Unknown Artist (or La Raison d'Etre)

Thanks for dropping by again today. I am glad you responded to my link in the email announcement that I had resurrected my blogging habit. (If you stumbled here randomly then you have no idea who I am and that is just fine, too!) I am currently content to be the Unknown Artist. However, I wanted to pay full homage to my hero complex and thus named this blog Badass Nika Brown.

I had been blogging from 2003 to 2008 under my real name. It was harmless enough. Then someone was researching me for non-acting purposes and there was my blog for all the world to see, directly linked to me. It happened twice in a three month period. One incident involved a legal matter. Yep, my blog was entered as evidence in a court of law. The second was a job opportunity, which I ultimately loss. Don’t get me wrong. I am not hiding the fact that I am an actor. I just don’t want to be judged for being an actor without having an opportunity to put it into perspective. Once I make my living solely as an actor, then who cares what surfaces in a Google search? But as long as I am reliant on the corporate machine for my primary income, then I have to play by the rules.

Not using my real name on this page also provides a thin veil of cover from the big muckety mucks in the industry as well. An actor up for a series or a major film role is usually researched by the business affairs department before contracts are finalized. Why make my personal thoughts on the industry subject to a hit on a Google alert? Of course a bit more due diligence will land you here, eventually. When this happens frequently enough it will be safe to say my quest for such anonymity will be moot.

My circumstances dictate that I require a veil of anonymity until I make a sustainable living solely as an artist. Obviously, the more paid work I obtain as an actor the less important remaining anonymous here becomes. Please understand that fame and fortune are not my desired outcome. In fact, after walking the red carpet twice this year, I am certain I would not do well under heavy scrutiny. I am sure it gets easier each time, but it is unmistakably a lot of work. This past week I had a discussion with two friends about my desires, or lack thereof, for fame and fortune, which I will blog about later.

“Clarity is obtained when you can separate your sleep dreams, your fears, your fantasies and your reality”. - Rodan of Alexandria

Cue music: Steve Wonder, Happy birthday to ya’!
Ralph Macchio [1962], Matthew McConaughey [1969], Markie Post [1950], Doris Roberts [1929] and Loretta Swit [1937].

Reality Check

I am one of those odd artists that has a good right brain/left brain mix. It has helped me hold jobs such as a compliance auditor, policy writer and now project manager. I have a business degree. Yet, until early this year, I never applied this business sense fully to my life as an artist. I had grand delusions that I would eventually make enough money as an artist that money would never be an issue. Boy did I pay a price for lying to myself like that!

Unless you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, coming up with a strong financial plan is imperative to your long term viability. Of course we all want to make a living solely as an artist. But you need to have a good relationship with money so you can sleep comfortably in the meantime!

Also, in moving to New York, I have acquired more of a sense of being a "citizen of the world"..which means I must behave accordingly. What the heck does that mean? I am making a more concerted effort to live in harmony with the world. Learning about what is going on in the economy, politics, and the environment. As long as I am living, I might as well be learning. Eh?

I will be exploring this here in this blog. I still love shoes, wine, and dry humor...so that will come up here, too!

This is my journey as a human being. Thanks for visiting!