"We are social creatures to the inmost center of our being. The notion that one can begin anything at all from scratch, free from the past, or unindebted to others, could not conceivably be more wrong." - Karl Popper, philosopher & professor (1902 - 1994)
It's important to celebrate the small and not-so-small victories in our daily lives and share in the joy together. Sure.. there's always more to do, but don't forget to stop and celebrate how far you've already come, the obstacles you've managed to overcome and the friends who have supported you along the way.
You could have quit... just given up at any point... and that would have been waaaaay easier than sticking-with-it. But then you'd never get to be where you are now!
So today I am celebrating a great triumph... I have FINALLY submitted my online application for Juilliard. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!
And not a moment too soon... Deadline is Dec 1 (a.k.a. tomorrow).
Personal Statement Written... CHECK.
Online Application Sent... CHECK.
Application Fee Paid... CHECK.
Great Sense of Accomplishment... CHECK.
The busy-busy-busy schedule of November tried to crush me... BUT I WILL NOT BE CRUSHED. I will not let ANYTHING stand in my way of completing my MIT (Most Important Task): applying to grad school.
Taking steps to create the life of my dreams = My A#1 priority
Let's put this accomplishment in some historical context also...
If you had told 14-year-old-me, aspiring actress that I was, that some day in the future I would be living in New York City and applying to JUILLIARD. I probably would have said, "Ha, ha, ha,... Suuuure. Very funny. Stop making fun of me."
Truthfully, I wouldn't have thought myself WORTHY of even APPLYING. (And, in actuality, I never did apply to any undergrad acting programs for this very reason... and also, I knew my parents couldn't afford to send me even if I got in... So why try?)
I thought that places like Juilliard were only for special people with exceptional talent and people who came from families that had money and connections... not for people like me. I didn't think the opportunity to study at an "elite" school like Juilliard would ever be AVAILABLE to me. In my young mind, applying to Juilliard was IMPOSSIBLE.
...Well, Virginia, who just clicked SEND on that Juilliard application, huh?... YOU!... Maybe you should re-think what's POSSIBLE?
Now, I think it is time that we dance around the living room lip-syncing to Jason Mraz and acting like we're 14 again... because we DESERVE to celebrate! I could NOT have gotten this far or had nearly as much growth in the process without YOU! This has not been an easy task...
And we've still got NYU and Yale waiting-in-the-wings, but for now... Let's DANCE! We FUCKIN' did it.
A W E S O M E.
Love,
V
"The truth is simple. There are very few - if any - genuine cases of overnight success. The majority of successful people have dedicated themselves to a goal and persevered for a long time, experiencing several setbacks before reaching a high level of achievement that is finally noticed." - Alexandre Levit, Money Magazine's Online Career Expert Of The Year
Congrats on the submission! I have yet to finish my personal statements... Like you said, it's hard to peel away the layers of yourself and just be honest.
ReplyDeleteSo, following your suggestion I watched the video on Juliard's website, and I was inspired. Totally NOT what I was expecting! At first the idea of working with a group of BFA students turned me off... simply because I remembered the drama(for lack of a better term) of being in an undergraduate acting program and being young! I am in my late twenties now... not an angsty teenager. But now I am open and intrigued about the idea of collaborating and being part of a group of artists of varying age, experience, and socio-economic backrounds.
Also the sense of community the school seems to have is EXACTLY what I have been yearning for and talk about in my statement of purpose!
So I have started my application process, and so EXCITED.