dueto

The very first job I applied for when I moved to NYC was for a receptionist position at a fancy hair salon on the Upper East Side of Manhattan called, Dueto. I thought the interview went pretty well and was following up every few days to see if they had made an offer for the job. After about 3 or 4 follow up calls, I gave up and assumed that they hired someone else. I then got the gig at Crema Lita and worked there for about a month.

Then, one day, I received a phone call from the salon asking me to come in for a second interview. I jumped at the chance as this position was paying more than what I was making serving soft serve. I went back for the second interview and the owner of the salon got right down to business. He asked if he could be honest with me (which I assured was my preference over the alternative) and told me that he hired someone else but it didn't work out. He said he knew I was smart enough for the job but didn't hire me because of the way that I looked.

Now, before you start judging him - allow me to provide you with a mental picture of young Megan in NYC. At 19, I never really wore make up, had just started understanding the need for plucking eyebrows, had super long frizzy hair which I had self-dyed with blond highlights and did not apply any sort of style to and admittedly, was not a very good dresser.

He said I have a proposition for you. He said: If you let my team and I do something with your hair, show you how to apply a bit of make up and take you shopping, I would like to offer you the position. I immediately agreed and said they could do whatever they wanted to me.

I provided Crema Lita with 2 weeks notice and then spent every free moment I had during those next two weeks at the salon. They cut off half my hair, removed the blond highlights, added some auburn streaks and began to teach me how I could blow dry my hair to make it look stylish. They sent me out with a stylist to go shopping in the Village and we only purchased black and white fashionable clothing.

I remember my first day of work, I woke up extra early and tried to do my own hair, apply make up and pick out a nice outfit. I got to work and they looked me over and told me to go wash my face and put my hair in the sink. They were going to re-do everything but, at least my outfit looked nice. From there, they told me to just come into work an hour early and I would get my hair and make up done by one of the stylists. So for the next year and half, I did not wash my own hair and was fortunate enough to enjoy free hair cuts/color and styling.

Although this story sounds like a chapter out of "Devil Wears Prada", I really loved working here and I feel as if I was meant to work here as it was an important step in my adaptation to living in NYC. I quickly became friendly with everyone that worked there and they adopted me into their family. The owner, Julio, in particular, was so nice to me and I was so blessed to have met him and worked for him when I did.

I worked here until one day, a client at the salon offered me my next job. Stay tuned for the next Previous Jobs post.

executive producer

I am going to be an executive producer, yea I said executive.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Producers are entrepreneurs who make the business and financial decisions involving a motion picture, television show, or stage production. They select scripts, approve the development of ideas, arrange financing, and determine the size and cost of the endeavor. Producers hire or approve directors, principal cast members, and key production staff members.

Top 10 Ways my life has prepared me to become a Producer!

1. I spent my childhood writing scripts & filming short movies about killers. My brother, next door neighbors and friends were my cast ad crew. My credits include: The Vengeance Trilogy, Suspension and some more artsy compilations of random stock film I was collecting.
   
2. I spent the second semester of 9th grade at a Performing Arts Magnet School where I was in the Children's Theater program which involved performing short plays in front of elementary school children at neighboring schools. Interestingly, I was always cast as the evil witch or queen.
3. At that same school, I was also was the stage manager for the improv comedy group. That was one of the funniest times of my life but it did get old cleaning up after them, pies, slime and all.
4. I wrote a feature length script (90 minutes) called She Kills Without Emotion. It was about a woman assassin named Chloe.
5. I moved from California to New York City at 19 because I longed to live in the big city. It was the best decision I ever made in my life. I still go back to Los Angeles a couple times a year to see my family.
   
6. I received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Adelphi University.
7. I coordinated an office relocation in New York City. This involved: working 2 different realtors to find an affordable space, selling old furniture we didn't need, packing up the office, coordinating and executing day of moving logistics, arranging for phone and internet connectivity and setting up the new office and much more. If that isn't a production, I don't know what one is. Oh, and I had a tiny budget for the move.
8. I do my own taxes.
   
9. My brother is a filmmaker. Its in our blood.
10. I am a habitual to-do list writer and completer.
    

timing

We all know the phrase timing is everything. The reason we all know it, is because it is true.

Today I witnessed the results of ill timed actions, rather, no action until it was too late. We all experience this in one way or another, big and small. in our personal lives and at our jobs. I don't want to go into details but this is the reason that this topic is on my mind.

My impatience sometimes overrides my desire to pose questions at the right time (in the right tone) and the art of waiting for the right moment to ask for (and get) what you want.

I strive to be the right mix of sensitive, inquisitive, persuasive and kind when I converse and interact with people . I have to work on my timing. I often feel like I interrupt and am too quick to answer. I am working on being a better listener and more patient and wait for just the right moment.

independence

I have always been an independent spirit. Even as a young child, I welcomed the opportunity to show off my self sufficiency and to this day it is very important to me that I maintain my independence. One of my firsts posts on this blog was about freedom. It is one of my essentials in life and something that is very important to me.

The terms freedom and independence are often used interchangeably, even by me. Although they are similar concepts, I do think there is a key difference.

Freedom is an external force, a product of society, that creates opportunity for individuals to make their own choices without restraint. Independence is an internal force, a state of mind, that propels people to make decisions and take actions to become more self reliant.

Children move away to college to ease their dependence on their parents, people start their own businesses to ease their dependence on an employer, people strive for financial freedom (here I go again, I meant financial independence) to ease their dependence on responsibilities. All of these people are free, in some sense, yet throughout their lives their degree of independence shifts based on their circumstances and their state of mind.

One could argue that those who are free can be extremely dependent on others and those that are not free can still be independent. A young child is free however they rely on their parents for shelter, food and the basic necessities of life. A young adult may have established independence from their parents however they are the most susceptible to the oppression of societal expectations. Many of us have often felt trapped in the must graduate college, must find a job, must get married, must buy a house tradition that has become "the American dream" or more aptly "the rat race."

There seems to be a correlation between age, freedom and independence. The young are truly free but often dependent and as they mature, they become more independent but less free and perhaps as they reach old age, they revert back to being free but more dependent. Obviously there are exceptions to this but I think this holds true for many Americans.

What is more important - freedom or independence? I would say freedom because with freedom comes the opportunity to be independent while independence alone does not guarantee freedom.

What does complete freedom and total independence look like? I imagine it involves unlimited opportunity coupled with the intelligence and courage to make the right choices. I hope I find out one day.

I wish everyone a Happy Independence Day.

crema lita

About a week after moving to NYC, this was August 2003, I found a job selling NYC opera tickets. I did that for 4 days and then I got hired to work at an ice cream store called Crema Lita.

It was a kosher soft serve ice cream store. We were located on 3rd avenue and 10th Street in the East Village in a great location. We were close to a restaurants, a movie theater and a nightclub called Webster Hall. I usually worked nights and served up ice cream to customers, made ice cream and kept the store relatively clean. If I got out at a reasonable hour, I could easily get some food, catch a movie or go dancing.

I worked here for a month. I had to wear a weird hat and learn how to dispense soft serve ice cream properly. Easier said than done, people. It took me forever to learn how to make a soft serve ice cream cone - I always encouraged the cup and dreaded having to make a cone that I knew would come out lopsided. Oh well, I did my best and still managed to score some decent tips.

Despite my mediocre ice cream serving skills, I did win the award for giving out 1,000 free ice cream samples in 3 weeks! I got a $25 gift card to I forget where. It is very difficult to get New Yorkers to take free samples. They are in a hurry, they don't want to take anything from strangers (especially food) and they are skeptical that it really is free. I had an uncanny ability to get rid of my samples before they melted. Not sure exactly what that particular skill set is, but it served me well then.

I left this job as soon as I was offered a job as a receptionist at a hair salon. Stay tuned for that post - this next job literally changed my life.

my life compass

As I was searching for a new career assessment to take, I found this life assessment quiz!

We all struggle with juggling family, friends, work, exercise, fun and time for reflection. This quiz says it will help you identify which aspect of your life you need to focus on improving.

I took the quick 7 question quiz and these were my results:

Assessment Results: Spirituality

Your score indicates that the life area you struggle with most is Spirituality.

Whether you have a deep faith and wish to strengthen your relationship and find support in your journey, are looking for answers and guidance in your quest to connect with your spirit or simply feel that you are meant for more and seek coaching with a spiritual undertone, this is the path for you.

A woman’s spirit is her core, her foundation. For many women, it is impossible to separate their spiritual life from the rest of their life and that is why we have introduced Spirit into our offering.

This seems to be in alignment with the purpose of my little blog here. I struggle with understanding where I fit into the bigger picture, how I can use my gifts and strengths to have a positive impact on my world and carving my own path for happiness.

The obvious next questions is - what do I do about this? Learn to meditate? That has always been on my to-do list. Embrace religion? Yea, probably not. Continue on my methodical and dedicated search for my life's purpose as evidenced through my blog? Likely.

Click here to take the assessment.