my career! There are "rewards" - so if you donate a set amount, you get a reward - you'll just have to go check it out to see! :D But, for a small rundown of expenses... Acting lessons cost about $300 for 5 classes. At least, they did in Richmond, but they are slightly more expensive in Orange County, California. Dance/Fitness classes will cost about $175 for one month. Aside from dance it is also Yoga and Aerial Yoga/Tissu and things of that nature. As I mentioned, there's gas, and then I want to be able to do photography, which means funding that as well. I need Adobe Photoshop or something of that sort - that is $600. The Mac photo editing program, Aperture, although not as good, would suffice for a little while. That is $70. A new computer, with all of the memory that I would require as well as external drive for backup etcetera, would be almost $2000. Then I have to print headshots to take to auditions - about $25 for 5 prints. Business cards, postcards... another $25 at least. What does that come to? I'll round it up to $3000. Ugh. Hence, why it would be soooo lovely if my new fans and family members and friends wanted to contribute. Well, I'm not expecting any will - or not very much at least, but every little bit helps.
There is now a widget on the bottom of my homepage of this blog that allows you to click and donate. :)

Well, that's all for now.
Thanks!

Auditioning is expensive!!

Ugh. I've decided that I'm not going to audition for the Disneyland show - Minnie's Fly Girls. All week long I've been planning on doing it, but I just talked about it with my dad - who used to be a United pilot and has been helping me figure out flights - and I just can't afford it. Though he could get me a ticket at a much cheaper price (for some reason I thought it was free! But, unfortunately, it's not) I'd be reimbursing my parents for at least part of the cost of tickets, covering the hotel, parking at the airport, food, and possibly taxi or shuttle fees. And then, if I got called back, which would be awesome, I'd have to do it all over again the next week. So, after some rough calculations (my dad is the mathematician, not me), if I got called back, I'd be spending at least $800 total for this one audition. Not including any new shirt or shoes I wanted to wear to the audition or anything, or the cost of sheet music, or the voice lesson I was going to have with my old instructor, Marcia.
It's just too darned expensive. :(
But, Disney does have auditions fairly frequently, so, I'm hoping that when I get back to California, they'll have something I can audition for, and then I'll only have to pay for the cost of gas!
I do still have the chance to be a princess though... I applied to and received an email from a company that does events and children's parties. They have "character performers" who attend these events - such as princesses, pirates, super heroes, etc. They wanted me to come in for an audition/interview this week, I told them I would not be in California until September and they said they'd love to meet with me then. So, that's good. But I'm not 100% sure it's something I'd want to do. I'd have to be available weekends, for one thing. And I've always hated that with every job I've had. Especially since my husband works a fairly standard work week, if I worked both Saturday and Sunday, I'd never have a full day to spend with him. Well, I've got time to decide about that still.
I guess that's all for now. Not the most exciting or uplifting post, but, such is life. And I vowed to keep this blog real and honest so those reading it can see what life is really like for an "out-of-work actress." Though I shouldn't put it in quotes... since I really am an out-of-work actress. At least currently. lol.
Well, thanks for reading! :)

MDPPA Eco/Chic Wedding Shoot and Disney Audition

So yesterday was the Wedding shoot for the Maryland Professional Photographer's Association. I left the house at about 10:30 and didn't get home until almost midnight! It was a long day but so worth it! It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot and met a bunch of really amazing photographers, make up artists, hair stylists and a whole host of wedding vendors. Not that I need any wedding vendors. lol. But still, it's good to network!
And it was so exciting to get paid. Now, I am both a professional actress AND a professional model. I haven't gotten paid to sing - or even be in a musical, but I guess that's next on my list!
It was so cool to have my makeup done professionally. I've always done my own (and everybody else's lol) and most times when I've had the opportunity to have someone else do my makeup, I've turned it down cause I was more comfortable doing my own or thought I would do a better job, etc. But Christine Penny with Angelberry Organics was so great to work with and I thought she did a fabulous job!
Below are two pics - not great quality - but you can see the before and after! It wasn't a great skin day for me, but I love the way it turned out! I can't wait to see the real pics from all of the different photographers. Now I know why some models can be very full of themselves. When you have 15 different photographers constantly telling you how "gorgeous" you are, or what "beautiful eyes" you have, it would be very easy to let it go to your head! lol. I promise not to let it get to me and remain down to earth and humble. :)

Next Tuesday, I am flying out to California to audition for a Disney performance on Wednesday. The show is called Minnie's Fly Girls and it is performed at the Disney California Adventure park. It's a group of three flight attendants from the 50's-ish singing songs about flying from the 40's-60's. The videos I've seen of past performances look really cute and I think it'd be tons of fun to be a Disney performer, at least for a little while. :) So, as soon as I finish this post I'm going to have to book a hotel and figure out which airport I'm flying into! (Either LAX or Burbank - Burbank is closer, but there are fewer flights and I'd be flying standby...) The audition itself is being held at the Debbie Reynolds Studio in Hollywood - which I think is exciting in and of itself. The studio is infamous, and I love Debbie Reynolds - or, what I know of her. lol. I've seen her on So You Think You Can Dance. :)

I'm still deciding on an audition outfit and musical selection as well, and tomorrow I am meeting with my former voice instructor at Sweet Briar College, Marcia Thom, to work on my audition piece.

Well, that's all for now!
Thanks!

Midsummer Night's Dream, and a wedding shoot modeling gig!

So, it's been a little while since I last posted, but the acting stuff has been a little slow lately. Well, I guess that's not entirely true. I did just finish the two weekend-run of A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which I played Titania. It was at a community theater about an hour from my house. It was a lot of fun! There were a lot of talented, young actors in the cast. One of whom, Nerissa Serah Hart, is now a YouTube partner (meaning she's getting paid!) and I thought I'd just post the link to her channel. You know, help a friend out... what goes around comes around... etc.

Me as Titania in the Fauquier Community Theater's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream

Well, the other day, I submit myself to a bunch of postings and casting calls, as usual, and I got a response! It was from the president of the Maryland Professional Photographer's Association about a wedding shoot they're doing at the end of August. He said he liked my look, thought I didn't look like the typical blonde, bridal model (um... thanks?) and that I looked mysterious. Which is apparently what he wanted for the woodland-y shoot they're doing. He talked to my manager, and he then told me to go for it, even though I wasn't going to be compensated in any way other than getting copies of the pictures. And possibly being reimbursed for gas. Well, I talked to the president of the association - Mike Busada - today and he said that I will be being paid now! Woot! :) I'm super excited. I'll be getting my hair and makeup done, and wearing a nice wedding dress (which I should get to see a picture of this week) and it should be fun! Oh, Mike Busada has a pinterest board of his inspiration for the shoot. 

Of course, as soon as I find out more, and after the shoot as well, I will post an update! 

That's all for now!
Thank you! :)