The actors workshop: TAW

Last night was my first night back at The Actors Workshop in Salt Lake City.  It's an intensive course where you perform monologues and scenes that are filmed and broken down in the class.  The concepts and words of wisdom that stood out to me were:

• Key words
• Rhythm
• Pacing
• Levels
• Variance
• Beats
• Listening

Acting is about bringing the passion. Passion in whatever emotion it is you're feeling.  It's emotionally draining to prepare and perform a scene but by that same token it also fills me up.  I feel most alive when I'm doing this and when I'm surrounded by other people who love the same thing.

Gearing up

When I'm not on set I'm studying my craft.  Next week I film a commercial and industrial and am also making my directorial debut for a new youtube series I'm creating of "Defining Moments" in peoples lives.

I'm taking an acting class with Michael Flynn at The Actors Workshop that starts this week. I'll be sharing with you the things I learn and take away from the workshop.

Have you ever heard of "The Opus"?  It's a new video made by the creators of "The Secret".  An Opus is a legacy you leave behind not because of what you accomplish but because of what you become along the way and how you share that with others.

My Opus is to share this journey with you.  I believe life is meant to be lived with passion and we should inspire each other to live our individual dreams!

Growth

Hi blog,
It's been awhile.  I feel like I've been inspired as to how I want to better use what you provide.  Back in the blogging heyday when all of my friends and I were blogging it was such a new and exciting thing.  For most people it was a documentation of their lives, but many soon moved to facebook and now are on instagram as an easier way to document and share.

Over the course of many years I've realized that not everything is meant to be out all in one place.  There is truly a time and place for everything.  I started separating my personal from my professional life over all of my social networks and have discovered this to work best for me.

This particular blog was always dedicated to my art but rather than expressing my thoughts, experiences, and growth with my art, I used it more as a tool to document rather than share things I had learned along the way. I want to share the things I learn with you.  I want to share this journey and hopefully help other performers with the things I learn. I would also LOVE to hear your thoughts and the lessons you learn.

Thoughts

As actors we get to vicariously live and make sense of situations that we otherwise wouldn't be able to in real life. It's one way of dealing with real life. People who need creative outlets feel things deeply and as a result experience the highs and lows of life more poignantly than those who don't feel the need for creative outlets. It can feel like a curse sometimes to feel things so intensely but with every curse comes a blessing, and that blessing is art.

Acting Demo Reel

I've got some great new clips coming in and I'm still learning how to edit, but in the mean time here is my updated acting reel! :)

Acting Reel from Kristen Jensen on Vimeo.

My interview for the new movie "Wayward"

Hello Bloggy blog!

It's been a GREAT year in acting and I wanted to post some of the fun jobs I've had.

In February I booked a series of commercials for "Orchard Hardware" that were shot in San Diego.  I flew out with a fun cast and crew and was able to get out of the Utah smog when it was at it's worst.  The shoot was so fun and the cast all got along so well. 

In March I booked a lead role in a film about 911.  I played a flight-attendant aboard the airplane that hit the first tower. It was quite an intense part. It's a short film that will be going to different film festivals next year.  I'm really excited about this one.

I also booked commercials and industrials for IHC, Deseret Book, and FrontPoint.

I am now currently preparing to play a role this month in a new Christian film where I give birth.  I am definitely "pushing" myself as an actor. ;)  I feel very grateful for the opportunities that have come my way after many many years of hard work.