"Happiness is not ready made, it comes from your own actions." Dalai Lama Everyday we decide how we want to the day to go. Yep, it is your decision. There has been a lot written lately on the differences between joy and happiness. I am deeply fascinated by this. Basically depending on what you read-- happiness is external pleasure and joy is derived from some deep internal source. Joy for the win, kids! So how do you create more joy in your life? Well Tiny Buddha has some ideas. And so do I... 1) Say Yes! to life, to outings, to small little things throughout the day. And to big things too. What are you waiting for? 2) Rub some JOY over your heart. Seriously. This special blend of essential oils (bergamot, ylang ylang, geranium, lemon, coriander, tangerine, jasmine, Roman chamomile, palmarosa and rose) opens your heart. Put a few drops in your palm and rub it over your heart. Overcome deep seated grief and depression. Give it a try! 2) Laugh at yourself. As the Indigo Girls said, "It's only life after all."
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I have not posted in several days...my sincere apologies. My reason? I have been busy on a shooting a short film, Emma's Fine -- #EmmasFineFilm! Good excuse, I think. So what is my GO TO product on these days, you ask?? Well...I don't like wearing make-up, so it is very important for me at the end of the day to get that crap off my face! Whether in the theatre, or for TV/film, I look forward to the time I can wash my face and put on Thayer's Witch Hazel. Seriously, if you don't know about this stuff you are missing out! This alcohol-free blend is great even for my sensitive skin. Just wash your face, put some on a cotton ball, rub on your little face and neck twice a day and voila'! Beautiful skin! Thayers has a pretty large line of products, ranging from astrigents, pads to even shaving cream for the fellas. They come in lemon, cucumber, original and more but my fave is Rose Petal with Aloe Vera. So what is the big deal about Witch Hazel? Well, to learn all about it go here but the short version is it is a North American shrub whose leaves and bark were used by Native Americans for a wide variety of medicinal purposes. What makes Thayers different than other Witch Hazel products? "THAYERS are the only Witch Hazel products made of non-distilled extract from the Witch Hazel shrub maintaining the highest level of therapeutic tannins. These natural elixirs have been a fixture in medicine cabinets for generations. Once you use them, you'll know why." For us actors, our skin is so very important. Do your self a solid and find this stuff in your neighborhood health food store or on-line. It will set you back around $10-$15 bucks but will save you on botox... PS The lovely lillies were a sweet gift when we wrapped from the team! #Thayers #EmmasFineFilm JET LAG!!!! Are you on tour with a show? Are you traveling for a gig? Are you shooting a movie? How am I supposed to work like this??? Take care of your jet lag with natural remedies! Yep that's right! You #crazyactors! Ok here is the deal: Jet Lag is actually when you circadian rhythms (or internal clocks) are out of sync. So what do you do to get it together? The show must...you know. Well here are a few natural solutions to get you back on track! Valerian and En-R-Gee are all wonderful essential oils by Young Living to keep on hand when traveling out of town. Valerian is stinky. Let's just get that out of the way. So you may need to cut it with another essential oil such as peppermint. But let's get to the skinny: this shit works -- scientifically, y'all. "Valerian has been compared head-to-head with Serax (oxazepam) 10 mg QHS in 202 patients with insomnia, and the herbal was every bit as effective as the benzo (Eur J Med Res 2002; 25:480-486)." Here is it is from PsychCentral! It will make you sleep when you need to! And En-R-Gee is a powerful blend to keep you going in the hours that you need to be working. The blend of rosemary, juniper, lemongrass, nutmeg, Idaho Balsam Fir, clove and black pepper is a beast. It is a natural energy enhancer and supports the adrenal glands. There are many testimonials of how it will give you an extra pep in your step simply by rubbing a small amount on your feet, wrists, ankles or temples. Don't keep drinking the Joe, just rub some of this stuff on your tootsies, wrists, ears, temples and over your heart! #whatsonourdressingtable (Message me if you want the wholesale price -- #payitforward) What is better than a nice cool refreshing drink on a hot summer's day? A nice cool refreshing drink that actually does something awesome for your body! This mother right here has SOOO many health benefits it is know where to start...What is Kombucha? Click here so the Food Renagad can tell you about it. It has a pretty crazy story...And if it looks like it is growing algae? Drink up! It's the mother (SCOBY) and that is where the good stuff lives... Short List for #healthyactors Detox Detox Detox-- Good for liver health and cancer prevention because of its high percentage of Glucaric Acid (cancer fighter). Drink up and regularly! Joint Health -- This drink has glucasomines (good fighters against arthritis). Healthy Guts -- Probiotics aren't just for yogurts! Likes to good bacterias and fights the bad yeasts...yikes. Over share. Good for your tummy. Immune Booster -- loads of anti-oxidents. What are anti-oxidents? Get out from under the rock and read this from Haahvad. Are you a real hippie and want to make your own? Try this. Sharing means caring! Favorite brands: Kombucha Wonder Drink (my fav is Asian Pear Ginger), Reed's, GT's Organic Raw or find a local brewer at your farmer's market or health food store -- a little shout out to Micanopy Maiden for some damn fine Kombucha I picked up at the Farmer's Market in Gainesville while working a gig at the Hippodrome Theatre! 5 Tips!!! You're welcome. What are 5 simple ways to stay a healthy performer? Let me tell you.... 1) Drink MORE Aqua. Since your body is approximately 80% water, it is pretty important that you stay hydrated. Here is a good indicator- check your pee. If it is a pale straw color, you are good to go. Ha! If not check, Cleveland Clinic's site to tell you what's up with your body. Seriously it is pretty interesting... 2) Add Super Foods to your diet. What the hell is super food anyway? Food that packs a nutritious punch with fewer calories. Here are some to take to rehearsal: blueberries, bananas, blackberries, cherries, greek yogurt, edamame, dark choco, humus and cukes/carrots. Want more options? Go Here. 3) Supplements. Some folks do vitamins, we do essential oils and Amazing Grass (more on that later...). Just do something consistently that gives you that extra ummph. 4) Warm up. I know we all know the RIGHT way to do it, but do we really do it every rehearsal? Every performance? We should. Get there early and just stretch it out a little. And try (I love this one for only $1.99...) Vocal Ease app to help with your vocal warm ups on your commute (in the car or in the elevator). 5) REST! Sleep already! Find a place to rest your mind, body and spirit. We give a lot, physically, emotionally, intellectually. Theatre folks are no joke, running and gunning all the time! Get out in nature and just sit. Binge watch Netflix in bed with your honey. Sleep late. Meditate. Do something that relaxes you. Turning this on here's a good start. Take care of yourself. You are the only you that we got. What's your must have products? What did you choose to put in that tiny handbag of yours for the #TonyAwards tonight? Or what are you making your personal assistant lug around for you??...As we sit on the couch watching eating chips and dip & blackberries and cream, I image that these products would be at the TOP of my list...#RosebudSalve #YoungLiving Peppermint Oil #ReedsGingerChews #Riccola #Olba #VirginMary and a Hanky (I am a southern girl, I never leave home without one...). Please keep it interesting this year kids. We have a game of Cards Against Humanity waiting in the wings just in case... #healtyactor #whatsonourdressingtable What products are you superstitious about? Please share! Stay healthy, y'all~ Because we were in company housing this spring...SUMMER CLEANING! Thieves household cleaner, ladies and gents! We love GREAT products and we love a good story. This has both! Why is it called Thieves, you ask? WEEEELLL. The story goes, 4 French Spice Traders (or Perfumers, depending on the story) were grave robbers by night during the 15th Century. To avoid the Black Death when robbing the dead and the dying, the Thieves created this powerful recipe using oils and herbs. When captured by the King, the thieves traded their secret recipe in for a more lenient punishment. Love it! Can't you just see these shadowy characters mixing and blending various concoctions trying to perfect their recipe? Talk about high stakes... What's the secret recipe and what can you use it for? It's like nature's lysol but smells DIVINE (clove, cinnamon, rosemary, lemon and eucalyptus). Oh and did I mention no chemicals! I don't know about you but I HATE and I mean hate the smell of those nasty ass chemical cleaners. I know it makes your stuff clean but really? I have to kill my precious brain cells to get the germs out? Not anymore! And if my word isn't good enough, Weber University actually did a study and found that 99.6% of airbourne bacteria were killed by Thieves. It's an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal & anti-virus. And it boosts your immune and respiratory systems. I diffuse Thieves Essential Oil basically every night so I thought I would give the cleaning products a try. Ok the results: I have never been so excited to clean! I did my bathroom floor, the blinds, the sliding closet doors and trim in the bedroom and am excited to do the rest of the house...What. Is. Happening... You can't believe how great this smells! So fresh and so clean, clean! And it took the gross moldy looking junk right off the blinds! I am in LOVE! Bonus points: it also took out some wasps on our front porch without using chemicals! Yay, Thieves!!!! You can use this magic juice for everything around your precious pad -- Kitchen, Bath, Bedroom, Floor, Wall, Laundry, Mirrors...#HealthyActors It's Memorial Day Weekend, everybody! What are you doing out there for fun?? Well I know alot of my theatre friends are busy working away in Technical Rehearsals, working Matinee performances...What are we doing in SW FL? Kayaking on the Caloosahatchie and eating watermelon! We went out this morning for a casual kayak around the water here and tried to get back in before the sun got too hot...I think I may be in need of some Lavender Oil this evening because my arms are already feeling a little hot and Brendan's face is looking a little pink..Luckily we are armed and ready... We are headed straight towards audition season, dear actor friends. And you know what that means? Get your materials together, get your monologues brushed up, make those appointments early...I hate to say it but auditions are for the birds. I mean they suck, ok? For EVERYBODY. I know, I have been on both sides of the table and have seen some really fantastic actors really stink up the place during their 2 minute chance to show a producer what big chops they have. AND from a producers/directors point of view, everyone is really hoping that you will be good. That you are THE person for the job. But it is a trial and tribulation all the same...and alas this is the business that we are in. If you want to work, you must audition and you better be able to pull it together. Which brings me to my point...
So on Saturday I had a Skype audition for a short film being shot in Florida by a director from Portugal who is new to Naples. I am in Maine with Brendan till the end of his contract. The god's must be crazy...bc every time we go out of town some where, any where... one of our agents or someone reaches out to us to audition in the place we just left...Am I right??!?? But this time, in spite of the Cardinal Cross, these kind folks allowed me to do a Skype audition. We read the sides together, we talked, we laughed and we "hung up." Monday (the off-day) we had 2 appointments for 2 theatres here in Maine. Both very nice theatres, with VERY nice Artistic Directors. Ok side bar -- I started this blog as part of this site because several years ago I started a blog on my professional page and got cold feet but this time around I was like "what the hell" let's just do it...actors are so worried about their images and how they come off to other actors and more importantly perhaps how they come off to producers & agents. The gatekeepers, if you will. And I get it. I know you can't be totally transparent about EVERYTHING (I'm not an idiot) but come on already...Brendan and I have been at this career for about 20 years each. oooff-ta. What can I say. Which leads me back to my story -- So..... I went up at one of the auditions. I totally went up. Like WAYYY up. And instead of just going on and making up some old bullshit like they "teach" you to do-- I just stopped. I just looked straight out, started laughing and I stopped. I said 'Hey, I am up and I... yeah." I was sort of in shock but I just didn't want to bullshit my way through something that I knew was not going to be any good. (I am actually laughing again right now about it...). I began again and it was focused. I guess, here's the thing -- to just be totally real... The job is really about getting the work. If you are a full time actor, most of your time is spent seeking out work. Which is exhausting and hell on the psyche and all the rest of it. And everyone has bad days at work, right? So Monday was a tricky day at the office. But the flip side was I was back on track for the 2nd audition of the day. And I just wanted to put that out there bc so many actors don't really tell the truth about this shit for fear of looking weak or bad or stupid or whatever-- myself included up till now! I am fessing up to this one. Moral of the story-- by the end of the day I booked the short film from the Saturday audition. Yippy! But my phone died while I was out in the woods of Maine on these theatre auditions and I had absolutely convinced myself that they had gone in another direction...Until I plugged in my phone and heard the voice mail. Actors are crazy people. Happy auditions everyone! Break those legs and remember to BREATHE!!! So. Here we go. Thank you for looking at this page! Ok. Where to begin...
I will not bore you with the whole saga of the how, why and the when of my acting career, at least not yet. I guess I have really been amazed at the lack of resources for actors who are stressed out and needing these resources when they are between gigs and looking for jobs. We have to take care of ourselves people! I mean we ALL have to take care of ourselves but us theatre folk use our bodies and voices to produce the work, so you better be taking extra good care of yourselves. Which is where this page comes in...we are all looking for tips, right? Tips on what to do if you have a cold or tips if you are loosing your voice or tips if you have pulled a muscle but don't want to fill out of workman's comp for...some...reason. And where do you go to find the solutions?!? Other actors of course! And where do you find them? IN THE GREEN ROOM! So stay posted...More to come. "Prepare to have your mind blown..." |
Rachel BurttramI'm a southern gal with liberal politics who has worked my ass off and sacrificed a lot in order to be a working regional theatre actor. There are lots of working actors who are out here grinding without begin famous. And we consider that we have already MADE it. I really like to tell stories and solve the puzzle of the text. I LOVE untangling scripts and unlocking characters. I really give a damn about the planet and am an avid gardener. I love to get my hands dirty. I am completely fascinated by fellow journey(man) actors and how we survive and thrive. Ballin' on a budget, Baby. http://www.rachelburttram.com/ Archives
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