What's your biggest struggle? #OffBookEd

I went home devastated. I told my mom I was quitting. Thank heaven she reminded me of how bad I wanted this opportunity. How I wished and prayed for it.

With Brute Force, I went from being the fourth understudy, to a lead role a few months later.

But ... it was painfully difficult.

One line.

I couldn't remember it.

The pressure of the opportunity was too much.

Water can burn, you know. I got the tears to prove it.

One line.

I couldn't remember it.

I had seen Mosaic perform in my middle school two years earlier.

Now here I was rehearsing with the people I wanted to be like.

The director gave me my shot.

One line.

I had one line.

My time came to show the others.

My cue.

My body stood up.

My mind sat back down.

1999

A former mess hall in a derelict military base.

I was a new recruit.

Not in the military, but Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit.

We rehearsed on an old fort donated to us by the city.

This run down building was a dream come true.

I still want to be a cartoonist.

#INTJ for life!

Our privacy seeking protagonist is assaulted by a well intentioned surprise party …

… thank goodness hospitals are quiet and lonely and tend to be extrovert repellent !

Introvertigo (see image) was my expression of the plight of the introvert in this extremely extroverted place called America.

In a weird way social media offers that prospect.
I’m writing this in the wee hours, alone, spilling my subconscious on the table for others to probe and forage for inspiration.

Then syndicated distribution would ship piles of money into my bank accounts along with licensing deals and quiet fame.

No need to be interviewed.
No public speaking engagements.
Just images expressing my neuroses in humorous relatable scenarios.

I wanted to be a cartoonist!

As an introvert, I dreamed of crafting funny little stories with images in the wee hours of the morning all alone.

So, how do you present yourself to the market to exchange your skills and value for income?

If you were a cereal what would your box look like?

Are you promoting Wheaties on the outside of your box, but you’re Cocoa Crispy on the inside?

I understand that brand and promise are vital to earning an amazing income.

People need to know what problem you solve well so they can get to their desired outcome ASAP!

I’m having a heck of a time whittling that down.

When people ask me what I do I often have a glitch moment because it’s such a tough question to answer.

My usual reply: Depends on what time of the day it is?

I continue to live many lives in my professional career…

… business analyst, ScrumMaster, project manager, teaching artist, front-end developer, screenwriter, game show host … and that’s just since COVID.

… acting allowed me to live a thousand lives.

Trying to distill what one has to offer society into a clear package has been frustrating.

Especially for an actor.
We are convinced we can do all the things.
Which is why acting was so attractive to me in the first place …

I’ve been trying to figure out this online branding thing.

And as a very private human who has strong misgivings about participating in social media, I’ve found this journey in to “content creation” rewarding and disturbing.

… I started seeing different ways to present myself.

And the truth is none of them are inauthentic!

Which makes it all the more confusing.

Have I been having an identity crisis?
Or am I just a dude with many facets?

So, I’ve spent several thousand dollars on online courses and coaching and a weird things has happened…