As some may know, at the beginning of the year I did the Artist's Way handbook. It was certainly interesting, and it inspired me to see my life more creatively than I already did. In the end, the book asks that you identify two people to be your creative allies for the year and to check in with them each week on a creative level. I easily chose the friend that I am currently working on a project with. But then as my other ally, I chose someone who I admire creatively, but rarely see. Well, since I put him down in the book, we have started talking weekly and last night had an amazing dinner at the restaurant where he works. And in the midst of a bottle of wine and an amazing raspberry souffle, I realized the importance of a creative ally and how excited I was to have made a commitment to such a relationship.

My life has always found me happiest when surrounded by creative types. I went to a performing arts high school, which was more home to me than my actual home. In college, I had a theatre company, whose members became my San Francisco family. And now, working at a film studio, I constantly get to surround myself with minds and conversations immersed in the creative flow. It's sort of a prerequisite for me if you're gonna be close to my heart. One just has to be a little bit crazy in the artsy sort of way.

So, last night, we were talking and laughing and drinking a whole lot and laughing some more, and my friend and I got into a discussion of the future. We both have career paths we are hoping to walk that we feel passionate about, and we were just going off on where we see each other going. So he says to me, "Angel, not to sound pretentious, but I am very particular about who I choose to enter my life as a friend. And I am really glad that I picked you. And that's not just the bottle of wine talking."

To some it could sound funny, but for me, knowing that I had done the same by writing his name down in the book made it all seem so natural. We sort of riffed on the fact that allowing too many people into your life can be draining, and that it is key to choose your friends wisely. Especially in the industry of film and L.A., some of your friends right now will become the future colleagues you work with in the future, and you will want to work and plat with the best of them.

In this age of Friendster and My Space, it's good to be reminded that to build solidly is to build on quality, and not quantity. I can easily get wrapped up sometimes in wanting to look busy, when it's not key to being socially important. What is important is to have people in your world who affirm the life that you want to live, not distract it. I want to succeed in this life, and I'm looking for inspiration to do so. And I am certainly not holding out for a hero anymore. I am just going to be in the business of surrounding myself with everyday heroes. And I am proud to say that thus far, in this L.A. life I am now living, I am pretty damn blessed already with the people in my life. And that's not just the bottle of wine talking either.

It's the raspberry liquer I had after it.

What about it?