L.Alien Presents: Kaitlin Large
**Line of work / Job title(s) (paid or unpaid) :
Actor / Producer/ Etsy seller / Cocktail server.
I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and then Central New Jersey. Moved back to NYC for college (went to school at NYU for Theatre) and lived in Brooklyn while auditioning for commercials, tv, film, plays….did my fair share of weird plays in tiny spaces in Gowanus. I married my husband in December 2016 and we both were feeling a little stuck in NY. Not unhappy just a little too comfortable in our routines. I decided to pursue my acting career in sunny Los Angeles for a nice change of pace and scenery.
Well first off, I do yoga in the MORNING. It’s wild. I take a 7am yoga class every Wednesday morning. If you told me a couple years ago that I would willingly do that I never would have believed you. LA has so many outdoor opportunities. It’s how people like to spend their time together. Hiking, yoga, beach. It feels like I’m developing a much healthier lifestyle after years of closing bars in NY until 4am. I go on at least one hike a week, usually more, and try to find a new one every time!
Finding a job! My husband and I drove across country with money from our wedding and an apartment application in review, not sure where we would end up when we got here. It was a bit scary. Even with almost a decade of experience in bars and restaurants it was hard to get hired somewhere for a bit. It seems that LA functions as a “who you know” kinda scene.
The palm trees outside my window inspire me EVERY SINGLE DAY. Seriously do not get sick of that view. They’re such funky trees. I see them when I’m drinking my coffee and it makes me want to pick up my pencil and start drawing. Also, everyone I meet is always working on something. I thought that the main thing I wouldn’t like about LA was the huge percentage of people pursuing an acting career. Oversaturation and all that. But it’s actually the thing I’ve found most inspiring. Hearing people talk about projects they’re working on or excited about makes me want to work harder and be excited about my own stuff.
That you can be in the heart of a city with access to whatever kind of food or entertainment you want and then drive an hour outside in any direction and be in an entirely different landscape or even season, depending on what month it is. Southern California has it all and LA is right in the middle of that.
I started the inktober challenge! It’s a drawing prompt where you commit to sketching 1 new thing each day of the month. So 31 days of drawing prompts. Even though selling on Etsy is not my primary focus, it’s something that brings me joy. I am trying to live the most creative and expressive life that I can and sometimes it can get away from me. Having an outside source sort of holding me accountable actually helps me to build that accountability for myself.
Music! I used to write music on my acoustic guitar and I haven’t picked up my guitar for fun since moving here. It’s just sitting in the corner of my room gathering dust. I sometime have a hard time balancing all the things that I want to spend time doing. I tend to focus on one thing for a while, get bored, and then pick up the next thing.
Depends on the day! I love bright colors and crop tops with some fun pants or patterned shorts. I also get down with flowy dresses. I’ve leaned a little harder into that bohemian style since moving to the West Coast. It just feels right!
DO IT! Make sure you find your community! Put yourself out there. It’s such a big, spread out city that it can be hard to feel connected to it all. So pick specific things you want to make an effort to do. Explore neighborhoods by picking a new restaurant to try. Become a regular at a coffee shop up the block. And don’t forget to get yourself to the beach (I mean if that’s your thing!) And you know, logistically, make sure you’ve got some money saved up. Coming from an expensive place like NY I underestimated the cost of living in LA. It’s pretty comparable. You’re just spending money on different things. And logistically,if you can swing not having a car for a while…you can save some major dough.
I created a youtube channel with my friend called “Something about a Bob” we recently released our first comedy short. We produced and directed it and also starred in it ourselves. It’s an exciting new venture for me, I’ve only acted in the past.
