It goes without saying that there are a lot of people striving to become actors in Hollywood. But for every bright young talent that arrives in Los Angeles aiming to work hard at honing his or her acting skills in the hopes of one day becoming an actor, there are few more aspiring actors of a different variety that showed up on the same day.
This second type really just wants to be able to tell folks back home that they're here -- and for as long as they manage to stay, they've made it. Gradually they become part of the landscape, and will continue to put in minimal effort for years, content to say the world missed out on their acting genius before they head home. That still leaves Los Angeles with a lot of people working really hard toward their dream, and they conjure a certain stereotype: the struggling actor, bussing tables and standing in line at auditions.
But generalizations about aspiring actors don't accurately represent how Jason H. Christopher sees himself or the road he's…
It goes without saying that there are a lot of people striving to become actors in Hollywood. But for every bright young talent that arrives in Los Angeles aiming to work hard at honing his or her acting skills in the hopes of one day becoming an actor, there are few more aspiring actors of a different variety that showed up on the same day.
This second type really just wants to be able to tell folks back home that they're here -- and for as long as they manage to stay, they've made it. Gradually they become part of the landscape, and will continue to put in minimal effort for years, content to say the world missed out on their acting genius before they head home. That still leaves Los Angeles with a lot of people working really hard toward their dream, and they conjure a certain stereotype: the struggling actor, bussing tables and standing in line at auditions.
But generalizations about aspiring actors don't accurately represent how Jason H. Christopher sees himself or the road he's…
Paul Mitchel grew up in Seattle Washington, in what he calls a fairy-tale neighborhood. By this he says, he means the kind of place where kids play in the open streets, the landscape is green, and everyone seems generally happy, being that they're supported by a sense of family and community. As an adult, Paul started construction work and did well enough to support himself and his wife, enabling them to live a good life. There was then suddenly a very dark chapter that began for Paul, and disrupted the harmony that existed in his life up until that point. Due to his mental condition, Paul had trouble managing through the challenges of daily life, and things began to unravel. He soon found himself incapable of holding reliable work. Sometime later, he ended up on the streets.
Paul made his way to Southern California to live in a place where the climate is more merciful to someone living in the streets, and where he believed there may be hope to begin again. Here in LA, Paul’s dark chapter…
Being that he was named after Neil Young, it's fitting for music to be at the center of life for Neil Schield. The Origami Vinyl shop owner grew up in a family of music lovers and recalls that his parents have always had a particularly strong attachment their album collection.
Even before Origami Vinyl, Neil spent his fair share of time on the commercial side of the music industry -- he worked in the industry during the landmark period when music's transition to iTunes began and started to take hold. Facing a big decision following a brief career stall, Neil took a chance, and broke from his work in digital music. He decided to go back to where his love of music started when he was younger, which was with vinyl. Now, well frankly, he lives in the best of all possible worlds. He's carved out his little space in the world of music at Origami Vinyl. Neil spends his days surrounded by the music that has meaning to him, and he makes a living by sharing it with others who have a similar appreciation.…
Welcome to the Freedom Barbershop at the Veterans Affairs campus in West LA. To many Veterans, this little trailer shop something akin to an island oasis in the thrashing sea. It is a place where personal burdens, internal pressures and anxieties gathered from life experience willingly recede, for here is the forgiving company and calming presence of a fellow comrade. Sit in the chair and receive a shave, a haircut, or a few shared jokes. And for the ones who need it, gentle advice flows from a man who dedicates his time to serve to Veterans who proudly served us, but now walk all paths of life. Some of their spirits are still proud, others broken.
Dreamer, they call him, is himself a Veteran, and has an effortlessly strong and tranquil presence that seems to give him the ability to gently wash away his customers’ thoughts of the world’s troubles. Dreamer believes it’s important to give this back to the men and women who served their country. It may seem a little thing, to give a haircut…
It isn’t enough to dare to dream. If you want something you can keep dreaming about it, or you can dare to do what it takes to make your dream come true. This positive way of looking at things seems to work out very well for this European transplant in LA.
If you haven’t noticed, the street artist and avid skater called Chase is on a campaign to help you stay mindful of the power of positive thinking and living a life that feels true to your soul. The artist’s murals, paintings, and stencil art makes abundant use of bright 60s pop colors, humor and uplifting messages to bring positive energy to others, and his work graces more than 200 murals in LA and other cities. Chase has items for sale in stores and has collaborated with Puma, Adidas, Levis (just to name a few).
The principles Chase strives to motivate through his work are representative of the artist’s approach to his own life. Like a lot of kids from broken families, the young skater got into his share of trouble growing up in…
A collection of video portraits and first-hand stories told from some of the most intriguing and unique personalities living in Los Angeles. (iamlosangeles.com)
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