What Do You Think

I realize I can get some pretty good suggestions from everyone who reads my random thoughts, so here is my current request. I am looking into innovative career opportunities, something new, different, and might allow me to explore my more adventurous side, and I'm open to suggestions.

What I would like, is if you have heard of someone having an amazing career (working on a cruise line, something not normal) share it with me. If you happen to know a site where I can get more information, share that as well. I'm just kind of running out of ideas of what to look for, so I'm turning to you for some... what should I do in the meantime of becoming an actor?

Best Day of My Life

Today I am single, carless, and unemployeed,

But Today is the best day of my life!

A couple of years ago, Jo and I got into a discussion on what the best day of our lives had been. And I realized that I could choose one day from my life to be that day, it could be the day I graduated high school, got my eagle scout, gave my mother's hand in marriage to an amazing man, met Jo, or any other day. But no matter what, none of those days will compare to today. Why? Because today I am here and every one of those days gone by is still a part of me. I feel that if I were to label one of the days from my past as the best day of my life, then everything from there out would just be a downhill ride.

Yes, most people would look at my life today and say "Really, this is the best day of your life?", I say yes it is. Right now my life is on the edge of a bottomless chasm full of infinite opportunity. I am in a position to completley change the course of my life and once again redefine myself and my future. So yes, today is the best day of my life, and thank you for being a part of it. I can't wait to see what today is like tomorrow!

*So what would you choose as the best day of your life?*

I Get It Now!

It finally clicked for me tonight, I have to stop trying to direct the shows I'm in! Arrgghh! After more than a year of the Maestro telling me this, my instructor Brian finally said it in a way that clicked. (Luckily it wasn't directed at me! You'd be so proud of me Maestro!)

Tonight was the last night of my acting class for this cycle. We once again performed the two person pieces that we have been working on for a couple of weeks. Tonight's performance = not so great, but growing. It definitely wasn't the experience of last week (to see what I'm talking about, scroll down!), but I had some growth. One of the hardest challenges of this exercise is that when our scenes are filmed, each person has their own camera, and it is an extreme close up! This means, that every little detail is seen by the viewer, Brian constantly tells us to view this as if we had a 52' head. The challenge with this is to remain still... yes, you read that correctly, still, also known as "as little movement as possible". Anyone who knows me, knows this is a challenge, and that is what showed through tonight. Brian made the comment of "at times you could tell you were really and truly listening, and then you start moving again", I told him that was because I stopped focusing on holding still, and focused on my partner (just say focus with a Germanic accent one time, it'll make you laugh). I was going to ask for advice on how to just hold still without thinking about it, but then I thought back to the book Mastery by George Leonard, and had my answer. There is no short cut to mastering a skill, people who look for them are not on the path to mastery. The solution is to just keep practicing it, do the same practice hundreds of thousands of times, and then do it another hundred thousand times. Eventually you will no longer think about it. That is my solution.

Back to the first part of my Blog, after we all perform our scenes, we then get to watch them on the television. It was in this review that Brian said something that just made all my "directing" frustrations clear up. I don't remember exactly what he said, but it made me realize that Actors don't direct, Directors do. What this means is that no matter how well meaning and good intentioned a piece of advice is, actors do not give advice or criticism to other actors. It's not our place, we are not the director. What always bothered me was what you were supposed to do when someone asked for your advice, and what finally clicked is that we shouldn't be asking other actors for advice and feedback, we need to ask the... DIRECTOR! Thus it is not rude to say: It is not my place to give advice, if you truly want feedback, ask the Director.

November

Is it just me, or does it seem like November just flew by? It really does seem like this month didn't really happen. Of course I've been really busy, yet it seems like I never have anything to do, but I always have somewhere I need to be. What an odd sensation for an entire month.

Anyway, acting classes have continued apace, and I am still really enjoying them. Last week we performed the pieces that we had cold read the week prior. This time through, my scene is with a talented lady named Monica, and it has been a pleasure getting to perform with her. Last week I had a first when it came to a "rehearsal" type performance (it was performed for the class, but not for an audience). For the first time ever, I completely forgot everything that was happening outside of our scene. My world narrowed to Monica and myself. I forgot the cameras that were right on us, the dozen or so classmates, and our director/ instructor Brian. I wasn't worried about getting my lines right, or even if I was portraying the character correctly. I didn't care if the director was taking notes, and I didn't try to decipher every little sound and reaction from the "audience". In fact, I didn't even notice if Brian, who was sitting four feet away, took notes on our scene at all! What made me happier was that Monica said the same thing, so it made me feel like our characters had a true connection, which is good because our characters are in lust! Next week we will do it again, only this time we have to "change it up", we have to find something to do different...hmmm the challenge.

Let's see, what else...oh, I updated my Resume, check that out over in the right side column. I also have to decide if I am going to do the next set of courses. The problem is that I have to purchase a car, and don't know if the expense of the classes is justifiable when I need a car. Right now I've been getting around because my sister Traci is a truly wonderful person, and has been letting me borrow her Neon, but as soon as it starts snowing she needs it back (she has a mustang that doesn't do so well in the snow). There is my dilemma, to take classes or to not take classes, that is the new question.

Oh, and always a shameless self promotion, if you get the chance, check out some of the Fitness and Exercise blog posts I've been doing for www.selfgrowthengine.com!

Random Thoughts: So True!

(found at http://everythingrandom.net)

Random Thought: Awareness is Support

Apparently today is the national To Write Love On Her Arms day, at least that is what I am hearing from a lot of my friends. So of course I call up Cody to find out what this is all about, because I have no idea and am behind on news as usual. To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) is an organization whose goal is to give hope and find help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide, and to help raise support for their cause, they asked that today you write “Love” on your arm so people can see it. This way when asked what it is for, you can tell them about it. This is what Cody was telling me, when someone else (don’t know who, couldn’t hear) started saying that this was a stupid promotion and doesn’t raise any support because there is no fund raising (or something like that). This started enough of an argument on Cody’s part that he had to say Goodbye to me to fight for his side. So I didn’t get the full story, but from what I’m thinking the argument was about; here is my side:

Not all promotions to raise support for organizations like TWLOHA involve the giving of money. In the Marketing and Advertising world this is what we call a “Branding Campaign”. It’s whole purpose is to make people interested enough to find out more about it. Or, in terms of a non-profit movement, it creates Awareness. Fund raising is very important to any not for profit, but if no one knows about you, then you’ll never raise any funds. I believe the other side was saying that this doesn’t really benefit the company at all. I disagree, and know for a fact that companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a month to create brand awareness. Not to get people to buy their product, but just so that, for example, when you think of a small medical bandage for simple cuts and scrapes, you call it a …? You see, I would put the answer, but it has a copywrite. I would argue, that Awareness is the best kind of Support.

Now the follow up question people usually would ask is “Does it work?”. And the answer is yes. Look at me for an example. Here I am reading all these Facebook status updates about my friends writing “Love” on their arms, and asking if others have too, and I finally ask what it means. Now I know, and how much did TWLOHA pay for that? Nothing. That’s not stupid, that’s smart advertising!

And yes, I did write Love on my arm… did you?

Started Classes!

Last night I returned to the CAS classroom to once again start taking classes! It was Commercial night! I had to do 2 Burger King commercials, and let me tell you, they’re harder than you think. One was a simple one liner, and it’s hard to not be robotic for a simple one line pitch. I came to the realization that I’m really good at doing something, and then doing the exact same thing over and over again. It’s not really a bad thing, but it can be hard when you’re expected to make each shoot a little different, and then on top of it all, to not think about it and just do it. One way or the other, it felt good to get back into the classroom again.

Oh, and before I forget, so you can see the new look, here’s head shot of the new do!

(no I wasn't supposed to smile, it was for a Modeling Gig!)

One thing that really stuck with me from last night was from the gift one of the other students gave to our teacher Brian Cutler. Apparently one of Brian’s favorite sayings is a quote from Laurence Olivier said to Dustin Hoffman (and apparently, after a Google search, from a lot of other people to other actors too!):

“Don’t act. Just be.”

Life's Ever Changing Ways

Yes, I know, it's taken me long enough to get on here and let every one know what decissions I've come to, and how everything is going, I'm sorry, and it won't happen again.

Right now I'm sitting at MCI waiting for my flight to New York where I have a week long business trip. I plan to work hard and play just as hard too! Last night we closed the Phantom's Feaste: Frankenstien's Monster. It was an excellent show, and I learned a lot on how to deflect attention (had to do this because I wasn't the lead) while still creating a memorable character, I feel I was succesfull in this attempt. I was happy that last night was sold out, and we got to close on that note!

Also, yesterday I did something that I had been talking about for some time now... I made a donation to Locks of Love. That's right, I cut my hair! I had 10 inches cut off for the donation, and lost about another 2" for the style, for a total cut of 12"!!! Don't worry, I don't have some short militaty cut. My hair was long enough so that even after losing 12", it still falls between my jaw and shoulders! The cut has gotten mixed reviews, I'll try to get pictures so you all can see the new look!

The third, and most life changing event is that Bailee and I have broken up. It has not been easy, and I'm reorganizing my day to day life to adjust to this development, but I am seeing that this decission was for the best. We really and truly are in two different places in our lives, and that was causing a lot of friction. I feel that she and I will be happier in the long run this way.

And now for something a litle lighter. The decission you have all been waiting for... the unveiling of my Nom De Plume if you will. The votes were many, varied, creative and most of all helpfull, so thank you for your support! The name that I have chosen, after much debate and consideration, is: Davis Michels. And, I have already had my first audition as such. It was for McDonald's, Cody and I both auditioned! We didn't get it, but we did it!

What's In a Name

I need everyone's help! In my last class of my first 4 class series, my instructors Jill and Brian talked with me about head shots, resume, and the things I need to start looking at to attract an agent. One of the things I had not yet considered is how I am going to Brand myself, in other words, what name am I going to use. I would love nothing more than to be known as Mike Davis, it's me, it's who I am, but I'm not alone. There are over 15,000 Mike Davis in the United States, about 2,500 of them have the middle name Robert. Even worse, there are hundreds of them listed in IMDB for acting and acting related careers. What does this mean, it means branding myself as Mike Davis is a BAD IDEA! So here is my challenge, what name do I want to go by? Do I want something similar to my real name, or do I want to create a whole new identity? I've also thought of using versions of my Ancestry names: Jones, Hancock, Strauss, Lowery.
This is where I need your help! I need ideas and votes. Below is a list of names that have been suggested, one of them is the name I'm leaning towards, but I'm not telling you which one it is. Currently the only way I can get this is if you respond in a comment below, so PLEASE leave your vote. If you don't like any of these, vote for other, and leave a suggestion so others can see it! Please leave any feedback you wish to share.

Names:

1. Jonsi Michels
2. Davis Hancock
3. Laurence 'Laurie' Michels
4. Mike Davesse
5. Davis Michels
6. Other ___________
   

Acting Needs: Head Shots

(The One that gets Sent Out)

Thanks to the amazingly talented Adam, I now have some head shots to share! If you will glance over to the right side of your screen, you should see a sideshow of some of the best pictures. Also, a new addition over to your right and down a little, you will see a teaser for the The Beast Who Cried "I", a short animated film done by non other than the same amazingly talented Adam, with voice over work by Yours Truly, and music by the lovely Nolan! (Warning to Marmee: don't view the full screen version)

So now that these steps are completed my next step is to get some of these wonderful head shots printed off with a copy of my Resume on the back and start mailing myself out! Hopefully, now that I have all the necessary ingredients, I might be able to attract an Agent (insert dramatic dahnt dahnt daaaaa music here)! I wonder, do they make a pheromone that will help with that...? Anyway, I'm just happy that I am making progress, here's to the hope of continuing to do so!

One last thing, and this is just a shameless self promotion, don't forget to purchase your tickets to this years Phantom's Feaste: Frankenstein's Creation, where I'm performing as Igor, the doctors Lab Assistant. So get your seats reserved now by clicking HERE!

Watch Me!

There are so many people out there who will tell you that you can’t. What you’ve got to do is turn around and say “watch me”

 

If there is one thing that I have learned from my friend and mentor, Jim, it’s that there is nothing I cannot do. Jim would tell us to say “I Can” in rehearsals to keep us from telling him that we couldn’t do things because he was tired of all the people who would say “I can’t…”. The funny thing is that if you say it enough, you really begin to believe it, so, yes, I took this one step further, and have attempted to remove the phrase “I can’t” from my everyday life. I’ve been trying this for some time now, and it’s had a drastic affect on my life, and I’ve come to realize that I like it even less when someone else say’s “I can’t” for me. What I’ve come to realize is that when someone tells you that you can’t, it isn’t because they don’t think you can. A majority of the time, it’s that either they do not believe they can and thus neither can you, or they will not let themselves.  Now this is not always the case, sometimes they are truly concerned for your well being, but there is a difference between “shouldn’t” and “can’t”.

 

So here’s a challenge:

The next time someone asks you to do something, seriously consider all the reasons why you want to say “I can’t”, then realize you can say “I can”, even if you have to follow it up with “but I’m not going to”, then comment and let me know how it felt. And if you don’t mind sharing, leave a comment about any time when you wanted to say “I can’t”, but didn’t, then describe for me what resulted. Good or bad, I’d like to hear both.

 

2009 Phantom's Feaste Auditions!

Wednesday night found me out at the KC Renaissance Festival grounds standing in an empty feast hall with about 30 other people. All of us were ready to lay our emotion on the line, bare our souls to an as of yet unknown audience, and show how we can break through our own limitations and comforts. Yes ladies and gentlemen, we were there to audition for the 2009 Kansas City Renaissance Festival’s Phantom’s Feaste: Kansas City’s only Adult Halloween Dinner Theatre.

(2008 Phantom's Feaste: Adam as Ancil, and Me as Vlad)

I hadn’t actually been sure I was going to audition this year. I had been looking at being a server, and dancing in the Macabre Cabaret, and doing those wouldn’t have allowed me to perform. When I hadn’t heard back about being a server, I made the decision that I still wanted to be a part of the show, so I’d audition for all the roles I could, and just see what happened.

(2009 Phantom's Feaste: Wendy as Bella)

By the time the evening was over, I had auditioned for Frankenstein’s Monster, Igor, a Maniac, Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde, Dorian Grey and a Cabaret Dancer. Each role was fun to audition for, and after losing the weight I wanted to, I had no problems running around in next to nothing. Even though I was exhausted, and not at the top of my game, my mind wasn’t making the leaps and connections it normally would have.

(2009 Phantoms Feaste: Maniacs)

(Matt, Me, Andy, Cody)

(Adam, Curtis)

I feel that I gave a very strong audition, and casting could have gone a number of ways. Cody and I were pretty neck and neck for the roles we were both going for (Maniac, Monster, Igor), and we were feeding off of each other’s energy. What made me really happy, was that we weren’t competing! We helped each other because neither of us were in a this or nothing situation. Even though Cody really wanted to be a Maniac, he couldn’t help but be awesome as the Monster or Igor, and I believe that even though he didn’t feel the connection with the Monster, he had it. And that is why the casting went the way it did. Cody will be Frankenstein’s Monster, and I will be Igor! Check out the full Cast List, everyone did a really great job this year. I did not envy Maestro at all, everyone put on their best performances, I was so proud and impressed!

Acting Needs: Training

Last night I attended my very first Film Acting class! Thanks to Bailee and KCStage I found a great little training studio just up the street from where I live. It’s Brian Cutler’s Commercial Actors Studio, and the main instructor is none other than Brian Cutler. The class set-up is done so that all the levels are in the same class together, just working on varying degrees of difficulty. Every time you take the class, you move up to more difficult levels, and new students join in and get to learn not only from the instructors, but from the more experienced students as well. Last night was the first night of a 4 week On-Camera Class, and we started with Commercials. So the two other new students and myself got to watch the dozen other actors perform what they had been working on (oh, almost forgot, they film it all with lights and sound so you get a feel for the camera), and then received a little extra instruction about marks, slating, and things to keep in mind before we did our own one-line commercial. We were then given notes, and got to try a couple more times. Before the night was over everyone had a couple more commercials to shoot, and us first timers had some larger ones, and a partner one as well. After everyone presented what they had been working on, we then got to watch and critique all the shoots we just did. During all of this Brian and Jill (who was running the camera) were giving constant feedback, and would take the time to talk about auditions and agents, even what to and not to wear to a Film audition (guess what color is most suggested to wear…blue! Blah!). The great part was the other people in the class, everyone is very welcoming, supportive and encouraging.
I realized that I have a lot to learn. While yes my experience in theatre will help me, I've always been winging it when it comes to camera work. There are some very little things that I could do to be better. For example, I need to work on keeping the action and energy of a scene going until the director says cut. I usually would freeze when the scripted action was done, I did this because I didn't know what else to do. What I was doing was making the directors job more difficult by giving them less to work with. The second major thing is that I keep shifting my eyes away from the camera. I've become so used to being told not to look at cameras (photo, not video) that I've adapted it to film as well.
Next weeks class will be cold reading of scripts! The format will be very similar to the commercial class, I can't wait!

Well I had a busy 3 day weekend, relaxing, fun, but busy. This is going to be a long Post, just warning you!

On Saturday I went out to opening day at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival, and had a marvelous time. This was a little awkward for me however. It was the first time I had been out there not performing since the fall of 2004. Heck, I even went so far as to go in Jeans and a T-Shirt, and walked around with a plastic cup full of alcohol. Jake and I called this our “date” as both of our girlfriends are a part of Festival, and we’re not. We watched the Gypsy Girls “Troupe Mystique” first thing, followed by the Gypsy Boys “The Kumpania Boleyn”. Both shows were very well done, and I have to say Bailee looked beautiful up there on stage in her gypsy costume! (Yes Cody, so did you but I prefer Bailee by quite a bit!)

(Bailee as Natasha Artiene)

We then walked around for a bit, sat in and watched “John Mallory and Family”, then got more to drink. After a rather disappointing Parade, we ended up going to the “Fabulous Feaste of Fooles” for the Murder Mystery lunch, and my answer got chosen for the stupidest answer they’d heard (which is what I was going for). The show was hilarious, and the food was delicious, I highly recommend it (if you have the money to spare)! After Feaste I met up with Madame Red and her lovely working wenches, and they escorted me to the Chess Match and made me the envy of every man there.

(Azure and Madame Red)

Chess Match was a little ruff, the dialogue was excellent, but being opening day the fights still needed to be tightened up and made believable. Jake and I then caught the Faerie Dance at the Maypole, they danced so well, and I loved that they let the kids join them. Oh, and Noland, you looked beautiful too, and I bet you thought I wasn’t going to say anything. From here we headed went over to watch the Gypsy Showdown, Jake and I cheered very loudly for the Girls to come back whenever the boys were dancing (sorry guys!). The day ended with Last Huzzah and Gypsy Revel outside the gates. Overall, it was a beautiful day, everyone worked their butts off, and I think I can speak for all the patrons that we had fun. I admit, it was hard for me to not go up to random strangers to ask them how their day was and if they were enjoying themselves, and the hardest part was not approaching children to play with them, cause then I would have just been some Creepy McCreeper guy, and that’s just not cool!

Sunday was my second of three shoot days for Paragon the movie. This was a very simple shoot, we were only doing 1 scene, it had a total of 5 lines between 3 characters, and I had 2 of the 5 lines! *does a little happy dance* This really has been a different experience. There really is no rehearsal aside from running the scene a couple of times before filming (even that is filmed just in case), and it doesn't take a whole lot of time. Totally different from Theatre. Once we were done filming, we got everything set up and reviewed lines for the next scene. I then went shopping for my new costume for my gypsy character Apollo, and went home and created some new jewelry. Kind of a non action packed day (I need those sometimes).

Monday had me back out at the Renaissance Festival! I didn’t go out with anybody specific on Monday, but I ended up hanging out with a number of different people. I walked around mostly, looked in some shops, and hung out with Madame Red and her girls for a good part of the morning (they had me shirtless almost the whole time I was with them). I also got to watch the new “Bawdily Harm” show, which I have to say has the best fights I’ve seen at Festival so far. I caught the first scene of the Scenario “The Battle of the Bards”, I was so happy for Wendy as Marlow, she gets sword fights! I was then pulled up on stage to “audition” for the plays being done by the dueling bards (Romeo and Elspeth by Shakespeare, and César by Marlow), I made a right proper full of myself, I know who’d have guessed! I finally got to see a show by the “Washer Well Wenches”! For about 3 years now I have always told people to go see this show, and I’d never even seen it myself! Now I know why I always told people they needed to see it, I laughed so hard! I then met up with Bradford and Andy, we went and watched the “Royal Masque” being done by court this year. It was an all musical Masque with a good story, and was really well performed. I have to learn it because Prince Phillip cannot be there for 2 days in October, so I will be filling in for him (I couldn’t say no, Patrick couldn’t think of anyone else), so come see me the 3^rd and 17^th of October! Then I met up with Mandy and Allen, and we went to see Chess Match (much improved since Saturday), and then went to the “Royal Smoker”, no, I didn’t smoke, just drank. Oh, and Roger, if you’re reading this, please let them serve WoodChuck, I’ll buy a ticket if they get WoodChuck *does a sad and pathetic Oliver Twist voice*. The show was properly rude, crude, and completely adult! Then to end the day we went to Pub Sing, again, rude, crude, and completely adult! Loved it! If you can’t tell, on Monday, Bailee had to drive home.

So there you have it, my Labor Day Weekend. I hope you all had just as good a time as I did, if not more so. And if you haven’t gone yet, go to the Renaissance Festival! You’ll have fun, I know I did!

It is no secret that I have an overactive imagination, in fact most the time my mind is in about 5 different times and places doing a million different things. This active imagination of mine is kind of why I started acting. After college, with the loss of easy access to pianos and violas, I needed a creative outlet to contain my constant daydreaming. Acting was a way for me to "Play" the scenarios that took place in my mind, and I get to pretend to be other people, it's the greatest thing in the world. So it really should come as no surprise that one of my favorite cartoon characters is Calvin and his pet/toy/best friend Hobbes. Calvin always had the best adventures with Hobbes, but he never left his backyard. This style of play was the staple of my childhood, and I drew inspiration from Calvin! So when I came across this rewritten version of the best comic ever, I almost cried. This is what Calvin would be like if he were a modern day child and today's child psychologists got a hold of him:

(Don't know if I can legally show this, but the copyright is on still on it!)

Found it here: www.thehighdefinite.com/2009/08/this-is-the-saddest-thing-ive-ever-seen//

And just like that, no more adventures, no more cannibalistic snowmen terrorizing the front yard, and no more imaginary friend (I can feel the tears coming again!). I think the reason this is so sad, is because it is true. Psychologists today would more than likely spend 10 minutes with young Calvin, prescribe 3 different medications for ADD and ADHD, and call him cured (there is nothing wrong with him in the first place!). Then I look at all the other children in comics that I grew up with: Charlie Brown would be on anti-depressants while Lucy van Pelt was in anger management courses and Schroeder was being treated for OCD. Dennis the Menace would be in a home for boys with behavioral issues, and Hagar the Horrible would be a contestant on "The Biggest Loser" with Garfield!

Sorry, went on a bit of a tirade there, but when you think about it, it's really scary and sad, especially for a guy like me with a highly active imagination and a Peter Pan complex to top it all off. I keep thinking, if I were a kid today, would my parents have medicated me? If so, then I would never have even thought about acting as a creative outlet, and I would not be posting on this blog right now.

Fitness Update: The End Date!

Well today was the last day of my 40 day challenge to lose 20lbs by September. I weighed in after my workout today at 12:30pm, and the results are:

Pounds Lost: 18

Well I fell 2lbs short of my 20lb goal, in my opinion, not bad at all! I started at 178lbs and I weighed in at 160lbs today. I feel very good about this, and don’t worry, I’m not going to just go off my new routine. I’m still going to keep up with my running, I really do like it, and it has had the largest effect on my health and overall wellness. This little challenge was just the jump start, I still plan on losing that last 2lbs, if not a little more, not to mention that I’m still only able to do 53 pushups without fail, and my goal for that is 100!

And as a side note, I’ll be getting some good headshots posted on here pretty soon. Adam Burisch came by yesterday, and did a short shoot with me at the Liberty Memorial, and he wants to do more (You’re the best Adam!).

I found the Golden Snitch!

Yes, that’s right, I found it! The only thing is it’s encased in Marble! Okay, here’s the story. On Sunday Fran, Bailee and I went to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art for a little bit of culture and fine art. We started in the Egyptian Exhibit (Fran’s Favorite) which moves into the Ancient Greece Exhibit (one of my favorites!). While we are walking through the Greek Exhibit I take notice of this exquisite carved marble Pyxis (a cylindrical box with a lid) that depicts Prince Paris awarding the Golden Apple to Aphrodite in The Judgment of Paris. On the opposite side of this scene are Athena and Hera despairing over the fact that Paris picked Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess, and in between them I notice this odd little object. As I press my nose to the glass this is what I see:

There right between Athena and Hera is what appears to me to be a small ball with wings a.k.a. the Golden Snitch! I was shocked, I didn't know the Ancient Greeks played Quidditch! Of course I rushed over to Bailee and Fran, played their game of "How many bugs are in this painting" (Answer was 30, lots of ants), and then drug them over to view and photograph my find. Of course this got a really great laugh, and exclamations of shock and amazement, and that just kind of started the fun at the Nelson. We started noticing all sorts of random things that I'd never seen before, and I've been going to the Nelson since I was 7! You would be surprised at how many angry and starving dogs are in paintings with Martyred Saints, as well as some of the interesting posses of people across the ages (adding captions to oil paintings is a lot of fun).

All in all, another great day, and fun was had by all!

A day of Family Fun

Yesterday I headed out to Lawrence to spend a day with my family. Now understand, I do have multiple families: the family I was born into, and the family I chose, both are equally important. Yesterday was the family I chose, Marmee, Beth, and my best friend Jo (yes this is a Little Women reference, they refer to me as Laurie). Spending time with family fits into that "Live everyday to its fullest" category.

Marmee started the day by grilling up some delicious burgers and veggies (yum, grilled zucchini, potatoes we ended up not eating, and tomatoes!), and then as we ate, Marmee filled me in on all the family research she's been doing. Wow the stuff she has discovered about her heritage! I love Marmee, she kept asking if I was bored yet, but how could I be? I love learning about heritage and family stories, especially when they mean so much to someone like they do to Marmee. Beth, Joe and Marmee then showed me a whole bunch of pictures and videos from a couple of weddings that took place last month. One wedding Marmee went to was for a Rwandan Refugee couple (if you don't know about the Rwandan Genocide look it up, there's a really well done movie called "Hotel Rwanda" that I highly recommend). They're wedding was beautiful, not only did they have a traditional Christian wedding, but they also had the traditional Rwandan wedding the same night. I found this intriguing, as the reception starts with all the guests marching in to meet the new couple while singing, clapping and carrying gifts of food to get the new couple started. These gifts included milk, flours, grains, sprite, coca-cola, and Heineken!

After we all caught up, Jo suggested we head over to the elementary school playground to play 4 square! I hadn't played 4 square since I was in elementary school, luckily for me, neither had anyone else! So we all agreed, loaded up in the car and went and played! It was so much fun! You know what, it's not as easy as I remember it, and I also remember those squares being a lot bigger! We also went and played on the playground equipment as well, Marmee got lots of picutres, I'll post some of them when I get a chane to, and if Marmee will share them?!

We ended the day by going back to the house, having ice cream and berries, and winding the day down. My word I really needed that day. It had been quite some time since I had gotten to go and just spend time with them, and I realized how much I missed them. I really miss my Joe, we had been seeing each other once a week through gaming, but Footloose put an end to that, and I just haven't gotten back to it yet. I'll figure something out, I just don't know what I'd do if I have to continue going so long without seeing my Jo!

So I'll end this post simply by saying Thanks to Marmee, Beth and Jo, and I love you all!

I slacked off...

This week was not so great on the Fitness side, I really slacked off. Eating a combination of Indian Cuisine, Mexican (twice!), Bar-b-que, French fries, cornbread, brownies, Murray’s Ice cream, and bagels does not follow my diet. Luckily I didn’t gain any weight, but I didn’t lose any either. I’d try to justify by saying I wasn’t feeling well, which I wasn’t, but that really isn’t an excuse. I did run every day, but I only worked out twice.

But let us not despair! I have faith that I will be able to burn these last 6 pounds in the last 10 days of August. It just means that I really have to focus (say that with a Germanic accent, it’s fun!), stick to my diet and exercise plan, and just believe that I can do it!

Oh, and stay tuned this weekend, I’ll update you on all the movies I’ve been seeing lately (some really good ones!), and I’m sure I’ll have some fun things to share after my trip to Lawrence this weekend!

Today we Launched a Website!!!

Okay, it might not sound like an extremely enjoyable or even exciting event, but to me it is. For the past two and a half months I’ve been working on this project for work, it is called the Self Growth Engine (www.selfgrowthengine.com). For those of you who don’t know, I work for an Advertising Agency, as a Partnership Developer. Strange title I know, but it’s what I do.

So on to the Self Growth Engine! Basically we have designed this site to become the place where you can go to get the information you need to change whatever area/s of your life you are dissatisfied with.

*At this point you might be asking “Does this have anything to do with your Blog?”

The answer is yes, it has everything to do with it. I have been doing a lot of research into self improvement, self growth, and how people in our world have changed their lives, and yes, this encouraged me to start my own transformation. When you do nothing but research how to make your life better for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, it tends to have a lingering affect.

One of the main things I have found about all of this is that if you don’t change your life for the better, no-one else will do it for you. You are the only person who can be responsible for your own happiness.

So who knows, maybe you’ll find some inspiration too. Check it out: www.selfgrowthengine.com

Personal Note:

As I stated in my opening post, one goal of my career is to not let it interfere with my fantastic relationship with Bailee. So I just thought I’d let everyone know that today, August 18^th, 2009 is our 2^nd Anniversary! It was two years ago today that I asked Bailee out on our first date, and a few days later she promptly moved to New York, NY. We dated for 6 months long distance, and she came back home. We’ve shared a wonderful 2 years together, and I’m looking forward to many more!

Fitness Update!

So on the 20^th of July, my goal was to lose 20 lbs by September 1^st, I weighed 178 lbs at that time.

Today, Friday the 14^th of August, just 25 days on my diet, I weighed in at 164 lbs! That means I have 15 days to lose another 6 lbs, I don’t think it will be easy, but I’ll do it!

Also, my goal to be able to do 100 pushups without fail has improved as well. Last night I was able to do 2 sets of 50 pushups, I could have done a third set, but was too ecstatic over doing 100 pushups in just 2 sets!

As a side note, I have also opened up the comment section to everyone, so please feel free to leave a comment, or ask questions.

Next Steps

Well now that I’ve got this going, and finding things to post about on a regular basis, I also see that I’m going to need to use this as a reminder to myself of the things I need to be doing.

To actually become a professional actor I really need to make myself known to the acting world. From what I can tell I need the following things:

-Well rounded Resume detailing experience and skills

-Awesome Head Shots

-Really well connected Agent

-Training/ Experience

-A little bit of Luck (a whole lot wouldn’t hurt either)

I’m sure there are about a hundred other things that I’m not thinking of, but these seem to be the major ones. So let’s go through these.

First off: A well rounded resume. Well I have a resume, I’m not sure if it is well rounded, but it does detail all the work I’ve been doing, and the things that go along with it. I list the work I’ve done on stage, at festival, and on film. I need to add the details for the commercials and the voice over work that I have done as well.

Second: Awesome head shots. I don’t have these. I haven’t been able to pay for them (they’re expensive). However, a friend did offer to do some for me, I just need to be able to meet up with her. There are other photographers I like as well. Cody had his done by an artist who was simply amazing, he really captured Cody’s best sides. I’ve been using pictures that people have managed to get of me, and most of those involve my mouth hanging open due to the fact that I never shut-up. This is unprofessional, and probably weighs heavily against me.

Third: A really well connected Agent. This has been one of my biggest dilemmas. I don’t know how to get an Agent, or even how to contact one. I’ve always just dreamt that one day after a performance some person would walk up to me and say “Mike Davis, I want to sign you on with my Agency!”, but I don’t think this happens anymore. I know it used to, but now actors are a dime a dozen, and agents don’t have to go hunting for talent.

Forth: Training and Experience. I do not have any formal training. I never took acting/ vocal/ dance classes, I never really knew I wanted to be an actor until after I dropped out of college! All I have is experience. While my friends say this is the best kind of training, it’s also the hardest and slowest. And the real trouble is that most directors don’t have the time to give an untrained actor the instruction they need. Luckily I’ve managed to land some Lead roles, and a couple of my directors have taken the time to coach me and help me along.

Fifth: A little bit of Luck. Well there is just no way to control this one. I carry around a Four Leaf Clover, that has been laminated, with me in my wallet. It’s with me everywhere I go. Aside from wearing horseshoes and de-footing rabbits, I don’t know how to attract the luck I’m needing (maybe I need to attach the horseshoes to the detached rabbit feet…). Some would say you create your own luck, and that is kind of what I’m hoping having this blog will do.

So there you have it. My next two steps to actually move forward with my own self growth are to get some really great Head Shots, and start contacting Agents. Wish me luck!

An intriguing Concept...

So I was stumbling the internet yesterday (thanks Stumble Upon!) when I came across http://survivingtheworld.net/Lesson407.html by Dante Shepherd. Now normally his daily lessons are just funny, but this one really got me thinking. He proposed the thought of the Sixth wall in theatre (wait sixth! When was there a fifth!? Read the link):

“The sixth wall, of course, involves two plays on different stages interacting with each other sporadically over the course of the evening. The audiences will be forced to choose sides in the potential war between casts and crews. Lighting designers will play key roles in utilizing the spotlights in flashbang style attacks. And theater critics will rip into both sides gleefully”

Now Dante might have been joking, but it struck a chord with me. All of a sudden I got this image in my head of a theatre with stages at either end, and all the chairs rotate so that the audience can switch back and forth. I know, most of you are probably thinking “That would never work” but I beg to differ. I can remember going to the Drive In as a kid, and it had 2 movie Screens, one at either end of the parking lot, and if you got bored with one movie, you could turn around, change the radio station, and watch the other movie! It was great!

I know, I know, it had a radio, and you didn’t have to listen to both movies at once, that’s a very good point. But this idea would need a new kind of show. Imagine if you can, a play performed on two different stages at the same time, each stage appears to be presenting a different kind of show, but in reality they have been written to give a complete picture. The only way to get the full story is to watch bits and pieces of each show. The lighting and sound crews would have to have their cues down, and the actors would need some of the most incredible timing. But think about it, you could tell a story from multiple perspectives by having action on both stages. It could bring a whole new concept to musicals! Think about being able to watch a show like West Side Story, and re-write the opposing groups songs to be sung at the same time! I know, I’m starting to ramble, but I think it would be pretty awesome! It could really show that while we may all be different, we are all very much alike.

Best,

Mike

Acting Resume Has Been Posted

Well that was fun. So if you can’t tell, I’m not too internet savvy, so this is a learning experience for me! But if you look in the Right Side Toolbar, just underneath my photo, you will see a section called “Documents” and in there currently is “View My Acting Resume”, click it and you will be taken to my acting resume! I think I will also be able to use this function for an actual Fitness and Nutrition Log, so keep an eye open for that coming soon.

Best,

Mike

Current Acting Project: Paragon

Well, I have to remember to get my full acting resume up here somewhere. I'd like it to be a permanent feature, if anyone knows how to do that, I'd appreciate the help. So for now I'm just going to tell you about my current acting. A few months ago I auditioned for a role in an Independent film being shot here in KC called Paragon (check out the Blog):

"PARAGON tells the story of Augustus Carr, a vigilante by night, as he seeks to stop a drug dealing madman known as "H" from completing a series of ritualistic murders that could bring about the end of civilization. Aiding Augustus in his search are his friends Corliss Erman (a homeless man who is immune to disease) and Erica Grant, an investigative reporter for the Kansas City Clarion."

It is being directed by Scott Kessler with Insert Creative Name Here Productions. This was my first movie audition ever, I was nervous as heck. I really didn't know what to expect, and afterwards I expected to be offered a role as an extra. Well I did a little better than that. I was offered the role of the Janitor. I would have 1 scene and about 4 lines. My reaction "I Have Lines!!!!", needles to say I was stoked.

Then last Sunday they were shooting a couple of scenes at a bar, and I had my godson for the weekend, so I figured I'd take him out to the shoot and let him see what goes on behind scenes, and maybe we could be extras! Apparently the Actor playing Stivviq (the bouncer of the bar) had not shown up, and no one had heard from him for a few weeks. Well Scott and our Fight Choreographer Terry were trying to figure out the fight scenes scheduled for the day, and who could take what hits/kicks/throws. It was here that I leaned over to Terry and offered my help, I let him know that I have fight choreography experience, and could take a hit if needed. That sealed it, I was then moved up to the role of Stivviq! A larger roll, just like that! That day we proceeded to shoot the fights which involved me charging the main character, Paragon (played by Steve Williams), and being picked up and Jack Knifed into the floor! Totally Awesome! Steve being the kind soul that he is insisted we use the thicker mats, I wasn't really concerned, but after doing the throw about 20 times in a row I was thankful. I was even happier the next day when I woke up and wasn't sore at all! Thanks Cliff and Elayna for all the fight training at Festival!

The Fitness Journey Begins

Well, as I stated in my first post, one of my main goals is to get into better physical shape. "Why" you ask? Why when there are a number of professional actors that are not in great shape, and have still made the A list? Well there are a number of reasons, and the main one is simply that I'm not comfortable with myself the way I am. I've never been one to take an active role in my physical fitness, at least that is how it was until about a year and a half ago. I don't buy into that crap that says you're not responsible for being overweight! BULL! I was lazy, ate what I wanted to, and just didn't care. I'm not afraid to take responsiblity for my actions. It was and is my fault that I have never been and am not in shape!

For a little background, when I graduated high school back in 2002, I was 5'7" and I weighed 225 pounds. When I moved to college, a series of events happened, and I was lucky to drop 75 lbs in 6 months (don't ask how, it wasn't illegal or with drugs, but it wasn't healthy). Since then I have slowly put weight back on, lost it, gained it, and mostly without trying. It wasn't until 6 months after I quite smoking that I realized I was back up to 195 lbs! That is when I started actually trying. Now understand, I have always been friends with a number of guys who are all very physically fit, and don't even try. They have six pack abs (or close to it), well defined muscles, they look great (I have no problems admitting when another guy looks good). Truth be told... I've always been jealous as heck! My friends Jake, Brandon, and Cody are the first three that come to mind when I think of the guys I'm jealous of (luckily a couple of them do try).

The problem has been that for the past year, I really haven't seen the results I wanted. I joined the gym, started dieting, but I could never really stick to it. I have been able to maintain a weight of about 175 lbs, not bad, but I'm only 5'8", and I just haven't been able to get rid of this belly flab. This is where my recently developed close friendship with Cody has started helping. First off, Cody is pretty, plain and simple, Cody is pretty (for the record we are both heterosexual, but we are both comfortable enough with ourselves to be able to say things like that). But we both have goals for self improvement, we are very supportive of each other, and we push each other to be better. This recent "obsession" with my physical fitness started one day when Cody was talking about his nightly core exercise routine that involves 400 - 450 reps of different exercises, and I told him about my nightly challenge to do 100 push-ups. Next thing we knew, we had taken up each others challenges. Then, back on the 20th of August, I looked at Cody and the following conversation took place:

Me- "Cody, I've got a new goal."
Cody- "Alright Mike, what is it?"
Me- "I'm going to lose 20 lbs by September."
Cody- "You can do it Mike, I know you can."

I believed him, and I still do. It has been been 19 days since I made that statement, and I have lost 10 lbs. It hasn't been easy! I started by watching what I eat. I've cut out a lot of meat from my diet, while animal protein is good to build muscle, it is not so great to loose fat. I only eat when I'm hungry, and that is after chugging water and waiting to make sure I'm actually hungry. Then I only eat an appropriate proportion of food (I might add a meal log later to show what I eat), the key has been to not overeat. The second part of this has been daily exercise. Every day at work, before lunch I go out and run 1.5 - 2 miles in interval speeds. It takes about 9 minutes by alternating sprinting for about 45 seconds with light to medium speed running for 2 minutes. Then at least 5 out of 7 nights a week I'll do a 400-450 rep core exercise routine and 3 or 4 sets of push-ups totalling 100-115 push-ups.

This sounds like it would be no fun, but let me tell you, I feel great after my daily runs, and I feel a great sense of accomplishment after my nightly workout. Most of all, it's working! I have 22 more days, and the next 10 lbs won't be easy, but darn it, I can do it!

Welcome to my Journey

Well it is the 8th of August, 2009, and this is the beginning of my blog. If you can't tell by the title, I am attempting to become a professional Actor. I want to be on that big silver screen, rubbing elbows with Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Hugh Jackman, Robin Williams, and Nicole Kidman (Just a few professionals I enjoy).

To accomplish this one very lofty goal, there are many smaller things that must be achieved first. Really these smaller goals will be tracked the most. Aside from building a name for myself, I also need to improve my physical appearnces, develop unique skills to set me apart from the crowd, enjoy everyday of my life, and keep a healthy realtionship with my wonderful girlfriend of two years. I know, that last one doesn't seem like it has a lot to do with acting, but it is a goal, and I will not sacrifice my fantastic relationship. I truly believe that buy making that a goal I will be able to attain my dream while not only maintaing my relationship, but improving it as well.

Now let it be said, that I completly understand that this will by no means be easy, especially since I have no formal training. I also know that very few people ever accomplish this dream while a whole lot of people share it. My hope is that by including the world in my journey then I will come just a little closer to seeing my dream come true. With that all being said, I ask that you please hang in there with me while I get this blog established.

Oh, and dont' forget to sign up to "Follow" me!