Archive for March, 2009
I’ve known her for months now, but I never put the two together, then she said something today, and I heard one of my characters… a character who’s story I’ve been developing for years (since 2001).
It wasn’t the most earth shattering sentence… it was in reference to a neighbor — but it sounded so much like my character, unmistakably so, that I had to do a double take.
Of course, I kept it inside…and was sure to thank the universe for that little reminder…
It’s nice to get those nudges every once in a while, letting you know you’re on the right track, even when you’re not looking.
–Sue
March 31st, 2009
Much of today was spent tending to house upkeep… cleaning and shopping… As was this Sunday, and part of last Friday with the closet.
A house can’t run itself (luckily, my hubby is great about pitching in when I ask him to).
The thing is, a career can’t run itself either… Just as a home needs constant and consistent upkeep, so does a career… and not just for maintenance, but for GROWTH.
An interesting post on Ladies Who Launch broached consistency vs. intensity (which it seems many in the arts tend to confuse) in a recent post:
While intensity is a positive tool for facilitating ambition and sustaining momentum, at the end of the day, it is CONSISTENCY with intention not intensity that leads to success. I’ve seen many a business fail to scale and break through to the next level as a result of too much intensity without consistency.
I’ve learned the valuable lesson through the years, passion is what gets someone’s initial attention, but it’s through consistent delivery that one differentiates herself as a professional…
–Sue
March 30th, 2009
Spring has sprung, and that means it’s time for cleaning!!!
What does this have to do with theatre, writing, or self-discovery (as these are my “normal” themes)?
Consider: Who wants to work in a mess?
I don’t…
How can one create in the midst of disarray?
I can’t…
I can’t even start my day the right way if I don’t fix the bed. (There was a line in a movie recently about how it “sets the tone for the day”, and I firmly believe that.)
But sometimes, you have to go in “for the kill”, so to speak… Like the closets.
And that’s how I spent a good chunk of my morning, going through our bedroom closet, throwing out all the wire hangers and dry cleaning plastic… hanging clothes on the proper hangers…rearranging stuff.
Neurotic? Not really. I like to see what I’ve got to work with… What I could be wearing more often, but don’t because it’s not with the normal stuff I usually reach for .
I’m making space, much like I did by physically going away.
And now I’m getting ready to step out into the world… This is my way of making sure I do it right, and look the part.
–Sue
March 27th, 2009
Last June I wrote about a new show on Bravo called “Step it Up and Dance.” Alas, it only lasted one season… There isn’t even a trace of it left on Bravo’s website.
One of the dancers, Cody Green, inspired me… and I’m glad to say that even though that show didn’t last, Cody got what he needed — a platform to show his talent. (Apparently, he’s been making quite a career for himself, many likening him to a young Patrick Swayze.)
Cody is now on Broadway in the newest incarnation of “West Side Story“, and I couldn’t be happier for him.
With talent, you always land on your feet!
Good job, Cody!
–Sue
March 26th, 2009
Scott sent along an interesting article for artists and supporters of the arts from the New York Times, “Problems Persist, but Arts Advocates See Progress Under Obama.”
The title makes the crux of the article clear enough, but there are two key points I wanted to highlight here:
Given the battle in Congress to include money for the arts in the stimulus package, cultural groups say Washington officials still fail to recognize artists as workers. “The third violinist in a chamber orchestra goes out and buys groceries just like everybody else,” said Bill Ivey, a former chairman of the Endowment.
The key words in this statement being recognize artists as workers. This ties into mindset, the mindset of the public AND THE ARTISTS — THE WORKERS THEMSELVES!!! As an artist, it’s taken me years to see myself as working for myself… I’m still learning that, and I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs.
Artists, START SEEING YOURSELVES AS SELF EMPLOYED! Give yourself designated hours, and a paycheck. Once we legitimize it for ourselves, others will see the legitimacy too.
The other point I want to highlight is key to this blog because it was through our efforts, and the combined efforts across the country that we were able to raise awareness.
Teresa Eyring, the executive director of the Theater Communications Group, which represents the country’s nonprofit theaters, said: “Local and regional elected officials and community leaders are seeing and talking about the connection between the arts and the overall health of their communities. The same sensibility hasn’t quite landed at the national level.”
Local and regional officials are finally getting how valuable the arts are to our communities, and though many in Washington haven’t, we now have more advocates now, on the inside, and it will only be a matter of time before we get more national officials on board.
It’s great to know we finally have an administration that “gets it,” after so many years in the dark.
–Sue
March 25th, 2009
Many of my readers know I have an identical (yes, identical) twin sister, and even if I tried, I could never possibly count all the times I’ve been mistaken for Dina, or she’s been mistaken for me.
Apparently, New York is rife with Susan Hodaras… I’ve been mistaken for the others a few times. I’ve even exchanged emails with two of them.
I’ve gone through more nicknames than I can or even care to remember, and a whole host of nicknames that Dina and I came up with for one another.
And then there’s the issue of “Susan” or “Sue”, which changes depending on whom I’m speaking to. My mother, for instance, never calls me Sue, and probably never will. My husband, on the other hand, almost exclusively calls me Sue. When he says Susan, it sounds funny.
People have asked me which I prefer, and I usually let them decide, saying it didn’t matter to me. In college, most of my professors took to calling me Sue immediately. In grad school, it was Susan more often than not.
It was a few days ago, when I was at a panel discussion/networking event, where I noticed that I rush through my name when I introduce myself, swallowing the “H” of Hodara. About two weeks ago, someone pointed out the brand confusion on my business cards, which used to list my name as Susan Hodara, with my website and this site as www.suehodara.com as their bases.
I don’t believe in random occurrences, especially not ones so close together. It was when I was channel surfing this weekend and stopped on a presentation of Women and Money with Suze Orman.
Suze related that when she’s speaking at an event, and the presenter wants to acknowledge the women responsible for putting the event together, they hesitate to stand.
She then went on to state that women, when asked to state their names, say “what name?” (regarding whether they should use their married, maiden names).
“Men don’t have these problems!” she roared.
She asked a woman to get up and state her name, and the woman obliged timidly.
Then Suze implored the woman to say her name again, as if she’s addressing a room of 30,000 woman, all of whom paid good money to hear her speak and be inspired by her words.
The woman tried again, and when she uttered her name, strong and sure, she was taken aback by the sound — it was obvious it was the first time she’d heard her own name from her own lips so clear and so true.
And then she asked everyone in the audience to get up and say their names… to the women next to them, in front of, and in back of them. As the camera panned over the audience, it was easy to see who felt empowered, and who felt unsure.
I felt empowered. And made a point of changing my business cards yesterday to say Sue Hodara — alleviating brand confusion. The size of my name also grew substantially.
And I must say, I felt proud… and even thinking on it now, I’m still feeling proud. When I practiced saying my name aloud yesterday, I took my time saying it, instead of rushing through it, and found the power in my own voice and name.
Saying it loud and proud,
–Sue Hodara
March 24th, 2009
Hello dear readers, and happy spring!
I’m finally back and over my jet lag. I’ve been busy sorting through things (pictures, laundry, bills) the last few days… It’s amazing how much accumulates when you’re not around…
What’s even more amazing is how easy it is to leave it all behind… And a lot of that has to do with that state of mind. That it’s okay to be away…
It’s important to give ourselves that break every once in a while (even if it’s a staycation). We all need the room to breathe, and wander, and wonder…
During my trip, and since my return, it seems I’m bubbling with inspiration. Not only about my work, but about the direction I want my career and life to go.
As I make progress, I’ll keep you posted.
Ciao for now,
–Sue
March 23rd, 2009
In a matter of hours, we’ll be heading on a much needed vacation… to take in some sites, see some family, and get a little space.
I recently remembered my first day out on my own (I was an student at SU’s satellite school) in London, when I lived there in 1997. I walked until I couldn’t walk anymore, and found myself in a French bistro eating Mesculin greens before they became commonplace.
Eating that (then) exotic lettuce was one of my happiest moments. Something so simple like lettuce, that I’d eaten for years, but in a totally new way — I felt like my whole world was opening up to new possibilities. Every bite made me smile a little more. After lunch, I remember taking to the streets, feeling like the sun shone even brighter than I had remembered it.
And that’s really what travel (especially to a foreign country) always does for me… Opens up my world, helping me see something I’ve always known in a totally new and (often) unexpected way.
Happy trails to you as well, my dear readers… always!
–Sue
March 6th, 2009
If I knew how to balance it all, I’d be writing self-help books and doing speaking engagements…
But, I’m further from that reality than I could ever know at the moment.
Let’s just say, my respect for superwomen and jugglers increases tremendously on days like these.
–Sue
March 5th, 2009
Just yesterday I remembered a rainy day in New York City. It was a few years ago now…
It was raining, I had gotten into a fender bender, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to get a ticket for parking in that spot… But I was running through the streets of New York trying to get my scripts to a drama organization housed in an old church.
It’s amazing what I’ve seen on the streets of New York in the rain. I even found myself dancing in it once… when the rain came down in sheets — continuous and sublime, I could have swam home if I had wanted to.
But that day, when all I had on my mind was making it before the deadline, an old black man (we’ll call him Henry) stopped me in the middle of my rushing — stopped me dead in my tracks when he said, “You’re a writer!”
It was more of a statement than a question, and I’m not sure how Henry knew.
“Yeah,” I said.
“God bless you,” he laughed.
I smiled, and said “Thanks.”
I quickly scuttled off to drop off my manuscripts at the converted church.
Months later, I found out I didn’t get into the program I’d done everything I could that day to get my scripts to.
And you know what? I’m still a writer.
And it’s not a paycheck that defines who I am. The time on the clock doesn’t define it. I don’t have a title from HR or a “boss”.
The government doesn’t classify me as one. And even my degrees, A BA in English, a BS in Education, and an MA in Writing and Publishing don’t make me one.
I’m a writer because I keep doing it. No matter how many times I hear “no”, or how many times I pick myself up off the floor after hearing it…
It’s been eight years that I’ve been at this, and I’m the closest I’ve ever been to a “yes.” But even that won’t change things.
As hard as it’s been to sometimes remind myself that I’m writer, I always remember that I’m blessed to know who and what I am — without having to hear it from anyone else but me (and nice folks like Henry).
–Sue
March 4th, 2009
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