ramblings of a raconteuse

I was going to write this week’s post about how “Project Helenna” is going and specifically about fitness and the amazing “MyFitnessPal” app, but then I saw my dear friend Rhoslyn, and well, plans changed.

Rhoslyn has been one of my oldest and dearest friends since I was like, 12 years old and we spent the night catching up after not seeing each other for 2 years.  She is like a sister to me, closer than a sister really, and I am so grateful to have her in my life. 

She is one of those friends where no matter how much time has past, everything is as wonderfully familiar as it was when you were young and silly and full of hope.

Now, we are still full of hope and dreams, but those hopes and dreams have become a bit more seasoned.  I am a actor, and Rhoslyn is an opera singer. Well, not just “an” opera singer. She’s an AMAZING opera singer.  

We sang together all through high school.  I focused on jazz singing and she focused on opera.

Fast forward to a number of years later, and while we are still full of the same fire and ambition, we know just how hard that road is.  

I have often thought that it would be wonderful if there was something else, anything else, that I wanted to do and achieve in this life, because the artist’s life is not an easy one.  It’s a life full of heartache and uncertainty, but it’s all for the realization of a dream and for both of us, the dream started at a very young age.  

Sometimes I wish I could tell myself to find something else to excel at, something else to be good at, but I know that in the end I would be right back here where I find myself today.  I am an artist.  That is never going to change. So at this point it’s all about longevity, endurance, and passion, because I believe that it WILL happen. And really, “it” already has.

xoxoox hels

Yes, I’m Asian.  This usually surprises people since my family name is Santos and people automatically assume it’s Spanish.  While this is true, it is also a Filipino surname, and I am in fact Filipino.

In truth, I am what Hollywood likes to label as “ethnically ambiguous” which can be a blessing and a curse.  I have been very lucky to be able to play characters from a myriad of races and backgrounds, and yet at the same time, I usually don’t look enough like any specific race to be cast when that character has to be a sister or daughter in a family that is full blooded [fill in the ethnicity here].  This is because I am also half Russian/German.  

This was always a strange thing for me growing up in Canada in a mostly white neighborhood.  Kids would say “what are you?”  And while they wanted to know what my ethnic background was, they actually might as well have been asking me if I was an alien.  Add in the fact that as an adult I married a man with a Jewish last name who is a practicing Buddhist, and I have become a human melting pot of race, religion, and tradition. 

Why do I bring this up?

Well, lately I’ve come to realize that even though I am Asian, I’ve never really been involved in Asian/American culture and this kind of bums me out.  I didn’t have any Filipino friends growing up aside from my family (who are royally awesome), but I don’t speak Tagalog and I feel like I don’t know enough about Filipino culture to fully identify as Filipino.

This is something that I started thinking about when the teasers for this fall’s new television shows started to be released.  

At first, I was incredibly discouraged by the lack of minorities, specifically Asian Americans in major roles in the new shows this season. NBC’s fall line up was the first to be released and I was really bummed out to see that it was a sea of mainly white faces in leading roles in each, “Infamous” being the exception having a strong African American lead.  

Now, I don’t know why this surprised me so much considering that Hollywood has always been really slow to pick up on the fact that the landscape of America has changed and that television needs to reflect this.  There has been a lot of discussion about the “white washing of Hollywood,”  but specifically I’ve been very interested lately in the fact that Asian Americans are often marginalized and shown as two dimensional caricatures. And of course it isn’t just Asian Americans that aren’t properly represented, but I am quicker to notice this because of my ethnic background.  

Then the teasers rolled in from FOX, CBS, ABC, and the CW and I am happy to say that while there aren’t huge number of minorities leading shows this coming season,  I was proven wrong in thinking that Hollywood would keep ethnic minorities as supporting characters only this fall. 

As far as minority leading ladies go, I can’t wait to see Lucy Liu rockin’ it out in “Elementary,” Kristen Kreuk in “Beauty and the Beast,” and Mindy Kaling looks HILARIOUS in “The Mindy Project.” 

Now, the question that begs to be asked is what about minority leading men?  

All I have to say is thank god for Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg because although “Harold and Kumar” is being developed as an animated series for Adult Swim and not live action, I’m sure it will do an incredible job of blowing the lid off of ethnic stereotypes.  

Now, in the middle of me contemplating minorities in Hollywood, specifically the Asian American experience, little did I know that the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival was happening in my neighborhood.  Like I said before, I have not been really “plugged in” to the Asian American community so this totally would have slipped past me, but thankfully I read Lynn Chen’s fantastic blog “The Actor’s Diet.”  She talks often about the projects she works on and I started reading about the films she had in the festival and started checking out the trailers and the people who worked on those projects.  And holy crap was there some incredible talent at that festival!  I was introduced to the amazingness of H.P. Mendoza whose films “I Am A Ghost” and “Yes, We’re Open” both won him awards.  And then there is the rad musician Goh Nakamura who stars with Lynn Chen in “Surrogate Valentine.” Heads up, the song he wrote of the same name is absolutely beautiful.  

I am in awe of these awesome talents and it made me realize that while the Asian American community might not be represented enough in the top tiers of Hollywood, we are rockin’ the indie film scene in a major way.  And not only that, but we are also kicking ass online.  ”Uploaded: The Asian American Movement” is a documentary that I can’t wait to see talking all about “the visibility of Asian Americans in pop culture since the inception of new media such as YouTube.”

All in all, I am feeling incredibly encouraged about the future for minorities in Hollywood.  I think with each year that goes by there will be more leading roles played by people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, and more and more minority directors, writers, and producers will emerge with strong voices that traditional Hollywood will have to listen to because the scales will have tipped.  

We still have a long way to go, but I am pretty sure that 2012 is the year that we make some pretty big strides, and I am proud to be a part of that change.  Because, yes, I am Asian.  I am a minority. And well, to Hollywood, I am also ethnically ambiguous.

So, even with things slowly getting better and more ethnic diversity coming on to our screens, why the heck is it still taking so long for minorities to be properly represented?    I have my theories, but would love to hear yours.  Tweet me, email me, comment below.  

Xoxoxo helenna 

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tweet me at: @helslevy

browse me at: helennasantoslevy.com

email me at: contacthelenna@gmail.com

aka) I’m the resident “artsy farsty nerd” ;) 

Earlier this month my ginger BFF Risdon Roberts and I attended a talk with Krysten Ritter at the Writer’s Bootcamp in West LA. 

I’ve gone to a number of talks around Los Angeles and I always love attending the ones where you leave feeling like you are on the right path.  This was one of those talks. 

I’d say that the number one most difficult thing about being an actor in Los Angeles is pushing through the intensely hard times when jobs come too far apart and money is extremely tight.  It’s in these moments that a lot of people either really stick their feet in the broken up Los Angeles pavement and declare that they are going to conquer this city, or they make the very hard decision of hopping on a plane back home to live a more “traditional life.”  

What is always encouraging to hear is that “it takes about 10 years to make an actor in LA.”  That’s basically the consensus.  Jenna Fischer talked about it in her blog, Kevin Alejandro discussed it in his interview with me, and even though Krysten had been booking smaller supporting parts for a number of years, she mentioned that it’d taken 10 years and now she’s the lead on Don’t Trust the B in Apt 23.   I’m not sure how people feel at the end of that 10 years if they still haven’t “gotten arrested” aka) “made it,”  and I still have quite of number of years to go, but overall “over night success” doesn’t really exist.  Knowing that has always been comforting and helped me push forward. 

She also mentioned the lifestyle sacrifices that many people in the “real world”  might not necessarily understand, like the fact that as a writer she would stay in writing on the weekends while all of her friends went out. It seems like a minor thing, but it can be difficult to explain to people with 9-5 jobs that your schedule is the complete opposite of theirs or that you aren’t able to commit to a trip or a family gathering because you are waiting to hear about a job you won’t know about until last minute. 

A lot of my friends are also in the entertainment industry so they understand when I say I can’t meet up with them because I’m prepping for an audition or in pre-production on a project.  They’ll even understand when I’m not able to see them for months at a time because our schedules just don’t match up.  But as actors, writers, anyone in the entertainment industry we definitely march to the beat of a different drum. 

She also spoke about being at the top of your game as an actor and making sure that you stay sharp, this way when opportunities come you can seize them.  This is something that I’m really focusing in on right now.  While I’ve always felt “ready,”  I’m taking this preparedness to a whole different level lately.  I’m getting rid of anything that doesn’t currently serve me and focusing only on the things that aid my growth as an actor. 

All in all for both Risdon and I, seeing Krysten speak was incredibly encouraging. It was a great reminder that I’m doing things the right way and to just keep walking forward.

Thank you Krysten Ritter for taking the time out to share your experiences.  I hope to cross paths with you on the LA pavement one day soon.

Xoxoxo helenna 

______________________________________

tweet me at: @helslevy

browse me at: helennasantoslevy.com

email me at: contacthelenna@gmail.com

aka) I’m the resident “artsy farsty nerd” ;) 

I ended my last post “Project Helenna - Part One” by saying that “I am now declaring my remainder of 2012 as the year of “Project Helenna.”  

If you’re wondering why, feel free to go back and read my previous post to get caught up.  For those of you looking for details on just how I’m going to get down to business, here is what I mean…

I am turning my focus back to the craft of acting and to a “holistically healthy Helenna: mentally, physically, and spiritually, to create the best actor I can be and my best self.”

How am I going to do this?

Since I have a producer type brain, I’ve laid everything out for myself as if it is a project I’m about to produce.  

Now, first off, in addition to producing content for the web I also have spent many years on the business of acting which is extremely important for any actor looking to break into the business.  I’ve educated myself in a very comprehensive way taking a ton of workshops and classes and seminars etc… I’ve studied with many of the leading minds in this field and have saturated myself with information.  

Secondly, as an actor, I’ve also filled myself with training in Vancouver as well as LA and again, I’m saturated. 

At this point, I’m bursting and prepared and I believe in my skill set.  I’m ready.  Do I still have a ton to learn?  Of course.  We never stop growing and changing.  But right now, at this stage of my development as an actor, I feel ready to really apply the training I’ve had not in a class but on set as much as possible. 

I’m taking everything I have learned and am creating a laser beam focus.  A lot of the time the best actions are the types that you would take if you were already “there” so that you are actually ready instead of preparing to be ready.  ”Project Helenna” for me means going about my craft and career as if I am already a series regular.  I thought it easiest if I laid out my guide of what I’ll be focused on to explain exactly what this means for me. 

1) Optimum Health and Fitness

I’ve often said that I want to be in the best physical condition possible because not only do I want to look fantastic, (after all this is Hollywood), but I want to be able to play roles where I’m kicking butt Lara Croft/Sucker Punch styles.  (If there is a comedic element thrown in there, all the better!) While I’m in relatively good shape, my goal is to get to the point where I could be called tomorrow to do training with wire work, or massive guns, or in some type of martial art, and rock it out because I’m in such a great state of fitness.  

I’ve started training with a friend of mine who has developed a great program for me in the gym in my building.  It’s taken what I was already doing for my workouts and refined it so that I feel like I’m properly focused.  This is a definite challenge to me, but one I am ready for. So far I’ve completed a week of the new program and I feel great!

2) Sharpen My Craft

I recently had to prepare 25 pages of sides (aka. “script”) for 3 different characters for a meeting I had.  This was an incredibly fun task, but also rather difficult.  One of the roles was a pretty big stretch for me and I had to do a lot of work getting myself to the place that that character lives inside of me and I only really had a day to do it.  

And heads up, tv auditions are nothing like theater where you have weeks of rehearsal.  You don’t have a ton of time to prepare and you have to be able to deliver a wholly realized character.  I ended up doing a stellar job, but it made me realize that having such a dense amount of material to prepare to the point where it’s “set ready” takes a focus on my craft that needs to be the norm.  

I realized that I need to make a list of all of the possible types of characters I can play and start researching them now as opposed to when I get the material.  That way, as soon as I see the type of character, I can access the information I’ve banked so that I have a solid starting off point and I’m not forced to begin with the base line of research. (ie)  a cop’s mindset vs a lawyer’s etc…)

Now this being said, in the past I haven’t really needed to do massive amounts of research for an audition because that character’s thoughts and words and feelings were like second nature to me.  But in this past case, I really needed to school myself.  The character was foreign to me and I was being held to a very high standard.  I was being truly tested to see if I was ready for the next tier jump.  I passed with flying colors. 

3) Balance the Mind

I’m very grateful for Jack Plotnick.  He is one of the acting coaches I work with and is all about affirmations. Thank God for that.  

Being an actor can be crazy-making.  We deal with ups and downs on a daily if not hourly basis in a way that the rest of the world doesn’t.  Rejection is inevitable and every day we are putting our emotions and the core of ourselves on the line.  For those of you reading this who aren’t actors, the best way to describe it is that basically, we are doing job interviews a number of times a day and the reason we don’t get a job could have nothing to do with our skill set.  The reason could be that we are too fat, too thin, have brown hair and they want blonde hair, our eyes are too close together, or perhaps the producer’s girlfriend is the one already favored for the role.  There are a zillion things out of our control and yet we have to deliver the goods every single time. 

There is so much anxiety and fear that can arise from this business that you need to be grounded completely in who you are.  Someone told me once that contrary to popular belief, actors are the most sane people in Hollywood because we are constantly being faced with our own shit and forced to work through it.  This totally makes sense to me. I know that I can’t access all of the things in me as an actor if there is an emotional block in my way.  I also know that the nervous energy of a high stakes audition or job (aka. excitement without the breath), can be crippling.  I’ve know people who have intense fight or flight, myself included.  Even Pavarotti is known to have said “ok, little me, big me is taking over” before a performance to calm nerves.  

So all this being said, I’m going to continue “working through my shit” so that I can consistently be the most open vessel possible.  Whether that means as an actor letting the character really inhabit me, or as the working professional kicking butt at an audition or on set.  I’m committing to freeing my mind of the bullshit that I can so easily create for myself so that I can continue the journey to centering myself spiritually and mentally.  A good start to this for me will be finally reading all of the books on my shelf that I’ve meant to crack open for YEARS.  The first one I’m going to finish? “You Can’t Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought” by Peter McWilliams. 

4. For Now, Working Only As An Actor

I’m going to focus on working solely as an actor for the rest of the year, with passionate peers and people at the top of their game who I can learn from and grow from. I’m going to continue to stay strong with this intention and embrace saying “no” to the things that will not serve me.  I primarily mean producing new projects.  I’m constantly getting new ideas that pop into my head that I want to go forward with, but as I explained in my last post, I’m letting go of that safety net for the time being and challenging myself to not get distracted from my laser bean focus.  Saying “no” is quite possibly the hardest thing for me, but I need to always ask myself “will this get me closer to my goal?”  And if not, I have to be comfortable letting it go. 

Luckily, I have a great manager who is helping me navigate my career and a lot of fabulous seeds are being planted.  Bit by bit, my career is growing and I’m excited to keep this laser beamed focus and see what comes to fruition. 

5. Know What Works For Me

And finally, I’m going to continue with the theory of focusing on what works for me and letting go of what doesn’t.  One of those things is knowing when certain information is useful to me.  Recently there are some resources that I feel no longer serve me and have stopped using them, but right now I’m addicted to these particular blogs/podcasts and highly encourage other actors out there to check them out:

The Working Actress  by Anonymous

Inside Acting Podcast by Trevor Algatt  and AJ Meijer 

The Actors Voice by Bonnie Gillespie

Secrets of Screen Acting by Patrick Tucker/podcast by David H. Lawrence Xvii 

and for those of you who haven’t read Jenna Fischer’s blog post from a number of years ago, I absolutely suggest reading it ASAP. 

________________

So with no further ado, development is officially over and “Project Helenna” has been green lit ;)  Here I go…!

Xoxoxo helenna 

______________________________________

tweet me at: @helslevy

browse me at: helennasantoslevy.com

email me at: contacthelenna@gmail.com

aka) I’m the resident “artsy farsty nerd” ;) 

Recently a number of people have been asking me what my next producing project is going to be.  My simplest answer?

Me.

After having spent the last few years as what my friend Bonnie Gillespie (casting director/author) would call a “self producing actor,” I’ve churned out a heck of a lot of content.  From my web series pilot The Day Player back in 2009 to 98 episodes of my vlog “Helenna’s Tinseltown Tuesdays,” to my latest online project the animated comedy series “Girl and Boy,”  I’ve spent a lot of time and energy creating projects.  While none of them really “took off,” that was never my goal.  While some of the projects I produced were purely for the love of creating, some of them were solely a means to an end.  The goal for me was never to create a hit online series, it was always to use the projects I produced as a spring board. 

Since graduating theater school I have always been focused on being a working actor.  Ultimately, a series regular whose hiatus from her show is spent on film sets each summer.  

The reality is that this type of goal can take many many many years to accomplish, and for the majority of people it’s not a goal that will ever be attained.  Consistent financial success in this industry has so much to do with other people’s free will and the “Entertainment Gods” aka) fate.  You can be the most incredible actor that has ever lived but never catch a break or “get arrested” as Hollywood folk say.  This very reason is why so many actors, myself included, turn to producing their own projects.  It’s a way for us to take control over our careers while also allowing us to mold how we are seen by the decision makers and higher ups.

When I produced the 2 part web series pilot “The Day Player,” I had very specific goals in mind.  I knew that I wanted to showcase myself as a comedic actor.  I also knew that I wanted to get the project in front of people in “traditional Hollywood” so that I could open doors that had previously been closed to me.  This is something that I talk a lot about on the Geek Girls Create panel that I sit on; specifically that so far, producing for me has been a means to an end, and a successful one at that.  After all, it’s because I produced The Day Player that Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg were introduced to my work as an actor and planted the seed of what ultimately lead to me being able to audition for “American Reunion” and then book it. 

For me, this is a definite measure of “self producing” success. But this being said, I’ve made the decision to fly without my “self producing actor safety net” for the rest of 2012.  I say “safety net” because I’ve kept myself busy for a few years doing everything I could not waiting for the phone to ring.  As an actor in LA, I firmly believe that this is one of the best things you can do so that you don’t feel like you are being eaten alive by this industry.  It helped me feel a great sense of control in an extremely fickle business. 

Over the past few years I’ve also spent huge amounts of time absorbing information about new media and learning everything I could.  One of the biggest things I’ve learned? Researching and implementing social media strategies is a full time job. Producing content is like, 6 different people’s full time jobs.  And while this definitely kept me busy and feeling like I was feeding my creative self, it took me further away from the reason I moved to LA to begin with and made me feel like my brain was going to explode.  Is there a lot more that I could do to open even more doors as a “self producing actor?”  Absolutely.  But, I was spending so much time creating that I was overloading myself so much that ironically, my creative self was starting to burn out.  Being a burned out creative does not really support being a strong actor. 

In addition to the exploding brain factor, all of the projects I’ve produced including the musical series Songs From, The Ex-Convict’s Guide, my vlog, Girl and Boy etc… were projects I did because I loved the content and I loved producing, but I’ve recently realized that with the majority of these projects I was making lateral moves instead of upwards steps. 

I love producing and it is something that I will absolutely be coming back to especially since my husband and I share a production company, but I have decided that I’m shifting focus. The rest of 2012 is devoted solely towards upward steps in my career path; specifically, to Helenna the Actor.

So, what does this mean? 

I am now declaring my remainder of 2012 as the year of “Project Helenna.”  

Stay tuned to my next blog post (out Friday, May 4th) for the nitty gritty on what this means and to see my action plan…

Xoxoxo helenna 

______________________________________

tweet me at: @helslevy

browse me at: helennasantoslevy.com

email me at: contacthelenna@gmail.com

aka) I’m the resident “artsy farsty nerd” ;) 

It’s official.  My husband is now an American!  Well, technically he’s now a dual US/Canadian citizen and this is pretty much one of the biggest milestones in our lives together to date.  We originally started the immigration process about six and a half years ago and it’s been a very long haul.  

Thanks to the fact that I was born in the US but my Mother is Canadian, I’ve been a dual citizen my whole life.  Mad props to my Mom because as soon as she was able to, she got my certificate of Canadian citizenship and passport, as well as my US passport, and I’m so grateful for that.  

For the most part I used to only identify myself as being a Canadian.  After all, I spent the majority of my life just outside of Vancouver, BC Canada from the time I was five years old.  But, I knew that I wanted to move to LA to really pursue acting and I am one of the lucky few Canadians that didn’t have to worry about getting a Visa in order to make the move.  

When I met Barry, moving to LA was something that was also one of his goals and dreams, so as soon as we got engaged we started the immigration process.  Fast forward to today and he is a full on citizen!  So exciting!!!

(older gentleman sitting next to me during the ceremony)

The “naturalization” ceremony took place at the LA Convention Center with 10,000 people present.  It was really emotional being among the guests and seeing five thousand people sworn in as American citizens at the same time.  There is something incredibly powerful about being in a room full of people who have worked so hard to be a part of something that so many people take for granted.   I looked around the room at all of the different faces from so many different countries and I felt very honored to be among them to celebrate such a huge milestone.  

I’m proud to be an American.  I’m proud to be a Canadian.  And I am so happy that my husband can now say the same. 

Xoxoxo helenna 

______________________________________

tweet me at: @helslevy

browse me at: helennasantoslevy.com

email me at: contacthelenna@gmail.com

aka) I’m the resident “artsy farsty nerd” ;) 

I’m addicted to NBC’s “The Voice.”  I tweet about it a lot and I’ve blogged about it before, but man, I really am addicted.   Now, I usually really dislike reality TV.  I’ve never been a fan of “American Idol” and I don’t watch “The Bachelor,” but “The Voice” has me completely hooked.  

You can read my first post about “The Voice” to find out why I’m enthralled by this fantastic show, because instead of going any further into my love for it, I’m going to share with you the recent lessons that “The Voice” has taught me.

1) Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again. 

I was on the 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica the other day and heard this incredible voice.  I headed over to the crowd and realized that it was Naia Kete who just a few days earlier had been singing on national television for millions of people and now she was back busking on the street and selling $5 and $10 CDs to make a living because she didn’t make it to the next round.   

I couldn’t help but be incredibly impressed by her tenacity.  After all, it must be difficult to go from being in such a huge spotlight, back to what the average bystander would perceive as “the beginning.”

But Naia Kete “gets it.”  To me, what’s obvious from seeing her singing again on the promenade is that even though she is back there, she is still light years ahead of where she started because of the amazing exposure “The Voice” gave her.  She is taking advantage of the spotlight and using it to propel her further instead of feeling sad and sitting at home.  She really is “seizing the day.”  

It was so inspiring to me to see a great example of the fact that you can always pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.  The great thing is that you’ll always be a few more steps further along in the journey. 

2) Enjoy the moment like it’s the only one you’ll ever get.

In this past Monday’s episode Adam Levine brought up the fact that a number of the singers did the best job they had done so far now that their fate was really on the line.  They were singing for their lives because they didn’t want to be sent home.  He then went on to say that THAT was how they should have been singing all along.

I thought a lot about this and how it applies to me in my life and career.  Basically, I realized that I need to always seize the moment, really enjoy it, and rock it out because it might just be the last chance I get.  

3) Don’t deny your past.

It’s been interesting to watch both the first and second season of the voice and be totally involved in each of the singer’s life stories.  Yes, everything is edited in a very specific way and crafted so that your heartstrings are really being pulled, but despite that, each person’s story is so unique and beautiful.  

Our life stories are really important and make up everything about who we are.  I think we all should understand where we came from and embrace our backstory, it could just be what gives us the most strength.

4) Embrace who you are and figure out how to find a hook and to solidify your brand.

One of the most fascinating things to me has been how the hair/makeup/and wardrobe teams behind “The Voice” do such a great job of honoring each person’s individual style and then magnifying it.  They create a specific brand and feel for each contestant not by having them try to fit into some weird pre-existing Hollywood mold, but by finding the core of who each person is and amplifying that.  

Because I’m an actor this is really interesting to me.  It got me thinking a lot about branding and marketing, and the fact that if it doesn’t come from an authentic place people can see right through you.  You have to be unique and an individual, but at the same time totally accessible.  You need to be able to sell the best parts of yourself.  

5) Go and play in a different sandbox and throughly enjoy the experience. 

It’s always interesting to watch the moments when a singer has been given a song that isn’t necessarily something they are comfortable with or isn’t “in their wheelhouse.”   For me, the success of the performance is less about how well they sing the song, and more about how well they sell it to me.  Are they giving it everything they’ve got, or is their insecurity so obvious that it makes me uncomfortable.  

By watching these moments it makes me think about being secure in who I am and staying confident when I enter someone else’s sandbox.  That believing in myself can be  what makes me belong. 

6) Play the game in a fierce way, but always be nice.

One of the things I love about “The Voice” is that for the most part no one bad mouths anyone else.  Now Christina, Blake, Ceelo, and Adam have some pointed banter back and forth, but aside from that the show doesn’t use negative drama for ratings.  

My conclusion?  Love, respect, and passion are more interesting then hate and pettiness. 

7) Confidence is powerful, alluring, and sexy.

To me there is nothing more awesome than seeing someone really comfortable in their own skin.  No matter what a singer looks like: tall, short, bald, thin, large, small, no matter what race; if they are confident, it’s alluring, powerful, and sexy. Confidence is King. 

8) Stay humble. Stay grateful. 

I have to admit that there have been a few moments this season where a single sentence turned me off from someone.  I was really involved in one particular person’s story and then they said something that made them seem really stuck up and ungrateful for the opportunity they’d been given.  My opinion of that person changed rather quickly.  

While it’s true that there is no way for someone to control how they are edited after the fact, we are all responsible for the words that we say.  It made me think that no matter what, it is always important to stay humble and stay grateful.  

9) Grow a fan base. Yesterday. 

If you are in entertainment like I am, you need to be thinking about growing your fan base no matter what level you are at in your career.  In an age where Klout scores and the number of twitter followers you have can be as important as your skill level, we all need to embrace it.  

For contestants on “The Voice” specifically, it’s a popularity contest at this stage in the game, and those people with pre-existing followers have an advantage.   Also, whether the contestants are new to twitter or already have thousands of followers, they are doing a great job of engaging with their fan base.  After all, Tony Vincent tweeted me back and that totally made my day.  So, note to self: engage with fans, they can help make or break a career. 

10) You have no control over how others perceive you.

Xoxoxo helenna 

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tweet me at: @helslevy

browse me at: helennasantoslevy.com

email me at: contacthelenna@gmail.com

aka) I’m the resident “artsy farsty nerd” ;) 

Written for my weekly Friday blog post at: 



aka) I’m the resident “artsy farsty nerd” ;) 

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I think one of the hardest things I deal with as an artist is that nagging evil devil on my shoulder that tells me that I suck or that I can’t do something.  My acting coach Jack Plotnick calls it your “vulture” and my career coach Barbara Deutsch calls it your “alien.” 

Sometimes that voice is overwhelmingly loud and I’m lucky that through working with both Jack and Barbara I have the tools I need to silence that “Alien-Vulture” from squawking too loudly.  

One thing that’s encouraging is that in The War of Art, Steven Pressfield states that if artists question “Am I really an artist?”  They most likely are because “The counterfeit innovator is wildly self confident.  The real one is scared to death.” 

To me, this is incredibly comforting.

There is something really beautiful about the fact that all true artists are constantly needing to push through the negative voices in our heads and the “resistance” we feel when we are about to embark on something.  As Pressfield states, “The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew each day.”  

Some days the battle is a glorious one with a victory made for kings and queens.  Other days, it’s a victory of last man standing after a gruelingly long battle.  Either way, it’s a victory all the same. So, I’ve learned that “giving up” is never an option because at the end of the day, just staying in the battle can be a victory in itself. 

Xoxoxo hels

tweet me at: @helslevy

browse me at: helennasantoslevy.com

email me at: contacthelenna@gmail.com

Written for my weekly Friday blog post at: 



aka) I’m the resident “artsy farsty nerd” ;) 

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The sky is falling and we are all in it together.  At least, that’s how this week has felt. 

It’s kind of crazy how so many of the artistic people in my life have been having similar experiences lately.  For a lot of people myself included, it seems like it’s been impossible to have something really great happen without something bad happening to balance it out.

My friend Leah Cevoli, a fellow Talk Nerdy blogger, wrote a piece about how things felt like they were crumbling down for her this past week and it sparked a lot of discussion.  Kristen Nedopak, one of the #GeekGirlsCreate ladies then said

There was definitely something in the water this week and for creative types, we tend to feel the hardships pretty intensely. 

I’ve blogged before about “burn out” and the “curse of the creative,” but one of the other things that is rarely spoken about is feeling like you want to give up because the path of the artist is just too dang hard. 

Often times when someone talks about why they are having a hard time keeping in pursuit of their career it can be seen as complaining and not “staying positive,” but I’d like to put out there that sometimes you just need a good verbal pukefest to get your head back on straight.

Like I said on facebook“I think it’s important to know where you’re at and admit that everything isn’t always sunshine and roses especially for artists. It’s a constant ebb and flow, and I think there is a real difference between complaining, and being truthful about where you are at and seeking friendship, guidance, and even solace.”

I think this is extremely important for artistic types.  If we get filled up with all of the negative events and circumstances that happen without letting our frustrations and angers out, then we’ll either explode from the weight of it all, or find ourselves without a glimmer of hope.

Now, I definitely think that there is a difference between infecting other people with your venting, and confiding in a trusted confidant. 

I’m a big believer that what you put out into the world you get back.  I would never say that when you’re angry and the world is looking dark, to vent to anyone who will listen.  I would however make sure that you have people who “get it” and understand what you are going through.  Specifically, a person who can acknowledge your struggle and just allow you to be heard, because spewing those chunks (thanks Wayne and Garth) will allow you to regain the reigns and help you be open to new possibilities.  Afterall, Leonard Cohen wrote that “there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” 

So, if you’ve had the kind of week it looks like a lot of us have had, I say let it out, let it go, and let the light on in.

Xoxoxo hels

tweet me at: @helslevy

browse me at: helennasantoslevy.com

email me at: contacthelenna@gmail.com

Written for my weekly Friday blog post at: 



aka) I’m the resident “artsy farsty nerd” ;) 

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This past week 2 major top life moments happened for me: the American Reunion premiere and WonderCon.  Instead of putting pen to virtual paper, I decided that I should vlog  to commemorate all of the awesome things that have happened and explain to you all just why these events are so important to me, so here goes:

(click on the vid below)

This life completely rocks and I’m so stoked that I’ve been able to share my journey with you through my vlog and now at Talk Nerdy to Me Lover.  

Since I did the vlog for various different outlets including Somebody’s Basement and originally a YouTube project called Musecast,  I’ve archived all of the episodes on a separate channel if you are interested in checking out my journey from the beginning. 

Hurray for top life moments!!!  I would love to hear about your ambitions and dreams and top life moments too.  From a nerdy girl making her way in this big ol’ world, I’m wishing you all massive success with whatever it is you are passionate about. #NerdsUnite! 

xoxo hels 

tweet me at: @helslevy

browse me at: helennasantoslevy.com

email me at: contacthelenna@gmail.com