Makeover

So you're going about your daily life, making sure your clothes basically match and your hair's basically brushed, and you have ways to get your children to and from every which place they need to go, when suddenly, you are asked to have a makeover. The makeover that maybe you wanted when you were suddenly out of work after twenty-some years and felt old when you read job postings. The makeover that maybe you thought about when your "comfort over style" mindset seemed to catch up with you at parents' gatherings. The makeover that you fantasized about but feared, every time you watched What Not To Wear.
 
Earlier this week, I was asked to be part of a makeover segment on Arise Entertainment 360, the magazine show on the network where I've been editing news footage. "Who, me?" I thought. Better yet, "Why me?"
 
But curiosity won out, and today, I shot the beginnings of what will be a "Spring Makeover" segment, with a big reveal on the show on Tuesday. (You can check it out at Arise.TV on April 8 between 2 and 3pm EST).
 
Over my years in TV, I have been in front of the camera only a handful of times. I was a cow on several of One Life to Live's Halloween shows. I was interviewed on a local news show about my educational video. And that's about it, except if you count cameos on the yearly OLTL Christmas reel.
 
So, today, as I walked into a clothing boutique (multiple takes, but with attitude and on cue each time), tried on clothes (what was more fun--the trying on things I could never afford or the reacting about each one for the camera?), and began to have my hair done, I got a rare glimpse into the other side.
 
Don't worry. I won't be giving up editing or directing or writing for acting. I actually found that I couldn't help but think about how to direct and edit the shots I was part of. The experience, however, was a lovely break from my every day routine. A reminder that it's okay to think out of your box a little. That it's okay to think about changing things sometimes. And that it 's okay to accept an offer, even if you're not sure why it was offered.
 
Check it out--this Tuesday on the Arise.TV show Arise 360. Hey, it might be your only chance to see me on camera. Unless you've got a tape of me in the cow costume.