125. Dreams Do Come True

"Don't worry about how bad you do the first time. You learned how to walk as a child by continually falling on your face trying to take your first steps. Life is the same way." - Caleb Wojcik, Expert Enough

Two years ago...I failed to get accepted to grad school at NYU, Yale and the University of San Diego.

Last year...I failed to get accepted to grad school at NYU and Yale.

Today I auditioned for Juilliard and made it through all the cuts to the veeeeery end of the day. And since my last name is Wilcox, I think I may have been the very last auditioning hopeful to exit the hallowed halls of Juilliard tonight.

To me...just getting called back to Juilliard is a HUGE success. I am grateful just to have had the opportunity to audition there, now that they have an MFA program. And (reminder to self) if I hadn't been rejected from all those schools in the past, then I never would have had the experience I had today. Soooo, I am glad...GLAD that I failed before.

I will be writing all about this incredible day at Juilliard in future blog posts. I promise.

But for now, I want to give a shout-out too all the courageous souls that came out to audition for grad schools today...and every day.

We are allllll the future of the American theatre. And, called-back or not, doesn't change the fact that you have passion and talent enough to have come this far. DON'T STOP! Keep auditioning...for grad school or for whatever!...Plays or musicals or TV or film or voice-over or ANYTHING that strikes your creative fancy. Just keep doing your work! The work that you LOVE!

We all have so much we can give...our unique human perspective...to enlighten, to reflect, to entertain...through our work as actors. And I hope that you know that this is just another step along that path. And sometimes failing is the best part of the journey. Doesn't seem that way at the time, often, but with hindsight...it may prove to be a HUGE blessing.

So keep moving in the direction of your dreams, no matter what! Have faith! The more you fail...the more you know you can survive it!!!...And then you can open yourself up to unforeseen opportunities, greater than you ever could have imagined.

Thanks for all your support through this process, everyone. Today I truly felt like I had an army of blog-following angels surrounding me with love.

I am overwhelmed by it all and exhausted from this looooong day and ecstatically happy to be alive.

Off to bed.

Loves,
Virginia