​My dear dudettes, I know, the struggle is real. The pressure to make loads of money, get a respectable job with benefits, while tending to life’s responsibilities is completely relevant and understandable. Of course, it is! You want to make your parents and family proud (I sure do) and give them everything they gave you, maintain healthy relationships with everyone you hold dear, and all the while be able to support yourself and that splurging habit you simply cannot part with. But my friends, who’s to say you can’t do that all in your own way? If you’re an artist, especially. 

You don’t need to go into the medical field, work in a major corporation, learn code and become a software engineer, or an astrophysicist for all that matter (unless that’s your jam, then do you), to be “successful.” 

If it doesn’t make you happy, if you’re not passionate about it, if it brings you to the point of stress stomach aches - it’s pretty obvious it’s probably not what you should be doing with the rest of your life. Time is so insanely limited - it’s not worth wasting something that precious on a life that you’re not making the most of for you and only you. 

I understand meeting expectations from those you love, those opinions matter, but it’ll be the best of both worlds when you prove to them you can get there by doing what you enjoy most. 

Passion drives success and happiness. That’s always my motto. 

No matter what you want to be or what you want to do, whether you make jewelry dishes, yodel beyond the hilltops, raise rabbits for the circus, or are this weird traveling artist like me - the world needs what you do, and it needs to be done by you. 

Don’t let the idea that it’s already been done or the fear of being unliked stop you from doing anything. No one can do anything like you can. Always remember that. You’re so fudging special, and no one can take that away from you. If you have a gift (or several) it can hardly be considered one if you don’t share it! I mean think about it - It’d be like getting your mom this incredible trip to Scotland for her birthday but deciding not to give it to her in the end because you were scared she wouldn’t like it.

True, it’s much easier said than done, but isn’t it worth trying compared to imagining what your life as a star on Broadway could have been like? If you let money or expectation other than your own rule where your path leads, you’re never going to get where you want to go or be happy about it. I assure you. Your heart knows what it wants, and if that’s not what everyone around you wants - I want to tell you that, that’s okay. If you’re working at the local coffee shop or driving Uber - you’re building enough income to support yourself and enough time to support your dreams in the meantime before they become full-time. Balance is sensational, essential, and necessary. 

Balance is the key to getting to where you want to faster (regardless of how unglamorous the road there may be). You need time and you need money - if you have too little of either, chances are you’re going to be unhappy - especially if you’re hating what you’re currently doing. So, I’ll leave you with this.

Find the thing you love, a hobby, and the thing you’re incredible at. For me, I love traveling and know a lot about it from first-hand experience. On top of that, I have spent the last four years of my life in Los Angeles immersed in the entertainment industry, and have become particularly skilled at writing and as hobbies, photography, and singing. After you choose these, think up a way of how it could benefit the world around you - for me, that was female artists who need/want inspiration and guidance. When you discover this -think of a way you can monetize the experience using all three (what you love, your hobby, and your skill). For me, this is traveling the world, creating art wherever I go and writing my stories (books, screenplays, and blogs) based off of my experiences, to sell. It’s really that simple - you just need to give this venture the time it needs to flourish.

Now, please, go forth without hesitation. I know it’s scary and can be hard to make the first step, but this life is yours - and it’s going to be beautiful! 

Steps to becoming a Working Actress in LA:

Whether you’re thinking about moving to LA, are on your way here, or have been here for a couple months or years – if you’re thinking about acting, there are definitely a couple things that could give you the head start you need to start booking jobs sooner than later.  Full disclosure guys, acting isn’t the number one priority in my life, I simply do it because it’s FUN it’s SO FUN (and you learn a lot about yourself), but the fact that I do it for fun and don’t take it as a life or death situation is how I’ve become successful in the area and have been paid to do it. 

So, for someone who has given a good chunk of my leisure time to being on set as an actress- let me give you a few nuggets of advice from my experience that could help you out for your future acting endeavors - for fun or for a career.

1. INVEST IN PROPER AND PROFESSIONAL HEAD SHOTS RIGHT AWAY – even before you move out to LA if you can. Casting directors will take you that much more seriously. Character shots are a major necessity too.
   1. Sounds bad, but create your type-cast character. Chances are they’ll like to see that in a headshot (Girl Next Door, Best Friend, Nerd, Jock, Goth, Rocker, etc.). 

1. GET ON THOSE CASTING SITES : LA Casting, Actors Access, Backstage, and even background talent services. Now, being on these is great practice and are opportunity finders to get your foot in the door and to get you experience auditioning and on set. Until you find an agent (and a good one at that) though, these casting sites really act as placeholders for you to submit yourself. Having an agent provides you with clout and representation behind your name and talent that casting directors will confide in when your agent submits you for roles. Being on these sites though before you even step foot in LA will at best provide you with footage for your reel and opportunity to network with casting directors, filmmakers, and other actors. *LA Casting is great for commercial, background, and audience work though. 
2. DON'T RELY ON SHORT FILM FOOTAGE FOR YOUR REEL –  chances are that if they're on LA casting, they are student films, most often poorly written, and are poorly shot with low resolution (this of course isn't always the case) - find filmmakers and writers you can collaborate with to make your own content that speaks to you and that you trust.
3. BE PREPARED FOR YOUR AUDITIONS FOR GOODNESS SAKES! Take it from someone who has been both the casting director and one auditioning. The earlier you are and having your sides memorized in depth will allow you to crush the audition. Also - pay attention to context clues! Know your character's situation as best as you can and give it all you got! 
4. Be YOURSELF in your auditions, don’t take it so seriously. BE EXCITED TO BE THERE!
5. SIGN UP FOR SHOWCASES – but as a partner scene – it usually works out better for the both of you cost wise and you have someone to react off of. Showcases allow you to get in front of agents in person and give you the opportunity to show them who you are! Choose material that resembles your personality best - not what you think they're looking for. 
6. PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE (not in a bad way of course) Just make sure to utilize the infinite opportunity to show off your work and talent online – it’s a great tool. USE IT!
7. NETWORK! Don’t beg to be in someone’s movie – make friends – they just might refer you.
8. GO TO WORKSHOPS, CASTING DIRECTOR WORKSHOPS, AND CLASSES – there is always room to learn in multiple areas – speech, dialect, breathing, stunts, combat training, comedy, improv, Shakespeare – everything!
9. PUT ALL OF THE MOST INTERESTING THIGNS ABOUT YOU AND ALL OF YOUR SKILLS ON YOUR RESUME! Whether you've hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro, juggle, sing alto, train show rabbits or played badmitton that one time in gym class - put it on there.  Who knows who'll need it for a role. 
10. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BOMB - YET LEGIBLE AND CLEAN ACTING RESUME! - Put the tiniest bit of your personality down on paper. Make yourself memorable. 
11. DON'T PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE IN ANY WAY YOUR MOTHER WOULDN'T BE PROUD OF. If you’re new here and don’t know any better – people will try to take advantage if they can tell you’re desperate.
12. DO YOUR RESEARCH – if someone on the street or on a casting site says they want to represent you  - look them up. See who their clients are. If they have reviews – if they don’t seem legit – then quit.
13. If you do find an agent who wants to represent you – be yourself and pay attention to the paper work you sign and make sure they’re not trying to bleed you dry  - they usually get 20% of what you make – make sure they’re not trying to take money from you in other ways too. Read through your contract. Keep track of how much they’re taking out, and always be upfront about your questions and concerns!
14. JUST HAVE FUN, LET GO – it’ll get you further than you can imagine. 

If you have any other questions, curiosities, or want examples of auditions or resumes, please feel free to contact me or comment below! Also - if you have any questions period, I'd be more than happy to answer anything that's on your mind! I have so much more information I'd love to share!

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have a fantastic and memorable day! I challenge you to free write for at least 5 minutes today - no limits, no boundaries - just write what's on your mind, about a person you saw on the street, or the smoothie you had for breakfast - whatever! Just write, write, write!!

Love always,
Your friendly neighborhood Vagabond et Virtuosa: Mary Strause

xoxo

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Boy, oh, boy guys. Where do I even begin? When looking for pictures to post for this story, it took me back to the day I first came out here as an adult - June 9th, 2014. This is about to get really personal, so hold onto your horses kids. 

This new chapter of my life began less than a month after my Grandma Donna died. She was the woman my brothers and I spent almost every day after school with for twelve years. My grandma was the light of our lives and the backbone to our family. Losing her has probably been the most difficult thing I've ever gone through; but if she didn't teach me to see the light in even the darkest of situations - I may have never come to Los Angeles. That leads me to say, everything happens for a reason, and my grandma's passing in a way was her giving me permission and the golden ticket to start the most rigorous, defying, and most rewarding chapter of my life so far. 
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Okay, so that may have been just a smidge dramatic (this is theattreee after all) but hey, moving to Los Angeles alone and at nineteen is no joke.  Going from Rio, a place of 938 people to one of the most populated cities in the world that’s 4,000 times its size – yeah. Woah. You can bet your sweet cheeks I haven’t seen a cow in sight, yet.

Not to mention, my family was 2,000 miles away, I was gambling my education from one of the top universities on the globe in a degree that could land me hundreds of jobs to be a part of the inaugural class at a college that hadn’t even been accredited yet, anndddd I had little to no experience in film (except that I had learned at Relativity Workshops, which is really where this story begins, but I’ll leave that for another time to leave you intrigued) ….any who, back to having absolutely no history in film AND I WAS GOING TO FILM SCHOOL!!! Holy toast, what a risk. But fear not my dear friends. I’ve made it through. I’m alive and well, and must say – I’ve come a long way.

I’ve had lies told to my face on a daily basis,  been cheated out of deals and scammed, was almost expelled from school because someone didn’t want to take responsibility for their actions, I’ve been to the emergency room three times now with no one by my side,  I’ve walked through skid-row almost every day on my way to school and have had reality hit me like a lighting bolt with some of the things I’ve seen happen right outside my front door, but….I’ve also created some pretty fudging cool films, have met some absolutely amazing people and lifelong friends (I’m actually texting them all right now to say hi), have had insane memories and opportunities that on any bad day, I would never trade anything for.
 
The amount I’ve learned by living out here in these young years of my life is absolutely priceless, and though it’s not always the divine place everyone imagines Los Angeles to be, it’s a world of its own compared to anywhere I’ve ever been, and this crazy place filled with discovery, superficiality, glamour, and a rawness you can’t believe, is the place I call a home for this chapter of my life.
 
And furthermore in making this blog post far too long for it’s own good, from a small-town Wisconsin girl, this is what I’ve learned in short (haha funny – I never make anything short) about life and living in the City of Angels:

1. There is a place for everyone to belong.
   • There are millions of people out here who belong to an infinite amount of communities. Whether it be political, sexual, religious, sports, Beenie Babies, or Harry Potter - you will find your people if you seek them out, and you will find a place to make you feel like you belong. 
2. Opportunity is endless. If you can dream it – you can do it (or try it) here.
   1. If you're an artist especially, you can try any platform of dance, singing, acting, modeling - all the like by simply signing up (but pay attention to the fine print of course) for any classes, casting calls, workshops, panels, or discussions. It's amazing. 
3. It’s especially hard to find true friends and genuine people – but when you do, hold on to them.
   1. You'll meet a lot out of people out here who call you a friend - but most of the time when they contact you, it's for something that they want or need you to do compared to just wanting to have a nice conversation and spend time with you. Most of the time conversation is shallow, people superficial, and reliability on anyone is almost non-existent. You will find one or two people along the way who will defy those tropes though - hold onto those people with everything you have. 
4.  You grow so much faster when you face the realities of life outside your comfort zone and take responsibility for your actions. 
   1. Once you begin to open your eyes to all of the truths setting in around you - whether it be the homeless population out here, the poverty, the crime, or things like relationships with people, how the business out here works, paying your rent, utilities, buying your own groceries, etc.  - when you're used to having a schedule set for you and are forced to structure your life - it helps you realize what you need to do to survive and taking responsibility for your actions just makes you that much more fulfilled. 
5. You understand there is so much more to life than being what someone else expects you to be and that having a purpose beyond yourself is more fulfilling than fame could ever be.
   1. Through trying to look the part, type-casting yourself, faking it until you make it or completely changing who you are to appease someone else's tastes is just ludicrous. Depending on anyone else but yourself for your own success will lead you down some dark rabbit holes (though rabbits are cute [ like the perception of fame]) - find why you are put on this Earth, pay attention to what you love, and find a way to combine the two to make a living off of. This is your life - make your own rules. 
6. The city and its history is absolutely fascinating. 
   1. Seriously. Through Old Hollywood Glamour, to the frontier, the mafia, etc. Whoa. So cool. Visit as many places and museums possible - and be sure to ask those who work or live there if there is any history to the buildings, neighborhoods - etc. Chances are you'll get a life altering story (that you could just so possibly write a story or create something about or from).
7. There is no cap to the places you can discover.
   1. Bars. Coffee shops. Events. Restaurants. Clubs. Markets. Galleries. Art. Experiences. Museums. Tours. National Landmarks. Forests. Hiking Trails. Wineries. Beaches. Yikes...the list goes on and on, and some things I just don't even know how to describe that you could find or simply walk-in on that are incredible. Everywhere you go will have so much personality and you'll just want to experience everything and everywhere you can without even knowing if it exists or not. . 
8. You can make Los Angeles more like home if you look in the right places. 
   1. Whether its watching your favorite sports teams with people who share your affinity for the Packers at a designated bar for your team, finding a knitting group or book club via Meetup, or even looking up groups of people from the place you hail from - whatever reminds you most of home - look it up on the internet or social media platforms - chances are someone else is looking for it too. 
9. The weather definitely distorts your sense of time.
   1. When it's sunny without a cloud in the sky and the temperature is in the low eighties 95% of the year, it's hard to tell whether it's summer, fall, winter, or spring - especially when you come from a place with seasons. Therefore it is so easy for the year to pass by so much faster and give you the kind of perspective of a Groundhog Day like scenario where you feel like you're stuck in the same day and time for as long as you're out here. It catches up to you a bit and puts you in a different headspace. 
10. No matter what, treat everyone you meet with love and respect.
    1. ​Just like you read and hear all of the time - you never know who you'll meet or what people are going through. Be the reason that someone smiles and give them a reason to remember you in a positive way. Chances are people out here aren't used to people being kind, genuine, or caring - be that person for them. Life is too short to be mean, negative, and disrespectful. It's pointless and exhausting. 
11. Everything is expensive. Spend wisely and responsibly. 
    1. ​ The proof is in the pudding. You know what you do and don't make. Invest wisely. 
12. There will be some perceivably scary people you will come across - don't pay attention, don't act afraid, don't say anything - just carry on, but be aware.  AND STAY IN POPULATED AREAS NO MATTER WHAT. 
    1. ​There are people out here on the streets sometimes who either yell, talk to themselves, lurk and brood, or the like. They may even talk to or look at you specifically. Don't pay attention, don't be disrespectful or antagonizing, just walk on by - chances are you're more aware, coherent, and would be able to protect yourself and run if anything did happen. 
13. Don't let the relationships you value slip away. 
    1. Whether they're friends or family back home, your roommate, or the person you met the first day you arrived in LA - stay in touch with anyone who has showed that they care about you and show them the same and tell them you care about them. They're rare, and it's better to have them be as close as possible in any way when they are physically miles away. 
14. Always be yourself.
    1. Simply - it's better to be hated than loved for what you're not. 
15. Be open minded - it'll get you a lot further. 
16. Be observant, there is always beauty in everything you see. 
17. Make sure to get out of the city or into nature at least once a week. 
18. Stay positive and focus on being happy. 

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By: Mary Gabrielle Strause
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Hello, My Lovelies! :)

What a magical Monday it is, because, look, here we are! Welcome to Vagabond et Virtuosa - a blog I've been dreaming about launching for the last year, and the day has finally arrived! Yipee, Huzzah, oh happy day! So what exactly does this blog/vlog/portfolio-esque thing entail? Well, my darlings, let me give you the scoop!

Vagabond et Virtousa means, inititally, an artist who travels - and kitty cats, that's exactly what I am! An artist ( a female one [hence the 'A,']) who has travelled around the world and I don't plan on stopping until my dying day. The beginning of my adventures took flight (hehe punny) when I was on my first school trip to France and Spain when I was thirteen years old, and since then (ironically) I have been to thirteen countries and counting and 30 different states! I'm 22 and you best believe my journey doesn't stop there! I've gained so much valuable experience for a girl my age in regards to culture, observation, people, community service, perspective, and so much more that I can't wait to share with you! Now, for the artist part - what's that all about? 

I started reading and writing (not very well as you can imagine) children's books when I was three years old. I continued on throughout my childhood and teenage years with writing short stories, articles, painting, photography, singing, a little bit of acting and illustration - you name it! I was an artist skilled in many different platforms (a happy virtuosa, indeed) and these sporadic talents are what landed me at film school in Downtown Los Angeles in 2014! For the last four years I studied directing and screenwriting, and all the while have worked as a freelance artist in both, as well in modeling, acting, illustration, singing, authorship, and photography! I was paid to do all of that fun stuff?! What a privilege. How fudging cool is that?! I've gained a lot of knowledge of Los Angeles and what different stepping stones to take to make way into the Entertainment Industry, and boy, it's  a whole different world out here! In fact, all that I have learned and lived through here is what lead me to creating this blog, and without further adieu...
 
In Vagabond et Virtuosa I want share my experiences and advice in traveling the world and being a hyphenated artist in Los Angeles, and prove to my lady artists (or everyone, really) that you can travel the world, become a professional (and paid artist), and create some bomb masterpieces along the way! You don't have to live out in Hollywood to make your dreams come true. If you want the world to see your art, you make your way around the world, showcasing whatever it is you do, wherever you go, and by being your beautiful self!

My overall mission is to make it known that it doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, what people say, or what your circumstances are - you can create and impact the world in your own beautiful and unique way - and the first step is being yourself, connecting to other people, looking and listening with everything you have - and overall, becoming the best human being and artist through this experience we call life! I can't wait to begin this journey with you where we can build and grow together! Stay tuned my lovely, loves! 
Love you always, my home slices!
xoxo
Your friendly neighborhood Vagabond et Virtuosa
(AKA Mary Gabrielle Strause) ​
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