This has happened before.
The good, the bad, the deep sleep, the crazy dreams, the feeling like you haven’t slept, this political climate, my personal seismic shift…it’s happened before. The same…but different.
There are many moments that are like an express elevator in my life. They show up, take me faster and farther than I was planning.
Only in the past, I never knew it. I was just riding the elevator and arriving at my floor, like, hey this is cool.
The first time a seismic shift occurred was when I was acting. Even though I was terrified whenever I had to do improv in an audition, I somehow found myself auditioning to be in an improv group. It was the most fun! I came alive and found a new layer to my skillset. In that troupe, I met SGM. We clicked instantly. And even though our friendship has had ebbs and flows, we are still in touch today. In fact, I had dinner with her this week. We talked about our current careers, past jokes, and excitement about our futures. We both surprised ourselves at how much we remembered about each other, like core stuff. It was affirming to feel that even though my memory is such that I can’t remember what i was just about to do in the other room, I can recall things so vividly from my past and reconnect with an old friend.
The next shift in my life happened when I decided to take a comedic storytelling class. I met CSM, who was a writer on a tv show at the time. It’s strange to think she was in that class since she had already reached a level of success that the rest of us hadn’t. But she and I would hang out after the last class ended. She ended up inviting me to her brunches in her Hollywood Hills home.
She introduced me to her friends who subsequently introduced me to more friends and it became the comedic group I found myself connected to for many years. She and I would day drink at the Farmers Market and then go drunk shopping (*I drunk watched her drunk shop). When I would find myself at her intimate gatherings, I pondered if she had confused me with someone else from class.
At one point, she had a chance to work in NY on a show and before she left LA, she threw herself a farewell party. I was invited and for some reason, none of her regular friends that I knew were there. So I found myself being extra extraverted and talking to many people. One was a guy who insisted he had met me (he had actually only seen me perform at one of CSM’s shows). He was in the Groundlings and invited me to come see him. I was sassy and insisted he invite me only when he didn’t invite anyone else. I was not to be a common audience member (my arrogance was on fire). Thankfully, he found that amusing. He invited me to a show where I watched him perform with Wendi McLendon-Covey and Kristen Wiig (before she was on SNL – she was sublime to watch even then). Nothing came of that interaction aside from a fun story but it was born out of CSM’s farewell party. Which brings me back to that farewell soiree. I met a guy who had been a writer on The Simpsons and King of the Hill. He was so friendly, engaging, supportive and interested in my creative path. He made me feel like we were on the same level. We exchanged email addresses to let the other know when we would be performing next.
A year later, I saw his name show up on a new show called The Office (so you can guess how long ago this was). I emailed him to congratulate him and he thanked me though I doubt he knew who I was.
Skip to February of this year, I am looking for something in my junk email folder. I come across an email about a class to write your pilot. When I looked further, I saw that it was that writer from CSM’s party. The price was right and I thought, what do I have to lose. I have been talking about my idea for 6 years but had yet to write it. I signed up for the 5 week class. It was only an hour and a half once a week. Easy peasey.
He really wanted us to get to know our virtual class (he set up a page for us to engage). Now all of a sudden, a once a week class felt like I was working every day and networking. I was writing! I was engaging! This had happened before but somehow this felt different. Like I had grown into the place I had taken the express elevator.
My pitch partners are a talented, Swiss writer who has so many credits to her name and is honestly such a phenomenal energy to engage with as well as learn from; an international artist who just is about to showcase her pilot at Annecy; another artist who has two MFAs and actually drew some renderings for my animated characters; a writer who works in Animation and has written some really good scripts but is also so generous with her time and information; an Irish lad living in London who I know will be the next big director, an English writer whose scripts are just so layered, funny and dark. Those are just a few. No one is gate keeping. It’s a kumbaya group of artists. I feel like I was plopped into CSM’s afternoon brunch. This time, however, I know it’s not an accident.
I emailed the teacher to tell him that this class is not just about what he’s teaching but it’s also about the energy he has brought together. He too, found the group remarkable in their engagement! It begins at the top and he’s helping to usher in this new layer of talent and support.
In light of everything going on in the world and our political shit show, I am trying to stay in a vibration of creation. I am showing up for the moments that are showing up for me. I am trying to be a good citizen, a good friend, a good pitch partner, a good wife, a good co-worker, a good fur-mama, a good daughter, sister, aunt and niece. I am letting my money choices be guided by my conscience. I am trying to show grace with people who would normally irritate me.
I am entering a new era of creativity, connectivity, abundance and excitement.
This has happened before. But this time…it’s better.
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