17.

I've gotten a number of emails recently from people asking to sit down and talk about the business, talk about how to be a working actor, learn about the voiceover world or commercial on camera world, tv, etc. And it's not that I don't want to help people or give advice and share what I know - I just don't have time to sit down with all of these people and give away my time like that. I wish I did, but I have to make money too and work just like everyone else. I'm currently juggling 10 people who want my time...

So my thought is that I can be more dedicated to sharing info and advice here. So that's what I vow to do.

First thing I thought of to inspire today's post was back when I was auditioning for musicals. There was an audition for a national tour of Miss Saigon. I was currently doing the show Footloose in Illinois and I happened to mention to some cast members that I was thinking of auditioning for SAIGON. I remember one of them said "Tia (show nickname they gave me), I've worked for that company before. The Asian girls going out for this show will school you - they are fierce." Do you know that I **almost** didn't go to the open call for this show?!? I kept remembering what this guy said. He was right, in a way. I didn't go to a musical theatre school, I didn't have the background in dancing, acting and singing like a lot of these other actresses. I didn't have their experience. I didn't have A LOT of things. Also - I wasn't a tiny little bird with a tiny, gorgeous body. BUT I did have a passion and a desire to do the show and when I was at the audition - what got me through was thinking - "who cares, I'm just going to go and see what happens." By the way, I booked that tour. I also booked the RENT tour at the same time. I chose to do RENT, then I was able to go do the SAIGON tour a year later.

I would say that what I learned from this is - 99% of my job is showing up. Showing up at auditions. There will be disappointment in this business. That's just the nature of the beast. But you have to decide how much you want to do something, and show up. Let the chips fall where they may.