New Blog For Artists and Actors. The Drama-Free Blog
Writing this new blog for artists and actors, The Drama-Free Blog, is a pending task I’m finally working on. Sometimes artists, in general, are very busy in our profession. We forget to generate community.
I plead guilty.
Sometimes the art world sucks me in or overwhelms me, and I have no one to talk to. So, for now, I write as an invitation to dialogue, Drama-Free.
While I’m publishing, I’m also in personal reconstruction. When I look back, I have the impression that I have walked through many different lives.
Who am I to write?
It isn’t easy to answer. My first impulse is to say that I am nobody.
I have done nothing memorable for humanity. I have left no legacy in the world, no Academy of Art award-winning work.
I am an actress who writes. An immigrant in an ocean of dreamers. A woman who is doing what other millennials do: healing and re-educating themselves.
And though I’m a nobody, I have many stories to tell. I hope you’ll stick around to read.
I’ve had several jobs and trades. I’ve lived in nine cities and walked as a tourist, student, and lecturer. From the time I first boarded an airplane at age 16, I knew that much of my life would be a constant adventure.
I have periods of obsessive dedication to the craft of acting or writing for days at a time without sleep or food.
Other periods when I want nothing to do with an artistic career.
I have experienced some bitter things and some beautiful ones. I guess the art world offers those two sides of the coin. Still, I always come back to enjoy being creative.
Right now, I want to write my experiences and grow with my community. What to do, what not to do, where to study, what to read, listen to, and practice as an artist.
The mission is a new blog for artists and actors
I decided to start this new blog for artists and actors to keep track of my steps—an exercise of responsibility. I can already hear my inner voice saying, Well, Nora, you wanted to be an actress.
You know, like social pressure, but self-imposed.
It’s inspiring and terrifying at the same time to release day-to-day details. Goals, failures, and adventures that life in the arts offers, but… Why not do it?
Some people believe that by revealing your plans, you are “baiting” them. For example, when you blow out the candles on your birthday cake. You keep the wish you made a secret so that it comes true, and you don’t “bait” it.
Contrary to popular belief, when you express your desires, you feed them. Likewise, when you reveal your weaknesses, they lose power over you.
I am on a mission to share the good, the bad, and the ugly of my journey, revealing my plans, one after the other.
A personal confession
I have to share a secret with you: I am not an optimist by nature. I tend to think of all possible scenarios. I hope for the best; I prepare for the worst.
I learned this from reading various Stoic philosophers, such as Marcus Aurelius: “The first rule is to maintain an unshakable spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them as they are.”
As an actor, many situations can discourage you: money problems, family, the industry, and the rejections you face.
I don’t know if I will make it. I choose to think I will.
What I hope is to be wise to stay with a calm heart throughout the process.
Call it manifestation technique, mind revelation, or defiance of the Matrix. Still, I trust that you have the power to shape your reality.
I’ve had “aha” moments when I’ve realized I’m experiencing what was created in my mind years before. Somehow it materialized into reality.
I decide to go after my career with more enthusiasm than ever. I play with what is or is not written. Have fun along the way.
In the meantime…
You have to enjoy what you do. Work in your profession, go on a date, practice a hobby, or spend time with family.
Forget about wasting time on what doesn’t bring you happiness. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that the ride has to be smooth.
There is magic in overcoming obstacles and becoming a more vigorous and wiser person. It will reveal the more vital and more discerning artist in you.
I have decided to go for my passion and share the ups and downs with you. It would be great if you could also tell me about your experiences, doubts, and achievements.
To stay in touch, you can write me at info@noracross.net, and I will respond, or if you want you can leave a comment on this post.
How did this story begin?
It all goes back a long time. At the age of 16, I participated for the first time in a theater course in my city.
I decided to dedicate my life to acting after getting a little taste of what it was like to be on stage. In theater classes, I felt confident to show my true nature.
I talk about showing myself because, at that time, I lived in constant contradiction. I was a very passionate and socially impulsive teenager—parties, friends, gatherings, stormy relationships, and so on.
In the school world, I had a reputation for being calm and even dull. Most of my teachers considered me an ideal student. I got used to doing what others expected of me: keeping quiet, agreeing, and looking down. I remember wanting to run away.
On stage, it was different. Scream, jump, cry, express, punch, guffaw.
I lived a double life, but I am fortunate to have realized it at an early age.
It wasn’t all so wrong
If I could highlight one positive aspect of “imposed introversion,” it gave me the ability to observe and read people. My intuition and imagination developed rapidly.
Silence helped me enter into constant dialogue with my inner voice. I created hundreds of stories that I found more fun than sitting in a classroom.
Traditional school was, for me, a waste of time. I was not getting helpful life skills. I knew I wasn’t going to use calculus or the perfect square trinomial in my future. Still, I was getting excellent grades and awards.
That showed me that people could excel in something they are not interested in. Imagine the possibilities when you work in the profession you love!
What is possible when you put your mind, heart, and passion into a goal? I would say the sky is the limit.
The Contrast
When I studied art in college, I was thrilled. I spent every day researching and learning, memorizing, rehearsing. It was one of the most fantastic times of my life.
I am in love with the possibilities that art and fiction offer. I’m not sympathetic to the idea that by acting, you can “be other people.” I think you have the opportunity to be yourself, but without limitations. For an actor connected to spiritual soul searching, this is gold.
With each new character, circumstance, and dialogue, I explore my potential and connect with others. I am me but in an exponential way. I see it also in dancers and musicians. They don’t stop being them by getting on stage; their virtues and sensibilities are exposed, even more to create.
Isn’t art fantastic? What profession gives you that possibility? Writing this makes my heart beat faster!
For me, there’s no alternative but to follow my passions, and I hope you’re on board.
Questions & Answers
To make this new blog for artists and actors more dynamic, I have added a Q&A section.
For now, these are questions I've been asked in interviews, but I'd like the next ones to be the ones you ask me. Here we go:
Professionally, I admire Arnold Schwarzenegger. He's been an actor, businessman, bodybuilder, and politician, and he's succeeded in all!
His mentality and determination are extraordinary, and he can do anything he wants to do. I relate to his experience as an immigrant. Someone who faces challenges in the U.S. acting world because she has a foreign accent. (Mine is super strong, - insert nervous laugh here) I think his career is inspiring.
Yes, many. To name a few, my family members scattered in different countries are always on my mind. It would be a dream come true to be near them.
I also worry about my retirement in old age. My generation does not have the stability promised to previous generations. It used to be that hard work and consistency were the golden tickets to good retirement life. Not anymore.
The first is a movie night with my husband and the cats curled up next to our legs. It's lovely to enjoy being with someone you love and watching the furry ones sleep, knowing they are safe.
The second is having phone calls with my sister. There is (literally) an ocean between us, but it doesn't feel like it when we talk. We can laugh for hours about things that are not funny to anyone but us.
Then, I'd say getting messages from my mom. Her memes of an adorable puppy wishing me a good day make me smile. I'm convinced she sends them from the bottom of her heart.
Lastly, I confess that it makes me happy to go to my favorite vegan restaurants and eat cruelty-free.
In another blog entry, I answer the question What do I need to become an actor? but in the meantime, is there anything you’d like me to write? I’d love to hear from you!
I want to make this new blog for artists and actors, The Drama-Free blog, a journal. I wish my auditions, classes, and life as an actor can help other artists on their journey.
Remember, you can support my content creation by treating me to a coffee and subscribing to my newsletter.
Thanks for reading!
Nora Isabel Cross
Share this:
Nora Cross
0
Tags :