I'm Inspired By Shakira Gagnier

 Opening night: DJ, Tamara, Shak & Joel
 

Closing night: Me, Brandi's Dad, Tiff, Shak & Shon

Who better than your friends to inspire you?  When you are working to carve out your place, to bring that vision that you only have to life it can get a liiiiittle lonely.  When you can't find a mentor to share in this process of discovery and you get frustrated who do you talk to?  There have to be more grinders out there.  People who understand what it's like to do something different.  So, I talk to Shak.  Shak started taking acting classes last year and feel in love.  When the opportunity arose for her to be in "Shh...Quiet as Kept" she jumped at it even though it was nerve wrecking to go after something she'd never done before.  As she and I discussed at lunch today, most people assume that it's so damn easy but it isn't.  People expect you to shine but the truth is that you shine because you've made up your mind to do so.  Seriously.  You get anxious, you question whether or not you're going to be good...good enough.  And not good enough for "them" but for you.  There is a level of excellence that you hold your self to that can sometimes be paralyzing.  The fear of failure is so immense but the "not trying" kind of failure is greater.  Much much greater.  You stare that fear down and jump off the ledge...anyway.  

Like a proud papa: Shak & Larry

All Love: Shak & Kieran

Shak starred in the closing of "Shh..Quiet as Kept" October 11th, 2009.  It was another of many sold out nights for Brandi Burke's play.  It was amazing to see Shak's growth to this point.  She was great (and I mean it) her opening night and she was A-Ma-Zing closing night.  I'd heard about it before but I witnessed people being moved to tears.  She wasn't acting like her character she was being Candice and that's what got people invested in her role.  They believed her and wanted her to win, to be ok.  So much so, that after some shows audience members would come up to her to give their support regarding her "relationship" with her "father".  Ummm, she and Mr. Gagnier are cooler than a fan.  lol

What is truly inspirational is that she chose to do what she wanted.  She chose this art because it's what made sense to her spirit so, she followed that.  She didn't ask for a lot of input or for kudos for stepping out on the ledge.  She did it because she wanted to be the change she wished to see.  Shak put in countless hours of rehearsal time with the other actors and on her own.  She opened up her home on many nights as additional rehearsal space.  She gave up every weekend to rehearsal and then for every performance for months.  She accomplished this while going to work everyday.  She wanted people to see her going after something that she'd never done before and see it unfold for themselves.  And maybe through this one step of many more to come others will see that they can do it, too.  

 

 Tammy, Damani, Shak, Dawan and Dietric

 

The After Party: 

Tamara & Joel, like me, came to see the beginning and the end.

100.

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