any advice for an aspiring actress trying to move to los angeles? (London: how much, home)

[disgruntled la native]

Originally Posted by tweetybird11208

disgruntled la native: why do you say that? I have thick skin, im not worried about hollywood tearing me apart.

OK, good luck

[sunbelt]

I would say to the OP at this point, go for it. But you really have to pray about it and physic(sic) yourself up. Anything is possible. Make sure you have a backup plan. Always carry a knife and lighter so if you get cold at night, you can cut some wood and start a fire. You can use large ziplock baggies to carry and disinfect water by leaving it in the sun. Learn what kind of flowers and plants you can eat. Learn how to live in the woods. (do they have woods there?)

[nighthouse66]

Originally Posted by tweetybird11208

I currently have 2,000 saved up and a car....how long will i last out there? and are jobs easy to find (as in waitressing)?

also- have you ever even visited here?

in defense of the OP powder springs ain't exactly some rural little town. isn't that near marietta? i grew up in ball ground and lived in woodstock. so just because she is coming from GA doesn't mean, fools, that she doesn't have a clue.

but if you haven't visited here you really don't have a clue. and jobs are NOT easy to find, i hope we have underlined that for you. a thick skin is fine but no matter what thickness of skin you have doesnt' have anything to do with your employability.

[MathieuL]

Originally Posted by tweetybird11208

disgruntled la native: why do you say that? I have thick skin, im not worried about hollywood tearing me apart.

Please don't take personal what I just said, I am in no way putting you down, I am giving you the same reality other people have given me when I announced my intentions on moving to LA.

I am just saying with little money, I don't want you to lose it all so soon because of Rent and other stuff, that's why I said I think you should bring at least a little more, so you can breathe a little better.

Go to LA, do your thing, live your dream and good luck!

[PrettyGoodin]

Google "Youth Hostle" It's dorm style living. You live in a room with bunk beds. They are very clean and have a full kitchen and you can cook all your meals. A lot of them have free internet. I would get a memmbeship. There is a 2 week minimum at them. There are several in Southern CA. I stay in them whenever I travel. You save a lot of money, and meet people from all over the world. If you do not have a passport, get one ASAP, a lot of them require a Passport to stay. If you have a membership, you can get a few days free, so the membership pays for itself. The daily or weekly rate is a lot cheeper with a membership. You can survive in that a lot longer then trying to get an aparment. (You do not have enough money for that). You will be able to tell in a few months what your chances are of lasting in LA. Also the foreign travelers that are REALLY traveling are there in the summer, the rest of the year it's 90% of people in transition. So maybe you can network and find people to room with that way. The people at the front desk also know everywhere in town that is cheap for anything you can possibly imagine, It's the only option for someone with no money, You my dear have no money! Good luck and be careful!

[aloiv73]

It's a no brainer, at least have a few solid leads for even backup jobs and of course experience in service industry is almost mandatory.

As far as $, I recommend saving at least $5,000 to move out with. Between 1st, last and security on a place u have to assume that you may spend up to 2k on that alone. I moved out here 8 years ago and had a sublet setup before I got here so I knew that I was going to be paying $600 a month. That only lasted 3 months when I was planning to take over the lease and then I was stuck trying to find something else @ a decent price.

Again .... Good luck .... Plan Ahead for this city right now.

[nighthouse66]

Originally Posted by sunbelt

I would say to the OP at this point, go for it. But you really have to pray about it and physic(sic) yourself up. Anything is possible. Make sure you have a backup plan. Always carry a knife and lighter so if you get cold at night, you can cut some wood and start a fire. You can use large ziplock baggies to carry and disinfect water by leaving it in the sun. Learn what kind of flowers and plants you can eat. Learn how to live in the woods. (do they have woods there?)

lawd! yeah, there are woods here. its called griffith park. she might have to bring some extra food to share with the skunks and coyotes. and the other homeless people camping out there. and she might want to be aware that griffith park is a prime body dump location in this city. i have read some articles where they talk to the park supervisors and they said, pretty much, that people would never visit if they knew how many bodies they pull out of there a year. i'm just saying.

i mean, if you are a crustpunk type, who can pull themselves up on a boxcar, spangin' on the boardwalk with a dog tied to a rope, do it. i am not the mortgage/security type myself and i was homeless for four months in venice. and it wasn't because i didn't have a job. i couldn't find a decent place to live that i could afford. so i slept in my van. then i moved to joshua tree for a year.

it depends on how big and round your cajones are, really. and all apologies to you, but most of the aspiring actress types i know and have met aren't exactly the types to clean toilets for a living. they don't want to mess up their manicures. if you are rough and tumble and don't mind the rough and tumble then come on. but for all the people on here whining about how we are being so negative, i would rather be negative and make sure the girl stays safe at home than have her come out and be another disgruntled sex industry worker with the loss of hope and dignity that that entails.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

I do know of a "job" that could keep you going that takes little time. It depends on your look and willingness to perform in a field that has its advantages. Could even be fun, if you are into the work. Not only will you make money but your social life may also be covered. LOL Although you may not be able to make your own hours, you won't have to work 9 to 5. Chances are your hours will be during the evening. You could always look at it as acting especially if you aren't into the job. I do know of one woman that has two clients that she sees a couple times a week and has been able to pay her way thru school. This "job" isn't for everyone but it has worked out for some. LOL

[nighthouse66]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

I do know of a "job" that could keep you going that takes little time. It depends on your look and willingness to perform in a field that has its advantages. Could even be fun, if you are into the work. Not only will you make money but your social life may also be covered. LOL Although you may not be able to make your own hours, you won't have to work 9 to 5. Chances are your hours will be during the evening. You could always look at it as acting especially if you aren't into the job. I do know of one woman that has two clients that she sees a couple times a week and has been able to pay her way thru school. This "job" isn't for everyone but it has worked out for some. LOL

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by tweetybird11208

I currently have 2,000 saved up and a car....how long will i last out there? and are jobs easy to find (as in waitressing)?

Even waitressing jobs are not easy to find, in fact they are really hard and $2000 won't last a month.

Nita