Erggo

Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

Law of Attraction

5 Quick Tips for Following Your Dreams

Every script I’ve voiced, from the shortest audition to the longest audiobook…

Every call I’ve made…

Every email I’ve sent…

Every postcard I’ve mailed…

Every marketing campaign I’ve devised…

Every web site I’ve launched…

Every blog post I’ve written…

Every social media update I’ve made…

Every voiceover class or conference in which I’ve participated…

Every professional association meeting that I’ve attended…

…occurred while I worked a demanding, 40-hour-and-sometimes-more-a-week job.

After 12 years of concurrently working in a full-time job and a part-time voiceover business, it’s time for a change.

I’m thrilled to announce that I was offered an early retirement from my day job and will be doing voiceover work full-time beginning 1 January 2012! YAY!!

However, as excited as I am to start a wonderful new phase in my life, this post isn’t about me and my career plans. It’s about you.

I want to encourage you to follow your dreams and give you 5 quick tips to help you do it.

  

1) Make a list of what you WANT.

A list helps you stay focused and fight discouragement. It also is the foundation to manifesting your desires. If you don’t know what you want, how do you expect to get it?

If you don’t do anything else, I advise you to RUN, do not walk, to buy the IT WORKS booklet and then follow Brad Jensen’s extensive, amazing, and generous advice about using it.

As an example from my life, I made a list with attributes that I wanted in a job, like a certain income level, the ability to do voiceover work, and a private office with a door and window. I deliberately made the attributes a little more generic so that the list would cover my day job and my voiceover business. I reviewed this list frequently and added criteria over time, especially as I checked off attributes that were met.

Your results when working your list probably will turn out better than you could imagine. When I wrote that I wanted a private office with a door and window, I envisioned an office cubicle facing a window with tall walls on the other 3 sides. Of course, I would still be able to hear everyone around me in an open office concept.

What I got, though, was the ability to work in my gorgeous home office, which happens to have a solid wood door and 2 windows. It also has a TV, an iPod stereo, and a reasonable proximity to the refrigerator downstairs.

In another example, I wrote a new life list in September and included the fact that I want to be contracted at least once a month to voice an audiobook. I faithfully have reviewed my list, taken the actions suggested by the creative genie, and received 3 audiobook contracts since then, almost as if on schedule!

2) Think about WHY you want it.

I diligently worked in IT for over 25 years. I always knew that I was trading short-term creativity and gratification for long-term security.

However, having the day job didn’t mean I should put my dreams on hold….and neither should you!

So many people say things like “I’ll travel when I’m retired” or “I’ll start that business once the kids are out of school.”

If it’s your calling — as voiceover is to me — you want and need to do it to feed your soul. The only moment you know you have is this one, so why not be doing something because it makes you happy?

Yes, working full-time for an employer and part-time as an entrepreneur has its challenges. I would say it’s a challenge to pursue any calling when you don’t have unlimited time, money, and opportunity for it. The joy you get in pursuing your passion spills over into every other aspect of your life. Note that every passion does not lead to a career choice.

Also, since I mentioned the day job, let me just reiterate that having one can bankroll many of your dreams. You just have to change your perspective about it and know why you do what you do.

Knowing why you want something also helps you to prioritize the time, money, and opportunities that you have.

3) Don’t think about HOW you’re going to fulfill your dreams.

If you read any material on the Law of Attraction, the first thing you learn is to forget the HOWs. The forces of the Universe will conspire to bring about the changes you want when the time is right.

The only HOW to remember is this HOWEVER — the root word of Attraction is ACT. You can’t just think things and have them come true. You have to do your part to take ACTION. The forces of the Universe need your consistent thought and action, or no change is possible.

By constantly thinking of what you want and why you want it, the actions you need to take will be revealed to you over time.

4) Find a role model, and follow in their footsteps.

At the beginning of this article, I listed 10 things I consistently did for 12 years to build my voiceover business while still employed at a full-time job. I’m not saying I’m a role model, but think about it this way: If I did it, so can you.

Whatever your dream is, chances are good that someone else has done it. We live in the Information Age, with much of the world’s knowledge just a few keystrokes away. You can read about success stories and get ideas to advance your own dream.

5) Help other people achieve their dreams.

Your reality is the mirror of the thoughts and words you’ve been saying and the actions you’ve been taking.

To paraphrase Wayne Dyer, if you only focus on what you want, you’re essentially saying to the Universe “gimme, gimme, gimme”. The Universe then mirrors that line back to you, making you feel that you are, using Dyer’s words, always striving and never arriving.

On the other hand, if your thoughts, words, and actions are saying “how may I serve?”, the Universe mirrors that line back to you.

What you put out in the world comes back to you, in a way and from a source that you probably wouldn’t expect. If you are giving of time, attention, energy, and money to help other people, those things will come back to you.

As an example of this logic, a big reason that I write this blog is because I have a true desire to help other people. Because I write this blog, the Universe has sent that help back to me in the form of clients who find me because of my blog.

Retiring early from my day job and working as a full-time voice talent is definitely a dream come true! And yes….it was actually on my list!

Have you started writing your list? I’d love to get your comments on the blog!

Photo: iStockPhoto/ErikReis
 

Reasons to Create Your Own Stuff — Part 2

Earlier this year, I wrote a popular article titled Reasons to Create Your Own Stuff. In it, I described the audiobook that I narrated for LibriVox and included a link to the book trailer I created to promote the audiobook. I also listed some of the marketing plans I had for the audiobook and trailer among my reasons to create my work in this way.

Two bonus reasons to create your own stuff prompted me to circle back to this topic today:

1) My FREE, 10.5-hour audiobook of A Woman Who Went to Alaska is now available for download from LibriVox or through iTunes as shown on this page.

Bonus reason #1 to create your own stuff:

Copywriters have known for years that the word FREE is one of the most powerful and compelling words in the English language. If you can give away something valuable for free, you can get the widest range of potential buyers to sample your products, which in this case, includes my voice and interpretation, my audiobook production skills, my ability to write an effective script for a video, and my creativity in video production.

2) Rajkumari from Mumbai, India, left a comment on my post 10 ways to get work in audiobook narration, noting that an audiobook culture is not prevalent in India. When I responded, I said, “If the audiobook culture doesn’t exist there, perhaps it’s up to you to create it!”

As I wrote that sentence, I was reminded of the important passage quoted below from Eckhart Tolle’s incredible and highly-recommended book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose:

Bonus reason #2 to create your own stuff:

If the thought of lack — whether it be money, recognition, or love — has become part of who you think you are, you will always experience lack.

Rather than acknowledge the good that is already in your life, all you see is lack. Acknowledging the good that is already in your life is the foundation for all abundance.

The fact is: Whatever you think the world is withholding from you, you are withholding from the world. You are withholding it because deep-down you think you are small and that you have nothing to give.

Try this for a couple of weeks and see how it changes your reality: Whatever you think people are withholding from you — praise, appreciation, assistance, loving care, and so on — give it to them. You don’t have it? Just act as if you had it, and it will come.

Then, soon after you start giving, you will start receiving. You cannot receive what you don’t give. Outflow determines inflow.

Whatever you think the world is withholding from you, you already have, but unless you allow it to flow out, you won’t even know that you have it.

I have found this passage to be true of past voiceover jobs. In fact, Tolle’s message was an underlying reason I decided to spend time narrating an audiobook as a service project. You see, I hadn’t narrated an audiobook in a while. So, rather than feeling like an audiobook gig was being withheld from me, I gave this one to the world.

It feels great to be able to give!

What do you think of Tolle’s assertion that you should give that which you think is withheld from you? Does it apply to your voiceover career or any other part of your life? I’d love to get your comments on the blog!

Every passion does not lead to a career choice

Recently, I received this message as a comment on the entry A plan to break into voice-over:

Karen,

I can not tell you how thankful I am for your blog, and your selfless giving of voice over artistry information.

I am at turning point in my life and realize I’ve been working 20 years in a industry I have NO PASSION FOR!  In thinking, “how do I change this?”, I remembered the excitement I felt when asked to record automated attendant messages twice in my career. I’ve always been told I have a good voice and can’t wait to become a part of the community.

I know a lot of hard work will be involved but one day I hope to be successful and pass on my knowledge just as you.

You are wonderful,
God Bless,
Veronica

While I truly appreciate and am grateful for Veronica’s praise about my blog, I want to talk about her paragraph about passion. The key is not to find a job and industry that you are passionate about, but to create a LIFE that you are passionate about!

The last sentence was written with apologies to my eighth grade English teacher Mrs. Ellington, who would hate to see me ending the sentence with a preposition. She made us memorize a list of prepositions, and I credit her with my strong knowledge of and passion for English grammar.

There’s that word again — PASSION.

When people feel that something is missing in their life, they often say they want to feel passionate about something. Rather than doing the self-reflection necessary to understand what is missing in their life and make adjustments, I have observed that most people hurriedly make 1 or — even worse — a combination of the 4 life-changing decisions below. I’ve also included some of the common thought patterns that may lead people to the decision.

1) Have a baby 

  • “A baby would bring us closer.”
  • “A baby would always love me.”
  • “I might get a reality TV show if I have enough kids.” (If you don’t believe me on this point, do you remember the Octo-mom, or have you counted the number of shows about huge families on the TLC channel?)

2) Change residences

  • “I’d be happy if only I had more space.”
  • “I’m tired of this neighborhood.”

3) Change jobs

  • “I have no passion for my job or industry.”
  • “I’d be happy if only I made more money.”

4) Change relationship (get married or divorced, find a new love interest)

  • “I want to be in love again.”
  • “I’d be happy if someone paid attention to me.”
  • “You don’t bring me flowers. You don’t sing me love songs.”

Unfortunately, making any of those decisions without FIRST analyzing the cause of your feelings of discontentment will not solve the problem. Instead, the change will only serve to complicate the underlying issue, which often can be summed up as a matter of self-love.

If I were having a conversation with Veronica, I’d ask her these questions:

  • What was it about recording the phone messages that you liked?
  • Why did it matter to you?
  • Did you like knowing you were helping people?
  • Did you feel important or special to be asked to record the messages?
  • Did you get a buzz knowing that people would be hearing your voice when they called the number?

Veronica’s answers to these questions could be very illuminating in ways that she wouldn’t expect.

In her landmark books Wishcraft: How To Get What You Really Want and I Could Do Anything if I Only Knew What It Was, Barbara Sher wrote about finding your touchstone, which is the emotional core of the goal. When thinking about the things you like to do, you can find your touchstones by asking yourself thoughtful, probing questions like those above for Veronica. When you know WHY something is important to you, you make much better choices.

From Veronica’s message, it seems obvious that she has done some serious thinking and decided to embark on a new career in voiceover. Since I don’t know Veronica, I can only speculate about her answers and motivation to become a voice talent in the hope that it gives you food for thought about finding your own touchstones and designing the life you want.

For instance, I wonder if Veronica has a touchstone of recognition. If so, changing jobs to become a voice talent may not be the most satisfying way to bring more recognition into her life. In fact, if she knew that recognition was the thing that she felt was missing in her life, she might figure out ways to get it in the very job for which she says she has no passion.

Her touchstone might have something to do with becoming wealthy. If that’s the case, she will feel discouraged to read an article by fellow voice talent J. S. Gilbert’s. His thoughtful, in-depth analysis of the annual salary review in Parade magazine notes that a voice talent profiled in the review had the lowest income of any of the respondents. He also mentions that his article may extinguish the flames of passion.

Of course, Veronica may truly have a touchstone that involves creative expression through her voice — something more meaningful than simply being told she has a nice voice. Every person who contacts me about getting into voiceover tells me that exact same thing! I’m not picking on Veronica here. I’m just pointing out that the people who write to me probably have nice eyes, nice fingernails, and nice knee caps, but, since no one has complimented those things, the prospective voice talent don’t try to turn them into career choices.

Without further exploration on Veronica’s part, she wouldn’t know whether she should become a voiceover talent, a puppeteer, singer, telemarketer, lawyer, or a political advocate. These choices could have the same touchstone but would require wildly different actions.

I think we all yearn for some way for creative expression, and the lack of it may be at the root of some of the dissatisfaction with our lives. I’ve read that Adolf Hitler dreamed of being an artist but couldn’t get into art school. Can you imagine how much better the world would be if he had only followed his dream?

Where other people paint a canvas using brushes, I do it with words, either by giving voice to words written by others or putting my voice into words for others to read. The right kind of creative expression for each person would be that thing they want to do for its own intrinsic enjoyment. Maybe it becomes a career choice, but then again, maybe it doesn’t.

Through her self-assessment, Veronica might realize that she needs the cheers or applause from an audience. Voiceover is usually a solitary pursuit, which again indicates it wouldn’t be a good career choice. She might even realize that she doesn’t enjoy reading!

On the other hand, she could be passionate about using her voice to make a difference for others, but she doesn’t want to take on all of the myriad responsibilities associated with running a business as a voice talent. In that case, Veronica might prefer to volunteer to read for the blind or the children’s story hour at the library.

You can have passion for a lot of things, but you don’t have to make a career from them. You don’t have to make any money from them at all. As an example, I use my passion for English grammar when writing these blog entries and my private journals.

I’m also passionate about the Eiffel Tower. I have a web cam app that lets me view it any time I want to see it. I just spent my birthday week in Paris, and we stayed in an amazing apartment a block away from the Tower. It was so close that I felt like I could touch it out the open window.

While there, I found a way to combine my passions for writing and fine pens with my passion for the Eiffel Tower — collecting antique inkwells featuring the Eiffel Tower. I’ve started researching pictures on-line and creating a compendium of available styles along with selling prices.

Voice talent Karen Commins marries her passions for writing and the Eiffel Tower
by collecting antique souvenir inkwells from Paris featuring the Eiffel Tower.
In this one, the Tower tilts back to reveal the ink reservoir underneath.

 
Will I ever make any money from this new hobby? Probably not, but it’s not my intent to make money from it. My intent is to honor my touchstones of romance and beauty by bringing those attributes into my life (and consequently, these antique inkwells into my display cases!) as much as possible.

The good news is that each time you follow your passion in one area, the enthusiasm, excitement, and joy you feel from your new discoveries will overflow into every other area of your life. As a result of simply researching what it takes to work in voiceover, Veronica has already increased the level of positive energy — or passion — in her life.

If, after spending time in contemplation and figuring out that a voiceover career truly gratifies your touchstones, don’t be too hasty to quit your current job. Since security is one of my touchstones, you can trust me when I encourage you to think of your current job as a subsidy to your art.

Every moment has meaning, so whatever you’re doing now will only help you in the years to come. By analyzing your touchstones, you can figure out what’s missing in your life and take the action needed to develop a rich, full, wonderful life that you are PASSIONATE about!
 

10 Law of Attraction principles in creating a job shift

Today’s story is not directly related to my usual topics of voiceover, marketing, or audiobooks. Instead, it’s a Law of Attraction story that I hope encourages and inspires you to do what you love and pursue your dreams because you just never know where they will lead! In addition, you’ll be able to see some Law of Attraction principles at work that you can use in building your voiceover career or pursuing any other passion.

First, it’s important to note that many people confuse the Law of Attraction with instant gratification. It’s not enough to WANT it. You have to DO SOMETHING about it! If you look at the word ATTRACTION, you’ll observe that the root word is ACTION, not GRATIFY. As this story illustrates, the results of the Law of Attraction are evident only after taking consistent action over a period of time.

1. If you have an idea to try something new, try it — you might like it.

Drew started scuba diving in 1983 just because he and his college roommate thought it would be a fun thing to do. Since we live in Atlanta, you can imagine that his opportunities to go diving were somewhat limited. However he took special diving trips as often as possible and would go diving on our vacations. He didn’t seriously pursue diving until we went to Hawaii in 2000.

I see many introductory, 2- or 3-hour voiceover classes offered these days. I always encourage people to take these kinds of classes and read books on voiceover to get a taste of what the job is like.

2. If you like it, take specialized classes to learn more about it and master new skills.

As the number of his dives increased the past few years, Drew kept taking specialty classes. He talked for years about getting a Dive Master rating even though he had no place to use it.
Note that he continued to take classes in an interest that was merely a hobby. If you are planning to enter a new career, such as a job shift to voiceover work, additional instruction will be necessary to gain subject mastery.

3. Even if your dream seems impossible, don’t give up. The forces of the Universe may conspire to help you achieve it!

In 2005, the world’s largest aquarium was built in — you guessed it — Atlanta. Yes, Atlanta! Almost unbelievably, land-locked Atlanta, which is at least a 5 hours’ drive to any ocean, is the home to the world’s largest aquarium, with mammoth exhibits housing some of the world’s largest marine life. The largest exhibit holds OVER 6 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER and 4 whale sharks, which will grow to be the size of city buses! These whale sharks came from Taiwan, and most people would never have the opportunity to see them and the other amazing animals that are all living at the Georgia Aquarium.

4. The right people and information will come into your life when you least expect it.

Long before the Georgia Aquarium opened at Thanksgiving, 2005 — in fact, in 2003 or 2004 when construction was still underway — a friend mentioned to Drew that he was going to apply to volunteer at the Aquarium. He hoped to be a scuba diver.

Until that day, we hadn’t heard much about the Aquarium, but that one sentence was all Drew needed to hear. He immediately contacted the Aquarium and started the volunteer application process.

5. Persistence of follow-up action is a key ingredient to success.

Thousands of people applied to be volunteers, and the resulting screening process was often disorganized and chaotic. Drew repeatedly followed up with the coordinators when he didn’t hear anything. He made sure that his application was processed and that he did everything he needed to do in order to become a volunteer. He had to pass a background check and drug test before they ever cleared him to take classes on the animal habitats and guest relations.

Our friend, in contrast, filled out an application and simply waited for someone to get back with him. Since he didn’t follow-up, he is no closer to volunteering that he was 5 years ago. Meanwhile, Drew’s volunteer work started during the pre-grand opening days for annual pass holders. He was in on the ground floor of this amazing new Aquarium!

6. Volunteering is a great way to get more of your passion in your life, as well as gain experience needed for a job shift.

Drew did anything he could to get his foot in the door, hoping that maybe at some point he would be allowed to dive with the Aquarium. Everyone told him that he would have to volunteer for at least a year before they would even consider taking on volunteer divers. He originally volunteered primarily in the IT and Special Events departments.

In February, 2006, after the Aquarium had only been open for 3 short months, Drew received notification that he could apply to be a volunteer diver!

The Aquarium has extremely strict rules about its dive staff as the Aquarium must comply with OSHA requirements. If Drew had not continued to take diving classes and upgrade his certifications in the preceding few years, he would not have been eligible for consideration for the dive team. Even so, he still had to take some Red Cross first aid classes and pass a grueling swimming test. Once he passed those tests, he had to pass a physical exam.

We both were beyond thrilled when he passed all of the requirements and was certified for diving with the Georgia Aquarium!

I am a firm believer in volunteerism. Before I ever took the first voiceover workshop, I volunteered for 5 years as a reader and producer for the Georgia Radio Reading Service. Through my volunteer work, I gained clarity about my desire to become a full-time voice talent.

7. Get a support team in place to cheer you on.

Some of you know that Drew was laid off in July 2009 from his position as a lead senior software engineer by ADP, his employer of 12 years. We thought his job was secure and never saw the layoff coming.

He was let go at lunchtime on a Thursday, and he called me while on his way home. From the moment he told me the shocking news, I told him that the layoff could be the best thing that could happen to him. I encouraged him to do what he wanted to do instead of feeling that he had to take a job just to make money.

My positive reaction was no surprise to Drew. We have always been champions of each others’ dreams. I’ve written previously about relationships that change or disappear in the pursuit of your dream. For this reason, you need to be careful about the people in whom you confide your deepest dreams. If your family and friends are not supportive of you, it just makes your success more difficult to achieve. In the voice-over world, you can join numerous on-line forums to discuss your progress with and learn from peers. You’ll find several of these forums listed on the right panel of my blog.

8. Investing in your dream is an investment in yourself and a life you will love.

Initially, Drew said he would still pursue a job in software development. At the same time, though, he decided to fulfill a long-held dream to get his Dive Master rating. ADP paid him for his unused vacation time, and Drew used that money to take the certification class even though he didn’t have a specific plan to use the certification. He finished the certification in March.

I also have cashed in vacation time and money to progress my voiceover career. It may seem like a sacrifice to give up a trip in exchange for a career-enhancing workshop. However, I have never regretted any decision made in favor of my dreams.

9. Listen to that small, still voice in your head, and let it guide you in times of doubt.

After going on an interview in the fall for a developer position that seemed if it had been written to match his qualifications and was located only 3 miles from our house, Drew confessed that he did not really want to go back to corporate software. I encouraged him again to find a job he would enjoy rather than one done for the money.

We decided he should consider himself retired from corporate software and concentrate on getting a job at the Aquarium, where he had been steadily volunteering as a diver for over 4 years. We restructured our finances to pay off some obligations, which allowed us to live comfortably on my income.

I heard Joel Osteen say recently that our creator does not give you the vision without also giving you the provision for making it happen. In 2008, the Aquarium started the Dive Immersion Program, where members of the public pay a fee for the opportunity to swim or dive in the main exhibit with the whale sharks, sharks, manta rays, and other exotic creatures.

Drew had wanted to be part of that program since its inception, but he couldn’t participate as a volunteer. Until he changed his mindset about the salary he could accept, he felt he couldn’t work there, especially since most of the staff only works part-time.

10. Continue moving in the direction of your dream, even if you can only take baby steps.

Drew had expressed his interest in the job and maintained contact with the department manager during his volunteer stints. Once he finished his Dive Master certification, he notified her about his upgraded qualifications.

She told him to submit an application even though they currently had no vacancies.

However, things moved FAST from that point! She called him the day after his birthday to tell him he was scheduled for the preliminary — and intense! — swim and diving skills test. (Happy birthday!) After passing the tests, he had to give a small presentation as if he were meeting the public.

At that point, they invited him and 2 other people who had passed all the tests for an interview.

He had the swim tests, presentation, and interview on Monday 7 June. At the end of the week, he had the DREAM JOB!

In truth, Drew never really dreamed of being a professional scuba diver. He just didn’t see how it could work out given our distance from the ocean and the part-time nature of the work.

His story shows that when you give up the HOW and focus on the WHAT of your desires, the Universe can fulfill the order in a way better than you could have dreamed possible! It also shows that you can do what you love as a volunteer, but you may be able to convert that volunteer gig into a paying gig.

If any of you are in Atlanta, you don’t want to miss a trip to the Georgia Aquarium. If you decide to experience the animals up and close and personal as a diver or swimmer in the main exhibit, it just might be my husband who acts as your tour guide in the water!


 

The feel-good voiceover blog post of the summer!

In a world….

 
When the legendary voice talent Don LaFontaine uttered those famous words on a movie trailer, you would be ready to go to a quiet, dark theater to escape — escape the weather, escape obligations, and escape the chattering voice in your head. That inner voice can be especially critical to a voice artist who is feeling discouraged with her progress. Since my brain has come up with numerous scripts having that kind of negative inner dialogue, I thought it might be helpful if I shared 3 techniques for keeping a feel-good mentality about your voiceover career as you direct the movie of your life.

Stop the Comparisons

 
I’m a lot better about this one than I used to be, but even I occasionally still fall in the trap of negatively comparing myself to other voice talent. For instance, I recently read a review of an audiobook voiced by a talent whom I know. While I truly am thrilled for that person’s success, I admit that I also had the thought of wishing for both the recent audiobook narration gig and the favorable review.

It’s one thing to make comparisons as part of a learning process. We all can improve in a variety of ways, and analyzing others’ success is a good way to start. I’m talking about the kind of comparisons when you think envious or discouraging thoughts like, “I just can’t get a break-through. I never win any auditions. I’m not good enough. It will never happen for me.” These kinds of thoughts can be debilitating and will actually slow or completely stop your progress.

If you have these kinds of thoughts, the first one may appear on its own. You may not have been in control of that first thought, but you ARE in control of the second one. Remind yourself of the steps you have taken toward your dream. If you feel frustrated, find some action that you can do that will propel you forward. In all cases, think/write/speak what you WANT into being.

Ask For and Review Your Testimonials

 
When other people comment about the great voice-over work that you have performed for them, I hope that you ask them for a testimonial that can be included on your web site. Not only do these comments from past clients serve to convince potential prospects to hire you as a voice talent, but they can bolster your self-esteem if you feel down on yourself.

In addition, I notate my accomplishments and review them as my own evidence about the manifestation of my dreams. If I feel a hint of discouragement because the level of success I envision in voiceover is taking a while to appear, I only need to take a quick look at things I’ve done in just over a year — recorded a new commercial demo, launched a new web site with new branding elements, and gained several wonderful new clients, all while mourning the loss of my mother and dealing with my parents’ estate. When I stop to review all that I’ve done, I feel pretty darn good about my place in the voice-over world!

Maintain NOW Thinking

 
This morning, as I walked Yogi, our adorable miniature schnauzer, I was thinking about the message that I wanted to write in this blog entry. I also was thinking how Yogi lives completely in the moment. He sleeps, eats, and plays without dwelling on the past or fretting about the future.

Once we returned home, I turned on the TV and scrolled through the program guide. For some unknown reason, I felt compelled to watch Joel Osteen’s oration today for the first time. This choice is all the more unusual since I’m not a religious person and normally would steer clear of televised church services.

The reason was clear to me from the first moment I heard Osteen speak. He was talking about living in this moment with the constant expectation of receiving the good that is on its way to you, no matter how long it takes to arrive. He encouraged his audience to awake every day with the thought that “THIS could be the day!” 

Osteen used Mel Fisher as an example of this type of positive thinking. I, too, have drawn inspiration from Mel Fisher and can’t believe that I haven’t written about him previously.

You see, Mel Fisher was absolutely convinced that a Spanish ship laden with treasure had sunk off the coast of Florida in the 1600s, and he was determined to find it. Each day, he told his crew, “THIS will be the day!” Every night, after they didn’t find the ship, Fisher would tell the crew, “Tomorrow will be the day!”.

Fisher maintained his positive outlook and searched for the ship for an incredible 16 years. He faced innumerable odds, including an array of critics and doubters. I read once that his son died during the search efforts. Still, Fisher pressed on, doing things each day toward his dream and feeling perpetually confident of the good that would come to him.

Like so many people, the realization of his dream was far bigger than Fisher could have imagined. He found the Spanish Atocha, with treasures of gold, silver, and gems worth over $500 million!

Fisher proves that patience and persistence are the keys to realizing your dream. People expect instant gratification and are disappointed when nothing seems to happen. However, you have to maintain the hope and expectation each day since the manifestation of dreams rarely occurs on our timetable! Whether it takes a day, a month, a year, a decade, or longer, you need to have the unshakable inner KNOWING that the fruition of your dream is on its way to you.

Osteen said you should ask for things now and live life today, knowing that your desires may not be fulfilled immediately. He pointed out that things can suddenly change for the better. Finances can suddenly change. Relationships can suddenly blossom. Dreams can suddenly materialize.

For a voice talent, a new client could suddenly book you. You could suddenly have extra money to get that fancy microphone. Your latest blog article could suddenly capture the interest of the media and catapult you into the recording booths at Disney, Pixar, and other animation houses. (It could happen!)

By using these 3 techniques, I hope you will be able to silence the inner critic. As the star and director of your life’s movie, consistently feeling good about your voice-over career will enable you to live happily ever after!

Movie clapboard photo credit: TPopova/iStockPhoto.com
 

One word of advice: PRACTICE

Karen’s narration of this entry

My extended absence from my blog is due in part to an amazing 2-week cruise from Miami to Los Angeles through the Panama Canal. As faithful readers of this blog know, I always observe lessons applicable to voiceover when I travel, and this latest trip was no exception.

Every cruise ship director hires a variety of performers who must amuse and entertain the passengers. The nightly shows during our sailing on the glorious Norwegian Pearl were particularly enjoyable. We heard pianist Nadia Zaitsev perform some incredibly complex arrangements of Bach, Beatles, Gershwin, and Chopin before tackling a truly thrilling rendition of Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag. Another night, we watched a guy known as Los Gauchos twirl rope with balls at each end with such terrific speed so that it looked like swirling laser beams encircling him. Okay, it sounds like a lame act, but trust me, this guy was mesmerizing. We watched Professor Watson move effortlessly between solos on fiddle, mandolin, and trumpet in successive songs.

With each performer, I first admired their talent. My second thought was about the enormous number of hours that each must have spent in practice of his or her art in order to perform flawlessly before the audience. As voice talent, we also have the responsibility of practicing before we’re in front of an audience, whether that audience is face-to-face, as in a studio session, or virtual in an on-line audition.

During our trip, fellow voiceover artist Terry Daniel wrote an article on his blog about the merits of practice. Terry wisely points out that voice talent have a perpetual need to voice copy out-loud in order to find the best technique and interpretation.

When I’m on vacation, I usually do practice voiceover almost every day. I’ll read aloud the ingredients of shampoo bottles (great practice for medical narrations), the ship’s daily newsletter (practice for travel narrations), and books (practice for audiobook narration and characterizations). However, I admit that I have been lax sometimes about practicing voiceover while at home.

While many people think that voiceover work is simply talking or reading aloud, the ability to read smoothly out-loud is just the starting point in this career. I always encourage newcomers to read everything out-loud in order to bring some reality to their dream.

As a voice talent gets some paid jobs and starts growing a business, it’s easy to forego practice for the sake of practice. We may think we get all the voiceover practice that we need in doing auditions. If you view an audition as part of the job of being a voice talent, though, you can see dedicated practice is necessary before undertaking any auditions.

In addition to Terry’s article, I read a couple of other things recently that re-affirm to me the necessity of constant voiceover practice. An editorial in the New York Times reminds me that reading aloud is a very different physical experience than reading silently. Also, comprehension can be measured by a person’s skill in reading out loud because “…it reveals far more than whether the reader understands the words. It reveals how far into the words — and the pattern of the words — the reader really sees.”

Even more interesting to me is the assertion made by voice talent Anthony Mendez in his insightful and fascinating e-book titled Meditation for Voice-Over: The Voice Actor’s Guide to Not Worrying and Reducing Stress. I liked this ebook immensely because Anthony applies some Law of Attraction and mind power principles to increasing one’s voiceover business. He lists 3 Ms as the benefits of voiceover practice in front of the mic:

1) Your muscles become strong.
2) Your muses conspire to help you realize your intentions.
3) Your mind is focused on a single point, which causes manifestation to occur more quickly.

(Hmmm…maybe that should be 4 Ms!)

Anthony further states that by doing, you will BE.

I can think of no better reason to practice voiceover every day. Toward that end, it’s my intention to record this and future blog posts as part of my practice sessions.

Do you practice voice-over? I’d love to get your thoughts on this topic, so please leave a comment on the blog.