Rest.

I was recently apart of a show called Sleeper (the 2nd iteration of the 2021 BRIC Lab run) and in that show there is a quote by Tricia Hersey (founder of the organization The Nap Ministry) where she says "Rest is resistance." It's a sentence that holds soooooooo much! It took me awhile to understand what that means for me, honestly I'm still figuring it out. What I've come to realize though is as a person, I love and lean into resting. As an actor there is a lot of shame held around rest for me. If I'm not working, submitting, auditioning, or self taping then it feels like I'm not doing enough. Not constantly being on the actor grind created guilt within me that wasn't easily shaken. But I've come to the place that just being is enough. Living and experiencing life are some of the best underrated tools in our actor toolbox. And resting is restorative to not only our bodies but to our minds and souls. Major pieces of ourselves that I think we all use as actors (and artists) to tell stories. There's a saying I remember hearing, that fits the vibe of this and its "don't live to work but work to live". Which is easier said then done but honestly we're all works in progress, so be kind to yourselves. Put your feet up. Silence your phone. Sleep in. Go take a nap. As I say to the kids I babysit when they ask to grab an extra cookie, LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE.

"You were not just born to center your entire existence on work and labor. You were born to heal, to grow, to be of service to yourself and community, to practice, to experiment, to create, to have space, to dream, and to connect."

-Tricia Hersey, Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto