Sunday, July 24, 2011

Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School - 7.24.11





One Art form to Another

Seeking employment once again.

This time, I have learned to change up any prejudices about finding work while the employers haven't given up theirs. They can now have the best pick of the crop, while talented people are shucked into alternative job roles that don't get them back to where they want to be. Survival mode needs to kick in.

You may see my travels to Chicago, local art group, and Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School sketches appear at a minimum here. I'll just draw what I can when I can without having to spend too much money. I have all the tools at home, and I must overcome my stresses about my house and being able to create in it.

I've taken up exploring another art that I never thought I would and once feared doing - acting.

After putting it off in 2008 during my worse unemployment dry spell, I was able to take 2 acting classes this year for character study and improv. I'm glad I took them when I did because you end up meeting people that take you on a path you would never expect....

Now, I find myself carpooling with friends to film auditions and seeking extras casting. Yesterday, I was a first time movie extra for a local film (and learned the headaches of background noises - queue bar refrigerator noises). No cash payment but you have to start somewhere. An acting resume is now prepped and I am debating whether or not to get professional head shots when I'm not thrilled how I look right now and low on cash. I don't want to get them and not ever use them.

It just seems crazy to me to invest too much into this when the governor of the state has disrupted the film incentive program. A state that once hosted the idea of entering the movie industry saw the Hollywood draw fizzled out a little. Other films pulled out and moved to other states. This resulted in lost job opportunities and business for local companies in a state that has already suffered a major blow from jobs lost in the auto industry.

But I press on solely for the thrill of learning. I didn't really take the classes to be in movies anyway. There is something about "my" character that has changed over the years. My momentum was lost somewhere. I figure a recipe for self exploration and an infusion of extrovert mentality (for an introvert) would help the process.

Currently, the job market relies on who you know to get your foot in the door. I felt I needed to learn how to speak, how to be, and how to sell myself as being extraordinary. But I also need to learn who I am in the process.

Solace time in the library has went from studying technology to digging into the art of acting. (I've been shot down for so many IT jobs that I'm already prepared for audition rejections.) Character study is no easy feat and relies on the power of observation. Improv requires practice in a group setting. (My short term goal is to jump into Open Improv night so I can stop being a chicken.) If I get into the Scene Study class in the Fall, I would be eligible to join the theatre troupe class. I know theatre experience is a good thing. However, I'm taking it one step at a time....

Acting is purely for fun as I try to work out my drawing adventures.
But the first thing to do is find a steady job again...

P.S. Note to self. Don't be jumping up for Open Improv if you don't roll with the "offers". You know when you are ready. Mantra : Review, Research, Reboot, and Retry. Tonight's epic fail just makes me want to try again....and just do better.