My Purpose and Life in Entertainment

At a young age “I knew” I had the instincts, the confidence, the drive and I still do; it really never goes away, we just drown out the voice and stop listening to it. However, along my journey I found myself seeking attention from everybody in the world. The lens of my ego was perfection and my mind’s fantasy play got me into some major colorful trouble. The mind is a miraculous thing, however, it’s a “tool“, listening to “it” too much can and did cause a lot of uproar and distractions for me. The thoughts, and feeling were actually really real for me and I thought that I could actually really make it all happen. Granted I probably could have if I had seventeen armies working for me at the same time! LOL. I learned it’s great to have fantasies and ideas but they are just that, ideas in my mind, hopes of what could be and they can be used, in a healthy way, as a road map to help me set and obtain certain goals. They key is not to hold on to the exact picture and allow the journey along the way. We cannot control the process, the outcome or the road ahead. We can acknowledge the gift of the brain, have fun while playing in the fantasy with the mind but know that that’s exactly what it is otherwise one will be set up for major failure. My expectations have been so high of others and especially myself. It has been a long practice seeking the shift of the “perfectionist” syndrome.

Foto by *Jonny Marlow* — People will always try to change you. Growing up and still now I feel as if people are always judging me or I am judging them which means I am only judging myself, I am aware of negative self talk, feeling “not good enough”, “listening to others”.

I guess you could say I started doing the “inner work” in the year 2012. I had just returned from Hong Kong and had traveled around the world a couple of times. I thought “if I could be in one place and one place only for one year, where would it be“? For me it was New York City, so I decided to play on the island for one year and I could do anything I wanted as long as I didn’t hop on a plane to go meet friends anywhere around the world. I love and thrive off commitments, I did just that I stayed in Manhattan, traveled to Brooklyn two times for model jobs and only went on a plane two times that year to go see my family in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. While I was on the island that year I went to art shows, gallery openings, NYFW, lunches, dinners, all sorts of fashion and art events. I studied with the one and only Susan Batson at SBS Studios, Susan has been Nicole Kidman’s personal acting coach now for over 17 years! (Fun Fact: Nicole Kidman has never taken an acting class in her life! Kidman has only be trained one on one with Susan Batson!)

I worked as a model for top magazines, fashion brands and designers, I was painting, writing poetry and doing everything I could do to immerse myself, my soul in the arts and into new depths of my being. I was a big kid in a candy store in NYC! Looking back I am surely very grateful for all of the opportunities that I created and that were presented to me.

I am who I am and there is nobody like me and there will never be another me just like there will never be another you and no one can do what you do. I created a new Youtube show titled “KYRIAKI“

In “KYRIAKI” one will see what it means to be an artist. It encompasses my love and passion for photography, poetry, writing, and melding the artistic side of creativity with the business side of it. The show will also include health & wellness, advice on networking, and how to be a professional on set. The show gives you sound advice on what one may wonder about in the entertainment industry and in life!

I have been in the entertainment industry for over 20 years, performing in films with acting greats such as Nic Cage, Robert DeNiro, and Al Pacino. I have appeared in hit TV shows like “It’s Always Sunny,” “Cold Case,” and “Law & Order SVU.” I have also been featured in many beauty campaigns and commercials. I have worked on over 800 production sets around the world, a successful music career opening for and touring with 50 Cent and G-Unit in Europe and South Africa. Arianna Huffington personally asked me to write for her on her publications. It was one of the biggest honors of my life!

Over the years, young aspiring talent and parents have written to me asking questions and looking for advice on all areas of the entertainment industry. I am excited to share my vast experiences in the industry with others, so that they may enrich and add value to their own lives. Check out the first episode of “KYRIAKI” here.