Wanted: Smiling Faces

I've been floating among a sea of cubicles, hanging onto the Internet for support while sustaining myself on cups of free coffee and drowning my sorrows in diet coke...

Things have been a little bonkers in Brittany Land. (Bonkers in Brittanyland....will you please write that musical for me? Ok, thanks.) I had to pick up a two-week temping gig and take a break from the manic auditioning. No matter how much I'd like to sustain myself on oatmeal, I needed a some cash and more vitamins in my diet. 

But you know what? Its okay. Temping is wonderful because its flexible, easy, and you get to leave. No matter how much you like your temporary position or don't like it, you are finished at the end of your contract, which is usually one week. 

There are so many unhappy people here in OfficeVille. They don't like to say good morning. They rarely make eye contact in the hallways. I feel compelled to count down the hours until I can go home. Its very obvious who loves their job, and who is here because it is a job. The ones who are content shine out from the crowd. They are generous with their smiles. 

A week is long enough to make me feel so grateful for my path in life. We as actors are a special breed; we have identified our passion and are following it. Its really easy to forget that when we are waiting in line to audition at 7am, or haven’t got a call back in a while. Remember: you are pretty freaking cool, and you kick ass for putting yourself out there. So many people let themselves be stopped because they are scared. Know that you are special and so very, very brave for doing what you are doing. 

My butt hurts from sitting all day which is a paradox. Its stick it out because it all to contributes to my inner passion. On Monday I can be excited about auditioning and joining my true coworkers in the waiting room of Telsey. Two weeks from now I can look forward to re-joining my touring cast as we prepare for an invited performance abroad (more on that later!). 

Everything is a compromise. I’m compromising what I’d prefer to do (leisurely drinking coffee in my sweatpants while submitting to projects online) versus what I need to do to make some money (leisurely drinking coffee in a dress while answer telephones). I’m working toward a long-term goal. 

So if you have a day job that you aren’t in love with, have no fear. Flip that frown upside-down and use that energy towards appreciating what you’ve got. And one fine day, I’ll never have to answer phones ever again. 

:::cue chorus of angels:::

(photo courtesy of Ronnie Nelson)

-- Brittany Baratz

 

 

 

Comments

[Kathleen Sauer]

LOVE this post, Brittany!
You GO Girl!

[Justine]

I've done a lot of temping. Sometimes I like it because if it's a well-paying position, I can use part of that money towards classes and headshots and other things that I put off when I'm not making enough money to be able to do it. (And as we know, when you're a serious actor, headshots and classes shouldn't be a "luxury" item, but a necessity..) :)