Mental Health Break

 Mental health breaks are important. Most of the time I forget about that. I get so stuck in the daily routines of childcare and part-time jobs that I find it harder and harder to motivate myself to do the work. All of a sudden doing the work that is important to me and tat should be fun because it is what I want to be doing becomes almost a chore. I feel so drained that in the valuable and sparse time that I have to myself, all I want to do is sleep or at the very least not think. And then a day like today comes along.

Today, I attended a workshop/seminar put together by Miranda Harcourt and Tina Cleary with support from Film NZ and the NZ Film Commission. The seminar was about auditioning and casting process but an inspirational point of view. It was about all the little things that make an audition great; from the obvious learning your lines really really well to those things we tend to forget when our nerves get in the way like breathing, bringing ourselves to the role and making a connection with the reader whoever they happen to be. Mostly, they were things that I had heard before but watching back some fantastic auditions really drove them home and made me hungry to be better, bring more me, work harder, connect more.

It was also fantastic to see some of the actors again who I have worked with over the past couple of years. Working essentially two part-time jobs from home doesn't leave much room to connect with other actors - in real life, as opposed to social networking sites. And boy do I crave that connection as well! 

After the three hour workshop was over I really really did not want to go home. So, instead I went to lunch with two wonderful actresses I had met at other workshops and we talked and talked about all the things we can do to get better, get farther, dream bigger. Connection is great and solidarity and going this journey together.

I need more days like today and I will make them happen.