I am leaving Chicago at the end of this month. I have worked out my two weeks notice at my job and am finishing wrapping up a summer-long film. In the meantime, I have been packing, stress-eating, planning, and stress-eating some more.
What is my plan (I hear you cry)...it is to stay in NY for a bit over a month and then leave for a trip around Europe in late November that could last anywhere from 3 months to a year. But the future plans, although present on my mind have been surpassed recently by what I have done while in Chicago.
As much as I have not enjoyed my time in the corrupt state of Illinois, I have accomplished quite a lot when you look at specific examples. My goal when coming to Chicago was three-fold:
1) Get a callback (I got multiple.)
2) Get a part in a play (within the first 2 months I had been cast in Little Women)
3) Get paid for acting (Also check! I did not think this one would be possible.)
So yes, I accomplished all of my goals! I also did many films (both long and short) and learned a shit-ton about "the biz". I also felt much more comfortable with auditions (both monologues and cold readings) by the end of my stay. So from that perspective, Chicago was good to me...some may even take from this perspective that I should stay in Chi-Town. It's all in the perspective really.
If I was in a down mood, however, I could remember that I did not get many roles in theater. Or that my boyfriend and I broke up here. That my car has dents, scraps, and cracks thanks to the stress-ridden traffic I drove in. That it was lonelier and harder than anyone had prepared me for.
But that's a different side that I can choose to focus on or not. I try to focus on the accomplishments more though.
People have asked me if I think I will find my way back to Chicago one day. And, honestly, right now, I don't. If a genie was suddenly to crop up and say, "You are cursed to never see Chicago (or indeed the Midwest) ever again!"...I wouldn't give one measly little shit. There are many other genie-approved places that I can't wait to visit and I don't see the sense in spending more time in a land I have already traversed and found lacking.
Good bye Chicago! Hello World!
