Hello, 2015 :)

As promised, now that I have celebrated my accomplishments from last year, it is time to look ahead and share some of my hopes and goals for the next 12 months.

–Film something that I wrote

Whether it is a scene with friends, or a short with auditions and a crew, I really want to create my own work this year 🙂

–Become a member of ACTRA

–Get an Agent

–Get new headshots

I will research Montreal photographers, but maybe this is an excuse to go back to Los Angeles?

–NANOWRIMO 2015

I had a lot of fun doing it this year, and would love to write a book every November, now that I know it is doable 🙂

–Edit and submit the book I wrote for NANOWRIMO 2014

Although I will be happy even if I am the only one who ever reads it, I hope that once I have edited it and made it as incredible as it can be, that it will be something I will want to share with people, maybe even try and find a publisher 😉

–Finish stunt level 1

My brother likes to laugh at how long it is taking me to get certified for Level 1 at Stunt Stage, but it is still something I really want to do. It will only have taken me 20 sessions to get there, but I am not giving up!

–Be able to jog 10km

The part of me that remembers how hard it was to barely finish 5 km last summer hates me for putting this as a resolution, but the part of me that wants to be the kind of in shape girl who can do stuff like that is excited for the challenge 😉

–Go to an industry/networking event every month

I have trouble getting myself to actually leave the house to go to networking parties or to go see plays and stuff, but I am always so happy I went. A few weeks ago I missed out on a launch party I was really looking forward to attending, so I want to build on that momentum and make up for it by finding a way to mingle with other actors and directors and people in the industry that I might not have met otherwise.

–Audition for an established Casting Director

By this, I mean someone who casts projects for a living. I was so excited to go to an actual casting office last year, even though the audition was for someone completely unrelated to the casting director. This will be a stepping stone not only because of the kind of project it will be, but also because getting to know casting directors and winning rooms is how you get more auditions and callbacks. When Casting Directors know your work, they will be more confident bringing you in. I loved the workshop I did in Ottawa with Elite Casting, but I would love to be in the room because they want to see me, not because I paid to be seen.

–Spend some time outside my comfort zone

It has been repeated to me on Girls, on random quotes on the internet, in my Dale Carnegie class…basically, I need to get out of my comfort zone. I am not putting a specific time element, such as once a week or once a month, because the easiest way to expand your comfort zone is to live outside of it. As you get more comfortable with doing things that scared you before, your comfort zone grows. I decided this was more accurate than last year’s doing something that scares me, because it can be little things like starting a conversation with a stranger in the line at the coffee shop or big things like doing a play or taking a stunt class.

–Improve on or Acquire 3 skills out of: horseback riding, ballet, jazz, weapons handling, scuba diving, stage combat, new language, new dialect, karate, ski, snowboard, skate, rollerblade, etc.

The first few are being carried over from last year, and some can also be found in my 25 things to do before I turn 25, which is coming up soon, but my main priority this year is to be proactive. I plan to not only submit myself, take classes and acquire skills, I also want to improve on the skills I already have, establish the methods and routines that work best for me, and be clear on exactly what I am selling. Bonnie Gillespie’s Get In Gear for the New Year emails were a great help in pointing me into the right direction for things I need to work on. She also suggests one major goal per month, with mini deadlines throughout, so I am very excited about decided which month I will work on what 😉

I want to thank everyone for sharing this journey with me, and to wish you all an amazing 2015!

“Tomorrow is the [second] blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.”

-Brad Paisley