Filed under: A Little Me, Blips, Dreams, Imagine, Music, NaNoWriMo, On Stage, Plays/Musicals, Remembering, Singing, Song Writing, Try, Writing | Tags: 2012, audition, fiction, hes not there, mikael short, music, nanowrimo, performing, recap, reflecting, Singing, single release, Song Writing, theatre, writing
Can you believe 2012 is almost over? I know for sure that I can barely believe it. Each year passes and I feel like more and more happens each time a New Year comes around.
Memo to Father Time: SLOW DOWN! A girl needs a chance to figure out what’s going on before she can go forward!
For me, 2012 turned out to be the year of picking passions, finding what those passions truly are and getting out of my shell to go after them. Inspired by one of my blog crushes, here is my “Eff Yeah!” list for 2012 in a reflection of what’s happened:
I started the year with four part-time jobs: Production/Social Media Intern at PCTV, Production Assistant at ABC 4 News, Communications Intern at the Salt Lake Chamber and I held down my monthly newsletter gig at Sinclair Oil Corporation. It’s okay my romantic life was in complete shambles because I had all of these to keep me completely occupied and distracted for nearly 70 hours a week in five days. And then spending every available moment with friends. And I effing owned all of my part-time jobs–to the point where PCTV and ABC 4 were both sad to lose me. One to the end of the internship, the other because I felt restricted in following my performing passions.
Performing totally trumps TV aspirations. They came first and I love it more, just saying. There are other ways I can do what I love without working in the news biz.
So I started auditioning at Hale Centre Theatre for every single show after I quit at the news station. It’s my “big fish” theatre. I will perform there one day. My time just hasn’t come yet.
In July, I was promoted to Communications Coordinator at the Chamber, and I’m still thrilled about it. My job is so much fun! It’s all writing, editing, research, social media, building websites and emails, and–get this–a magazine. Cool, right? Plus, it’s all deadlines and we all know how much I heart those. I work with some incredible people, and that never hurts either. It’s just a good gig all around.
Thanks to that promotion, and the kick-in-the-pants motivation that participating in VEDA (Vlog Every Day in August) gave me, I knuckled down in finding my own place. As luck would have it, I managed to rent the second master suite in a gorgeous town home from a super chill girl for six months (in my third currently). Moving out of my parents house is most definitely an “eff yeah” moment! Now I’m looking forward to having my own place in 2013!
As far as virtual life goes, I’m nearly done with my 365 days over at Something Write (will wrap up just after the New Year, but will likely continue to post something on there every day–I like it), I completed VEDA in August, and finished over 51,000 words of my dragon novel for NaNoWriMo. I’m a winner! :)
And then music? It’s gone better than getting into a show… I’ve been working more on the music aspect rather than lyrics, so I’ve laid down or composed more music for a handful of songs in the works. Just a couple of weeks ago, my single “He’s Not There” was released on practically all of the music distribution sites you can think of, like iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon MP3, Spotify, etc. It’s pretty rad. Go have a listen! :D
Along the lines of that, I also started a new “performing” website for myself. It’s going to be one of a couple that I will go into more detail on in my next post. ;)
To cap off several auditions at Hale, I finally decided to start auditioning for other theaters back in October. Figured it would be good experience and odds weren’t bad that I could get cast in other theaters (breaking into Hale is a bee-yotch even when you know someone in management)–because hey! I’m pretty talented and I know it (cue LMFAO dance). And now I’ve been cast in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Centerpoint Legacy Theatre, to show in March! Auditions can pay off if you stick with it and keep trying!
Even though things got rough when my step-sister passed away last month, that encouraged me to do everything I want to do as soon as I can do it, and also to give and share as much as possible… because you really never know when your time will be up. It was hard on Christmas Day when I realized I wouldn’t hear her voice again. Though we did have our differences, she was an incredible, intelligent and very caring woman.
Other “Eff Yeah!” moments:
- Having the most awesome friends a girl could ask for. The Amazeballs Trio–any moment with them qualifies as an “Eff Yeah!” moment.
- Reaching 500 subscribers on YouTube.
- Nabbing the Booty Shaking title at the Flamingo Pool in Las Vegas over BiSC.
- Participating in The Middle Finger Project‘s Copywriting Workshop over the summer and learned a ton.
- Watching all three seasons of Vampire Diaries in less than one month. Yes, that is so an accomplishment.
- Surviving a potential bomb situation.
- Getting over my unicorn.
- Conquering the Adventure Rope Courses at the Utah Olympic Park.
- Our CEO liking the speech script I wrote, and also immediately signing off on my text for our holiday card–aka: rocking my job. Booyah!
- Learning to cook!
- Managing to leave an imprint of my sweaty boobs on my friend’s TV. It was epic.
- Trying new restaurants, foods and flavors and enjoying it. For someone who used to only eat ramen and mac & cheese as a kid, this has been quite the endeavor.
- Learning how to properly uncork a wine bottle.
- Reading over 20 books this entire year.
And I kind of feel like I’m a master now. Can I have a badge?
Up next: I’m mapping out my goals for 2013. And I have plenty! You should join me for some. ;)
Who’s ready for an amazing 2013? And what was your favorite thing about 2012?
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Filed under: A Little Me, Good Things, Happy Dance Time, Magic, On Stage, Singing, Song Writing, Updates | Tags: cd baby, centerpoint theatre, diy daily, diy musician, do what you love, hes not there, itunes, joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat, nanowrimo, new single, new song, song on itunes, songwriting, spotify, thorny bleeder, writing, wrote a novel
So a MAJOR update is needed (Blips of November is still in the works–I know, I’m way behind. Busy time, I tell ya).
Things have been crazy busy, but a crap load has happened and nearly all of it has been good.
And I mean so good that I feel like I need to scream it all from the mountain tops.
Photo from gtall1 on Flickr
Yeah, that good.
So here’s what’s up:
This year, I’ve realized that if I want anything to come of music and performing, I have to do something about it instead of waiting for someone to just pluck me out of obscurity (which, even now, probably isn’t that likely). So I’ve been auditioning at Hale Centre Theatre (my big fish), and even started expanding outwards to other community theaters I’d heard good reviews of.
None of them had panned out how I wanted.
And when I didn’t get called back for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in November, I was crushed. It was already a hard time as it was so it’s safe to say that it was one of my lowest points this year (and that’s saying something). So I messaged the director to figure out what I need to be doing to make my auditions better and I got some great advice from him. And it’s from that advice that I got it in me that, even though I’ve been auditioning for a year without a role, I still don’t have to give up.
In my mind, I figured that all these failed auditions were leading up to something great, that they had to be not following through because the cosmos had something better in store for me. Because of that, I couldn’t just lay back and do nothing despite that being all I wanted to do.
And now that maybe true… something better is coming.
NUMERO UNO – Thanks to one of my fave email newsletters, The DIY Daily, I discovered CD Baby. I signed up at the beginning of this month, thinking this could be my chance to take my music into my own hands and start selling it. Within 12 hours of submitting my first completely finished song, the magic happened.
And now my single “He’s Not There” is now available on iTunes, Amazon MP3, Spotify, CD Baby and host of other music distribution websites. AMAZING, RIGHT? My excitement over that has been through the roof. When you add the fact that I have amazing friends and family who either bought it and/or spread the word about it, you can pretty much picture me doing this all over the place:
All the happiness!
So a large thank you and a billion bear hugs go out to everyone who has listened/bought/shared my single. Feel free to continue to do so. ;)
PS before I move on: Working on more songs as we speak! Hopefully I will have a handful of songs done in the spring ready for an EP. That’s my goal for when I’m not working on numero dos (see below).
NUMERO DOS – I’ve just been cast in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at CenterPoint Legacy Theatre as a Wife in the M/W/F cast! Whose wife yet, I don’t know. The first cast meeting this weekend ought to shed some light on that. It performs throughout the entire month of March! PSYCH! Cannot even express my excitement at this point.
So not only is my music starting to get out to a broader audience, but I’m going to be in a musical too! Because of this, I’ve also revamped my website.
Not to mention the fact that I totally hit over 51,000 words for NaNoWriMo for November.
ALL THE GOOD THINGS.
Is it safe to say that success is mine now? All the things I love compiled into three weeks of amaze-ball-ness? AMAZEBALLS! It goes to show that perseverance and determination can really pay off. And working your ass off doesn’t hurt either. Well, it might, but it’s worth it.
I mean, really?
HOT DAMN! I’M ON iTUNES! Buy my song here!
Okay, there’s my excitement quota for the year. I’m finding my stage, both musically and writing-ly. So find your stage and rock it, okay? That’s what this life is for. Life’s too short to not be doing what you love.
MikShorty 
