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Saturday, November 28, 2009

While You Audition - 3 Little Known Ways To Beat Not Having A "Real Job"


Are you like me, stuck waiting in between not having a "real job" with a 401k and hating every serving job you get to pay rent?

While being stuck out in the middle of nowhere (Las Vegas), I am forced to wait out the horrible economy that happens so often when a democrat is in office. *sigh* Alas, I digress...

If you want to act, but live in Nevada, (or outside of LA), you NEED to move to LA.
Sorry, but the sooner you get over this horrible, inconvenient truth, the better.

However, until then, you have to survive.

As an actress (or actor), you have to do more than that. You must be healthy, active, and continually evolving. Even while you wait under the Hollywood radar, you better be paying off credit cards, working out, or learning something useful for when you do come back.

Here is how I get around having extremely limited resources that come from not having a "real job" (i.e. health insurance, paid vacations, 401k & room for advancement):
  1. Dental Plans. Can't have a killer headshot with a jacked-up grill! Nevada (as well as other states) have dental PLANS which help you to get your teeth x-rayed, cleaned, and fixed. Dental Plans are different from Dental Insurance in that you do not pay a monthly fee, nor do they act as an insurance by taking care of certain costs. Dental Plans will allow you to see (a provided list of) Dentists. The catch is you must pay same day, you cannot bill it to your insurance, because it isn't insurance. Dental Plans give you a discount on normal procedures. I paid about $138 for both my husband and I to get the Avia (recommended to me by a friend, so that's why I chose that plan) Dental Plan. Our coverage is for a year, we can change dentists if we want (as long as the dentist accepts Avia Dental Plan, which a lot out here do) and there is no waiting period! A regular cleaning is about $70. Avia Dental Plan got me a cleaning for $16. Rates vary, but it is still very helpful. You can get your teeth cleaned, cavities filled, even get braces, at your own pace. More info: http://www.dentalplans.com/dentalplans/sedchome.asp
  2. Free Clinics. As a woman, you have more needs medically. As an actress, you don't need to stress about how long you can make it without a doctor's visit. You can almost always find a free clinic to get preventative healthcare. Like, for example, get tested for STD's, HPV and pregnancy for free at a planned parenthood location. If you tell them you are unemployed or broke, they make everything free or discounted (they will not give annual exams: pap, breast exam or birth control for free, but they can make it very affordable.) I recommend also checking out your college if you are going to school, they will usually give out cheap flu shots, vitamins and test for illness. You do not need Health Insurance for any of this! More info: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/index.htm
  3. YouTube. Do you need to look a cut above the competition? Of course you do. I used to love going to Gold's Gym in LA. While I'm out here in the desert, I do NOT want to go outside more than I have to. Plus, I need to save money. As an actress, you need to stay in shape if you want most leading roles. Youtube.com is the second largest search engine after Google. Why? because people want to SEE how it's done. I constantly google quick work outs that don't require equipment. You can change it up and work out on your own time. My favorite personal trainer for quick but challenging work outs on youtube is this european chick who is actually really nice despite her Maxim-appeal: http://www.youtube.com/user/charliejames1975
What are some ways you have kept a 9-5 job at bay while auditioning, or waiting to audition again?

3 comments:

Carlo Parducho said...

Wow. I like how you post that pic while I'm trying to turn one of the pics we took that same night into a marie claire mockup magazine cover. I've been having trouble thinking of hypothetical topics for the feature story and thanks to you and this post, I just have an answer. =)

Amber Rose Plaster said...

awesome!!!!! send me the link!!!

Unknown said...

i like your blog very much

thanks


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