Jane's Newsletter

Hi! Welcome to my very first newsletter. It’s an honor to have you here, and I’m really excited to start this little journey together. It will be fun to see how the newsletter changes from month to month. I expect there will be many surprises along the way, lessons learned, and fun news updates to share with you.

This newsletter has the potential to take us in many exciting directions. A good starting point? The artist’s well-being. Although I will often approach well-being from an actor’s perspective, I’m looking forward to discovering a wide range of mindful tips that any artist can practice.

The Artist’s Mindful Tool Kit

Each month, I’d like to share a mindful tip to help ease the artist’s busy life. My hope is that we can add more tips to this mindful tool kit. October’s tip is to jar, freeze, and store leftover food in advance of an upcoming long-term project (just like forest critters store food for the winter).

This mindful activity is a great way to nurture your future self. Once rehearsals or meetings begin for your next artistic project, scheduling enough time to cook a healthy dinner can add stress to your busy schedule. But when you have frozen meals ready to roll, all you’ll need to do is thaw them overnight. Such a time saver!

How do you manage your time when your working on a long-term artistic project? I’d love to know!

Below is one of my favorite sauces to freeze, an easy-to-make cherry tomato sauce (recipe by J. Kenji López-Alt). It’s delicious on pasta & toast.

Acting Projects

In just a few weeks, I’ll be performing as Agnes in Miguel Bregante’s Directing Thesis Dancing at Lughnasa, written by Brian Friel. We began rehearsals in mid-September and the time has gone by so fast. Plays always bring so much joy, light, and purpose into my life. Seeing the same faces for hours each day creates such a cozy and warm rhythm.

Performance dates are October 19th through October 22nd at Lenfest Center for the Arts.

ASMR Study Hall

For readers who don’t know, I run a Youtube Channel called ASMR Study Hall. ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, and it’s a tingly feeling some people experience when they hear, see, or taste a super satisfying stimulus.

My channel focuses on the auditory experience of ASMR. These days, I’m learning how to incorporate more Foley into my audio recording. Foley is a technical form of reproducing audio. I like to think of it as sounds “mimicking” other sounds. Let me explain:

You know that gory, cracking sound you hear when someone’s bones are broken in a film? That sound is usually a recording of something else, like twisting a stalk of celery or smashing a melon.

So, why do I want to practice Foley? As I’ve recorded more and more sounds for my channel, I’ve learned that the original sound source isn’t always satisfying when recorded. With Foley, I can use a different object to replicate or reproduce the sound I need. And in most cases, the Foley recording sounds much better.

So, wish me like as I learn more about Foley! You’ll have to let me know if my audio ambiences start to sound crisper and more satisfying :)

Start a Blog?

Psst! Want to know a secret? I’ve always wanted to start a blog. Writing is such a mindful form of expression— and it’s an easy way to learn what’s on your mind, even if you’re not yet aware what it is you want to say. Discovering the mystery of what’s on your mind is part of the fun.

Let’s give it a practice run. I’m sharing with you a short blog I wrote, 5 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Became an Actor.

Thank you for reading my first newsletter! If you made it to the end, I am super impressed. If there is anything you would like to see or read about in the November issue, send me a message :)