Leap of Faith

IntIt’s been a long time since I last posted a blog…since the first week of January to be exact and there are a number of reasons for this. Health. Friends. Family. Work and ultimately I had lost the desire to continue writing.

I don’t think my writing style is the most enticing or what I had to write was very interesting but that is all about to change, maybe, because I quit my job, I left my family home and moved to London to pursue a career in acting and modelling. Yup you read it right. If you’re a friend of mine you’ve probably already aware of what’s going on.

If not then stay tuned.

I could basically fill up this blog with a load of ‘take a chance’ quotes but I’ll save them for my twitter and Instagram, well there might still be a couple..

This move has been a plan of mine for some time now, a lot longer than I realised, apparently since I saw my first West End show back when I was about 9. I got to see Les Miserables as part of a group trip with my drama club, I was stunned to say the least. The lights, the costumes, the harmonies and the stage! It moved! And that was it for me I went home to my mom and dad told them that’s where I want to be and that’s what I want to do.

Which brings us to now. I’m doing it, well kinda. I’m here, in London. For me personally that was half the battle, this year while I was in hospital (after my operation) I had one of those iconic light bulb moments where I said to myself if I don’t do this now I never will.

Now I’m very much a realist, I know this isn’t going to be easy being a freelance artist, I know I’ll compare myself to others succeeding, I know I’ll have to get used to my own company, I’m gunna have to get used to going to the gym more than once a week, I will perfect my craft and go to castings/auditions A LOT of them, but all of this makes me even more curious.

Being in the unknown is pretty scary, but I’m trying to replace my fear with my desire and drive for what I’m pursuing, if nothing else at least I can say I’ve tried.

I’ve only been here about three weeks and so far so good. I’ve had a professional modelling job already, booked in a couple more and applied for dozens of castings so now we wait, I’ll report back when the next exciting event happens. Hopefully that won’t be another 8 months down the line xx

Fringe Festival

Fringe Festival

Even from the moment we stepped onto Edinburgh High Street in the pouring rain lugging our bags from the train I knew it was going to be a good week. You could just feel the atmosphere of what was to come. Walking down the high street we were handed dozens of flyers about various performances, saw street artists such as magicians, stunt performers, dancers, and musicians. The streets were bustling; it was loud and crowded but you don’t mind when you’re genuinely interested and want to know what’s going on.

The thing I found about the Fringe Festival is that there is something for everyone. There really is if your with your family there are kids shows, if you can’t afford a lot there are street performances and performances that are part of the Free Fringe, if your with your partners and want something a little more adult, there are sex classes (that is not a lie there is a class called the Wank Bank Masterclass) and of course if your there for theatre, it’s everywhere in its many shapes and forms.

It’s also a great place to make some contacts if this is the industry you want to be involved in. Those of you who read my blog will know that I recently created a business card for the purpose of taking it up to Edinburgh to test the waters to see how well it would work. And I’m not gunna lie it went down pretty damn well. I wasn’t just throwing it at people, I gave my card to specific artists/creatives who I thought it would be a benefit for me to know. These included performers, directors, an agent or two. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re all going to get in touch, maybe none of them will, but I have noticed an increase in activity of people viewing my website and facebook page so it’s doing something.

I was also going to do a review about the shows that I saw, but looking back I know this is impossible to do, during the week I easily saw a dozen shows, and that’s just me counting them off the top of my head. So instead here are the top 5 recommendations of performances to see at Edinburgh (in no particular order):

1. Baby Wants Candy. This is a musical theatre group who create a new show every single night! No two shows are the same. When the show begins the actors ask audience members to shout out what the title should be of the show, once they have agreed on one the show begins. Improvisation, comedy and music at its finest.

2. Driftwood. This performance was a circus act, which included physical theatre, contemporary dance, gymnastics, ariel hoops and trapeze artists. With only 5 performers enclosed in a small performance space of a circus tent meant there was no room for errors. You are hypnotised by the movement and strength displayed in this piece.

3. Giant was the name of the performance created by Human Zoo whose performance tells a moving story of three generations living together. They achieve this through clowning and physical theatre but also includes puppetry and live music. If you’re looking for something a little different watch this show!

4. Another Fucking Variety Show. Is exactly what it says, this late night show hosts a variety of acts including a woman who loves headstands, a drag queen, a comedian and loads more, this show has something for everyone….over the age of 18.

5. And finally ‘Axis of Awesome’ this is a show that I had prebooked to see and I’m so glad I did. I learnt about this musical trio a few years ago from their hit song ‘4 Chords’ they are youtube sensations. This show will have you in stitches with their witty songs, comic timing and the fact that they are having just as much fun up there aswell.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is still going on for another couple weeks until the 29th August! If you have a few spare days get there see some shows, meet the performers and enjoy! xxx