Lisa Temple Actor Your Senator, Doctor, Teacher, Mom

It’s almost Christmas 2021, and I’m feeling good but a little mellow. As the year comes to a close, I look back at the ups and downs, yet thankfully, I still find myself getting inspired by life. If you look for blessings, they’ll always be there to behold. We’ve been able to make some long-awaited improvements on our house this year, and we are feeling very blessed indeed!

In fact, we’ve had lots of work done in our backyard, so now we’re celebrating our efforts with our first “boosted” party since the pandemic began. I’m sitting here drinking my coffee and eating a chocolate-covered cream-filled pastry, which I really shouldn’t be eating. Nevertheless, as I savor each bite, I look at our Christmas tree. It’s beautiful and comforting, even though it’s artificial. I think, “Am I artificial?” I can see through the branches of the tree, and I wonder if anyone can see through me. 

I ask, because my husband and I went to his school holiday party recently, where everyone had to show their vaccination cards, and we were able to take our masks off. Well, at least the actual masks. Who knows how many emotional masks were still on, and maybe never get taken off? Because, of course, it doesn’t take a pandemic for people to hide in plain sight. I confess, I still had my emotional mask on, because I’m an introvert and being around lots of people can be exhausting.

One woman, wearing a serious face, came up to my husband at the party and engaged him in an earnest conversation. I couldn’t hear everything because it was noisy, and also because she leaned into his ear for certain things. I didn’t recognize her, so I was fascinated to hear who she was and what she was saying. I just stood there with an awkward smile on my face, my mask firmly in place. 

Turns out, she finally spoke up to acknowledge and apologize for an incident during a summer program that she was in charge of years ago. My husband had been one of the faculty, and sadly, an unfortunate event happened during the program. This woman had freaked out, canceled the program, and then walked away with barely a word. Since then, no one has ever really talked about it. Quite a revelation for her to come forward after all this time. It’s never too late to open up and communicate what we need to say. She chose to take her mask off and be honest. I applaud her for that. 

Gotta say though, sometimes it’s necessary for me to put my mask on, especially if people ask what I’ve been up to. That’s a tough one because as an actor, there are no guarantees. I’ve been on this acting journey for a long time, and though I’ve had some successes, they’ve been few and far between. That’s tough to explain and even tougher to swallow. I’m grateful for my husband’s job, which gives us security. But I really wanted to “succeed” at something. 

I once worked in a Wal-Mart and quickly got promoted. Maybe I could’ve been a manager in a company, or a teacher with my music ed degree. Instead, l left small-town life in the Midwest, and chose to move to Los Angeles (of all places!) and attempt an acting career. I struggled a lot as I discovered just how challenging that is. Los Angeles is considered the Entertainment Olympics. 

But I still dreamed, and in my naïveté, I actually expected to make a living as an actor. Alas, this has yet to happen. I wonder if it ever will. This year I had lots of really good auditions that I’m proud of, but I didn’t book any work. My agent dropped me. Maybe she’s right. Maybe it’s not going to happen for me. Does that automatically mean I’m no good and I should quit? You see, if I let it, this is a devastating, soul-crushing feeling. On my worst days, part of me wants to quit, and just quietly retire into oblivion. 

Wait…seriously? Come on, I still believe in myself as an actor. I still see myself being on a tv show or in an amazing indie film. I know I’m a good actor with a lot to offer, so maybe I don’t have to throw in the towel just yet. I still think life is full of wonder and joy. Maybe “success” can be defined in different ways. I sure hope so. Like, a happy longtime marriage with the love of my life. Or that we paid off our mortgage early. And most of all, that we take really good care of ourselves and still have our health.

On the career side, I’ve booked a recurring role on a tv show, in which I had the time of my life and will never forget it. And I wrote and produced a comedy web series about menopause that won nine festival awards. (It’s on my YouTube Channel called “Lisa Temple Actor”) And perhaps best of all, over the years I’ve made some amazing friends in the biz. I consider them part of my artistic family, and always will. 

But back when I got started, it took me a long time to believe I had any real talent, let alone figure out how to even get on the right path. And once I started my journey, I quickly learned I had to completely “retrain my brain” if I truly wanted to succeed. 

So I began the step by step, year by year process of proper acting training, competitive materials like headshots and websites, and as the need arose, perhaps the most difficult task of all: submitting professional self tapes that don’t break your budget. Since I’ve had multiple auditions from several well-known casting directors, I’m confident I accomplished these things. 

As I grew as an actor, I was able to be myself and become more and more open. As a result, I’m happy to report I don’t wear my emotional mask nearly as often. What a difference it’s been to consciously lean into my best self, so that I could be confident, savvy, and skilled. That choice changed my life for the better in a multitude of ways, and I’ll be forever grateful for the many lessons I’ve learned. 

So what’s next? I’m ready to make another big change: I’m going gray. I hear silver is in! It’ll take awhile, but as my natural hair color grows in, I’m loving it. Feels good to embrace the fact that I’m “getting older”, and am now officially in the “older woman” category. I’m finding the joy and freedom in that. In truth, life really only exists in the present moment. Let’s make the best of it. 

Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question. I’d love to hear from you!

Sending Warm Wishes and Happy Holidays!! 💕🎉💐

“I’m willing to change; to move from being my worst critic to my best cheerleader, and the world says “Yes”. Deepak Chopra