1. My brother. Whenever I'm with him I always end up laughing until my sides hurt. He's so smart and funny and I'm very proud to call him my brother. I love him.
2. My parents. They are extremely supportive of my dreams to be a performer (even if they don't always fully understand what that means for the way I have to live my life). They have been there for me my entire life, cheering me on, and I cannot express how lucky I am to call them mine.
3. My roommate. She's frakking awesome. We can feel free to be as silly, awkward or nerdy as we want because we know that we have each other (even if everyone else becomes weirded out by our nerdy references or secret language).
4. Puppies. Seriously. I love puppies. I miss mine like crazy. How can you not love those little faces? One of the very first things I'm going to do when I someday land a recurring role in a show or get some kind of long-ish-term schedule set up is to get a puppy.
5. Shakespeare. I will be forever grateful that I went to a high school that produced at least 1 full length Shakespeare play every year. I am even more grateful for my theatre teacher (affectionately called "GU") who saw potential in me and cast in me in my first Shakespeare show as a freshman. Ever since I played an evil spirit in that production of Macbeth, I have loved all things Shakespeare. It amazes me that these stories and these words that were written in the 17th century are still being performed today. Every time I read one of his plays I discover something new and I'm swept up in the wonderful way that Shakespeare uses language. If I had to choose one style of acting to perform the rest of my life, it would be Shakespeare.
6. Sondheim/JRB/RSO. I have always loved music and there are a few key musicians that inspire me, bringing out the emotion and beauty that are woven throughout their music. One of these musicians is Stephen Sondheim. This man is truly a master of his art. He knows how to create complex and gorgeous orchestrations while at the same time writing some of the most beautiful (and sometimes surprisingly simple) lyrics that mesh perfectly with the music. I get choked up every single time I hear "Being Alive" or "Finishing The Hat". He is truly a genius. Another brilliant composer that I love is Jason Robert Brown. He is similar to Sondehim in the fact that his accompaniment is very complex and precise, while at the same time highlighting his beautiful lyrics and bringing his songs to life. I've watched videos of him playing songs live and it is evident that he is passionate about his work. He puts his whole self into everything he does and has a great time creating his unique music. The third artist who shares traits with Sondheim and JRB is a fairly new composer named Ryan Scott Oliver. He has a similar musical style and his lyrics bring out the emotion and struggle within his songs (I cried the first couple of times I listened to/sang "Lost Boy" from "Darling). All three of these composers constantly remind me of the beauty and power that music has as a storytelling tool, and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future. Speaking of music...
*SEQUE TO...*
7. My guitar. I started playing guitar about two years ago, after receiving a baby Martin guitar for my birthday. I taught myself basic chords (with help from my sorority Little, Jordanne) and the very first song I wrote was a Harry Potter related song, called "Your Eyes". From then on I've grown as a musician, learning more chords, writing a number of songs (many of them with nerdy themes to them), and learning to play a lot of my favorite songs, singing along as I play. I love it. I feel like I can express so much more through music than just speaking and learning guitar has allowed me to do just that. I'm also learning how to play Ukulele, though I'm still working on the basics.
8. Show Choir. When I was in high school I was a proud member of our school's competitive show choirs: the freshman JV group called Future Image, the all-girls group called Sweet Revelation, and two years in the Varsity group, Ultimate Image. Those years of performing in those choirs will remain some of the happiest memories of my life. Being a part of those groups helped to fuel my love of music and singing. I grew stronger as a performer and as a person, learning that you can accomplish more with hard work, respect and passion than you can with false enthusiasm or laziness. I miss it so much.
9. Snow. This year has been especially interesting because it does not snow in California. All of my senses seemed to be thrown off when December rolled around and it was 80 degrees outside. Growing up in Nebraska, I'm used to the snow and the cold and I'm one of the few people on the West coast who actually misses snow during the winter months. When it snows everything looks...new and peaceful. Especially when the snow is the big fluffy flakes that cover everything in a blanket of white. It always makes me smile and puts me in a holiday, happy mood (not so much when it turns to slush though).
10. My dreams. I am so blessed to not only have a loving a supportive family, but to also have a family who can afford to live in a nice house and to pay the many expenses it takes for me to get started out here in California. I am so lucky to have support from my parents and encouragement from them to follow my dreams. I've met so many people here who are only just getting by, having to support themselves or not truly having "approval" from those they love to pursue acting. I know that my life won't be an easy one, not with this career, but it's my dream and I can't imagine myself doing anything else. I am forever thankful I've been given the chance to chase my dreams and build the life that I want for myself.
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