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Showing posts from March, 2019

100 Days of Writing - 55

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Opportunity, as a concept.  Filled with possibilities, stories and missed connections.    I had a GREAT. FUCKING. DAY. today.  I specify the caps and f-bomb because it's been a rare occurrence to feel so connected to destiny like I did today.  Having been so school/work focused for the last several months has been good for me, to get shit done, but it's also exhausting.   The semester is coming to an end though, and we're gearing up for our internships and today it just so happened that I got to dance with the greats. I volunteered to be a jury member for the Independent Producer's Webseries Fund and we met this morning to go over some projects.  It felt great to give honest feedback and to feel like it counted.  That it was heard and possibly even helpful.   After a lovely lunch with a few of my classmates, I headed over to CBC for an internship interview that went fairly well, considering applicants had about 10 minutes each.  Each of my colleagues I sp

100 Days of Writing - 54

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It's weird to age.  It's weird to look back at the last 20 years of my life and think about all the ways in which I've transformed, shifted, changed, etc.  Lots of highs, lots of lows, all adding up to me now at this age. It's also weird to think about all the things that have happened that helped to guide me, even though I had no control over them.  Circumstances, job experience, people I've met, all these pings have nudged me a little or a lot, and have influenced the things I do have control over.  I suppose some people call this fate. It's weird to think about how my opinions have changed too.  Spending more time investigating and learning to feel equipped to make intelligent sense of things.  But also my life experiences have allowed for a shift to take place in my thinking. I guess some people would call that maturity. Sometimes I miss the days of being inspired by highlighters and starfruit, but I think those moments contributed to the moments I n

100 Days of Writing - 53

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A year ago I never would have thought I'd be sitting where I am right now.  Okay maybe writing in bed at night on a Wednesday isn't that big a stretch, but the knowledge I'm filled with is.  I feel so much more equipped, with so much more focus, and a greater understanding of the industry that I want to be a part of.  I have pitch packages, a business plan, a webseries, a picture book and 3 chapters of a novel and I can hardly believe it.  It feels pretty freaking great. We're approaching the internship portion of the program, and it is still unknown to me where I will be in a few weeks time, taking everything I've learned and applying it in the real world.  I'm so excited to get out there, but I know I'll miss these late nights finishing up homework to deliver to my lovely teachers.  Ya'll, my heart is filled with gratitude and warmth tonight, I'm proud that I made the sacrifice to go back to school and do this crazy thing because it has opene

100 Days of Writing - 52

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I changed my bedsheets today.  That's a win. Did some polishing on a pitch document tonight, feeling pretty good about it. I started this thing with a lack of a spark and here I am 50 days later with 2 shows that I'm stoked to start pitching.  I think it's been about honouring the inner voice and going after things that, like Marie Kondo would say, "Spark Joy." I've been dealing with jealous feelings towards my classmates who came into the program with passion projects or clear stories they wanted to work on and develop.  Jealousy is ugly, and I don't do well when it's around. But now, after putting some work into my ideas, and fleshing them out, I feel really good about them!  And they currently live in this safe space, my brain, and soon they will have eyes on them and I will have to manage the feelings I have towards them then. I think though, the fact that I've developed them this far, and I have an actual pitch for them, they feel li

100 Days of Writing - 51

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Write what you know. Why am I the right person to tell the story? What do your characters want? These questions, and more, haunt me. Here's what I know: I know what it is to love something that, at any moment, could break your heart. I know what it's like to be a role model in a kid's eyes, and I know how to make life fun for them. I know that consensus is hard and awkward, but worth striving for. I know how to make people laugh, and not always at my expense. I know how to help others think profoundly, if even just for a brief time. I know how to step into the unknown and what it's like to see yourself on the other side. I know that vulnerability is a bitch, but can stick up for you when you need it most. I know anxiety. I know depression. I know that idealized romance is so much more fun that dating. I know how to keep at least 5 plants alive for more than a year. I know how to be a project manager. I know that following your dreams can lead you t

100 Days of Writing - 50

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I'm working on a pitch document for a teen gameshow.  And this is my 50th blog post this year.  Both those things make me feel real happy. I can definitely vouch that practice makes.. gooder.  I've enjoyed this process and this self-induced challenge, and I hope to continue towards the goal.  I'm going to take a prompt tonight because I'm tempted to write about fluff. "Does your name have a meaning?" Well, I'll tell you what it's been like to grow up and be a woman with the name Katie.  I like my name, I do, and for a while I considered changing it to Kat among my high school peers because it felt more genuine than the little-girly Katie that I am.  I signed my journals with xKatx for a long time during my straight edge years, and I'm pretty sure I even had a pre-Facebook Facebookesque page by that name. My parents were going to name me Kristen, actually.  Adam if I turned out to be a boy, but Katie came along after I was born because I

100 Days of Writing - 49

Here's a fun activity for you to do, that I had fun doing in class today.  I'm told it's a drinking game. Get poetic and... Describe your favourite colour.  What does it look like, how does it make you feel? Describe your favourite animal.  What are its qualities that you love? Describe a body of water that you know, that may be familiar to you. And finally, you're in a white room.  Everything is white.  Describe how you're feeling in there. Ready to find out what IT ALL MEANS?!??? (scroll) Favourite colour: How you see yourself. Favourite animal: How others see you. Body of Water: You guessed it!  Your sex life. White Box/Room: How you feel about death. Wasn't that fun?  :) I love that shit. Katie

100 Days of Writing - 48

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Got to dip my feet in the comedy scene tonight, that felt nice. I have this weird relationship with the word comedian at this point in my life and there are conflicting feelings around it. I was telling a friend today over grilled cheeses that I am super satisfied with what I've accomplished thus far in my life, especially when it comes to satisfying my childhood dream of being an actor.  I found a group of people that I could get on-stage with and goof around and make people laugh and I got to do it often enough that it's become this really sacred part of my life.  I'm very proud of it and of all the comedy I've produced or performed or been a part of somehow up to this very moment.  I feel so much gratitude that I have been able to participate. Comedy has become a much less regular part of my life now and while I do miss those times and that feeling, I'm starting to get used to the idea of taking on a more behind-the-scenes type of role. The self-perceptio

100 Days of Writing - 47

Holy god I may live to be 47 years old.  Why does that sound so foreign and impossible to me? Katie looks up from her computer to see her reflection in the mirror before her.  Her winter tuque, a lime green knit, slinks over her forehead but not far enough to hide the protruding second chin at the bottom of her face. I need to start working out.  Blast!  Absolutely nothing insightful to share.  I think I taught my toddler-bud how to say my name yesterday, which was a delight.  I'll test him on Monday to see if he still remembers.  :) KAYYYYY-TEEEEEEE!

100 Days of Writing - 46

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Just got home from watching The Barr Brothers play their album, Sleeping Operator, in full at the Mod Club.  My first time there, and while I wasn't too crazy about the space itself, the sound was on point and my soul is satiated after almost two hours of beautiful music. Concerts have always been something I enjoy doing, with others, or on my own.  Ever since I was a teenager, I remember moshing in a pit and feeling a spiritual unison with the people in closest proximity.  Over the years, that diminished as my musical interests calmed a bit and I found myself growing cranky over the constant interference of tall men.  I pictured bringing stilts just so I could watch my favourite bands, uninterrupted and without any neck pain.  Tonight I lucked out with a perfect spot on the second floor with an all-access view of the stage.  I bopped my head and caught up to the person standing next to me, also bopping their head.  And it makes no sense at all, but as I bopped my head with the