This week's Motivation Monday is headed in a different direction. My list this week is short, sweet, and designed to help you stop overthinking that project you are dreaming up and take the next step. Right now. Go on, take one of these motivation challenges--or all of them. I dare ya!

1. Write a thank you note to an arts teacher who changed your life.  Seriously, I know gratitude can seem trendy right now or overrated, but when is the last time you got tired of someone thanking you for something? Spend a few minutes thinking about the music teacher that helped you to get out of your shell or the theatre professor who helped who to take a big leap. Got someone in mind? Good. Now write them an unabashed thank you letting them know specifically how they helped you and what you will never forget about their class. The world needs more thankfulness, and not just at Thanksgiving.

2. Email or call someone who you would like to make something with and make plans to meet in person about it. How many times do we dream  up something in our own heads, get super pumped about it, and then after a few days (if we're lucky), let it fizzle out? I'm raising both hands high over here. Artists pride themselves on making something from nothing on their own, but the truth is that being a strong,  independent artist doesn't mean going it alone. Use the power of the age old buddy system to let someone else in on your idea, and let the teamwork help to propel you forward to the next step.

3. Speaking of next step, ask yourself what is the very next step you need to take for a creative endeavor. Not the 100th step or even the 10th step, but the next step. Likely the next step isn't glamorous and doesn't feel very consequential. Do it anyway. Planning your own theatre company? Before you start costume designing your first show and start worrying about printing tickets, start by downloading any form that you may need to fill out to become an LLC or a not for profit entity. Glamorous? No. A functional and bite size way to help you keep walking towards the dream? You bet. What's your bite size next step today?

4. Start making coffee dates with people who you want to learn from and/or collaborate with. For the longest time, resisted the idea of reaching out to people I wanted to learn from or work with, partly out of concern for overloading my already full schedule, and partly because I believed that reaching out meant asking for help, which was not ok in our modern "every (wo)man for herself" kind of world. Enter 2018. This month alone, I've arranged a handful of coffee dates with fascinating people in my field that I wanted to get the chance to talk to face to face, no Facebook required. This introvert is convinced: meeting up with someone who is doing really cool work in the world is awesome and inspiring. Connecting with people who share similar dreams and goals or who are doing the kind of work you hope to do yourself someday helps to shed light on strategies, resources, and steps we might take to move a bit closer to where we want to be. Whether it's a goal, a fear, or the need for advice, you don't have to reinvent the wheel.  Connect to someone in your creative community today. 

5. When all else fails motivation wise, remember these wise words: "Done is better than perfect." Write these words down on post-it notes if you have to, and stick them everywhere you need to see them: the bathroom mirror, your office, the door to your apartment, on your laptop. That screenplay in your head? Better to hold a seemingly perfect screenplay hostage in your head, or let it make its way onto the page and become a real piece of art, one with flaws, questions, and typos? Easier to get a draft out onto the page that needs editing than to ruminate about how to "fix" something that doesn't exist outside of your imagination.  Set a timer for 20 minutes today and start that thing you want to do. No promises about being perfect needed. 

Wishing you a week of imperfect action towards whatever it is that you are dreaming of making. We're all in this together. 

​This, my friends, is a gluten free cannoli from Modern Pastry in the North End of Boston. Since I stopped eating wheat in 2015, I have been to the many Italian bakeries in the neighborhood, but have always just admired, never eaten. I've spent the week researching family history, specifically my great-grandfather Gaetano Lauricella, who in 1904, when he was around my age, got onto a boat in Sicily bound for New York. He was all by himself that first time. Discovering this journey and learning about his life that followed has been incredible. I must also admit that learning about the courage it took to cross the ocean alone has made me fear that I might not be being as brave in my own life as I could be.

Filled with the desire to set out to do something out of the ordinary, I found out that Modern Pastry has GF versions of cannolis, a traditional Sicilian dessert, so after getting out of work late on a Friday night, I walked over in the rain, just to stand in the line in the brightly lit shop with my dripping umbrella to order one of these beauties. This was my daring adventure. (Gaetano chose coming to America, I chose a wheat free pastry. I guess we all start somewhere, right?) The lady behind the counter told me somewhat apologetically that the only GF option for filling would be traditional ricotta cheese and sprinkled with tiny chocolate chips, and would that be alright? Yes. Yes, it would.

I sat and ate my long dreamed of treat in their tiny cafe at a table by the window, where sweethearts sat sharing cookies and coffees, and people on the other side of the window walked by on the wet pavement in the rain, taking shelter under awnings and in doorways as, I imagined, they tried to decide which restaurant to try that evening.

I was alone but I didn't feel lonely. Being in an Italian bakery or restaurant always feels a bit like being back in my Grandma's kitchen, where sauce and meatballs bubbled away on the stove and containers of cookies waited on the counter to be discovered and nibbled with tea. There were so many kinds of cookies, different shapes and colors and sizes and flavors, and as a kid, it always felt like getting to sift through a treasure box to find that one special gem that was calling out to be yours. Not unlike the glass cases of cookies, tarts, chocolates, and carefully curated delights in the bakery.
As I sat in the cafe, eating every last crumb of my cannoli, I felt stunned all over again by the courage, the determination, and the sheer imagination it must have taken for my great-grandfather to make the trip across the Atlantic all alone. Not being able to read or write English, literally carrying less than $40 in his pocket. All for this dream that would have been impossible to be sure of at the time. Did he feel lonely? Scared? Thrilled? I was in awe of the faith that must have taken for him to believe that he have the ability to make a life for himself and his family that he could not yet see. Don't we all need some of that gumption in our lives, now and then?

After I packed up and left the bakery, I walked past a group of young men standing outside a restaurant nearby, smoking cigarettes in the downpour. They were chanting something at the top of their lungs, being loud and obnoxious. As I passed by, one of them started to walk alongside me, aggressively continuing to shout. I behaved myself and ignored him. This seemed to increase his determination to make me uncomfortable, and he continued shouting. As he got closer to my face, he started to walk in front of me, attempting to block my path.

I normally ignore people in these situations. I keep quiet and keep walking. As a woman, I'm usually too scared so start talking back to someone who picks on me like this, whether it's another woman, or like in this situation, a strange man. So how shocked was I to find myself, without any warning, turning my face to his, and with a huge bellowing voice, shouting,

"Excuse me!"

And not in a tiny "Can I please pass by?" kind of way. This was a huge, growling, roar that had a different message. "You will move out of my way, and if you don't---well, I suggest you don't find out what will happen if you don't."

"Excuse me!" My arm shot out in front of me, gesturing to the path I was attempting to continue walking down, and my eyes could have burned a hole in his face.

Whoa. He stopped, shouted some curse words at me, and fell back to his friends. I walked on, breathing, shaking, and looking back over my shoulder a few times to make sure he wasn't going to walk after me. I was shaking partly out of fear, the fear of what could have happened if he hadn't just slunk back, and partly out of awe at what I had just done in that moment.

I don't know how much this recent discovery of my great-grandfather's kick-ass courage and pioneer spirit factored into my sudden assertion of myself. Don't get me wrong. I didn't push that man or call him names. I had technically been polite--I did say "Excuse me" after all. All I had done was the incredibly small and simultaneously enormous act of letting someone know that I am here. I have a right to be here. To be allowed to pass through, to keep walking down my path. To see what is around the corner without being thrown off course by someone who means to intimidate. I guess we all have the ability to get a hearty dose of gumption and courage in the moments when we need it most.

What in the world does this newfound family history knowledge and experience mean for my life as an actor and writer?  My great-grandfather listed his occupation as "laborer" for many years, before later identifying as a "grocer" with his own store in Rochester, NY. I haven't the slightest idea whether or not he had ever seen a play, or had a favorite book.  I have no idea whether he chose to spend his few, hard-earned dollars on a symphony ticket, or whether he may have been considered that a luxury. 

But I do know that he had an imagination. Enough to imagine a different life, to take that vision across the sea, and work hard to try to make his dream a reality. If he had the audacity to dream big in that way, then doesn't it mean that the same brand of imagination and daring spirit is in my DNA as well, even if its expression feels dim some of the time?  In the end, it doesn't matter to me whether he liked the theatre or ever entertained the idea that an actor could be a profession. How can we push creativity into such a small box, requiring it to play out onstage or on the page? What could be stronger proof of our creative birthright than the fact that we come from a long line of human beings with not only the desire, but the ability to be brave and bold and ballsy when it comes to going after a dream? 

And seriously. If you're in Boston and are Italian (or not), and need a gluten free cannoli--and quite possibility a chance to exercise the gumption you have been gifted by those who came before you, I highly recommend checking out Modern Pastry.

MOTIVATION MONDAY is here once again.  This week's rundown of neat things that I have been exploring this week:
​​
Something to Watch: Sting's TED Talk "How I Started Writing Songs Again" was sent to me by a friend a few years back, and has stayed with me ever since. We all know Sting as the musician behind so many hit songs of the last few decades, but did you know that he experienced such an intense bout of writers block that he truly believed he might never write again?   Not only did he come out on the other side of the artistic drought, but because of it, he wrote the Broadway musical The Last Ship, which was inspired by his childhood growing up in the shipbuilding community of Wallsend, England. This talk is a must for anyone who assumes that the famous artists get an everlasting supply of inspiration. 

Something to Listen to: Jason Isbell and his band The 400 Unit, which often includes guest appearances by his wife, musician Amanda Shires, recently released their album, The Nashville Sound, and it's gorgeous, poetic, and political. My first introduction to his music was during a road trip from Virginia to Boston, where NPR was interviewing Isbell about his recovery from alcoholism and the role that music played in that journey.  Jason and Amanda remind me of a modern day Johnny and June Carter Cash; they make music together and have stared down the demons of addiction to create an  incredible life for themselves and their daughter, Mercy.  His music defies genre; it's Americana mixed with old school country, with some southern rock and folk mixed in. Below is the first song of his I ever heard, a love song for his wife, with Amanda accompanying him on violin.  

Tips to Consider: I'm finally retiring a tired monologue that I've been using at auditions for several years now, and am in the process of memorizing a new one. If you're like me, you're probably always open to hearing any tips and tricks that help with the task of committing a new monologue or scene to memory. Backstage has a great collection of advice on the topic in their article "18 Ways to Quickly Memorize Lines" I'll be checking some of these strategies out for sure, and would love to hear if you have any tried and true tips to recommend to me as well!

A Book to Read: I am currently reading Dan Brown's new book Origin. I tend to read a lot of non-fiction, but get to the point periodically where I just want a really good, take me away from real life, page-turner. Enter Dan Brown.  I'm not going to reveal much about plot, but will say that like most of Dan Brown's books set in Europe amidst a mad dash to solve a mystery that's packed to the gills with symbolism, history, art, and architecture, my twelve year old Nancy Drew mystery, European vacation dreaming self is one happy reader. 

A one pot meal to make: Butternut Squash Soup by the Wellness Mama is currently in progress in my kitchen. Since I do not eat wheat and try to avoid dairy most of the time, this lovely pot of soup is gluten-free and dairy free, and can be made vegetarian or vegan by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth.  Pairs great with a salad--I'll be serving this alongside a green salad with beets, cucumbers, and goat cheese.

​MOTIVATION MONDAY is back with the first installment of 2018! Here are some things I'm finding particularly fun to think about as we go into a new  week:
​​
Something to Watch: If you're like me, you've been wanting to see some good performances lately, but your instinct to hibernate in your apartment wearing pajamas has been strong. PBS's Great Performances are plays, musicals, operas, and concerts you can stream for free from the comfort of your couch. Just one of many reasons of my list of why I love public broadcasting. Whether it's Tony Bennett in concert with Lady Gaga, or Noel Coward's Present Laughter starring Kevin Kline, PBS has you covered. Did I mention it's free, and that pajamas are ok? 

Something to Listen to on Your Commute: Anxiety may be common among artists (and let's face it, all people), but that doesn't mean that it has to be the norm. I discovered the Anxiety Slayer podcast earlier this fall, when I was nervous about teaching at a local university after a long time out of the classroom, and found the two hosts really lovely to listen to when I was feeling particularly stressed. Many of their tips seem simple, like drinking a cup of tea or reading a good book, but when you're in the midst of intense anxiety, it can feel like a friend helping you through. Plus, the episodes are fairly brief, 10 to 20 minutes long, so it makes the perfect listen for a walk around the block. 

​A Tech Tool to Consider: As artists, we can find it hard to steal time to create, so why not make technology work for you and help you to streamline areas of your life that might be taking time from your art? This weekend, my husband helped me to set up and log all my passwords for banking, bills, and social media using 1password.com For $2.99 per month, you can create an account and enter login information for any site that requires a username and password. The service helps you to create very strong random passwords that you don't have to remember--the site remembers them for you--and is secure. I can't tell you how much time this will save in the future. Instead of hunting for my passwords and going through the process to retrieve them, I can now spend a bit more time making things. Every minute counts! 

A Book to Read: I read Jenna Fischer's new book The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide, in a single sitting on the train from New York to Boston over holiday break and loved the honesty, humor, and hope with which she writes about the path of an actor. After 8 years of day jobs and auditioning in L.A., she landed the role of Pam on The Office, and her book is full of the heart, courage, and compassion that she clearly cultivated during that long stretch of not knowing what would come next. Though I don't have any plans to toss my hat in the ring in Los Angeles any time soon, this book came to me at a time when I am truly missing the stage and needed a bit of a kick in the pants to get motivated for some auditions and projects for 2018. One of my favorite quotes from the book:

"The truth is: Being an artist is hard. Writing is hard. Acting is hard. Directing is hard. Making music is hard. I know your relatives at home think, How hard can it be? It's just like playing pretend, but it's hard. Most of the time it will feel like you are pushing a boulder up a mountain. But if you keep going, the muscle that moves you forward will get stronger. You learn to press on even when you don't want to." 

A one pot meal to make: I love to cook, but I realized that spending hours in the kitchen, especially on weeknights, really tires me out. Now I am saving my inner kitchen warrior to tackle one or two new recipes a week, and doing my best to make a big pot of something on a Saturday or Sunday. This week's Soup Saturday was a huge pot of Italian Farmhouse Soup, which is gluten-free, Paleo, and vegetarian (with a vegan) option.  The recipe is written for an Instant Pot, which I don't have, so my creativity got to come out and play as I experimented with making this on the stove top. I basically just sauteed the onions to start, then added everything else to the pot and simmered until cooked through. Easy and delicious--especially for the tundra-like weather we are experiencing in Boston at the moment!