What the %$#! is up with MATTilyn?

My entire year was planned out…

In January and February I’d had successful preview performances of my one woman show The Long Goodbye! The rest of the year was going to build on that momentum…

March On the 16th I was to start rehearsals at the prestigious Crossroads Theatre for a month-long role in the play Freedom Rider 

May Mother’s Day performance of The Long Goodbye in Chicago 

June The Long Goodbye at the Hollywood Fringe Festival 

July The Long Goodbye in Atlanta, Georgia 

August The Long Goodbye at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland 

It is the largest arts festival in the world. Before becoming a Netflix sensation, Phoebe Waller-Bridge first premiered her one woman show Fleabag at Scotland’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I was honored that my show was at Edinburgh status. 

November The Long Goodbye was an official selection of the International United Solo Festival and I was to perform the show for them both in London and New York City. Theatre Row NYC BABY! What a way to close out 2020.

I was set to soar!

In March I was one day away from flying to the east coast for Freedom Rider rehearsals…

“And then, Covid-19 happened.”

This reminded me of my wedding weekend.

“A year of planning
- and our quaint castle wedding venue in Agoura Hills -
went up in flames in the deadliest blaze in California wildfire history.”

While friends and family were in the air flying from the east coast to California, instead of prepping for the wedding I was scrambling with my fiancé and cousins to find a wedding venue two days before the wedding, as well as new hotel rooms for our 40+ out of town guests.

We found magic amid the chaos. We also found perspective. While some lost their homes, others lost their lives. A sobering, humbled feeling of gratitude surrounded my wedding day. Despite all the mishaps, we were the lucky ones.

“ We had an opportunity to focus on what’s most important with a ceremony symbolizing the union of two souls, love. ”

Looking at our wedding video, you wouldn’t know that my mother was missing from the first half of the ceremony, that we were one bridesmaid short, or that our ceremony and reception were at a venue we were seeing at about the same time as our guests.

Quarantined with my new husband I reflected on the lessons learned from my wedding. How can I apply that to the Pandemic?

Although plans change, we are given an opportunity

to see the larger picture.

I was healthy, I was safe, had food and shelter and I was alive.

So, I slept.

April. Slept some more. Wake up. Cook. Watch the news. Talk on the phone.

“Remember cousin so and so? They got it. They got the virus.”

I go back to sleep.

May. Wake up. Watch the news. Talk on the phone. Cook. Sketch. Sleep. Rinse Repeat. Going to bed late. Oh. And I start sketching. Check out my artwork on RedBubble!

June. Wake up. Watch - the world burn - the news.

Birthday parties on Zoom.

“ Is this real?

What day is today?

He said what?”

I can’t sleep. I sketch. I cook. I post and sketch again. I start sewing on my $20 Goodwill sewing machine, creating some very questionable clothing.

Started The Artist’s Way again with a dear friend.

Sketch some more.

I’ve eaten too much. Need to excercise. I take African Dance online.

Josh and I do puzzles…….and Tik Tok dance offs…

July. Wake up. Stopped watching the news. What am I so mad about? Tired of talking. Start writing again. Cook dinner almost every night. Still can’t sleep. Sketch until the sun comes up. My husband gets me a much-better. sewing machine for my birthday. My sewing creations improve. Things I might actually wear outside.

“Interviewed with VoyageLA”

Check out Interview click here!

August. I go to sleep when it’s time to wake up and am wide awake when my side of the world is asleep. I sketch. I sew. I read. I take workshops. I start dreaming again.

September. End of this mess is nowhere in sight. Bits of news. Small doses.

There is something happening on the planet and we are all experiencing some part of the consequence all at the same time. We are faced with choices.

My days are filled with creating and learning. Whatever suits my fancy or my rage. Unable to act or sing in front of a live audience until this COVID craziness is over (and having gone through everything on Netflix), I was forced to find new outlets. So thanks to the pandemic I am now a visual artist, a chef and costume designer!…skills I just needed some time to explore.

I wanted to say hello and I hope you are fine? Please share how you are doing in the comments below.