« I Just Ordered Garden Stuff | Main | This Is Not a Joke, Part II »
April 01, 2006
This Is Not a Joke
I debated whether to post today, since it's entirely possible no one would believe anything they read. But then I realized that I am terrible at fabricating stories that hang together well, and people who know me know that. (It's why I'm the actor, not the playwright. I'm terrible at making up lies, but damn can I make you believe them when I tell them to you.)
Anyhow, thanks, I suspect, to Karma, I suddenly have a passel of new readers, who all asked questions, and I figgered why not answer them? And then there are the old friends who have recently relocated me through this hyar blog. They'd probably like some answers too. I'm also taking this opportunity to address frequently asked in person questions.
So. For those elephant's children out there, The Sallyacious FAQ. I'll just warn you now, it's rife with contradictions. But then, so am I.
1) How old are you?
Old enough. Though I must admit to spending my entire life in an awkward in-between phase. I've been told that's a common problem for my generation.
2) This David guy you mention frequently. Any relation?
Yes. By choice. He's my fabulous husband of 8.5 years, sweetie of 10 years, friend of (yeep!) 20 years. And soon to be nationally-known playwright whose coattails I will ride to fame.
3) Do you have kids?
David (see above) and I have 4 cats. Four. F-O-U-R. It's like parenting four furry 2 year-olds. Don't get me wrong, I like children. And they generally like me. Probably because I treat them like intellectual equals. (It's why animals tend to like me as well.) We just all get on better when I can lock myself up and be alone for Sally time on a regular basis. Which precludes living with them year-round. Also, I decided long ago that I needed to choose between my art and parenting, since I couldn't give my all to both. I chose acting.
4) So you're an actress?
No. I'm an actor. I've spent long years and a lot of money training in my chosen field.
No one takes actresses seriously. It's like the situation of a female writer in the Victorian era. They were called "authoresses", which somehow diminished what they were doing. As though a woman couldn' t do work that met the same standards as The Boys. I think that's still a problem in my field. Otherwise, why would filmmakers stop being interested in leading ladies when they hit 30, which is, IMHO, about the time women get interesting.
I'm very good at what I do, and I've worked very hard to become so. You wouldn't go see a doctress if you were sick, would you?
5) But if you just got your degree, you're pretty new at this, right?
No. I've been acting for roughly 15 years, making money at it for over a decade. I decided to go back to school because it was change or die as an artist time. Also because I wanted to be able to teach at the college level. And now I am. I'm just not teaching acting. But someday...
6) Are you in a show?
Not right now. Have you people read my blog? Do you have any idea how insanely busy I've been? Do you not know where/what Moscow, Idaho is? It's a town of 22K people, when school is in session, ninety mintues from the nearest locale that considers itself a major metropolitan area. In other words, if I can't get work here, and work here is limited, I have to travel. which means traveling to find it as well as to then do it. So far, that's just not fit into the schedule. Though it's definitely in the long-term plans.
7) If it's such a small and useless place, why are you there?
A question I ask myself pretty much daily. Because my husband (see Question 2) is working on his MFA in Theatre Arts (Playwriting). He has spent a decade supporting my artistic needs. What kind of spouse would I be if I didn't do the same for him now that he's found the thing that sets him on fire?
Besides. I think it's good for me to have to create my own place in the world for a change, rather than relying on the world to provide one for me.
8) If you can't find work there, but need to stay in the area, what do you do to fulfill yourself as an artist?
First and foremost, I branch out.
As part of NaNoWriMo I wrote 72,000 words of what will probably be a 125K (once I get the time to finish it) novel. Since I'm a professional storyteller anyhow, it was great to explore the field from the starting from scratch angle. I'm used to telling other people's stories, not my own.
I'm doing The Arboretum Project, which is helping me be aware of details and offers (in the acting sense) as well as still keeping my eye on the big picture. All of which is also helpful for an actor. Specificity and awareness of the things happening around me are vital in my profession, this is just going about it in a way that has nothing to do with text or my body.
I'm participating in the local Artist Trading Cards group, which means I'm meeting with local artists monthly. We're all in different fields ( textiles, painting, glass, photography, acting), but all artists do have some similar issues at bottom, and ATC gives me a chance to be a part of the local artistic community.
Secondly, I create my own opportunities. If I'm not doing a show with the local semi-professional (read non-union) theatre company this summer, I will be creating and performing my own work (or perhaps co-creating with David, if he's available). An actor needs to be acting or the tools get dull. I'm also in the beginning stages of the play about farm women that I keep bothering people about.
9) This play you're writing, is it with your husband?
No. It's with Karma. At least, the one I've referred to on this blog is with Karma. I'm also working on a couple of Shakespeare adaptations. I'm not going to talk about them here because I don't want anybody stealing my ideas. The husband is currently doing way too much of his own stuff to be bothered with me right now.
10) How long have you known Karma?
Roughly 1/4 century. We met as candy stripers at one of the Boise hospitals.
For those of you doing the math, that makes us both 29. Well, actually, since I'm almost an entire year younger than Karma , it makes her 29 and me 28.
11) You're a photographer. where can we find pictures of you, you hot 28 year-old?
For pictures of hot 28 year-olds, there are other places online you should visit. For pictures of me? There are several on this site. I don't, as a rule (the Law of Nature kind), take good pictures of human beings. I'm much better with plants, animals and scenery. That's why there are more pictures of those items on the blog than of people. Including myself.
That's enough questions, I think. I really do have to clean the living room now. So we can walk across the floor without killing ourselves. Also the kichen and my office (for similar reasons.) And maybe do laundry so we can move easily through the bedroom...
Posted by sally at April 1, 2006 10:37 AM
©2006 - All content copyright Sally Eames-Harlan unless otherwise noted