I think it's pretty cool that she made a go of it, managed to step up, and found a new passion.
I did extra work in the mid 00's, and it was an interesting and highly unstable way of making a living. It was mostly actors and musicians at the time, as the money was just good enough (for some) to make time for auditions and workshops.
The rest were people like the author: people who just couldn't find a job and make ends meet.
I think that extra work in LA is possibly more fickle than out east, mainly because there are a few thousand people who move out here to become an actor every week, and the first place they find themselves at is Central Casting. Being too (fill in the blank) was the difference between working all the time and working just enough to pay for a calling service. It seemed that the next step for many was use the free time to launch their own business. It's very difficult to find a job if your resume says "extra work" for the prior two years.
I did extra work in the mid 00's, and it was an interesting and highly unstable way of making a living. It was mostly actors and musicians at the time, as the money was just good enough (for some) to make time for auditions and workshops.
The rest were people like the author: people who just couldn't find a job and make ends meet.
I think that extra work in LA is possibly more fickle than out east, mainly because there are a few thousand people who move out here to become an actor every week, and the first place they find themselves at is Central Casting. Being too (fill in the blank) was the difference between working all the time and working just enough to pay for a calling service. It seemed that the next step for many was use the free time to launch their own business. It's very difficult to find a job if your resume says "extra work" for the prior two years.