Sunrise Sunset

So about three years ago my parents moved over to a small island off the coast of Brisbane called Stradbroke Island, so naturally, when I returned home from New York it made sense to go and live with mum on the island. It truly is a slice of paradise merely a 20-minute ferry ride from Brisbane, with some of the most spectacular beaches and scenery as I’m sure you’ve seen from my Instagram stories for those who follow me. Not only that, but I have seen some of the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets.

I was struggling quite a bit to come up with a subject to write about for this weeks post and it wasn’t until this afternoon as my Dad picked me up from the ferry and we went back to his property that I thought about the sunset and then it came to me, so I am currently sat down by the water on my Dad’s property as I type this post (picture attached at the end).

There is something truly magical about a Sunrise and a Sunset; they hold so many different meanings. Sunrise is the dawning of a new day, a fresh start, new possibilities, adventures and the promise of things to come. There’s also something truly invigorating about a Sunrise. I remember last year when I was in New York and I had a very early start during the lead up to the showcase I did as part of my program. I had to leave home at 6:30am and that meant I was up at 5:30 and I am not a morning person at all! But as I stepped out the front door and started walking to the train station the first thing I saw was this beautiful streak of pink arching its way through the sky and I couldn’t help but stop and smile and that early morning was worth it just to see the beautiful sky above me.

Sunset brings with it the closing of the day, the end of a chapter. It can be a time of reflection as you watch the colours dancing in the sky above you as the sun slowly makes it decent. I know I have spent many quiet moments down by the water or on my rooftop in New York, simply watching the sunset and taking a moment to be grateful for everything I have (with a glass of wine in my hand of course!). It’s also the perfect time to acknowledge the things that may not have gone the way you wanted during the day. Take the time to acknowledge it, learn from it and then let them go for tomorrow there will be a new sunrise ushering in a new day.

So wherever in the world you may be reading this, my challenge to you today is to take a moment, to stop and pause as the sun rises or sets and to go through the things you are grateful for that day. One of my favourite phrases I got from the program I did in New York and that I have mentioned on this blog before is having an “Attitude of Gratitude” and this is something I’ve definitely had to remind myself lately. So I’m going to get us started.

Today as I sit and watch the sunset and type this post I am grateful for wonderful friends who make my life all the richer for their presence in it. Thank you to Talisa and Jonathon who made the trip over to Straddie (as we locals call it) for lunch on Saturday, George and Shaun who’s place is always open to me when I need to stay in Brisbane and to my darling Gwen for a fabulous brunch date today. Life has truly blessed me with so many wonderful people and I am forever grateful to all of you.

Remember that Attitude of Gratitude.

Until next week,

Jared xx

 

This was my view as I wrote this post. It seems the sun really wanted to impress and live up to its reputation. 

 

The Nowhere Man

So I just finished reading a book called the Nowhere Man by Gregg Hurwitz. It’s a crime/espionage fiction book but it gave me a mind-blowing revelation. Let me set the scene for you. This book is about a group of secret agent operatives called Orphans who have been trained from when they were kids, hence the title orphan and each Orphan is assigned a handler. In this part of the book the main character is talking about when he first started living with his handler, the following is the exact text from the book,

They head up the flight of stairs to a dormer room with a wooden bed. On the mattress the sheets are folded crisply, ironed into neat squares. Jack walks to the desk, lifts the blotter, and uses a fresh handkerchief to wipe away an invisible speck on the polished wood surface. He folds the handkerchief neatly and inserts it back into his rear pocket. “Make your bed”. Jack leaves Evan alone in the room. Evan struggles with the sheets. He pulls and tugs but cannot get them on properly, let alone taut and wrinkle-free. He goes downstairs and pokes around until he finds Jack in the garage, meticulously cleaning a handgun. Evan stiffens at the sight of the weapon, then swallows down his fear. “The sheets aren’t right,” Evan says. Jack keeps his gaze on the skinny brush, poking it in and out of the bore. “The sheets aren’t the problem. I’ve used them to make up that bed many times.” Evan takes a breath. “Okay,” he says. “I can’t make the bed right.” Jack’s eyes tick up above the top of the barrel. “And?” It takes a moment for Evan to understand what Jack is waiting fro him to say. He finds the words: “Can you help me?” Jack lays aside the gun. “Be happy to”. Back upstairs; Jack regards the sloppy bed as Evan squirms. Jack walks over, inverts the edge of the fitted sheet over his hand, and shows Evan how to flop it neatly over the corner of the mattress. Jack continues straightening the sheets, keeping his body out of the way so Evan can watch and learn.“I’ll never be able to do it that good,” Evan says, “You don’t have to. You just have to make it better than you did last time.”

Now I don’t know about you, but the simplicity of that message almost bowled me over when I read it and I got two very important things from it.

1. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

I am 100% guilty of this. I don’t know why but so many of us see asking for help as failure but that is SO not the case. None of us are super-humans (even though we may think that). While I’ve been working on my visa application there was a point where I hit a wall and didn’t know what to do and I remember my mum saying, “Jared ask your friends for help! What are you so afraid of?” and so I did and the advice and help my friends gave me ended up being the break through that I needed. So don’t be afraid to reach out when you need it. No one should walk this journey of life alone and if someone helps you then simply pass it on to the next person that is in need of a helping hand.

2. There is no such thing as perfection.

I had the biggest eye-opening experience when I read the line, “You just have to make it better than you did last time”. It’s so true, so many of us strive for perfection (myself included), which is great however when we aren’t perfect we then proceed to beat ourselves up over it. Perfection, though a great goal to have is simply not realistic. Therefore live your life with this motto; you just need to be better than before. Continue to strive for improvement, to better yourself in all aspects of your life, but don’t fall apart when you ultimately realise you are not perfect. There is beauty in our flaws, they are what make you, you!

Also, one more thing that I got out of this is, continue to read! Reading is such a great way to challenge the mind but also it often inspires you in ways you never thought it could. The Nowhere Man was just another fiction book when I started reading it, but it ended up changing my perspective in such a huge way!

So celebrate your imperfection and remember to ask for help when you need it!!!

Until next week,

Jared xx

The Hiatus is Over…

Hello All,

I can’t believe it’s been 3 months since my last post here on Brisbane to Broadway. I’ve been on quite the journey since being back in Australia and it’s time to give a bit of an update.

Firstly, anyone who is thinking of applying for an O1 Visa for America, all I am going to say is, it is going to teach you patience you never thought you were even capable of. The last three months have been a roller coaster of emotions with some of the highest highs and lowest lows. It has felt like every time I had a win three more obstacles would come up and I was back where I started having to make the climb all over again, with the most frustrating thing being that most of the obstacles were completely out of my control.

Before my immigration lawyers were even able to take over and do their job I had to complete my Portfolio which is basically a timeline of my career from start to now and for every job I’ve done I had to provide 6 different points of evidence. This included things like contracts, pay slips, emails, posters, brochures, information on the company, information on the people I worked with at said company, photo’s, screenshots of websites where I’m featured and then press about me and the shows I’ve done. By the time I finished my portfolio, it was a whopping 680 pages. Then I had to send it over to my lawyer in New York. Of course the week I sent it was the week New York got hit with a massive snowstorm and my portfolio got lost in the mail for two weeks and no one could tell me where it was (thankfully I had a full digital copy made but needless to say I was in full-blown panic mode those two weeks). It was finally located and delivered to my Lawyers who I then met with and we began the legal process of making my application for the O1 working visa.

Then the last month and a half I’ve been stuck in a stalemate over part of the application which has involved a lot of back and forth and waking up at 5 and 6am so that I can speak to people in New York because of time differences. This week this was all resolved and I am now finally back on track with my application.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, New York I am still coming for you!!!!! My love and passion for wanting to live and work in this city have been the continual driving force since I arrived back in Australia on the 11^thof January.  It has not been easy and there have been many days where it all felt too much and that I simply just wanted to give it all up. But I have given everything to pursue this dream and I would never forgive myself if I just gave up.

One of the gorgeous girls who I did my Professional Semester at Broadway Dance Center with, the lovely Alex Infranco, started doing a video blog on YouTube throughout the audition season in New York. She has been giving an insight into the real-life ups and downs of pursuing a full-time career as a performer. Her latest post was titled “It’s Not Easy” (here’s the link so you can check it out, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB4e6eHpVOY) and it was such an honest, beautiful and transparent look at the fact that sometimes life doesn’t go the way you want it to and that can be frustrating and upsetting. However, it comes back to trusting that things are happening the way they are meant to and right now you may not be able to see why but all will become clear eventually. That is why hindsight is such a wonderful thing. I saw Alex’s video exactly when I needed it. It was the perfect reminder that yes things with my visa may be taking a lot longer than I want but that everything happens for a reason and I simply have to keep doing what I’m doing, acknowledge the frustration, take a moment and then simply let go and trust the process.

So I encourage all of you out there who may be going through trials whether they be professional or personal to remember that there is a plan and a purpose behind everything that happens and to keep fighting the good fight and climbing that mountain to your dreams and goals because when you get there its going to make all the blood, sweat and tears it so worth it. So my challenge to you all is to continue to live a transparent life, let people see the good the bad and the ugly. We’re all human and its just not natural to hold it all in. If you need to have a good cry put on Marley and Me and have a big old cry (seriously that movie makes me ugly cry every single time). Then pick yourself up and keep going!

I am so happy to get back into my writing and my challenge to myself is to post weekly and I’m trusting all of you to keep me to that! I appreciate all the messages of love and support I receive from near and far and am so excited for the next part of my journey as each day brings me closer and closer to moving back to New York.

Until next week,

Jared xx

 

The Six P’s

Growing up I was very blessed to have parents who were consistently pushing myself, my brother and my sister, to be the best that we can be. There is one particular phrase my mum and dad used to say ALL the time that has stuck with me to this day and I wanted to share it with you all today,

“Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance!”

The six P’s!!

During this time of being at home while I work on processing my O1 visa, I have A LOT of time to think and reflect. Recently a very close family friend passed away suddenly. Death is never easy and always provides moments of reflection and in this case, I’ve been reflecting especially on my upbringing, which is what made me think of the Six P’s phrase.

This particular motto has carried me throughout my career. Prior planning is such an important life skill for anybody to have no matter the industry you are involved in. The more prepared you are the more ready you are for any challenge that might come your way! Right now back in New York audition season is in full swing (which I am very jealous of right now as I sit at home in my island paradise typing this…I had to say something to make myself feel a bit better about missing it hehe) so it got me thinking about the things one can do the night before an audition to make sure one is 100% ready for whatever may come the next day.

Your audition bag! Every performer has one and it is what will get you through a long day of auditioning. It will contain things such as:

• Dance shoes (every type, for every style cause you never know what they might ask of you)
• Your book which has all your audition songs in it
• Water!!!! Pretty self-explanatory
• Quick and easy snacks which you can have between callbacks or between running to the next audition
• Multiple copies of your headshot and resume cause you just never know who you’re going to run into
• Changes of clothes cause you know, dancers sweat…a lot.
• A book cause there can be a lot of waiting around to be seen so it’s nice to have something to pass the time
• Extra battery/charger for your phone
• And this last one is something that I have implemented recently and that is, a little notebook to write down what I thought did well and what I can work on from each audition I do. It’s a great way to reflect on your auditions and to also see how much you are learning and growing.

Obviously, this phrase doesn’t just apply to auditioning it can be used in every aspect of your life, I am so grateful to my parents for drilling this life skill into me from such an early age. So when you’re getting ready for that next big audition, life event, assignment, exam or whatever it may be, just remember;

Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance!!!

Until next time,

Jared xx

2017 – The Year of Taking Chances

Those of you who know me know that I am a huge Celine Dion fan and one of my favourite songs by her is Taking Chances and that has pretty much been my motto for 2017. Taking chances and following dreams!

I started 2017 living and working in Osaka Japan at Universal Studios. I had been there for two contracts and it was a huge step for me to make the decision to move on. It was the first time since leaving home in 2011 that I had a proper base and had made a home for myself and I was scared to leave that and the amazing friendship group I had made there who meant the world to me, but it was time. It was time to chase after my dreams.

After flying home at the beginning of April I was just in time to celebrate the wedding of my beautiful sister Laura to her wonderful husband Mitchell. It was such a gorgeous celebration of two people that are meant to be together. It was also so great to see family whom I hadn’t seen in a very long time!!! While home I also travelled to Sydney and Melbourne to see more friends and even overseas to East Timor to visit my good friends Emma and David and their gorgeous children, my babies, Claire and Logan. Then the countdown was on for my departure to New York City!!!!

I remember sitting on the plane waiting to take off and thinking holy shit, this is actually happening, I’ve never been more terrified and excited in my whole life. But taking this chance has really paid off. The last 5 months in New York have been a time in my life that I will never ever forget. From day one I fell in love with everything about this city and it truly feels like home to me. My first month here was about truly immersing myself in everything this city has to offer. Going to see shows (my tally is currently at 19!), trying all of the margaritas!!! (Seriously though, New York does some of the best margaritas I have ever tasted!!!) Exploring Central Park, trying new restaurants and best of all making new friends. Then in August is when the work really began.

I started the Professional Semester at Broadway Dance Center with a very clear goal and focus in mind. I needed to find an agent to represent me and sponsor my O1 artist visa and so I got to work. It felt so amazing being back in class and really focusing on my training and my body, getting back to the basics of my technique and relaying a strong foundation. I found some amazing teachers and mentors at BDC who truly took me under their wings and encouraged and helped me to grow even more as a performer and to all of them I am so grateful for their love and support. This program is amazing and is the perfect platform for any performer wishing to take their career to the next level and is also a fantastic way to get to know the New York dance and theatre community!

So what happens next!?!? Well after our showcase on the 3^rd of December, which was in front of industry professionals as well as family and friends, I can proudly say that I was approached by three different agencies for representation and two of them were willing to sponsor my O1 artist visa!!!!! This was a huge achievement for me and a big sign that all my hard work over the last four months has paid off!! So January 9^th I will return to Australia, as that is when my current visa expires and then the application process will begin for my O1. It’s A LOT of paperwork but it’s doable and I’m working with a fantastic team on it. So at this stage with everything going to plan it’s looking like I will be moving back to New York permanently around the end of March 2018!!!

2017 has taught me so much but the biggest lesson I’ve learnt is to never lose sight of your dreams, and that with consistency and hard work you can achieve them! Mindset is also a huge thing. The thought of coming back to Australia scares me a lot. Honestly, at first, I saw it as a failure, however thankfully I have some wonderful people in my life who have helped me see it as a necessary step in the next part of my journey. I have achieved so much over the last 5 months to be proud of and the best part is New York will be waiting for me to return with open arms! I went into this time in New York with a specific goal and purpose in mind and it came true, so I encourage you to start 2018 with intention and purpose and you will be amazed where it will take you. I am so excited to see what 2018 holds and my love, thoughts and energy are with you all as we walk into this New Year. Thank you again for all the love and support I have received as I took this huge leap of faith, every single message and call has been so appreciated and always came at the perfect time.

And lastly, to my amazing family, I love you all so much, Mum and Dad I don’t have enough words to say how grateful I am for your constant and unwavering support, I truly wouldn’t be where I am right now if it wasn’t for you both. This blog has been an amazing outlet for me and I am looking forward to seeing where I can take it in 2018, so keep following along!

Until Next Time,

Jared xx

The Power of the Arts

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been in rehearsals for the Showcase for the Professional Semester I’ve been doing at Broadway Dance Center (BDC) here in New York. This year a lot of the choreographers are choosing to use the numbers they’ve choreographed to make social statements on the current situation our world is in. It has been another wonderful reminder of just how powerful our voice is as performers.

When a person walks down a dark corridor in a scary movie, that action itself isn’t scary, but then you add the suspenseful music and all of a sudden you’re sitting on the edge of your seat yelling at the person not to walk down the dark corridor (but seriously, why do they always walk down the dark corridor!). Music has the ability to make people feel things but more so people also tend to attach memories and emotions to music enhancing its power, combine that with dance and you have a powerhouse combination with the ability to affect real change in this world.

We’ve seen it time and time again, when there is some disaster or life-changing event that occurs in the world, a lot of the time the first people to begin fundraising efforts or get the word out are performing artists, whether they be, singers, dancers, musicians, painters or actors. Our industry gives us a platform to spread a message and that responsibility is one to not be taken lightly.

Right now though, I’d like to talk about dance specifically and the incredible power it holds. Dance transcends any language, that is the beauty of it. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, put dancers in a room and they will move together. while living in Japan and here at BDC I have experienced that joy of dancing with people from all over the world. I’ve watched choreographers teach to a room where at least 30% of the dancers speak little to no English and they still pick it up and kill the routine, and when we come together something truly magical happens. For that minute of choreography, we all speak the same language, we all come together in our own way and create something beautiful. That is the power we hold as dancers. We possess the ability to make our audience feel something without saying a single word and that is my goal every single time I step out on stage. I want my audience to feel what I’m feeling as I perform the choreography, I want them to walk away from the performance with something, whether it be as simple as they enjoyed it or it challenged them and made them look deeper into something they hadn’t thought about.

To my fellow artists, never forget the voice you have and the ability it holds to change and influence peoples lives for the better. We live in uncertain times, but one thing that is certain is that love is love and all we can do is continue to spread love through our work and continue to make a difference in our world and peoples lives.

Until next time,

Jared xx

Keeping the Hunger Alive

Hello everyone! I am well overdue for an update on here!!! I wanted To give you all a little idea of what the last month has been for me. I’m in the final weeks of my program here at BDC which is CRAZY, Time is going so fast!

For the last 4 weeks, we have been going through a series of “Mock Auditions” which have all been in front of actual agents and casting directors here in New York. This process has been incredible and I have learnt so much and gotten such great feedback and opportunities from them. But today was the best one of all.

For starters, we were being taught the routine by none other than THE Rachelle Rak!!!!! If you don’t know who that is please do me a favour and go google her now!!!! What made today so special though was the energy that Rachelle and the rest of the panel brought to the room. I have never felt so inspired and uplifted. One of the biggest things I took from today is that persevering and keeping the hunger alive is SO important. As artists, we need to be doing something every day that’s keeping the hunger and the dream alive. Whether that be picking a choreographer to research or taking that extra ballet class, it is all necessary and will keep you on the right track.

I also wanted to share an important lesson that I’ve learnt from these mock auditions. Don’t cast yourself before you get in the room!! This one spoke to me! We’re always thinking about what the casting director wants, let them worry about that, it’s their job. Your job is to walk into the room and give them the best representation of you. Be true to yourself don’t try to be something you’re not. This industry is full of so much fakeness, don’t feed into it. If they’re looking for an orange and you’re an apple don’t try to be an orange, be true to who you are, because you never know, maybe they’re looking for an apple for another project.

And finally, be kind. We’re all on this journey of life together, sometimes all it takes is a smile to completely change a person’s day. Hold that door for the person behind you, give that compliment and simply spread the love! I promise you’ll see such a difference in not only your energy but the energy you attract!! You get back what you put out!

The next three weeks are going to be crazy with rehearsals for our showcase which is December 3rd but I will try and get another post out soon!! Thank you again for following me on this journey, I love getting all your messages of support!

Until Next Time,

Jared xx

 

Rachelle Rak and I, can’t wipe the smile off my face!

 

Australia – Wake Up

So far I’ve remained quiet on this whole “marriage” debate, or if I’m honest, just stuck my head in the sand because I just didn’t want to deal with all the negativity and hurt that this whole debate has brought out but I’m at a point now where I can’t keep reading all these comments and straight up lies and not say something. For those of you who don’t know my story, I went to a Christian school my entire life and was raised in a Christian home so needless to say I didn’t come out until I was 20 and even then didn’t “publicly” come out until I was almost 23. Now I’m truly blessed with a family that has always loved and accepted me for who I am and I am surrounded by friends who’s love and support has also never changed. My belief in God is also something that never changed. I have experienced too much in my life to deny his existence and I truly believe that this debate that is going on right now is breaking his heart. 

I want to start with the biggest lie coming from the “no” campaign and that is, that gay couples already have the same rights as a heterosexual married couple. It’s just simply not true. I could go on all day and list all the instances where equality does not exist but some of the biggest ones for me are;

If I had a partner and they were hospitalised in a critical condition I would not be able to see them as I’m not classed as “family” 

When it comes to adoption and surrogacy only one person can be listed as the legal parent of that child. This is a big one for me, especially as someone who wants children one day. Now yes in my will I can have it written that the child will continued to be cared for by my partner but what about situations where a family is not supportive of a person being gay and tries to contest the will and take that child away from its parent, because sadly it happens, and then it ends up in court and what happens if it’s a homophobic judge, which also sadly is a reality. Basically there is just too much being left to chance and this is a big reason why Marriage equality needs to happen. 

However what is breaking my heart the most is all the boys and girls out there right now who are struggling with their sexuality and all they are seeing on TV and social media is that they are not good enough and that there is something wrong with them. I can’t even begin to explain the daily struggle I went through when it came to accepting that who I am is okay and now on top of that there is all this hate and negativity to deal with, it just not right. If you are reading this and struggling right now, I need you to know that you are perfect and made in his image and God and so many others love you so much. Please don’t let the ignorance of a few that unfortunately have been given a platform to spread hate and malice get to you, they are simply not worth your tears. 

I truly hope Australia makes the right decision and I hope that this post has helped someone out there who is struggling right now with all this negativity. My inbox is always open should you ever need to chat about it, I know firsthand how lonely it can be, as I didn’t think I had anyone I could talk to about what I was feeling (I now know I did, but was just too scared of what people would think) so I’m here if you want to talk. 

Sending love and light,

Until next time,

Jared xx 

The Power of Hello.

So this week something pretty crazy happened to me. I was invited to audition for Hello, Dolly! on Broadway. I wish you all could have seen my face when I got the phone call. Now first, I didn’t get it BUT when I tell you, you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face in that room as I was living out my dream auditioning for a musical on Broadway.

Now the story of how this all came to be is my favourite part.

Last Saturday I got to go on board the Regal Princess which was the last ship I performed on. I was there for the New York premiere of their newest show “Born to Dance” created in partnership with Stephen Schwartz! So needless to say there was a lot of Broadway royalty in the room and I was musical theatre geeking out big time hahaha. Well, I saw one of my theatre teachers there, I noticed there were people around him so at first, I was like I should just leave it but then thought no Jared just go over and say hello! So I did and one of the people that was with him (unbeknown’s to me) was the Casting Director of Hello, Dolly! After I left He asked my teacher who I was and then fast forward to Tuesday morning and I get a call asking for me to come in and audition the next day…all from having the confidence to say hello!

Another thing this reminded me of, is that in life you just never know who is watching or who is around you, especially in this industry, so you gotta always be on! Also be prepared! Y’all should have seen me running around New York like a crazy person printing headshots and resumes, you better believe I’m just gonna have 10 of those sitting in my bag at all times from now on hahaha.

So that was my crazy last 24 hours. I am truly so blessed and am so excited to see all my hard work paying off. However, my journey is only just beginning and I have so much more to learn, but for now, I get to make one big mark against one of my goals;

Audition for a Broadway show ✔️

Until next time,

Jared xx

My First Video Update

Hello, my Lovely readers!!

Finally, as promised here is my first video update of my time so far here in New York!

For those of you who follow my facebook and Instagram, you have probably already seen this video but I wanted to share it here as well to give everyone a chance to see it. I had so much fun making it, looking back it’s amazing to see how much I’ve been up to since I first got here almost two months ago!

Below is the link to the video:

I know I keep saying it but I am just so grateful for all the love and support from all of you, my amazing family and friends. This city has already been so good to me and right now it just feels like that as soon as I need something the universe presents it right in front of me, which just makes me even more confident in the fact that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be right now.

Until next time,

Jared xx