DAY 9: Networking Is Key...

Networking is the key to success and that concept is universally applicable. Relationships and communication are the life boats of any business from the company as a whole right down to the most junior position. This idea of networking has served me well throughout my life, but I don’t always use it to my advantage. My perspective is that if you agree to leverage your contacts for another person with the underlying mutual agreement that they do the same for you when possible, then we could throw away the idea that networking is a necessary evil requiring you to use people. It’s not a form of deception unless you have no intention of returning the favor. And it’s a really great way to make friends with people that share your desire to evolve and succeed. The point here is not to befriend people for their networking skills, but to be open to the idea that you may be able to help out this friend at some point – a friend you may not have were it not for your willingness to network! I’m slowly learning to drown out my intimidation and focus on really connecting with people I find interesting and cool!

Last night I put this skill to use. I attended a social gathering in Hollywood that had a mix of entertainment and social-slash-digital media professionals. Travis, my husband, set this engagement up (yes, he’s amazing!) and we attended the event together. As I’ve mentioned, he’s on track to receive an MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS) in 2012. Part of the awesome-ness that is HBS includes these winter “treks” to areas saturated with Harvard Alums. Basically, the school and these companies work together to pack each day full of panel discussions, meet & greets, mock interviews and the like in an effort to facilitate the acquisition of stellar summer internships. He just got back from Silicon Valley where most of the social and digital media and technology companies prosper! This week he’s on the “Hollywood” trek. There is a staggering number of Harvard Alums managing and running the entertainment world. Two nights ago, Travis met a very cool guy at an alum dinner who invited him to the get-together we attended last night. I was slightly surprised to find that everyone in the room was friendly and engaging. I guess I expected more of the stereotypical attitudes that people have warned me about, but every conversation I had was interesting, genuine and helpful. Several of my new friends have agreed to grab coffee or lunch with me and tell me about their experiences in the industry. I’ll wait to confirm with them that they’re ok with me blogging about their companies and personal experiences. Some of these people run or work for companies that are so impressive and innovative! I look forward to sharing more about what they do and hopefully incorporating an idea or two from their business model into my own!

On a more personal note, Travis leaves tomorrow :( Fortunately, I have more than enough work to keep my attention off that. Until Valentine’s Day that is, haha. First time in 7 years I’ll be spending it without him. I guess I’ll just have to do something drastic and magnificent with my career in the next couple weeks so I can take time off to fly to Boston!

P.S. – Watch The Secret if you haven’t been introduced to the Law of Attraction yet. The film has a simple and fantastic explanation and I live it moment to moment!

9 DOWN. 81 TO GO.

Much Love,

Kirstin

www.KirstinWebb.com

DAY 6: An Education...

I titled this blog An Education for two reasons. Firstly, I watched an incredible film this weekend titled An Education starring the remarkable Carey Mulligan. I have to be honest in telling you that prior to watching her performance here as Jenny, I couldn’t have listed another movie she’d been in or even recalled her face. That’s entirely unfair seeing how she had quite a career in 2009 with starring and supporting roles in Wall Street, Brothers, and Public Enemies, to name a few. So, for those of you who are not familiar with this brilliant actress, I encourage you to watch this film, in particular. Part of my job as an actress is to study and intimately know every kind of person, from the kind of person who grows up angry and abused to the kind of person who grows up happy and oblivious. All of my experiences, through film and real life, help me create authentic people in each of my roles and performances.

The second part of my education was a “schooling” for a couple of reasons. I won’t say it was an altogether failure because my learning curve has been an asset to me and allowed me to progress at an impressive rate. So…I did extra work last night. Let me preface this by saying that I don’t think I’m above extra work. Well, no, let me rephrase. I’m not above the benefits of watching a major production take place and learning the process. And since I prefer to keep things positive, I’ll only touch briefly on the fact that there is a strong possibility that many of the other 300 background actors might either be homeless or completely unaware of where they were and what they were doing. Now, I’ll take this opportunity to find a lesson in my experience! After arriving at check-in I was overwhelmed and frustrated. I contemplated bailing and faking sick. Then I thought, “Ok, you’re here. People are counting on you. Yes, they’re counting on hundreds of others, but you are no less important.” And then I decided that seeing Al Pacino and Adam Sandler work was worth the space invasion and egocentric conversations I kept overhearing (people LOVE to talk about all the other background jobs they’ve done). So, here I am, filing into the theater we were filming the scene in and my neighbor mistakes me for an actress in the movie. I realize he thinks I’m a supporting actress in the film and a surge of shock and appreciation wash over me. It takes me a moment to process, but then I grasp why this feels so extraordinary. It wasn’t because I dressed a particular way or acted a particular way. It was because I reflect an exact copy of how I feel about myself to the outside world. In this case, maybe that did mean I had a presence that gave the impression I was an established actress, but what I took away from this is two-fold. First, that what I believe to be true about myself will manifest itself in my external world –so exciting! And second, and just as important, that in doing this somewhat unpleasant background work I realized how much I want to be doing quality, moving, beautiful work. The people around me had no idea they affected me in this way. I am appreciative that I was given this opportunity because had I bailed out before ever getting on set, I wouldn’t have this reminder of why I’m working so hard to get full time jobs on projects that excite and financially support me!

6 DOWN. 84 TO GO.

Much Love,

Kirstin
www.KirstinWebb.com

DAY 2: Change Is Gonna Come...

Have you ever felt life running through your body like electricity? To the point that you actually want to sit down, be still and experience the wave of energy coursing through your veins; while simultaneously incapable of being still?! I have. And I love it. And it happens to me a lot. I’ve noticed it more than ever in my life since seriously beginning my acting career. This has nothing to do with people and everything to do with purpose. Productivity is a better word, maybe. All I know is that my experiences have taught me that people better themselves and their situations when they are productive. Often this involves other people, lots of people, but the central point being that you are productive whether you have only a few people to share it with or hundreds. You, alone, create and produce. The definition of productive is having the power of producing, generating and creating. And it’s innate. For me and just about everyone I know (maybe I just keep incredible company, haha), we feel happiest when we are productive. Consider this, if everyone in the world did something productive every day from the day they were born to the day they died - how happy, successful, progressive and purposeful would we be?

Today was one of those days for me. I felt alive and productive. You couldn’t have torn the smile from my face even when my 5 pm audition lasted until 7 pm. Seriously. Earlier today I signed with an agent that I know is going to work tirelessly alongside me in developing my career! And I figured out my living situation (that’s another important facet in life: having a home, a sanctuary for your Self). I can now take the focus and attention I had on a place to sleep and direct it towards my priority – 90 days is ticking away!

So, it’s Friday night. The weekend begins and you can, of course, count on me working on days 3 and 4 of this countdown…no time for a holiday, not yet :) Leave a note if this post inspired or provoked you – I’d love to hear your thoughts!

2 DOWN. 88 TO GO.

Much Love,

Kirstin
www.KirstinWebb.com

DAY 1: Where I Come From...

Where I come from, a sweet 20-something woman does not get married to the man of her dreams, own a beautiful home with a garden, run a successful business (stay with me); and then 2 years later decide to sell the home, sell the business and move to the opposite side of the country from her husband in the pursuit of a career. But that's just what I did. And my husband, Travis, fully supports me with all the love and inspiration a girl deserves. For as long as I can remember I've wanted to be an actress. When I met Travis I warned him that I had big plans and a white picket fence was not in my near future. Lucky for me, he had big plans too! After 2 years of honeymooning we decided it was time to make our move. In a moment of bittersweet reality we realized that pursuing our dream jobs might force us to live bi-coastally for a couple of years. Travis would attend Harvard Business School in Boston and I would move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television.

So, here I am with half a year under my belt in one of the most transient, eccentric and sensational cities in the world. My success is palpable. And I want to share my wins with the ones I love. Thus, the reason for this blog. I thought starting a blog would be an exciting way to chronicle my adventures, but only recently did I seriously consider it. At first I thought it was entirely too narcissistic. My change of heart, as I mentioned, is due in large part to the family and friends I have dispersed across the country. It’s also a really cool way to make my art available to the public! The timing couldn’t be more perfect. I've spent 6 months learning and growing as an actor. I'm now SAG eligible and I'm in the midst of working out a contract with an awesome agent! 

The countdown has officially begun. 90 days. 3 months. Can I do this?! Is it possible to make a name for myself in the industry in a mere 90 days?  I certainly plan on it! Check back daily, weekly, as often as you like for up-to-date news on my career, my life, the cool, and sometimes crazy people I encounter and all the exciting life events of an Oklahoma actress making it happen in 90 DAYS!

1 DOWN. 89 TO GO.

Much Love,

Kirstin

http://www.kirstinwebb.com/