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...but just from blogging.
For the month of April I will be concentrating on production of SchloerBITS Season 2 and my new show Talking BITS! - so I'm going on a "blogatus" (Hmm. The blending of "blog" and "hiatus" sounds kind of like an appendage - "Doctor! Help! My blogatus is killing me!"). In the meantime, here's a whole bunch of other places you can find Schloerb and Schloerb-related-content online: Twitter: @amyschloerb Facebook: facebook.com/AmySchloerbActs Instagram: @amyschloerb YouTube: youtube.com/SchloerBITS Thanks for reading The SchloerBLOG, guys! Leave me a comment, won't you? But, um, not the evil, troll-y kind, please? 😊
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In this SchloerBLOG post I want to talk about negative emotions. We all have them, and yet sometimes, I think we feel like we shouldn’t (I know I do at least). I hate feeling nervous before an audition. I hate feeling jealous of the person who got the part over me. I hate feeing disappointed in myself when I don’t book a job.
But, really, what’s the point of “hating” our emotions? The only reason I’m feeling these “negative” emotions is because I care about acting and my career. It’s important to me. If it weren’t important to me, I’d feel completely indifferent. I wouldn’t care. I’d react to rejection the same way I would if Ralph’s switched the location of the bananas. Okay, who cares? They're already in my cart. So instead of “hating” on my emotions, I’m trying to love them (I know, barf.). But actually, I am grateful to these feelings even if feeling them hurts. Anxiety, jealousy, and disappointment are my body’s way of telling me that I’m on the right path. The only reason my career stirs up these emotions in me is because I am passionate about it. Just like family, if I didn’t love it, it wouldn’t drive me crazy. Sure, I’d love to only feel inspired, joyous, and fulfilled about my acting career, but that’s just not realistic. You gotta take the good with the bad and feeling the “bad” emotions helps you better appreciate the “good” emotions. So, THANK YOU, anxiety, jealousy, and disappointment, for trying to protect me, showing me I care, and revealing what I really want. Thanks for reading The SchloerBLOG, guys! Leave me a comment, won't you? But, um, not the evil, troll-y kind, please? 😊 Hey Guys! I just started doing this new thing and I’d love for you to check it out! Over on my SchloerBITS YouTube channel I’ve started a new show called "Talking BITS!". In the show I take you behind the scenes of my comedy web series SchloerBITS and share all my DIY video production tips and tricks! The first episode is up right now and you can watch it here! Now, look, I’ll be the first to admit that I am no expert when it comes to YouTube, video production, or producing a web series. Um, then why should we be listening to you, Schloerb? Well, because, even though I knew next to nothing about producing my own web series, I still got it done, which means YOU CAN TOO! Isn’t that awesome?! It is my hope that through this new series I'll inspire my fellow creative people to go forth and create their own videos and series!
You can tune in every Tuesday for a new "Talking BITS!". And if you have any questions about DIY video production or SchloerBITS in general you can send them to SchloerBITS@gmail.com. Thanks for reading (and watching!) The SchloerBLOG, guys! Leave me a comment, won't you? But, um, not the evil, troll-y kind, please? 😊  This is a recipe I originally got from one of those easy recipe email chain things. You know, where you send a recipe to the first name on the list and then you get 6 recipes back, or whatever? Anyway, I got this chili recipe and then adjusted it slightly to make it my own (I added the southwestern veggie blend). Enjoy!  Ooooh! Check out the dramatic golden hour lighting!!! Here's what you'll need:
 Okay, we start off pretty much like all my recipes that call for ground turkey. Throw it in a big pot and season it! I like to use chili powder (come on, it's got the name "chili" right in the name!), and Worcestershire sauce.
Once the turkey is cooked to 165 degrees, add everything else and bring it to a boil for a few minutes to make sure that the frozen veggies get cooked through (yes, add them in frozen). Side note: I like to rinse the beans, but I don't think you have to. I rinse them until there are no more bubbles around them from the syrupy stuff they are packed in. I like to think I'm washing away all the farts typically associated with beans (what else could those bubbles be?!) and everyone thinks I'm crazy when I tell them this, but I can live with that.  Let the pot simmer until you are ready to eat and voila! A hearty and delicious meal! I like to garnish my chili with some shredded cheese and a few tortilla chips...okay, A LOT of tortilla chips. Bon Appetit!
Thanks for reading The SchloerBLOG, guys! Leave me a comment, won't you? But, um, not the evil, troll-y kind, please? 😊  I’m always in acting class. I take a scene study class and/or an audition class, pretty much year-round. It’s not that I’m a horrible actor and just can’t figure out how to deliver a line (although there are days when we all feel like that, am I right?). At this point in my career I’m not trying to learn HOW to act. I’m in class to keep my acting muscles toned and in shape so that they are ready to go whenever an opportunity arises. It’s kind of like being an Olympic figure skater: Adam Rippon knows HOW to skate, but he still spends hours a day at the rink twirling and leaping and quad-lutzing his little heart out so that every 4 years he’s ready to go for the gold.
It’s the same with acting. You have to keep practicing otherwise your acting muscles will get flabby. Classes are especially helpful for practicing memorization. If you struggle to learn your lines, you really need to be in an acting class where you have new material thrown at you week after week forcing you to memorize things quickly. Parts of this industry move extremely quickly. During TV pilot season you’re lucky to get 24 hours with a script before having to perform a fully developed character expressed in four scenes spanning 13 pages of sides. You better be able to create a strong character and memorize FAST! Aside from being a great way to workout your acting muscles, classes are fun and a great way to meet people. I’m still best friends with one of the women I met in my very first LA acting class. Another guy from that program cast me in a feature film he wrote! I met my husband in an improv class! So yeah, classes are great for networking and relationship building of all kinds! My point is “ABA - Always Be Acting” - You’re an actor, and you love acting, right? So DO IT! All the time! And if your bank account does allow for many classes, get a group of friends together and do scenes for each other. Trust me, it’s better than sitting around waiting for the phone to ring and watching reruns of Friends. Thanks for reading The SchloerBLOG, guys! Leave me a comment, won't you? But, um, not the evil, troll-y kind, please? 😊  I’m always on the hunt for cool things to write about on The SchloerBLOG, so when I saw a sponsored post on Instagram offering 120 Awesome Blog Post Ideas I thought, “Sure! I’ll give you my email and wait a generous amount of time before unsubscribing from your mailing list offering blog related courses I do not need. Wait, do I need them? Ooooh, that one looks good! GAH! What am I doing?!”
Anyway, as promised there were indeed many, many awesome blog post ideas (120 in fact!), but one in particular stood out to me: “Write a post on what to do when Oprah calls” WOW. First off, this is the point where I went, “Oh, I’m out of my league with these bloggers.” Oprah has never called me and therefore I have no advice to give someone on what to do when the greatest bread-lover alive gives you a ring. But, what the heck, I’ll give it a whirl! Here’s my post: A post on what to do when Oprah calls Answer the phone. Thanks for reading The SchloerBLOG, guys! Leave me a comment, won't you? But, um, not the evil, troll-y kind, please? 😊 I worked a couple of jobs while I was still nursing and put together a little on-set pumping kit that I’d like to share with all the nursing mama-actors out there in hopes it helps you. Of course, there are many ways to collect breast milk and ultimately you just need to find a system that works for you, but here’s what worked wonders for me.
Basically, this kit is designed to save time and space because both commodities can be precious when working on set. (note: I don’t get anything from these links, they are just provided for your convenience. Find what works for you!) 1. Spectra Breast Pump - it’s small and portable (about the size of a clutch). We all know breast pumps can be expensive, so if you already have one (and hopefully you got it for free from your insurance company), just use that. But if you’re still looking into pumps, I recommend this one if you anticipate pumping on set (or on the go generally). 2. A hands-free pumping bra - if you’re pumping AT ALL (on set or off) you’re going to want one of these. I don’t know how I would have pumped without one. Seriously, I would have needed four arms! 3. Kiinde Pump Adaptors - these are a means to an end because instead of pumping into a bunch of bulky bottles they let you pump directly into… 4. Kiinde Breast Milk Storage Twist Pouches - these things are really the game changer of this kit. Instead of having to bring multiple bottles to set for multiple pumping sessions, you can just bring these flat, space-saving bags and pump directly into them and then seal them up and pop them into your cooler. 5. Breast Pump Wipes - these were great for quickly cleaning all my pump pieces in between pumping sessions. 6. A cooler - I used a 6-can cooler with an ice pack to keep my milk fresh. Sometimes you get a fridge in your trailer, but sometimes you don’t and I wanted a cooler for transporting my milk home anyway. 7. An ice pack - to keep the cooler, you know, cool. 8. A nursing cover - this is optional, but I found it helpful for maintaining some sense of privacy in case someone needed to talk to me while I pumped. Thanks for reading The SchloerBLOG, guys! Leave me a comment, won't you? But, um, not the evil, troll-y kind, please? 😊  Last month I told you about how I have dubbed 2018 - The Year of Help. To refresh your memory, it’s basically a year of asking for help when I need it, and offering help when I am able. Here we are half way through February and I thought it was time for a check-in.
The biggest shift I’ve noticed is that deciding that 2018 was The Year of Help has completely shifted my mindset about asking for help. I use to struggle with asking for help or get stuck in a situation and just go, “Oh, well, I don’t know. I just give up.” Now, instead of resigning myself, I actively seek solutions where I once would have just said, “Eh, I guess that’s just how it is.” This is sounding vague and possibly confusing. Let me give you some examples. I have been trying (unsuccessfully) to get footage from a web series I shot in 2016. I was about to give up completely, and then I emailed a reel editing company that mentioned being able to use iTunes footage in the actor reels they produced. Now, I didn’t need them to edit me a whole reel. I just needed my iTunes episode somehow magically made into an editable file. I emailed and asked how much that would cost. To make a long story short, I had my footage by the end of the night, all because I said, “Hey, can you help me with this?”. Likewise, I’ve been submitting SchloerBITS to film festivals and sometimes it can be a little confusing to know how the festival wants you to submit a web series. Do they want a screener with one episode, multiple episodes, or a separate link to all episodes? Well, instead of anxiously fretting my decision and blindly guessing, I emailed the festivals and asked their preference (duh.). This example of asking for help worked great on two fronts. First of all, I submitted properly (yay!). Secondly, it gave me an added opportunity to connect with the festival producers (double yay!). Now, what about helping others? Well, to be honest, I’m not sure how well I’ve been doing with that, but just like with the asking part, my mindset has shifted and I’m actively looking for ways to help people I encounter. I’ve offered referrals, I’ve commented on people’s headshots to help them pick new ones, and if I don’t know the answer to something, I try to connect people to a resource that does have the answer. I’m not always able to help, but I’m always looking for ways support people in their endeavors. Even strangers. The other day I was at Starbucks and the guy in front of me had left his wallet in the car which was parked far away because he’d been playing with his young son in the park. It took me a minute to realize what was going on, but without even thinking I found myself saying, “Oh, here, why don’t you put that on my order.” The man very politely refused and ended up making some arrangement with the barista (perhaps he’s a regular, I don’t know), but I’m at least glad that my helping instinct was ready even if I couldn’t actually help in the end. So, really, it’s all little stuff, but I feel that sometimes just a little effort from me can really help someone else out. I know the opposite is true and I am so grateful for all the help I’ve gotten so far in 2018. Remember: If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. Thanks for reading The SchloerBLOG, guys! Leave me a comment, won't you? But, um, not the evil, troll-y kind, please? 😊 Guys! I totally forgot to write a SchloerBLOG post for this week! It’s Wednesday night now and I want this blog entry to post Thursday at 9am (AND I have an episode of This Is Us on my DVR!) I’m literally typing this in my kitchen while I cook dinner (Turkey & Spinach Stroganoff!). This slip-up has shown me that I clearly have not truly cemented my blogging habit. Fortunately, I think I know how to cement this habit because I’ve been creating and cementing other habits recently, so I can just apply the same trick to my blogging habit and I should be good to go, right? And why not write about my habit cementing trick as the blog post I forgot to write for this week?! Wow. Meta.
Anywhooooo, my habit cementing trick is inspired by Bullet Journaling. If you have no idea what that is, you can read about it here. Basically, it’s a type of journaling that is completely flexible and allows you to create different pages for anything from agendas to habit trackers. I am not ashamed to admit that I have fallen down the rabbit hole searching for cool habit tracker pages for Bullet Journals (Right?! People are creating some really pretty things!). Mostly I just admire what other people create. My own Bullet Journal (and I use that term VERY loosely) is just a notebook with an index where I keep any and all random notes, to do lists, and ideas. Last fall I decided to create a monthly habit tracker in my Bullet Journal for cleaning my house. I made a list of all the cleaning tasks I had to do and assigned tasks to each day (I tried to upload a picture of it, but technology was just not on my side, so just picture each day of the week followed by 4 circles where I could enter the date that I completed that day's tasks for the week. Oh, and just trust me, it's not pleasant to look at / dare I say UGLY.). Fortunately, I found there was no correlation between how beautiful my tracker looked on the page and how well it worked for me in reality. I mean, I accomplished my cleaning tasks for the whole month! Yay! I kept creating a house cleaning habit tracker page in my journal for a few months and it worked so well for me that now I don’t even need it anymore. I just wake up and go, “Oh, it’s Wednesday! Today I clean the bathrooms!” (Okay, maybe not with that much enthusiasm, but you get it). I had been thinking recently that I needed to create a similar tracking system for career type tasks that I want to accomplish weekly. Almost forgetting to write this blog post was the final push I needed to really make myself do it. A couple of tips from my experience creating and cementing habits: 1. Tweak the habit tracker as you go. As I was establishing my cleaning habit, I switched my daily tasks around quite a bit and I’m still working to find the ideal days for certain tasks. 2. Forgive yourself if you miss a day. Some days I found that I just couldn’t get my cleaning task done, but instead of beating myself up, I just moved the task to a different day. Or I skipped it that week. No biggie. Remember, every day is a new chance to do your habit. 3. Find a system that works for you. This habit tracker system totally worked for me to create my cleaning habit, and we’ll see if it works for career tasks (Oooh! I smell a future SchloerBLOG post!). That said, maybe a tracker just isn’t the right way for you to cement a habit. Or maybe it will work for one habit and not another. That’s okay! There are many, many different ways to create a habit. (Seriously, just google it.) Happy habit building! Thanks for reading The SchloerBLOG, guys! Leave me a comment, won't you? But, um, not the evil, troll-y kind, please? 😊 Dear Amy,
How you doing? Sorry, that’s a horrible question. I know how you’re doing. Your world has just collapsed around you and you’re sitting on the cold, hard floor of a hospital hallway where you’ve just dramatically crumpled in a heap. You’re even thinking to yourself right now, “My! It’s this dramatic!” as a nurse rushes a chair over to you. I’m not here to tell you to buck up, or calm down, or keep a stiff upper lip. I’m here to tell you to cry. Cry. A. Lot. This won’t be hard advice to follow. See? You’re already doing it! Bravo! Let your emotions flow and be messy and unpredictable. It’s okay. Really. You’re going to be riding the waves of grief for years to come, so just get used to it. What I do want to tell you is that life will get better. I know, I know, that sounds ridiculous right now, but just hear me out. From my vantage point ten years in our future, nothing worse than this night has happened. So, welcome to your rock bottom! Nowhere to go but up! Yippy! (Sorry, I’ll stop.) Yes, we’ll have bad days, but way, WAY more good days. And not to mention good people. I don’t want to give anything away (I’ve seen enough time travel movies to know that’s a bad idea), but just trust me when I say that on the day that you will find yourself writing this you’ll feel so happy and satisfied with your life that you’ll tear up writing this sentence (and no, you didn’t just win an Academy Award…damn! I’ve said too much!). I also want you to know that you will always miss your mom. That feeling doesn’t go away, but it will become more comfortable, almost like a soft and cozy sweater instead of the wet, soggy blanket of misery it feels like right now. And you will never lose your connection to your mom. She will always be with you. And I don’t mean in a guardian angel sort of way (but, yeah, kinda that too). I mean that you will find things in your day-to-day life that will remind you of her and make you smile whenever you see them. They will spark memories for you and you will get to live with her, even for just a moment, in those memories. This letter probably makes no sense to you and I bet you’re fighting the impulse to rip it into tiny pieces and throw it in the trash (don’t worry, you can, I made copies!). I think this letter might actually be more for me than for you anyway (selfish, I know). I just wanted to take a moment to write to you and tell you that while nothing will ever be the same again, things will (eventually) be awesome again. Really, really awesome. Here’s some advice: 1. Be gentle with yourself. This was the best advice I got on grieving and I still use it even 10 years later. 2. Lean on your friends and family. They love you and they support you 150%. Let them do it and don’t feel guilty about anything. You’re not annoying. 3. There is no timeline for grief. It will come in waves. Sometimes you’ll be riding the crest of a wave and feeling pretty good, then you’ll be down in the trough wondering how to get out of bed. Over time the crests will lengthen and the troughs will become shallower. Grief will go from being your BFF, to someone you see occasionally, to someone you’re considering deleting from your phone because you haven’t talked in so long. And don’t feel guilty about that. Your grief is not your mom. Your connection to your mom can be positive instead of painful. Anyway, take care of yourself as best you can. You’re worth it. You’re awesome. Great things are in store for you. Love, Amy |
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March 2018
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