For the Love of Acting

I am a witness that following your passions are worth it, even though it may not lead to the paths you imagined. One of my favorite things to do pre-wife&mom days was hang out alone at Barnes and Noble, combing through the Christianity section. I was a new christian then and found the children’s books to really help me understand the Bible and the Gospel. This one book called the The Tale of the Three Trees stood out. It captured my heart to the point that I started giving it as a gift to friends including the guests at my intimate wedding. In short, The Tale of the Three Trees tells the story of 3 trees with big dreams. (Spoiler) Every one of their dreams come true but not in the way they imagined. It was a beautiful story and as a new christian then, I admired the profundity of what a dream in God’s hands might look like.

Choosing graduate school for Acting was one of the best decisions I made in my life (minus the student loans). Why? I had threw all caution to the wind and followed my desire to learn the art of acting and become a professional actor- my dream. This area of study was completely new to me. Unlike my grad school peers who had studied the classics, taken acting classes as kids, or majored in theater undergrad, I was a Social Work Major that discovered acting during my sophomore year in college. It appealed to my analytical brain and creative thinking and challenged me to express myself physically. I was very green with virtually no experience but, I was certain that acting was what I wanted to do and that it would lead to riches and “greatness” someday.

For the love of acting, I chose graduate school which in turn informed some significant decisions in my life: Moving to California, Marrying my husband (Long story. Ask me about it someday), Starting a video production business, Homeschooling, Creating our own curriculum and courses. The confidence that came with choosing to pursue the study of acting is priceless.

Chicken or Egg.

I am not sure if I chose acting because it spoke to my inherent communication and teaching skills or if studying acting developed my communication and teaching skills. Either way we go together.

Acting is more than scripts, performances and applause. What may have begun as a narrow understanding framed by fame, TV, Hollywood and Broadway, acting offered a world where learning and transformation were inevitable. There’s a lot of life-wisdom inside the study and practice of this discipline that I grew to want to share with the world.

I mined the treasures of this understanding as a student and teacher. The storytelling, analysis, logic, reasoning, problem solving, perseverance, psychology, sociology, humanities, poetry, creativity, professionalism, community, artistry, commitment, focus, discipline, entrepreneurship are all jewels. I am rich, not in the way I imagined yet, but in the way that matters most-kind of like a dream would look in God’s Hands.

Have you read The Tale of the Three Trees, A Traditional Folktale? Do you have a “For the Love of…” moment?

I am starting a virtual acting class for teachers because I know the impact it can have on one’s life and work. Coming Soon.

In the meantime, another step in that direction would be to check out my brand new course Adding Theater to the Classroom without the Drama.