Monday, June 27, 2011

I'm Tired... But It's All Good!

Hello People!

I hope ya'll had a wonderful weekend!
Well today was my day off, but instead of me getting to sleep in, I had to wake up at 7:45am because I was told that a plumber was finally coming to fix our stove today.  We have had a gas leak for almost 2 months now and today it is finally going to be fixed.  However... the man has not shown up yet!  I'm sad because I could be sleeping right now... oh well.
So as some of you know I am EXTREMELY organized.  I usually write out my weekly schedule on my "stickies" on my computer.  So as I was just writing it out I realized I have dog walking, babysitting, school, and people coming in to work on my apartment.  Not bad, not bad.  But then I started getting into all these nit picky things... I need to choose songs for showcase, finalize headshots, order them, figure out audition songs, get my book together, make those small resume cards for dance auditions, get little mini headshots made for when I send Thank You's to casting directors.

Hahaha so much to do in so little time!
But I must say even though it is a busy week, it will all be well worth it when it is finished, and hopefully we can all enjoy the 4th of July weekend :-)

Thanks for listening to my nonsense!  Love ya'll!

*HUG!*
Honey

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Like Father Like Daughter

First off... Happy Father's Day!!! I know many of you aren't father's, but we all came from somewhere, whether or not they are here; without them we wouldn't be who we are today.

Secondly... I would just like to tell you a little back story of my life.  
I  have blurry visions of my dad and all the things he would do with us when I was around two or three years old.  He would take me to the park, feed the duckies, and so much more.  However it was him rocking me to sleep at night and singing "You Are My Sunshine" that I will remember the most.  I remember there would be some nights that it would be bedtime and I would wait for my dad to come in and rock me to sleep.  I would wait and wait until he would come in, pick me up and slowly start rocking back and forth as I'd drift off to sleep.  Then there would be nights where he wouldn't come in.  I would have to run all over the house to find him, until finally when I did, I would walk right up to him, stare up at him, lift my arms in the air and say "wock me!"
He would scoop me up, take me in my room and rock and sing until I zonked out.  This actually lasted for years.  The bigger I got the harder it was to rock a 5 year old, so he would move to the rocking chair that we had.

I truly believe that it was my dad who inspired me to become what I am today.  I would sit around the house sometimes and watch him play his acoustic guitar and sing old Beatles songs or folk music.  Then as I began to grow he would pull out his electric guitar and show me what rock and roll was.  I think that because music seeped into my body at such a young age, I have a love for it that I will never have for anything else.  And because I saw how happy his passion made him, it affected me in the same way.

My dad is an inspirational man.  He is kind, gentle, compassionate and has not a single mean bone in his body.  He would be the one to lead girl scout meetings or take me shopping for homecoming dresses or drive me an hour to voice lessons.  He never missed a single game, recital, or show.  Without him I would not be who I am today as a person or performer.

Figure out in life who inspires you... and when you do make sure thank them, because where would we be if we didn't have them to guide us in our artistry?

Thank you Dad for all you do and all you have done.  I love you!  Happy Father's Day!

*HUG!*
Honey

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

What Is Cap21?

As I sit here in starbucks on 115th street I think back to my first day of business class when my teacher asks us all to know how to articulate was Cap21 is. Well, here is my brief explaination...
Cap21 is a musical theater conservatory that provides artist who wish to further their career in the musical theater world by teaching necessary components required to be a skilled performer. With professionals in the industry to guide the lessons students are educated in acting, dance and voice. With the highly skilled trainers there to guide us, cap21 truly does offer something quite extraordinary along with the fact that it is located right in the heart of New York City... The place where dreams come true.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

I'd Like to Thank...

Wow! This really is becoming my "go to" place.  Whenever I think of something I feel like I simply have to write it down here!

To be honest I was thinking back to when I was a kid today.  One of the assignments in our business class is to make a self promotion video about yourself.  While I was writing a layout for it and brainstorming ideas I thought back to the first time I ever performed for an audience.  I was 5 years old at the time, singing for a crowd of 500.  I can honestly say that I remember everything about it.  I remember the song I sang, the turning sensation in my stomach, the butterflies flittering throughout my heart, and the excitement one feels before the drop of a roller coaster.  When I got up on that stage and began singing I didn't know who I really was or what the heck I was doing... I mean... I was only 5 years old... how much can someone know about themselves at that age?  But after I sang that first note... something genuinely changed in me.  I don't mean to sound corny when I say that either.  For the first time, I heard my voice... I felt my skin... I tasted what it was like to be a performer.  I'd alway run around my house singing show tunes and pop music, and I knew what I liked, but nothing ever made me feel the way I felt at that moment.  It was like my heart was a cocoon, and after that experience it evolved into a little butterfly... not yet grown, but starting out in it's new shape and beautiful form.  It was like the birth of the artist within me... and I wouldn't have changed it for the world.

After I heard the audience scream and cheer, my cheeks turned red and tears filled my eyes with excitement!  I didn't understand the feeling at the time... I thought it may have been the idea of everyone liking me and thinking my voice was decent.  But as I grew older and my passion for the art grew, I knew that it really had nothing to do with an applause... more so what was underneath that applause that was going on inside everyone.  That I could effect one, two... one thousand people... it didn't matter.  All I wanted to do and continue to strive to do is make an impact on just one person's life.

As I sit here preparing dinner for my brother, my boyfriend and myself I anticipate the Tony's.  I can't help but hope and dream that some day I will be the person standing on that stage saying "I'd like to thank..."  Because there are sooooo many people that have made me the performer I am today and without their love and support I wouldn't be the artist I am.  I hope that one day I can effect the lives of the people that fill a Broadway theater.  I have been given a gift, and I believe it is my job to use it and share it for the good of everyone.  To make this world a more beautiful place.  And if you have that gift, whether or not you have shared it or it is still kept hidden, make sure that you share it in some way, because trust me... you will make an impact on someone's life.  "To the world you may be just one person; but to one person, you may be the world."

Happy Tony Night beautiful people!  Who would you "Like to thank..."?

*HUG!*
Honey

Saturday, June 11, 2011

I Should've Become a Lawyer...

Sometimes I look at the life I live and think... why am I doing this to myself?

I woke up at 8am on a Saturday morning and immediately began working and have not stopped.  I've been juggling my work as an artist and my work as a real person.  Looking for audition material to fit my personality/"type", editing my resume, and learning new material for my class on Tuesday; while juggling the tasks of setting mouse traps for the new friends that have come to visit me for evening snacks, buying necessities for my new home, and paying the monthly bills.

I feel so overwhelmed at times, but then I think to myself... "If I just get this done, I can go to bed comfortably".  I wonder if doctors, lawyers, dentists and accountants feel the same way I do?  I'm sure they do... but is money and stability for a comfortable living style a care for them?

A little too often I sit and think to myself... why is it that OUR careers as artists go so unrecognized at times?  We are the ones that make people feel the way they feel when they've left the movie theater, or cried to that song on the radio, or thought endlessly about a painting.  We impact people's lives the way the dentists and accountants do... sometimes even more.  No matter where they go they will have us with them... so why is it that I, as an artist, have to worry about my future of stabilization.

I guess that's just the way life goes sometimes, but you know what? ... I love what I do more than anything!  And no amount of money could change what I want to do, because I love it and I do it well.  So to all of those artists out there who are like me and wonder about the future... I'm right there with you.  And with a little bit of faith I truly believe that we will all make it!

*HUG!*
Honey

Friday, June 10, 2011

I'm a Hug Person

Hello! Welcome to my new home!  
For the next few months and hopefully long after that I will be making this site my home away from home.  I will be writing about my life and all the journeys I embark on as an artist in New York City.  This is not a conventional blog, more so a conversation between my readers and I.  If you know me, you know I'm a person who loves to grab coffee or lunch and talk for hours on end.  In fact, if you ever want to grab coffee, let me know! I would never say "no" to an iced chai tea :-)

For those of you who don't know much about me feel free to look at my brief "About Me" section.  However, there is much more to me that you may not know about.  Like it says, my name is Honey Ribar and I am from Eagan, Minnesota.  I moved out to the Big Apple to attend school at NYU in Tisch's Cap21 Program for Musical Theater.  After three intense years of late nights, long essays, and hours of performance work, I have finally graduated a year early (earning my BFA in Drama) like I set out to do and am finishing my school work this summer.  

I have many career and personal goals set for my life, however I'll save those stories for a later time.  I am very blessed to have been brought up in the home I was raised in, with the family who raised me and the friends who supported me.  It was hard moving away from a house and town I grew up in for 18 years, but I knew that if I didn't step out of the box I wouldn't have the knowledge, friends and opportunities I have today.

I believe that a life without love is no life at all, so lets show some love! I always love hearing back from people! and I'm serious about grabbing lunch or coffee!

Talk to you all soon!

*HUG!*
Honey

(p.s. whenever I say goodbye, I hug... I'm a hug person)