It was just my birthday month and I think humans are never too old to celebrate leveling up. Because this time also coincides with Winter in our hemisphere, I find that my inner landscape mirrors my outer environment. My gaze turns inward, reflecting on past years, but I also notice the small shifts that may turn into big growth as the year progresses. There are a few things that I’m excited about coming up (and goals I want to achieve), but before I get to upcoming projects, I’m taking a bit of time to look back on the year past and to remind myself to focus on caring for Holly. I encourage you to try out these things as well.
Celebrate yourself (and your wins)
It’s tax time for me and that means going over last year’s income. That can be a scary process but it’s also a great opportunity to remind yourself of the great work you did last year. Regardless of whether you met your 2022 financial goals, you got stuff done! You produced great work! I’m particularly proud of the audiobooks I recorded last year, the shows I performed in, and the work I did in Arts in Ed.
Plan ahead for the new year
I’m going through my goals right now. It’s kind of overwhelming for me, and I’ve found it’s important to put these on paper. I like to have everything written out because that helps me circle back to things I had that slipped off the radar. Goals should be achievable, manageable, and specific or they become impossible. To me that means that I want to work with new people or specific organizations, expand my client base in a certain voice over genre, or book particular jobs. By writing these initiatives down, I will know for sure if I’ve accomplished them.
Do some journaling, meditation, yoga
At the start of the year, I jumped into the 30-day Yoga with Adriene with some of my family. We put photos and posts of ourselves in a WhatsApp group to keep ourselves accountable, but the goal was never about fitness. Instead we supported each other as we worked through whatever we wanted. Everyone talks about self care, but I try to keep compassion and joy as a cornerstone for my work. I sometimes put myself last and wind up NOT OK which means I have to take a step back. It’s sooooo tough when you are a person that truly wants to give and care, but unless some of that giving and caring is also for ourselves, we quickly burn out and stop being able to support anyone.
Looking at the road ahead
One of the best ways that I have to keep on track is by getting hyped about the projects I have coming up. Here are the four things that are getting me out of bed in the morning right now.
Cock Robin
I recently had the opportunity to star in an upcoming film by director Frances Barth. It’s already won a few awards and is currently running the festival circuit. It was amazing to work on this project and I just love that my costars, crew, and Frances are getting their due.
Symphoria Syracuse Symphony
I love helping children connect to art — whether it is theatre, music, paintings, or all of those things together. That’s why this is one of my favorite projects that I have going on right now. We’ve actually been doing this for a few months and have more shows coming up, and I’m the narrator/funny facilitator that helps get kids actively into the music. If you’ve ever listened to Sterling Holloway narrate Peter and the Wolf or watched Fantasia, you know what I mean! And it’s LIVE, so the kids often ask me questions afterward that they would be too nervous to talk to the musicians about.
Mini Clown Tour
My close friend Karen Stanley and I are on tour with our interactive show “The Dance Class” and accompanying full-participation workshop for 50 elementary school classrooms, finding the light in life’s difficult moments, the medicine of laughter, and the joys of living in “clown land!” There is something about 6 year olds shyly coming up on stage to put on floats and teach Little Clown (me) the silly dance that fills my heart.… Then, when we are doing the workshop and everyone is having Unexpected Things Happen while they pretend to sleep, pick a flower, or eat a ridiculous breakfast, and there is glorious exuberance and giggling, my heart somehow fills even more, and my faith in humans is renewed.
Circus Troupe Show
We’re launching a Comedy Space Horror in June and I am counting down the days until I get onto my stilts again. Circus Culture always feels like my heart’s home, and they hold classes as well as support the various troupes. If you are in the Ithaca, NY area, come see the shows!
No matter if your wins are getting up in the morning or accepting an Academy Award, you should celebrate them! But also take time to relish in the projects that bring you joy even if (or especially if) they bring you no accolades. Those for me are the ones that stick with me and remind me of why I do what I do.
