Happily Ever After? Happily Never After....

“When Love speaks, the voice of all the gods 

Makes heaven drowsy with the harmony” Love’s Labour’s Lost 4.3

Recently I have come to realize the term “romantic” has taken on an entire new meaning. Today people hear romantic and they think sweet lovers and happily ever afters, every story ending in a smile, but the truth is not every romantic story gets a happy ending. Not every prince and princess end up riding off into the sunset, not every Cinderella finds her shoe, and not every sleeping beauty is awakened by true love’s first kiss. My point is not to rain down cynicism on those stories. I love a happy ending, but I also love a tragic one. Romance isn't always defined by the story ending in vows of forever and the promise of a bright future.

“For never was a story of more woe…” Romeo and Juliet 5.3

I am willing to prove my point to you. Some of the most romantic stories in history didn't end in rainbows and smiles. I think everyone would agree that Romeo & Juliet is one of the most famous romances ever put to paper, but it ends in death. Triston & Isolde, is yet another love story that ends tragically. Antony and Cleopatra, Guinevere and Lancelot, Robb and Talisa, Ned and Catelyn, Tyrion and Shae (that was for you GOT lovers like me) Jay and Daisy, Wash and Zoe, Paris and Helen, and how can we talk about sad endings without mentioning Jack & Rose? (Make fun if you want Titanic is the bomb.com). As my high school AP History teacher would say, You can’t swing a dead cat in the literary world without hitting a tragic love story.

“Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar;

But never doubt I love” Hamlet 2.2

These poignant tales of love aren't considered any less romantic because they don’t end happily, in fact I would guess that they are held in an even higher regard because the loves are cut short. In today’s world of RomComs and a “let’s try to please everyone attitude” we have forgotten what the love stories are really about. Each one of the above tales are filled with prose of devotion, soliloquies of everlasting love, and the sacrifices those lovers made for each other, and they are beautiful. Sometimes romance is a slow burn simmering throughout a lifetime, other times it’s a flash of light meant to brighten our world for a fleeting moment, and sometimes it’s taken away from us tragically leaving one lover behind forever changed. My point is this, the length of a romance doesn't determine its value. It’s not always about the destination, sometimes it’s about the journey, and the journey is beautiful. 

If You Can Make it There….Oh Hell it Doesn’t Matter!

Well, I’m home again…sort of.

For five years after I graduated high school I lived in the bustling metropolis that is Los Angeles, convinced that L.A. was the only place I could make my dreams come true. Now as I write this I am sitting in my New Orleans townhouse enjoying a wonderful winter day and honestly not at all missing the sunshine.

Why did I move? Let Me Count the Reasons!

It was a hard decision, moving from Hollywood to the Big Easy, but one that had to be made. You see I had gotten stuck. I had graduated from the prestigious AADA and after three years of busting my hump I little to show for it, creatively. I was in a corporate job, moving up the ladder, but I wasn’t happy. I was playing the same roles over and over again and had become complacent. It wasn’t that there wasn’t any opportunity for my artistic life there, it was that I didn’t care. The city no longer excited me, the smoke and mirrors had faded away and I personally didn’t care for what I saw.

Do what Scares You!

After some serious evaluation and discussions with my roommate and writing partner, Emily Martens, we decided that perhaps the City of Angels wasn’t the right place for either of us. We knew New Orleans was on an upward swing in the entertainment industry and after taking a trip down south for Mardi Gras it just felt right. So six months later we were on the road headed South, and haven’t looked back.

You Might Be One Choice Away From a Happy Ending

I’ve gotten far more work here than I ever did in L.A., and more than that, I feel like New Orleans feeds my creativity. We are on the brink of releasing a brand new book series called Death of Eden, working on multiple writing projects, constantly on set, and meeting wonderful people in the process. I don’t miss Los Angeles in the least, of course I miss my friends. Some of the greatest people I’ve ever met are back in the Valley and leaving them hurt my heart, but the city was hurting my soul.  

I don’t write any of this to bash L.A. or tear it down, I really don’t. For some it is absolutely the right place to be. It just wasn’t for me. The point is, don’t trap yourself into thinking that there is only one path for your dreams.  YOU make them happen, and with courage and a little creativity you can make them happen anywhere. Hollywood might be a great place for actors but it’s not the ONLY place for them! Looking back, I would never trade my time there for anything, but I am so proud to now say I live in LA not L.A.

Peace, Love and Belles!