Are you ready for this? Then grab your cup of joe and let’s go! 

Time for some straight talk. 

Sometimes I get up and I DO NOT want to talk…for ANYONE! 

“Nah, you don’t go through those seasons as a VO. You LOVE your work!”

Well, yes. Yes, I do.

Nevertheless, life reminds me that while I am a creative, and while I absolutely enjoy using my gifts and skillsets in my voiceover work, this VOPreneur has her seasons of difficulties and fatigue.

Perhaps this speaks into self-love (my last blog post), or perhaps I’m just feeling like I don’t want to work.  

So, what in the world do I do when everything in me just wants to shut down my studio and call it a day?

I change my vantage point on the mountain top, that’s what! What in the world am I talking about?! 

Well, have you ever looked up a mountain or steep hill from the bottom? It looks SOOOOOO daunting, doesn’t it? I want to quit before I even start!

All I can think about is how long the journey’s going to be. Am I right?! I’ve told my brain that it’s too difficult; It’s more than I can handle. 

This thought process will tire me out before I’ve even allowed myself to get a foothold on what I’m privileged to do.

This is when I give myself permission to “take 5.” In those 5 minutes of “self-talk”…

• I remind myself how blessed I am
• I think about all I’ve accomplished
• I meditate on the truths of how I’ve grown because I’ve dared to do things while I’m fully afraid…and succeeded.

Once my allotted time is complete, I reposition my vantage point (now I’m on top of the mountain looking down…in my mind), and I step into my booth with a different attitude. One of gratitude, thankfulness and joy. After all, I’m doing what I love! How many people have an opportunity to do that? 

Give yourself permission to have a moment of “stinkin’ thinkin’.” But remember to turn that frown upside down afterwards. 

Who knew that maintaining and growing a VO business could be so thought provoking!

Isn’t it just about having a really amazing voice and recording some stellar audio? Not. Even. Close. 

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING I do in my VO business involves relationships.

If you’re anything like me, your community involves three circles of people;

• Your closest peeps (or as I like to refer to them, my tribe)
• Next, those who aren’t as close
• And then, acquaintances. 

Naturally, the time that I spend with those close to me helps us to continually thrive together, right?

So how in the WORLD do I attain this with potential clients? Total strangers?! People who, outside of marketing, would typically be in the acquaintance circle.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I think one factor to consider is: I’m not a man. Men and women develop relationships differently.

I see so much marketing and client relationship work in the VO world that I cannot relate to and I think it’s simply because it is predominantly male.

There’s nothing wrong with it, it just doesn’t work for me.

Personally, I’m a heart person.

I honestly don’t have a lot of superficial relationships in my life. I hate small talk…go figure! LOL!!! I thrive on heart discussions and real life. I enjoy encouraging others and making them feel good about themselves. I especially like to belly laugh…real hard…with my people.

So sometimes marketing myself can feel superficial.

Now there’s two parts of this

1. Sometimes “superficial” is okay and
2. How can I make this whole “marketing thing” work for my style?

Sometimes “superficial” is okay

Relationships with potential clients may start off small, but they can still be impactful. It’s okay to start off less personal and more formal even if it makes me feel fake and cold.

Something that starts off as marketing may/will blossom into a genuine relationship the way that I like it

…or it may stay a distant business relationship which is just sometimes how it goes, too. (This isn’t holy matrimony after all…LOL!)

For example, on LinkedIn, I can start small, take my time and simply “follow” a potential client or business

AND THEN, once I know more about them, I can choose to send them a connection request once I’m comfortable. A little research is the same as sitting down with a potential new friend; you’re just eager to see how you’d mesh together.

(And by the way…It’s totally okay to pause so that when I’m ready to hit “send” I know for sure I’m not coming off like one of those annoying robocalls. I would prefer it to be more like testing the waters to see if we’d be good dance partners.)

How can I make this whole “marketing thing” work for my style?

I wanted to look for out-of-the-box organic ways of interacting with potential clients and really letting them get to know me. I think it’s great to get in the habit of regularly posting on social media, but I also wanted to give a real, genuine peek into my mind, work, and world. So… I made this blog! 

Every week (that’s the plan, anyway 😉) I’m going to sit down and reflect.

Most of it will center around voiceover, but as I said,

voiceover isn’t just about voiceover… it’s about relationships, connection, being grounded, and so much more.

So, yes, you may see entries about equipment and industry trends…

but you are more likely to see posts about people I’ve met who’ve made me see my work and the world differently, emotional reactions I’ve had to a piece of copy, or simply my reflections on how my voiceover journey is going. 

It’s been 7 years in the industry and I have learned so much about myself along the way. I can’t wait to share with you here on the Diary of a Voice Actor Blog. Welcome.