2019 Resolutions

Learn Armenian

Learning a new language is on my list of 30 things to do before I’m 30, and although I had originally planned to learn something like Italian and use it as an excuse to go back to Italy, I am now going to focus on Armenian. Possibly not as useful in the global sense, but my boyfriend’s family all speak it, which gives me lots of opportunities to practice. Also, his grandmother likes to sit beside me and tell me stories in Armenian, which would be amazing if I could understand them without having to make him translate everything. I think I’ll save writing and their alphabet for another year, but by next Christmas I would like to be able to have a conversation with her, without an interpreter.

Learn to edit

I have been working really hard at becoming a multi-hyphenate lately, with writing, producing and acting in my own projects, and I love it. I love how producing gives you the ability to participate in creative decisions after the script has made its way into the director’s hands, and I would eventually love to try my hand at directing, but I feel like there are so many things I need to understand better first. Such as editing. I have made my own demo reels and clips, but there is a huge difference in quality and watchability between the ones I made myself and the one someone else made for me last year. Editing on a large scale sounds daunting and terrifying at the moment, but I plan on filming short little things intermittently every month or so, then editing them on my own. I probably won’t show them to anyone, but eventually, I’ll figure out what I’m doing and maybe edit my next short. Or at least know what I want and need when I’m collaborating with someone else.

Blue Belt

I have been doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for almost a year now and love it. The BJJ is an awesome workout and a lot of fun, but it also comes with an entire family/community and lifestyle that is definitely top-notch. I have been working really hard on learning the 2 days of curriculum that are needed to progress to a blue belt, so now I will be working on putting them into practice while rolling. I’m also going to be competing again this year, so it would be nice to train hard, maybe win a match at a competition and eventually join the ranks of the blue belts.

Publish a book

I’ve had this one on the list for a while, and in various forms I have been writing and getting my work out there, but it is time to stop being so afraid/lazy and actually submit one of my novels to a publisher. Hopefully they like it and we work together to get it published, or maybe I’ll go the self-publishing route an my mom will buy the sole copy. But it’s time to knock this one off the list.

These are some resolutions that aren’t really in my control. They’re goals that I resolve to work towards and do everything in my power to achieve.

Festival Circuit

Last November we filmed Get-Together, and I may be biased, but I think it has incredible potential. My dream would be to have it premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, so that I could attend TIFF as a filmmaker, get the industry badge, go to all the panels and networking events with something awesome to talk about…The resolution here is to create an amazing film and submit it to festivals so that we can share it and experience the festival circuit. Either way, I’ll keep producing and creating and improving until I get there, taking all of the advice and knowledge and suggestions and constructive criticism that I can get.

Replace Credits

I love my resume and all of the credits that are on it, because each one was an experience that taught me something or allowed me to be something or do something incredible. I don’t regret any, but as I grow as an actor and join the unions, my credits need to reflect that. So from now on, I will be working on building myself a resume where all of my credits are union ones that I am proud of.

 UDA

It takes 30 credits to be a full UDA member and I currently have 1. Soon to be 3. So 27 credits this year is quite a stretch, but the point is to be actively working towards getting them. That means UDA background in Quebec, French plays, self-produced work, and of course, booking actual UDA gigs!

ACTRA

I am hoping to be auditioning more this year, now that I am officially in the union, and it would be wonderful to book some of these auditions. Commercials, tv shows, webseries, indies, big-budget features…I would love to try them all. Would be thrilled with a one-liner as I build up my union credits and get to know the industry, the players and the playing field. I would love to get the 2 credits to make me a full member this year, but either way, I will be working hard, taking classes, gaining experience, and doing everything in my power so that I will be ready when the time comes and opportunity knocks.

Finally, this year I think my word will be DETERMINATION. Because I am determined to achieve my goals and not just give up on them and be lazy as I sometimes do. But also because it can be defined as “the process of controlling, influencing or deciding something”. As in going after things rather than letting them happen to me. For so long, I prided myself on being the nice girl and agreeable, that I often don’t have opinions on things, or don’t share them, because I know that I will ultimately go along with whatever everyone else wants. So, as scary and unpleasant as it sounds to me, I will try harder to make my own decisions, and to share them when I do.

“I’ve always found that anything worth achieving will have obstacles in the way and you’ve got to have that drive and determination to overcome those obstacles on route to whatever it is that you want to accomplish.”

-Chuck Norris