five photos in five days: photo #4.

The first time I ever went to an audition at my agency, I had no idea what to wear. A button-down blouse, suggested one of my agent’s assistants. I was a college kid, 19-years-old to be exact, who lived in jeans and hoodies. Button-down blouses were for moms and lawyers. Besides, my arms have always been like those of an orangutan's, so I could never find any shirts that fit me.

But I went out to buy one anyway. It was blue. I bought it about an hour before my audition. I was as busy back then as I am today, and an hour before the audition was the only time I could go get this button-down blouse everyone was so keen on.

It was blue. That lovely cobalt blue that was so popular back in the late 90s. (Did I really just say late 90s like it was decades ago?) And it had ¾ sleeves, so in reality, it fit just fine. It was blue, it fit, and it was a button-down blouse. Jackpot.

I arrived at the agency, rockin’ my new button-down blouse, running my memorized lines in my head (it was an audition for the now bankrupt Adelphia Cable), batting my bright-eyed, well, eyes, and ready to go. In other words, I had the word “NEWBIE” written right. across. my. forehead.

My agent’s assistant, Monica, welcomed me in. “How do I look?” I asked, proud of myself for following directions and being so prepared.

“Next time,” she replied, “make sure you iron it before you put it on.”

Right across my middle was a crease from where the shirt had been folded—folded right on the sale table I’d picked it up from at the store. I looked like someone had stuck a bottom half and a top half of me together, the crease being the seam of the parts.

The photo above is from a commercial shoot I did last month for an eyeglasses company.

I wore a sweater.

with love from Pittsburgh,
Laura