A December to Remember

Have you had the panic attack that this is the last month of 2013?!  Ahhh...because I have, and at times, it can be overwhelming and other at times it can be invigorating.

With a new year coming, comes the Holiday shopping, Holiday parties, New Year's resolutions, and looking back at what the year offered.  Which combined together can sometimes lead to a major panic attack where I am lying on the couch watching episode after episode of Friends while finishing that Holiday pie and an occasional beer or glass of wine.

However, as this year comes winding down I challenge you to REMEMBER

Remember that you are an artist and that your voice is important in this artistic community now and in the future.

Remember that you have accomplished so much this year...while sometimes it may not feel like that big budget movie, that Broadway contract, or number one hit single, you as an artist have your own goals and successes on a daily basis and it is extremely necessary to personally acknowledge your own successes within your journey.

Remember to breathe.  What...when is there time? You are not alive if you don't breathe and if you don't allow yourself that sole moment to exist you cannot breathe life into your craft.

Remember to take that risk.  Sometimes I definitely fall short in this area.  But I challenge you to take a risk in these next few weeks of December rather than waiting to start in the New Year.  Life is too short to play the waiting game.  Get out there and jump and take that risk.  Connect with someone new, wear a crazy Holiday sweater if it makes you feel good, go to that audition you don't really want to go to and try something new, take that day trip you wanted to take all year....if you jump...you might fly..... and then it definitely will be a December to Remember!!!

As always Remember,

Live for Today, Laugh Often, and Love This Moment!

Patty G. McGee

The Road Less Traveled

As an artist, it is sometimes a very difficult road.  Now, no one said it would be easy..... right?!!! Ughh!! And some other four letter words thrown into the mix.

If you are blessed with multiple offers at once, it is a difficult decision to decide which one to take...will I make more money doing one job? Will another job be a better creative outlet? Will I have to leave family and friends?  You are very lucky if this sounds familiar.

On the other hand, there are many times where the work is limited.  There are moments of self doubt, large periods of uncertainty, and moments of huge anxiety.  For the artist, it sometimes is not always about the path that you once envisioned, or the one that others have planned for you.  It may be a difficult road full of bumps, stumbles, and cutting yourself on a lot of overgrowth along the unbeaten path.  However, when you stumble.... remember to get back up, because your artistic voice is too important not to be heard.  Those minor cuts from the path become scars that remind you of where you came from and that unbearable hill that you feel like you are climbing up reminds you that there are things always worth achieving and going after.

 It is also important to realize that sometimes those cuts need a little healing and those embarrassing stumbles allow you to catch your breath when you don't have the ability to realize it.  You are after all human.  What you are not a machine that hits that high note or hits your mark on cue?!?!

 Realize those moments, and take the time for yourself in order to heal and develop a stronger artistic voice.  I know it is very hard especially for me who always needs to be working on the next big thing.

 However, right now, I must admit that I am in that artistic healing process at the moment.  It was a long process to come to but it is much needed. I am stepping back for a moment in order to heal, breathe, and be a little human instead of letting the industry drive my intentions.  In the end, my artistic voice will come back stronger than ever, and my work will have the heart and soul that is currently missing.  It is definitely not the path that I envisioned and even had planned.  But it is the path I am on and I am grateful for every stumble, embarrassing moment, and cut long the way.  It is a path based on honesty, truth, and courage.  I think Robert Frost said it best and I will leave you with this.

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The Great Expectations

Do you have expectations for your life? Your Career?   

You might be slightly lying if you said no.

Like many artists, we all have some vision that we hope for and plan for.  However, life is more about the journey and not the destination.  I know when you hit rock bottom sometimes easier said than done.  Sometimes those moments where we do not meet the expectation that we set for ourselves or our family/society set for us are the moments where we reach the most clarity in our lives.  We reach deep within those moments of not attaining those expectations and are forced to fully examine what we truly want out of this life we are given.  Sometimes in the pain, there comes true beauty which I came to realize.  

For many artists, we lead such crazy lives.  Figuratively and literally.  We live job to job...we take a job in South Dakota leaving behind family and friends, we take that day job that we dread in order to eat, we receive five million "no's"  in hopes to have that one yes!  Sound familiar.  For myself, I have experienced all those things and came to to one revelation these past few weeks.  What is that you ask?

I have not been truly living life and especially living in the moment since I had a certain "expectation" of what I planned my life to be.  So I have stepped away from those "expectations" both as a person and an artist in order to live and fuel both me as a person and the artist.  I am enjoying that ice cream and beer, or that conversation with that dear friend, or attending that family wedding (since I have missed too many because the show must go on) in order to feel more balanced as person,  That in turn will make me both a more balanced artist and educator.

I have learned that is alright to let myself to let go of those "expectations" and that is part of the process.  Once I did that I will truly learn and grow and the work will come.

What is one thing that you have put off because of money, time, or other pressures?  

Now...allow yourself to do it! You deserve it!  

As always live your life with integrity, truth, and courage and life's expectations will fall into place.

McGee

I like to move it...move it!

mo·men·tum

mōˈmentəm,mə-/

noun

1. 1.

   PHYSICS

   the quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity.
2. 2.

   the impetus gained by a moving object.

   "the vehicle gained momentum as the road dipped"

   
   

   
   

   As humans, there is a constant ebb and flow all around us and within us.  I think we are naturally built to have a sense of movement.  However, there are those many times where we all feel stuck in the mud and not moving towards the goals that we have set for ourselves.

   
   

   
   

   Has the momentum in your life ever felt stagnant? How did you react? How did you get the momentum going again?

   
   

    There have been many moments over the past five years where I have felt completely stuck.  However, those moments passed and I developed into a better person because of those experiences.

   
   

   
   

   For any actor, there will come a time where you feel stuck.  It might be not booking the job or always playing the same role.  As an artist, I think it is important to have a sense of growth and movement.  However, when you feel stuck, I think it is important for you to acknowledge this feeling and try to understand why you are feeling this way.  Sometimes, it may be something as simple as changing your wardrobe, a different morning ritual, or trying a new activity.  Know that if you feel stuck you have the power to change your situation and placing a little bit of energy out there can make the world of difference.  

   
   

   For myself, movement has come in the form of relocating across the entire country.  I have a sense anxiety and excitement but with all that, I feel the movement that is here and that will continue to flow.  Sometimes jumping is all the movement you need in order to reach your dreams.  

   
   

   Feeling stuck?! First off.... write one sentence about why you feel this way...Next write down 3 things you can do this week that are completely different from your every day routine..  Maybe grab coffee with a friend, take a new route to work, by a new shirt.  Do something different because reaching out is half the battle.

   
   

   Reach out, jump, and get that energy that you so desperately need and crave.  

   
   

   
   

   From the sunny West Coast,

   
   

   Patty G. McGee

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

To or not to act...that is the question

Congrats so you want to be an actor! Yes, you graduated with a four year degree or you went to a strong acting school in LA or NYC and now you have arrived.  But what made you want to be an actor in the first place.  It certainly cannot be because it would be the easiest choice.  With about a small percentage of all Union actors working consistently, what keeps you going to that audition, taking that next class?

Why are you so desperately drawn to this art form?

Why are you an actor?
I mean really stop and think for second about what truly draws you to the craft of acting.
Stop and write out five reasons you love acting.


While for some, fame and fortune are in their eyes..... I feel for many, it is something deeper.

For myself, there is nothing like breathing life into the words that a playwright or script writer created.  Thinking, feeling, moving and creating this new life.  It is also so much about collaboration.  As actors, we are both creators and collaborators, and in this unique art form, we create something that I believe can truly touch the soul.   Laughter touches the soul, drama touches the soul, fear touches the soul and these moments and many more can be created on stage or on film.  We are storytellers for generations to come.

That being said, you have a voice as an actor.  One voice and only your unique voice can do what you do.  Remember you are unique and try not to compare yourself to fellow actors or feel inferior to other actors.  They do not have your voice or the stories that have shaped your life.  Your journey is what makes you, you! I know easier said than done.  But you are you, you are not someone else, someone else is someone else, you are you!  Enjoy your freckles, your glasses, the part in your hair, the small chip in your tooth, the way your voice sounds, the way you blink, the way you breathe... for it is all you!

Finally, remember to bring your unique self into your work and the rest will follow.  Stay true to yourself and your goals and always remember why you wanted to act in the first place.  Paint the picture and tell your story in every acting moment.   For those moments are both precious and genuine.

Live today in the moment in order to tell your story tomorrow.

Patrick

Turn that Dreaded NO to KNOW

How many times have you heard the word no before?

I am sure that as a child we wanted everything and we encountered the word no from parent, teachers, aunts, uncles, friends etc.

When you hear this word, NO, where does this word resonate within you?

For me, it hits me right in the stomach.  When I was younger, I hated the word NO and tried to fight it so many times with temper tantrums, whining, and complete resistance.

However, what if sometimes in our lives, a NO in life allows us to see more clearly and KNOW exactly where we need to be.

As an actor, I think I have heard the word no 1.5 million times.  I cannot begin to list the many jobs or call backs I did not receive or contracts never given.  I would be lying if I said the word, NO, does not affect me.  As actors, we want it all but in all reality we cannot do it all.  Sometimes a NO gets us to really KNOW what we need and want in this business.

Have you ever really wanted something so bad but for whatever reason the universe just was yelling NO, in your direction? How did you react? How did you feel?

Most recently, I had signed on to do a role in an indie film with a good message and a lot of heart.  Wasn't going to make millions but felt confident about making this world a better place through this piece.  However, the director called and there are major scheduling changes and things would conflict with some things from my end.  Therefore, we reached the conclusion that it was best for me to not be a part of the film.  The universe basically said YES  at first and then a gust of wind blew in, and said NO and for the first time in a while that NO did not feel like a blow.  It helped me to know that there is something else that needs to be worked on or figured out in that time.  It was a very liberating feeling.  It helped me to get excited about the unknown future which can seem very daunting and scary.

When there is NO in your life.... breathe, listen, and then react.  Most likely you will KNOW that you are completely where you need to be.

This business is a crazy one and when this business gives you many, many No's (nose), stop and smell the flowers and KNOW yourself, your craft, and your artist.  Then the career need and want will grow.

 "Life never seems to be the way we want it, but we live it the best way we can.  There is no  perfect life but we can fill it with perfect moments."

Cheers,

P.G. McGee

Mistaking the Mistake

Have you ever made a mistake?

How does it make you feel?

The word alone makes the pit of my stomach churn due to the perfectionist qualities that I am attempting to let go of.

For me, for a long time I wanted to always have things be perfect and when they did not go according to the plan, I felt like a let myself and other people down.  I think for myself I did not want to let other people down and this fear dictated many of my actions.

As an actor, I have fallen on stage, missed entrances, forgotten lines, and as a person there could be a list a mile long.  And then there are several great mishaps in the audition room...... Sound familiar?  However, these occurrences onstage and off stage have guided me to new places and new people, and made me aware to be awake in the moment that is currently in front of me.

What if our mistakes are meant to happen? What if these are the things that remind us of certain things that we may be neglecting or take us to a new place that is exactly where we need to be at the moment in time?!

I think for me it about re-evaluating how you look at a mistake and take that opportunity to learn something new and appreciate why it happened.

Going back to your mistake? Did you learn anything from your mistakes in the past? What did you learn and have you taken different actions because of your mistake?

As an actor, we learn a lot by doing.  However, observation is also a great tool.  Looking at your own mistakes and being able to grow as both a person and an actor can be extremely useful.

Look at your mistakes today and embrace them because they will guide you to a golden opportunity tomorrow.

McGee