XXXIII (33) Five People

Yesterday was a very short entry into this blog, because I took sort of a last minute gig helping out with a production. As is often the case, I spent a good part of my journey to the gig second guessing my decision, a habit I’m learning to find a more healthy balance with. Meaning, it’s good to learn from our experiences, but we rob our experience if we aren’t present for them because our mind is elsewhere. In the end, I think my decision yesterday to go down the unknown road was a good one, as would have been staying home and digging into some of the creative projects I already have on my plate.

I’m happy to say that the people I met through the project yesterday were also super cool, and I look forward to possibly collaborating with them in the future. When asked how I got involved with their final day of shooting, I explained that one of the PAs on their set reached out to our shared network at Jen Waldman Studios. One of the things I missed out on yesterday was JWS at night, and evening where the studio members share their work in a more casual, but magical environment. It’s hard to explain the magic that is happening at that studio, the way I described it yesterday was a community of people that show up for each other in so many different ways. We share ideas, resources, projects, and strategies, but on top of that I feel like most people that come in there are already operating at a pretty high level, but I’ve seen and experienced so much growth. And to be clear, the studio was brick and mortar, but since April it’s been online, and while it’s changed, it has not lost the magic.

“They” (not sure who “they” are, but various people who’ve put a lot of study and thought into this concept) say that you are the sum or the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. As I’m writing this, I did a quick google search and found a Medium article titled “You Are NOT The Average Of The Five People You Surround Yourself With,” I was intrigued by the title, and had to see what it had to say. It actually hit on the point that I was going to get into which is, it’s bigger than just the five, that’s just a jumping off point. Both the article and I agree that there is an exponential effect that happens when you consciously build your community. One of the things that I love the most about living in New York is the amount of people I get to come into contact with, and the opportunity to spend time with amazing people.

So today at Jen Waldman Studios facilitated by one of my favorite acting and singing coaches, Kyle Branzel, we did an educational reading of Wicked which Jen Waldman was in on Broadway, as well as many other Jen Waldman Studio members. After the reading, Jen, and several of her former Wicked cast-mates were there to share some of their experiences with the studio, and none other than Stephen Schwartz the composer himself showed up!

If you are interested in strengthening your artistic compass and building your community, then I can’t recommend strongly enough, join Jen Waldman Studios for the February session. At least join Home Room to set your week off right every Monday, and you will probably want more. I am not being paid to write this, I promise you, but I am getting so much value out of my time there, and I want to share that with as many people as I can. It’s been a priceless value for my mind, soul, and artistic heart. There are scholarships available as well.

Let me say one more thing before I end this commercial, I promise you though, this is genuinely coming from my heart. I joined JWS in January of 2019, and as I’m writing this, I can’t believe it’s only been two years it feels like another lifetime, and for a lot of us, it was. I joined a class called SHIFT, and it was described as being about mindset, and I went in thinking, “Why not? New Year, I’m sure I’ll get something out of it.” And I was floored during the first class, and realized it was exactly what I needed at the time. Because I was damaged, or I thought I was. It’s why I quit acting for 5 years, and focused on music. When I realized I missed acting, I wanted to approach it in a different way than I had before. In show business, and life in general in this over consumer driven world we live in, it’s easy to fall in to some very toxic ways of thinking if you’re not careful. And while I was determined to stay centered, and healthy, I was on the path to heading right back where I was mentally when I walked away before. We have one life, I mean, I kind of think we do play this thing over infinitely in many different multiverses, but, we only experience the version that we’re in right now. So, I believe it is very important to do what we can, to make this reality the best one we can, and it starts in the mind. I know 2020 was hard, and there were great losses, my heart goes out to anybody who lost loved ones or jobs. I also am not working the job I was a year ago. But my new 2021 Passion Planner arrived last week, and I looked at the goals that I set in my 2020 version and was blown away by how much I actually accomplished in the middle of a global pandemic!

We can’t control everything that happens in the world. We can’t prevent earthquakes or pandemics. We can vote, but we can’t control outcomes. But we can work to build ourselves and our communities up, and when we do that there is a ripple effect that can create positive change in the world. I didn’t even use a planner before 2019, and ever since SHIFT at JWS my life has changed, it helped me find, and clearly see the path and it feels like the growth is accelerating with time. And yes today Stephen Schwartz showed up, another time it was Simon Sinek! While both of those luminaries are amazing, they are the cherry on top. The community, and the collective growth I’ve witnessed and experienced are priceless. So if you have great friends, but want to expand your community, come on in. If you have negative people in your life, and are looking for a new artistic home, come on in, you will thank yourself later.