Falling in love with creativity. If you love the Arts, then make it about the Art. What I take away from the book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert is to not care what people are thinking about me because  people aren’t concerned with me anyway.  CREATE. Create because it feels good. Create because I need to create to be alive.

When I create it is not about the outcome or what I can receive from the product. The beauty of the creation is the freedom and peace of mind I find in the process.

Part of being an actor is being rejected every single day, when I know longer see obtaining a  role as validation but rather I should be proud of the creation I put forth in front of casting. Turning the joy into creating the work instead of being desperate to be liked. It’s a mind shift for a  lot of creatives. 

I had the pleasure of co-starring in the funny new web series by College Humor’s  Jake and Amir entitled, “Lonely and Horny.” I play Dee a woman gives the hapless loser Ruby Jade a chance, cause hey who isn’t looking for love. I get a little more than I expected during the night. You can go to Vimeo and purchase the series to peep me in an episode.

Remembering the Fresh and Easy commercial I did a year or so back. RIP to the grocery chain. Working on this commercial actually made me a Fresh and Easy consumer. Since it was filmed in a live store, I was looking at their products all night with my mouth watering. Oh how I miss the shrimp ceviche and spicy shrimp linguine. I really do miss their products if you can’t tell.

HORROR FILMS.
I’m weird. I like them but I don’t like the anxiety they put me through. The anticipation of the scary moment is more torturous than the scary moment itself. The “Halloween” music frightened me as a child. The fact that people always split up frustrated me. Every time I would wonder to myself, “Why Sway!?!?” In real life whenever I am in less than ideal situations I always cling to people. If I am with strangers we become fast friends right away. Why couldn’t they do the same?

One of the stipulations that I have when watching horror films by myself is that it has to be during the daytime with all the lights in the room on. I don’t want to set the mood. That’s the only way I was able to watch “The Ring.” (That little girl was not going to get me).

I have a special place in my heart for comedic horror films like The Leprechaun series. That little man tickles my funny bone. Particularly  “Leprechaun in the Hood” I would have to say that movie is sheer genius. Another that I loved growing up was Stephen Kings “IT.” As a child I had to get out of the bathtub before all the water drained. The movie messed with my mind a tad bit. A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of filming a trailer with the director of “IT” Tommy Lee Wallace. I never imagined myself in a horror film, but it was a super fun experience to play in that world. The story is about the ghost of a racist sheriff who haunts a University through a rediscovered mask. Ooohh and I may or may not get my head chopped off. Below is the trailer.

LIGHT OF THE WORLD
A truly beautiful memoir by Elizabeth Alexander. The book details not only the death of her husband but the Love and the life the two shared and created. I turned the pages smiling and crying simultaneously. And not just a teardrop or two, it was a full on ugly cry while saying to myself “This is so beautiful.” The book is so rich and full that it touches the soul. As a poetess Alexander was able to speak to the artist sensibilities as well. One of the many takeaways from the book is the following: “Yet I feed on memory, need it to make poems, the art is made of the stuff I have: my life and the world around me.”

As an actor art is made of our experiences either real or imagined. In the passage Alexander was referring to her holding onto the memory of her husband Ficre while continuing to live her life.

In the context of art this quote speaks to me as an actor. My art is made of my experiences either real or imagined. My art “is made of the stuff I have.” I pour myself into my art. The work that is birthed is a piece, a representation of me. Through my art I am able to speak human experiences. Really good art requires a person to dig into themselves and discover the world around them. Great art, in my opinion, is not superficial. To the contrary it speaks to the soul.

And with “The Light of the World” Alexander used her art to speak to the human spirit.

So much goodness in this book. The beauty of love. The richness of life. I am grateful to Alexander for so vulnerable and open to share her human experience to create a beautiful piece of art that honors the legacy of her late husband.

I didn’t think I could love Taraji anymore, but Sunday night proved me wrong. She was such an excellent example of an actress being happy for another actress’s success. A lesson can be learned from her vocal support and genuine love for both Regina King and Viola Davis during the Emmys.

Just because another woman is winning doesn’t mean you lose. A few years ago a host of black actresses were going out for the lead role for a new show by Shonda Rhimes, the first time in nearly 30 years a black women was top billing on a primetime show. Kerry Washington eventually won the role and Scandal became a smash hit.

The success of Scandal has lead directly to the Viola and Taraji being nominated for an Emmy.  It is proof positive that when another person wins I am also put in a position to win as well.  Another person’s success begets opportunity for others. I mentally have to check myself over roles that I thought were perfect for me but I didn’t get. What’s meant for me is meant for me, no one else can take what’s meant for me away.  Therefore, I can be genuinely happy for another woman succeeding. There is beauty in sisterhood. 

Thank you Ms. Henson for embodying this lesson during the 67th Emmy Awards.  I can’t wait to hear your acceptance speech for your big award.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015 marked my five year anniversary to moving to Los Angeles from the East Coast. FIVE YEARS.  That’s the age of a kindergartner. Five years. So much life happened within those five years.

I find myself rehashing the same conversation with various people at different times about “time flying.” Every Thanksgiving, we humans come to the state of thinking of “Wow, it’s the holiday season again. Where did the year go?” It’s an inevitable conversation that happens every year. 

It’s the same type of thought that I have when I realized that I have lived on the West Coast for five years. Where did the time go?

Well it went to long nights in acting classes watching my amazing peers, rushing to auditions in 405 traffic, hurrying to print headshots when my printer malfunctions, studying sides the night before an audition, long wardrobe sessions trying on clothes that I wish I owned, sitting in makeup chairs with my face being painted and prodded, various evenings of improv practice sessions full of laughter, experiencing life as another person in front of a live audience, and so much more.  Basically, living the dream.

A lot of life happened in the span of five years, as to be expected.  I’ve had moments where I’ve felt completely broken and others that were utterly euphoric.  At times I have felt empty and unfulfilled, and then there were those beautiful times where I was oh so full. And that ladies and gentlemen is life. Life is the moments that happened during the passing of time: good, bad, beautiful, and ugly.

I can recall these various times and pinpoint when, where, and why these feelings occurred.  I take a step back and realize how each moment has contributed to where I am (professionally and personally) right now. The process of living and learning.

I don’t regret the journey.  It started with a five hour flight, now I am here five years later and can say that, I don’t know if I had foreseen my life as it is at the moment.  I can’t remember. I was just so green, Los Angeles was new to me and it all just seems like a blur now.  What I do know is that in this moment I am excited for the next five years.  I’m excited for the new experiences,  yet weary of the unknown circumstances that are bound to come my way as “time flies.”

EARTHA KITT. 
How AMAZING was she? {That’s a rhetorical question by the way.}  Her entertainment career spanned seven decades.

For my generation, Eartha Kitt is famously remembered for her role as Lady Eloise seducing Eddie Murphy’s character with the line “Marcus Darling, I don’t have any panties on.” However, researching her life and career I found that she contributed so much more to the culture than just her film and television roles.

At a high point in her career in 1968, following her performance as Catwoman in the Batman television series, she voiced her opposition to the Vietnam War at a White House luncheon. Subsequently, she ruffled feathers in Hollywood  and her career stalled for a bit.

She was a social activist as well as an entertainer and she lent her support to underprivileged youth,  anti-war campaigns, and LGBT rights among other issues. Eartha Kitt used her distinctive voice to not only entertain but advocate  the change she wished to see in the world.

From Eartha Kitt’s legacy I take this, "I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma."

Can you guess who is featured in a national ad for Netflix?