Who Am I and Why Am I Here?

Actor? Check. Athlete? Check. Over-thinker. Check (I think). Lawyer? Check (technically).

They say that adults nowadays will have multiple careers. I am on my second.

Six years ago, I applied to law school, got accepted, moved from Alabama to Baltimore, and immediately disliked it (law school that is).  With an undergrad in interdisciplinary philosophy and writing (don't judge my writing by these blog posts), I didn't feel I had any real option but to tough it out and try for a big firm job when I graduated.  Plus, I wasn't passionate about anything else, so it made no sense to jump ship.

So, I graduated and was fortunate enough to land a job at a large law firm doing contract law for large financial institutions.  Not the exciting life I'd imagined for myself, but it paid well.  After a year of slogging through life as a lawyer, I was in desperate need of some creative influences in my life.  Naturally I turned to writing.

I was browsing Craigslist one day looking for a writing competition to enter and accidentally clicked on the link where acting gigs are posted.  I was flabbergasted at the amount of acting work being done in the area.  I searched around and found a few guys shooting a short film (unpaid of course) who were looking for an actor with or without experience.  I immediately signed up!

I had such a blast on that short film that I decided to keep looking for more...and more....and more.  Eventually, I filled every weekend, some weeknights, and basically every spare minute I had with filming.  I absolutely loved it!  Acting fed all the neglected creative faculties that had been atrophying at my lawyer job.

Eventually I reached the point of no return.  I could not do any more acting work and still be a full time lawyer.  I approached the firm about going part time, but they wouldn't go for it.  So, against all rational concepts of job and financial security, I turned in my notice.  

You only live once. 

Thus I became an actor.

I am scared.  I grew up poor, worked hard to secure a career that would ensure I would never be again, and now I've abandoned that to pursue a dream that by all practical accounts will lead me right back to poverty.  On my last day of work at the firm, my colleagues asked me whether I was excited or not.  I had to admit that my overwhelming feeling was fear....but I could not stop smiling.

That's a snapshot of who I am and why I'm here.  I promise (with fingers crossed behind my back) not to be so self-indulgent in future posts.  I hope you'll join me on this roller coaster.

So that is how I got here.  We all have a story.  I'd love to hear yours...

(photos courtesy of Ken Arnold and Rashel Hagmayer)

-- Gabriel Voss

 

Comments

[Bubba]

Heck ya man! Follow the dream. I'll drink to that!! If the 'job' doesn't make you happy, its time to leave, and start doing something you like.

[Brittany Baratz]

Thats an awesome story; you've got a lot of courage! Welcome to the blog :)

[Gabriel Voss]

Bubba - Thanks for the encouragement. That's exactly what I'm trying to do.

Brittany - Thank you for the kind welcome. Looking forward to blogging with you!

[ChunkyMonkey]

Yeah, jump on in! And the Baltimore area is great because you're close to DC and closeish to Philadelphia.

Besides, with legal experience you'll always be able to find some short term work to safety net yourself if things get financially dire.

[Brandi Ford]

Can totally relate to the whole grew up in poverty and now I'm pursuing a career that can take me back there thing! But like you, we've got to follow our dreams. Welcome to the blog. Looking forward to reading more of your stories.

[Joe Cardinale]

Just don't get married and have kids before you make it or get a girl pregnant and take no responsibility for the child. Good luck.

[Cole Matson]

I spent 3 years acting in Baltimore, and it's a good town. I did a short film Ken Arnold was the lead in a few years ago. Good guy, and you got some great pictures! Best wishes on your work.

[Gabriel Voss]

ChunkyMonkey - You nailed it. Being in Baltimore has allowed me to take advantage of a range of markets in the area. I work everywhere from NYC down to Virginia.

Brandi - Thank you for the welcome and very glad to hear you are pursuing your dream as well. Carpe diem!

Joe - Thanks for the good luck and the advice

Cole - What film did you do with Ken? I just did a small part in a feature Ken was the lead in. Thanks for the well wishes.

[Cole Matson]

Gabriel,

It was called Acting Cupid, and I was a featured background sight gag called Geeky Guy. It was my first film project in Baltimore back in 2007. What was the name of your project?

Cole

[christine]

Love your drive! what an very inspiring story :) Welcome to the family!

[Gabriel Voss]

Cole - Cool. I had a small role at the end of The Haunting of Pearson Place which just finished filming recently. It's a feature that should be out sometime mid-2011. I saw you are a C.S. Lewis guy. I grew up on The Chronicles of Narnia and also started Lewis' scifi genre trilogy (the name eludes me at the moment). Great great author!

Christine - thanks for the welcome. Very happy to be a part of the fam :)

[Cole Matson]

Gabriel,

Good for you! Yup, I am a Lewis fan. I'm the VP of the Oxford C.S. Lewis Society, am writing my thesis on "C.S. Lewis on the Moral Responsibility of the Christian Artist", and work as a docent at his house here in Oxford (where I'm currently studying). Book 3 of the Space Trilogy, That Hideous Strength, is one of my two favourite Lewis fiction books (the other being his last novel, Till We Have Faces). I'm looking forward to seeing Dawn Treader next weekend!

Keep up the good work!

Cole

[Gabriel Voss]

Very glad to hear you have found a profession that makes you happy. So many people go their entire lives without discovering what that is. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!