This week was a journey. It was a journey filled with many emotions. Let’s just cut to the chase, shall we? So what is the latest on my artistic pursuit of creative rebellion? Well, lets see I started film class last week at Art Sake Studio. Check it out at http://www.art-sake.com/art-sake.com/Home.html. The class rocks and I already feel like I am learning more than I could imagine from one class. The class is inspired by one of my favorite author’s Julia Cameron (author of book ” The Artist Way”). This class encourages its patrons to attend as many auditions as possible in order to unleash the inner artist and to encourage personal growth. So this Saturday, I went to Full Sail University’s open casting call for local films. I was expecting to audition for two movies. However; when I arrived there was a long table set up with about six creative projects including video game auditions. There was a moment of panic followed by sheer excitement. I went down the aisle and signed up for each casting available. There I sat with five clipboards filled with information about each casting, followed by sides. “Sides” refers to the specific set of lines from the script of an acting project that your child (or you) must learn prior to an audition. It took some time to organize all the paperwork, sign the releases and remember which “Sides” belonged to the appropriate paperwork. I thought, ”If I can figure out how to organize this mess, it’s half the battle.”
I highly recommend auditioning at Full Sail. The staff was very friendly and the casting directors were also friendly, approachable, and eager to get the best shot. The directors were professional and provided feedback. Check out Full Sail’s site at http://www.myspace.com/fullsailcasting. I was there from 3 pm until 6:30 pm auditioning for five projects. It was a long wait but worth it. Why? Because I left with increased confidence. I felt great about the performances I gave and the courage it took to show up. So I encourage you to do the same. Find the courage within to do something you’ve always wanted to do and do it, without question.
Film business has taken the driver’s seat this week. So last night I changed it up by meeting with a friend and co-writer to solidify our song and to make arrangements to record in the upcoming week. Cannot wait to share with you! Mostly, I am feeling very grateful for the support of my husband and family which allows me to go on these auditions. Our daughter Olivia Daisy always inspires and her smile pushes me onward.
It’s been a week’s journey. It feels like this is really happening. That I am becoming the artist I always wanted to be.
After my last blog, I was filled with excitement to sing at Credo Coffee shop. I had been rehearsing vocal and guitar for over a week in order to perform there for what would be my 2nd time. The guitar was becoming my friend and I let go of my grudge against it. You see the guitar and I have a “love/hate” relationship. But recently I decided to give it another try on my terms. So when my baby girl fell asleep and with my husband’s support; I practiced chords on guitar and strummed along to my original tunes. I felt fairly confident that I was ready to showcase my original songs, even if my guitar skills were not perfect. However, sometimes things happen for a reason. The weekend prior to open mic, the guitar was not tuned. I tried tuning it several times, using different tuning methods but was not successful. I was losing hope and wondered if the guitar was broken. But really I felt like the broken one because I was so disappointed. What I really wanted was the last two days (weekend) to rehearse. And well with a baby, various creative endeavors and life; it just didn’t happen. With that being said, I am glad it did not. And thankfully, the guitar was fixed. It turned out that only ONE STRING was out of tune. But due to limited time and my desire to perform at my best; I chose to sing at next open mic. I’m thinking about trying out Austin’s Coffee Shop next week. Sometimes I am too hard on myself. One missed open mic is nothing in grand scheme of life. The important thing is that I am playing the guitar and not giving up on this creative growth.
Sometimes the unexpected actually turns out to be a great thing! So after my disappointment, I set my mind on the next creative goals. And with a tuned guitar, I felt that opportunities were endless. Then I got a phone call from my agent. She wanted to submit me as print model for Scholastic Books catalog. I was excited and of course said “Yes!”. I booked the job and arrived at Scholastic Books on Thursday. It was such a positive experience and the team of artists, directors and photographer were professional. This is another experience that reaffirmed my love of entertainment field. I enjoy print modeling as much as acting and singing.
It just goes to show you that sometimes change is a GREAT thing and that unexpectancies can be GREAT. Here are some quotes that I stumbled upon when looking up “unexpectancies, change.”
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” -Maria Robinson
“Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” -Anonymous
“All great changes are preceded by chaos.” -Deepak Chopra
“Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” -C.S. Lewis
“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” -Marilyn Monroe
“If what you’re doing is not your passion, you have nothing to lose.” Unknown
Lately the word “Acceptance” has been on my mind. I hardly feel like writing tonight as I am one busy mommy and entrepreneur these days. But I miss writing to you, my blogger friends. So yesterday I started pondering over how I am feeling, as many artists do. The words that popped up in my mind are “gratitude and acceptance”. As I have written in previous blogs; I have been feeling immense gratitude for the people, things and places that fill up my heart and mind. The book “The Magic” has inspired me like never before. However, the word “Acceptance” took me by surprise.
So I asked myself, “Where is this word coming from?” The answer: I accept who I am today, not tomorrow. I have spent a great deal of time planning my future and daydreaming. I’m a big believer in futuristic thinking but sometimes people get stuck in either the past or future. I began to feel stuck in the future, not knowing how to be present minded. Still-I am working on being more mindful each day.
The future is now. As I made plans for the future; I also began to feel stuck in the mindset of ”why aren’t my dreams happening sooner? and I will be happy when….” How many of you have felt this way? So I realized I have been living for the future. Although I have been making strides towards my goals of being an actor, singer and writer; it was never good enough. So I asked myself, ” What can I do now to be happy?” What can I do, while pursuing my dreams that will be a “muse” to my creative ideas?
The entrepreneur in me has come up with a vision. I look forward to sharing this plan with you, as soon as it is copyrighted.=) So back to the word “Acceptance.” I’m learning to accept that I am always going to be the “type” to want a job that is spontaneous, creative and in a healthy, happy environment. After browsing the internet about the word “Acceptance.”, I found a few quotes that inspired me and would like to share with you tonight.
“To be given permission to be confused — and remain confused — for as long as it takes would have been a huge gift.”
― Janet Jackson, True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself
“In life one has a choice to take one of two paths: to wait for some special day – or to celebrate each special day.”
― Rasheed Ogunlaru
The price tag that you put on your soul will determine the people and circumstances in which you find yourself.”
It’s been awhile since I have written…well not too long. I wrote blogs for sixty days. However, I promised myself that after the sixty days; I’d only post relevant information to my writing, singing and acting.
So here is the latest news. I performed at Open Mic night for Credo Coffee Shop last Monday evening in College Park, Florida. My family and friends supported me in many ways. I asked my parents to babysit and I had sisters/friends who came out to root me on. I was overcome with gratitude for their support. Below is a peak at the YouTube clips of two songs I wrote.
First song: No Home Without You (Co Written: Kimberly Beaman and Susie Foster-Trewick; Vocals by Kimberly Beaman) Copyrights 2013
So I have decided that if I don’t have anything to say; I am just not going to say it. Here is what I have to say about 3/13/13.
Don’t you just love those numbers 3-13-13. How cool is that?
Sometimes in life we are given experiences to foster personal growth. When we could be angry, sad, scared, hurt; we can make the active choice to be happy, grateful, loving, and to channel our emotions in a positive direction.
I have learned from wise teachers, mentors and of course my parents how to be a leader. Leadership in my view is about being a role model, setting appropriate boundaries when necessary, being a positive individual, empowering others and taking calculated risks. It is also about being open-minded, respectful and listening to other’s views.
I’m learning a lot about leadership. But I have also learned by watching “leaders” who are not leading.
Right now I am actively fine-tuning a song which I CANNOT wait to share with you fellow bloggers, family and friends. What does leadership mean to you?
Here are some great quotes I found about leadership.
“Leadership in position not title.” Donald H McGannon
“What chance gathers she easily scatters. A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together.” Johann Wolfgang Von Goeth
“The people follow the example of those above them.”
Chinese Proverb
“It is absurd that a man should rule others, who cannot rule himself.” Latin Proverb
And with that, goodnight. Sleep well and have a great week ahead! Go out there and show you can be a great leader!
Not much to say about Day 60. Why? Because I survived through another day of being sick. Last night I checked into an urgent care clinic for what I thought was the Flu. But thankfully, it turned out to be a bad cold and ear infection. Still I felt miserable. There were a few things/people who deserve honorable mention for their support.
A special thanks to my mom, dad, Art (my husband), Olivia (daughter) and to Glee.
GLEE (the show) really helped me survive while being sick. I was able to catch up on a few episodes and I’m always inspired by this show to continue shooting for the moon (my dreams). And of course a special thanks to my sisters and friends for your text messages which rooted for me to recover.
Day 60 marks my goal for 60 posts, in sixty days. Overall I have 111 posts (my lucky number “11″). I’m excited about this journey because I am creating the life I have always dreamed of, except now I am actually putting my thoughts into action. So from here on out, I will only be posting blogs about a personal journey of becoming the artist I always imagined. We are all children at heart. And now I am talking directly to you, fellow blogger and/or viewer. You can tap into your “element” and bring your inner child to life. Do what you love to do! Thanks for supporting and following me on this journey.
Okay so I broke my own rules. I have done it before and I will do it again. Yes, bloggers and fans; instead of writing my usual daily post, I decided to write one big post about the weekend. Please forgive me! Rules were meant to be broken.
The weekend was filled with inspirational moments. I was inspired by artists this weekend. It began with the discovery of a hip coffee shop located in College Park. ”Credo Coffee Shop” online message reads, “The downtown credo reminds us to refuse the natural tendency toward floating through life “merely existing” and challenges us to pursue lives of meaning and purpose. We’re finding that the best starting place is service. As we begin to engage the city creatively finding ways to serve, we’ll enter into a cause that can support the weight of our lives. We’ll encounter more fulfillment and see more joy.”
I adore this message of service and community!!! I learned about this shop through a friend and celebrated a surprise birthday party there Saturday evening. Check this place out at http://www.downtowncredo.com/meaning/
There is an open mic the first Monday of every month. I am super excited as I want to meet other singers/songwriters and my goal is to begin singing my very own original tunes there. If you want to learn more about open mic night check out this link:
Performers get ten minutes to sing two original songs and impress the audience as well as the panel of judges. Three finalists are invited back to the stage at end of the evening to perform one more song. Performers are judged in 5 different categories including vocal performance, songwriting, playing ability, stage presence and audience response.
I plan to attend my first Monday viewing of amazing talent tonight!!! This weekend was filled with discovery. I signed up for a Film Class and plan to sharpen my acting skills on camera. It has always been a dream of mine to act on film. Can you tell I did a lot of dreaming this weekend?
On my drive back from dropping our daughter off to school, a song came on called “Something More” by Sugarland. This song truly spoke to my heart and soul. It describes how I feel about a life transition which has been occurring over the last year. Check out this song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp5foT32tKM
Here is my favorite verse(lyrics) in the song;
“Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate
I believe that happiness is something we create
You best believe that I’m not gonna wait
‘Cause there’s gotta be something more”
And with that, good day and have a great week ahead,
Today was a stellar day! I had an audition today for “Liberte Yogurt” Commercial. Right now I am in Tampa, Florida at local Starbucks waiting to visit with my girlfriend. The drive wasn’t so bad because I listened to an audio CD in the called “Super Brain: Unleashing the Explosive Power of Your Mind to Maximize Health, Happiness, and Spiritual Well-Being.” by Rudolph E. Tanzi, Deepak Chopra. I must admit that after the first half of this CD, I questioned if I could continue listening to a book on CD. Why? Because music usually perks me up on long rides and I was already recouping from lack of sleep (previous night). However, the author kept me tuned in detailing innovative health information regarding the unlimited potential of our brains. One point that was discussed repetitively was that we have power over our brains. Our brains do not control us unless we allow it to do so. In other words, we can all tap into unlimited potential and heal our mind, bodies and soul.
The only thing that is missing right now is Olivia. We played this morning before she went to school. However, it never seems enough as I love her to pieces. And of course any couples time (date nights) we can get, we take. We cherish each and every moment we spend together as a couple and as a family. I’m feeling really grateful for family and for opportunities that continue to arise. This career transition happened for a reason. I’m very excited of what is ahead!
“It’s not the broken dream that breaks us, it’s the ones we didn’t dare to dream” Glee
Recently I had a blogger send me “blogger hate”. LOL, I am just kidding. Blogger hate is really blogger love because it is helping me grow as a blogging artist. An unidentified blogger emailed me to let me know she is disappointed with my recent posts. She said “Hey, you used to write wonderful, but the last several posts have been kinda boring? I miss your super writings. Past several posts are just a little out of track! “
But you know what? I agree with her. I promised myself I’d post daily for sixty days. It is difficult to write meaningful compositions daily. I always want to write from the heart. Usually I write about latest highlights for the day. But there are days when the highlights are few and life is just the usual. On those days, I just don’t want to bore you. Generally I will say to the reader, “okay well goodnight, that is all I have.” I will continue to post for sixty days. However, after that I will only be posting my latest artistic creations. I have always believed that it is “quality not quantity” that matters in life. I apply this principle to most everything I do. After sixty days, if I don’t have much to say, I just won’t say it. But I will post anything inspired by the arts and my latest artistic pursuits.
So sorry dear blogger, who was disappointed in my recent posts. I can’t please everyone but your thoughts did not go unrecognized. And what you said was similar to how I was feeling.
Yesterday (Day 46) I was inspired by my daughter and wrote this:
Singer, Writer
Kimberly Beaman
