 I apologize, yet again, for not keeping up with the blogs. So much has happened since July. I don't want to make this one super long like the rest, so here's a blog for October!
October 6-11th was quite memorable. I flew in an airplane for the first time; gone on a cruise for the first time; and competed in front of hundreds of people at once. I was able to step out of my shell and sing, act, and walk that runway like no one was watching. I was proud of myself for having done that. It was an experience I'll never forget, and one I won't regret! I made more friends and grew closer to others.
Here's what's coming soon:
-December: Bahamas trip -I'm so excited!
-January: It's a new year; new goals!
-Summer: More travelling!
I apologize for a looooong delay in updates. I've been pretty busy working and trying to keep myself occupied. Here's what you missed!
March:
So the last blog was about my Birthday Competition. It was a fun and exciting event that I won't ever forget. I mean, it was my very first (singing) competition. No, I didn't win. but that's not what it's all about. I think it's all about experience. I've been on the stage singing before, but that was with my high school choir. I've been on the stage competing in a Shakespeare Competition. I won the school's competition, but I didn't make the top 10. I've been on the stage singing a duet for an SPCA's benefit concert. No competition there. But this? This was one of the biggest things in my life that has impacted me so much!
April:
Not much happened in April, although, I did find a new Model/Talent agency to work with. They were pleased with my acting/commercial/singing skills (especially with no professional training), and wanted to submit me in to agents to book me. However, I don't have a "professional" headshot or a resume. I'm still working on both!
May/June:
Well, I just continued working. Nothing really happened except Barbizon trainings/meetings and new schedules at work. Yeah, boring. I competed in a restaurant/cafe singing competition. No winnings for me, but the experience is what I was rewarded with!
July:
July just began; happy 5th of July! Hope everyone had/is having a great holiday! I recently began jogging/walking a lot. Gotta be fit for the public, right? Ha. Mostly for myself. In other news, I started off July with a Barbizon Training to find out more about this cruise I'll be competing in. I plan on scheduling multiple photoshoots to get some headshots and full body photos. If I can find some help with my resume, I'd love it! I've also been trying to enjoy my summer as much as possible. Work hard, play hard. Right? I see SixFlags, Hershey Park, and many other events in my future!
TaTa for now!
JLE
Happy Birthday to myself, and everyone else born on today's date!
No big plans for today, although Dave and Buster's is a great idea for tonight.
In other news, my first ever [singing] competition is this Sunday, April 1st, 2012 at 2:30pm; wish me luck! I get more nervous each day, but this is the experience that I need to succeed. Preparation is coming along nicely, but I do admit that I am scared. Everything will be fine, I just know it. If I win this, what a great birthday present that would be. Turning 21 started off with a perfect kick to a good life, and a new year.
Have a wonderful day everyone; you all deserve to smile.
<3 JLYNN
It was an early morning-very early indeed. Audition was said to begin at 7am. My friend and I arrived outside the building and in line by 7:05, only to find out we would be in the line for the next 4 hours. We spent 3.5 hours outside, and the last half hour was spent inside the building. Keep in mind that those 3.5 hours were well spent outside in the freezing, windy weather. We had fantastic company, which helped my nerves ease for a while.
Finally, we made it in the building! Eventually, the Performers and Supporters had to split up. That's when I started getting nervous, visibly, shaky nervous. Staff split us up into lines where we handed in some paperwork; and then directed to another room full of chairs. The rows were in seats of 10; these are the 10 people per group per audition room, where more waiting in line had to be done.
Eventually, my group gets a turn. My nerves were out of control and I couldn't handle the shaking at this point. I wish I had an "on/off" button, but there were none to be found. The man outside collected our paperwork the our name on it, and gave it to the judge. When the nice lady called us inside the room she began calling names. They saved me for last, yet again. Two people in my group sang "Someone Like You", by the most powerful female singer of today, Adele. When it was my turn, I decided to sing "Angels" by Jessica Simpson.
Personally, my audition was superb and perfect. I correctly sang the lyrics I chose, and even hit that high note that I planned on doing. It was perfect.
Unfortunately, the one judge in the room proceeded to tell us, "It's a no, but we hope to see you again." I would be lying if I said I was upset, but you live and learn. As I was walking out of the room to find my friend, a young man in my group came up to me and said, "You were really good, I don't know why you didn't get chosen."
That's okay, it's the experience that counts. Although there are many people that audition, there are still many others who don't even have the guts to do what I did. And I am very thankful that I did. No regrets here; keep my head up and smile. This is not the end for me.
Maybe XFactor?
<3 JLynn out!
Monday, February 27, 2012. Perfect day; can't complain. Everyone wants to know the juicy details, right? Here we go! Sit tight; keep your arms, legs, and everything else inside; and enjoy the ride! --just kidding, I do hope you enjoy my story, though.
Let's start with the morning, before New York. I was heading out to a friend's house to leave my car for free parking while I'm out in New York for the day, of course. However, the car started stalling on me; that would have ruined my day! So, I decided to take the bus and subway to get to the Greyhound Station. I was initially in a rush and ended up being 2 hours earlier than my scheduled bus time, but I wasn't paying a fee just to switch...so I sat, waited, and observed. Philly can be a strange place sometimes, filled with strange people. (That's all I'll say about that!)
11 am, and I'm off to New York! Keeping in mind that my phone's battery life was already less than 90%, I knew it'd be difficult to let people know what was going on throughout the day; I did my best. Anywho, my 2 hour ride was quicker than I thought. There, I met up with my buddy Marqus to guide me through New York. After we got something to eat, we started walking towards the Jacob Javits Center. The confirmation email from AGT stated that it was on West 54th Street. So, we started walking up to 54th street; little did we realize it was MUCH further than where we were, but we continued walking. In fact, we walked for 2 hours to find this place, and realized that we went even further! It turned out that the place was on 34th street, so we had to walk some more.
Finally, Marqus and I reach our destination. We got there at 4pm and what a hike! We looked around for restrooms and passes a HUGE waiting room below the escalators. That's when I started getting nervous. Usually when I'm nervous, my body starts shaking uncontrollably, and nothing I tell myself will make it stop! However, I was truly confident; no nervousness! Afterwords, we go to the top of the escalators where staff gave us a wristband and some papers to fill out. The papers were pretty much a consent form that stated they are not responsible for any injuries, pains, or anything of that nature; AND if we somehow get on TV, that we give them permission. This room was gigantic; I don't understand why buildings need rooms that big. So anyway, Marqus and I are in the waiting room resting our legs from all that walking. There were singers with guitars practicing; dancers in groups with matching costumes; and much more. We were unable to take any photos, so I do not have any to share (except for my contestant number). About 5pm comes along and we decided that I'm ready to hand in my paperwork. The next batch of contestants (that's me!) were called. While I waited in line, Marqus went to see if there were a quicker way to get back to the Greyhound Station.
So we get called up; they split us up even more. Singers w/o instruments (a capella) in one line. Singers and other musicians with instruments in another. I didn't hear what was said after that. My group, the singers w/o instruments, begin moving. A man brings us outside of the waiting room to the outside of a smaller room with chairs. They split us up again into smaller groups. Now I'm in a group with about 5 or 6 other people (I did not pay attention the number). The man had us sit down while he collected our paperwork for the judges. In the meantime, this is when I became even more nervous. My body started shaking, and it wouldn't stop.
The man calls us into the room. I started getting more nervous when I realized I was auditioning in front of these other people. I silently kept telling myself to calm down, and there's nothing to worry about. It semi-worked. There was one lady anxiously awaiting our arrival; she had a computer and a video camera. She politely told us to briefly introduce ourselves and begin.
The first contestant went. I honestly felt bad because she had messed up several times. One huge rule in this type of industry, when in an audition, never repeatedly apologize or ask to start over; we know you're nervous--we all are! The next few contestants began. The only man in our group sung in Latin, the famous "Ava Maria". As each contestant was called, I started mentally singing their song in my head because I knew a couple of the songs. It was getting intense because I knew it was wrong of me. I knew if I kept doing that I would forget the lyrics to the song I sang. Finally, "Jessica" was called. I walked up to the center of the room; stated my name, age, and where I'm from (I'm the only one representing Pennsylvania!). Then, my little heart started. I sang 'Maybe This Time' from the musical Cabaret. I made my own version of it; maybe put it on YouTube some day. But really though, I was great. I did not mess up; body stopped shaking; I was 100% confident. I was golden. Everyone clapped for each contestant. I truly left that building with a cheesy smile.
Monday, February 27, 2012 could not have been a more perfect day. The nice lady said that if we are chosen for the next round (callback), we will be contacted in 2 weeks. Well, in 2 weeks I'll be back in New York City to audition for The Voice. And that will be another story.
JLynn, out! <3
P.S. Thank you to all those who listened to me. It was a wonderful experience, and you were truly what helped give me the confidence to do this.
I decided to wait a little before I posted again; and now, there's so much going on.
First, I am pre-registered to audition for America's Got Talent on Monday, Febuary 27th in New York City. My audition is at 8pm, so I will have all day to roam New York; so exciting! I printed out my paperwork, and it's all ready to be turned in when I arrive at the audition. If I don't make it far, I'll be happy if I make it past the first round! Hey, I'll even be satisfied just getting the experience to audition.
Second, I am registered to audition for NBC's increasingly popular show, The Voice. My audition is on Saturday, March 10th at 7am in New York City. I am kinda rooting more for The Voice rather than AGT, even though AGT has been around much longer. I'm still super excited; and I know I'll be getting more nervous as the days become closer and the "big day" approaches.
Third, I still have my competition with Barbizon on Sunday, April 1. Tickets have been selling, and I have no idea how the turnout will be. I mean, after all, it's my first competition! We will see how it goes, so support me! (Please.) I can't wait for the cruise to the Western Caribbean in October.
I am currently gaining more hours at work, and in the process of supporting and assisting even more individuals. I think it's going on 6 different people now; that might have to change if and when I get accepted into any of the television shows that I am auditioning for. Hey man, this is a once in a life time opportunity, I can't give this up! I will do anything I can to get my name out there.
I appreciate all the support that I am getting from family and friends; I don't think I could get far without their encouragement and motivation. Thank you to everyone! So, if you couldn't tell, there's so much going on.
TaTa for now!
-Jessica Lynn.
Not too much has happened since the last post. Although, I did complete my first training out of about 7 for Barbizon; the cruise is one day closer! I've gained a little bit more confidence after leaving that day. I met the 7 or so other people that I will be cruising with; that'll help me when I am on the cruise and actually know several people to talk to. This whole thing is just so exciting to me, and I'm ready for more! My next training is Feb 25th. I'm really confident that I'll get at least one callback. Also, my locals competition is on April 1st at 2:30 at the Media Theater. Tickets are $25; first come first served. Grab the tickets and come support me :)
I also happened to pick up more hours at work; I now have 4 different clients with 1 more on the way. Instead of working 2 days a week, I'm working 5 now. I'll save up money for the cruise in no time!
My car, also known as Ava, is currently working. However, I think I need to get her fuel injectors professionally cleaned. I think that may have something to do with the issues that I am having. She was working fine again until it downpoured with rain last week; that's when she started stalling again. I will figure something out.
I thought it might be interesting to watch America's Next Top Model; I was thinking maybe I'll learn something from it. I know most of the girls are like, 5'7 and up, and I assure you I am not quite there. However, I learned some of the postures they should have; different looks (clothes & makeup) they might like; and just a few words to someone could go the wrong way. I am aware that the modeling/acting/talent industry is a competitive one, but any determination can go a long way.
I'm pretty sure I was just babbling that entire time, but those are my current thoughts and issues. Maybe I'll have more to say next time.
<3 JLE
So I thought I might share with you what's actually going on in my life at the moment. First off, I'm having car troubles; that's one thing I don't think I can live without. As I attempt to fix things with the car, I'm also trying to work more hours with Values Into Action. My goal is to work full time during the year, but somehow it's difficult to find me more clients. I'll take the hours as they come.
With that being said, I'm in the process of saving money as best as I can to go on a cruise towards the end of the year; my first cruise! To be clear, I'm training with Barbizon, a modeling and talent agency, to compete in some competitions during the cruise. My job is to sing for agents from LA and/or NY. Let's hope I get some callbacks! In the meantime, I received a scholarship to compete in another competition (I would be singing, of course) on April 1st. If I win, I get a trip to either NY or LA for a photoshoot and some other things. How awesome would that be? Pretty awesome, I think.
My goal, if some if you didn't know, is to be known and recognized. I want to work on my stage confidence. So come on out and support me! I'll appreciate any bit that you can give.
That's it for now!
-JLE
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