Happy New Year! A look at the year ahead

It's 2010, and we're a few days into the new year.  I hope your holidays were merry and bright, and those of you in cold climes kept cozy and warm.   As we kickstart the first work week of the new year, it's time to review 2009 and take a look ahead.

As a voiceover actor and improviser, 2009 set the stage (as it were) for the year ahead.   After a year of networking and searching, I signed with TGMD Talent Agency.  Between my freelance VO and the agency, I even booked several jobs!  While I won't quit my day job just yet, those bookings and every audition strengthen the base on which I am building my talent.  I joined an improv troupe (Team X), that has enjoyed great reviews and success in its first 8 months together.  This February, Team X heads to Seattle, where we will perform two shows at the Seattle Festival of Improv Theater! 

While I'm not much for New Year's Resolutions (they are usually big promises we find hard to keep), I am a huge fan of writing down your goals.  Each year, I revisit that list and make sure that those goals still make sense for me, that I'm on track, and that I'm continuing to take steps that will allow me to achieve my dreams.  So as we head into 2010, I have focused my energies on the following:

1)  365 auditions in 365 days.  This works out to at least an audition a day, and as a voiceover artist, is totally achievable.  The idea behind this goal is to provide added focus to my voiceover career and find as many opportunities as possible to work in VO.

2) At least 1 class per quarter.   From classes to workout groups, ensure that every quarter of the year I have engaged in a class, workshop or workout group that allows me to flex and strengthen my acting muscles.  When we stop learning, we stop progressing.  I never want to stop progressing.

3) Keep performing.  This is a somewhat open ended goal.  The idea here is to always keep practicing my craft in VO and improv, in whatever form it takes.  Team X has provided me a great way to continually improve my skills as an improviser and actor, but I haven't always been that comfortable on stage.  Every time you get in front of a crowd - from a work presentation to a staged play, it's an opportunity to practice the art of performing.  I have good and bad days, and I hope the more I practice, the more consistently the good days happen.

On a more personal front, I'm working to strengthen the foundations I established last year - by shoring up my financial sector, reintroducing a regular exercise regimen (after a year of injury, I'll have to go slow) and maintaining the relationships that sustain me.   We don't live in isolation, and it's especially important to make sure that you have a support system in place as you make transitions and choices that are not necessarily the norm.  As I continue to balance and merge my corporate and creative lives, it's especially important to me to have that support.  I am so grateful for it, and for the people in my life who bring me joy and inspiration.

What are your goals as we head into a new year & decade?  How will you measure success?  I encourage you to discuss them here, or drop me a line and let me know.  We'll keep each other on track!  Happy New Year, and may the new year and decade bring you amazing new experiences and discoveries!