Maybe no one has ever asked you that question or…maybe they have and you just haven’t discovered the answers yet. Voice acting means so much more to me than just performing in my booth to deliver the story that needs to be told. For me, voice acting is an endless journey of discovery about myself and how can I now share that with my clients.

I have spent 17 years working in the healthcare field and it has allowed me to be a part of so many lives and living life alongside amazing human beings. It is in all these chapters of my journey in healthcare and physical therapy that I got to listen to the universe speak back to me through the families I served.

I have traveled some of the most beautiful back roads of the Midwest, where branches swoop across the roadside shaking hands with the seeds that gave them life and whispers that can only be heard when I am truly present in nature’s booth. These moments from life and nature can teach us many things that call our attention as voice actors.

– We need to listen before allowing our eyes to see what is written.
– The beauty of nature demands your feelings to fully understand it. Like acting.
– Know that it is never about you…ever.
– The time you give is the greatest currency.
– Don’t ever dismiss grace in all that you bring behind the mic…let it happen.

Listening to the needs of my patients and now the needs of my scripts intent

I have spent thousands of hours sitting at bedsides, kitchen tables, chairs, hospital beds and front porches listening to voices of my patients telling me how I can offer them help. Many times it is the safety of walking without falling, standing up without losing their balance and most importantly…just being present in their moment to honor their words.

Life has a funny way of speaking to you when you decide that your ready to listen without being demanding from it. We often ask, seek, pray, desire and cry out to the world to just hear us and listen to our problems…but I have learned that the solutions make themselves present as we fulfill the needs of others. Voice acting is life that happened, is happening or needs to happen from a voice that will quench the thirst of its writer.

For all of you voice actors out there…I respect you so much and truly ache, cry and share the pains of this beautiful journey we are in. We have a responsibility and need to make it our mission to be the best voice actor, human being and friend we can discover in ourselves as we serve others in this work of entertainment.

– Take time to hear the needs of others and your cup will be filled.
– Make someone else’s pain a victory in your reads…then share it with them.
– Voice acting is soul work often looking for an exit to be heard.
– The client knows what they want…until they don’t. Be patient.
– Do your homework and cultivate the characters in your voice acting.
– Be honest with your talents…the rest YOU will catch up when your ready.
– Your voice is POWERFUL…so give your SOUL permission to speak.

I know I speak a lot of coming from the source of ones center or the soul of the voice…I just truly believe that IT all lives there for me as a voice actor. I have tried hard to collaborate my own journeys and life’s experiences with others into the work and love of voice acting that I give today. I love the life of people and the stories they bring into our lives and sometimes we are the only ones who can extract their emotions that need to be heard and felt. I am never done and nor will this voice acting journey ever have a final page of success…it just keeps breathing and flowing onto the shores for the next voice that is needed from me. As always, I appreciate every second you give.

Are you a wing or a weight?

What do I mean by this? The question I am seeking is …. Are you surrounding your thoughts and your actions with an environment for growth and development or one that feels like your standing all alone with know one to guide your steps as a voice actor.

I have crossed the paths hundreds of many voice actors out in the travels of this industry and the very first thing that most voice actors ask is “who are you studying with and what conferences have you attended?” Not because they are ready to size up the competition….but don’t be mistaken, we are all auditioning. It is because the busy, caring and working voice actors want to know who they are communicating with, because in this industry, your voice matters in more ways than just behind the microphone.

The brands of course are a great asset to your website and do give you nice voice acting credit, but the many voice actors that I have had the privilege of being a part of in friendships are very keen on knowing that you are not only a quality person in the booth, but your character of how you carry yourself in this arena of entertainment will far succeed your talents. The veterans in the industry know…but for many of the new voice actors who have entered into this platform of entertainment, well… here we go.

• Seek coaches with known respect in the industry that have credited work.
• Surround yourself with other voice actors weekly when available.
• Get involved with a voice acting workout group.
• Be a wing to another voice actor’s weight and you both will fly.
• None of us do this journey alone.
• Practice when you don’t feel like it…all the working voice actors do.
• Your skills are the wings to others weaknesses and vice versa…go.

Be a wing to those people around you and I promise you that your business relations and your business revenue will grow into the brand you desire and so much more for your life. Giving your voice to others is what you do, so don’t stop when you exit the booth.

Grandma told you to say please and thank you…so do it already?!

In a world of memes and gifs to express all our emotions and complete sentences into one image… I get it, it saves time and it is fun! There is no replacing your actual voice saying and using beautiful manners along this awesome voice acting journey. Your voice is your currency in so many more ways than you can imagine and ohhhh…are people watching and listening behind all those cute little txt you share.

Your clients and potential clients are breathing and living life just like you in the world. Remind yourself that they are families, parents, students, business owners and human beings with the weight of the world being enough…remember, be a wing and you both fly. You have to respect their time in all ways, just as you would expect them upon your efforts. Relationships are your best friends in this entertainment world, with of course the quality of work pushing the craft to the shores of success we are all on together.

Make time for yourself to do these kind gestures. Yes, it needs to be a part of who you are with your business plan daily. These kind and selfless acts will take you along your journey into some amazing places long after your voice acting gigs in the booth. I have been a business owner for 17 years now and the business only has that kind of leverage of knowledge and expertise because of the wonderful people in my circle of life…assisting one another to achieve our goals aligned.

• Send thank you cards with your hand written message.
• Listen to what your clients like to do outside of voice acting.
• Take time to send a holiday card or message… yes it matters.
• Mention them on your social media sites to praise them when they ROCK!!
• Simply reach out and ask if they would like to meet up for coffee/Tea
• Remember, we are all navigating this voice acting daily to add value.

Voice acting is a gift and it should be unwrapped with the efforts of only gestures that will truly give value into the world around us as great communicators in this entertainment business.

“The best of booth worlds.”

As voice actors I know how we love our booths, no matter how elaborate or being awesome from our closets in the bedroom. As I stated earlier in this blog, you must cultivate your gifts and talents with people who LOVE this business and can relate to your voice acting grind you give to the world. Being inside of your booth all day is sometimes necessary for auditions and clients directing you, but you MUST make time to connect with this amazing voice acting community…in the communities we serve.

I recently traveled to Nashville and Atlanta because I wanted and needed to be around some of the best voices in the industry. Voices behind the microphone and voices across a table sharing a meal and doing life together. I love these people, my people, our people…that are so kind and giving the best they can in adding value to brands and creative projects all around the globe.

• We all have the weights of life that need to be listened to.
• As a voice actor, be a better listener in and out of the booth.
• The world will give you signs to follow if you are honest with yourself.
• Discover who you are and lean into all of it…good and bad.
• Make time for you to hear the voices from others that need you.

As I stated earlier, please keep the focus on being a wing to others in this industry. I know it can be lonely and isolated chasing your dreams out there. Just know that so many others are doing the same and feeling the same emotions… but eventually you meet and all patience and hard work comes to light in the makings of something greater than yourself. See you out there voice actors.

A Selfless Voice is a Soulful Voice

When getting behind the microphone, we voice actors can often take the approach of making the script about ourselves and actually forget- we are in the service business. What do I mean by this? It means that we allow fear and judgement to enter into the booth without an invitation and take away the true authenticity of the scripts full intent for serving others in the process.

It’s OK! we all have done it and it will not be the last time we do it as voice actors. Sometimes we get so excited about the call for an audition or feedback from and agent, that we don’t allow ourselves to become the emotions or character in the story unfolding inside the booth.

Try to remember why we are called into the booth as actors and know that you ARE enough to deliver your purpose. I have documented some words that have been helpful to me as a voice actor and I hope they will serve you well also- let’s take a look…

• It’s not about you. Tell your ego to sit down and you will have less concerns of making mistakes and more discoveries in growing as a voice actor.
• Know what the message is for the brand or the story and become that feeling/emotion by becoming the messenger.
• Now that you have the scripts intent…where and how are you going to allow yourself to cultivate this emotion?
• We all have a past filled with life’s pulses of emotions – take your self there and align it with the focused intent of the script or booth- director’s request.
• Give all those moments we have inside our souls new beginnings when and if necessary for delivering the scripts purpose and allowing your talents as an actor to speak into the microphone with authenticity.
• Finally, LET- IT- GO…again, I approach the booth knowing this job is not about me and that I am only a messenger being called upon to bring truths in honoring the scripts and stories I have the opportunities to be a part of in this amazing journey of voice acting.

Good Voice Acting should Be Transformative

I truly believe the more you can discover all the emotional truths that the script is offering you, the better your delivery in every way. Take your time to read through the scripts and extract the words that honor the writer’s intent.

How is this transformative? As I stated earlier, as a voice actor, you need to take your acting talents and align them with the emotions being asked of you. It is your responsibility to become the character and allowing that transformation to give itself through you in a beautiful and selfless act.
Ask yourself these Questions before sending in that audition…

• Do I sound believable?
• Did I serve the character?
• Did I allow myself to be fully present in the booth as a voice actor?
• Were you able to self direct and make emotional turns when needed?
• Am I over thinking for perfection vs. just performing what you know?

These questions at some point in our journey with voice acting have all found us inside the booth. I believe that if we allow the emotions on the page to enter into our creative space as actors- we can more fully reciprocate what the writers, directors and producers are seeking to accomplish through us.

The key word I want to stress is- allow. It is our responsibility as voice actors to first, listen to the environment that’s alive on the page that helps us with the transformation into character – then we can cultivate with our talents given to only be heard as voice actors in giving to the scene and script.

I absolutely love this industry of amazing, talented actors and artist that uphold the foundations we stand on daily as voice actors. Collaborating and working with people who are so focused on their craft and selflessly giving their best work into the lives of animation, commercial, narration, on film and many other platforms is such a pulse of authentic presence.

Yes…The more Selfless you are in the booth- The more Transformative you become as an actor.

For me, being in the booth for voice acting can be a lot like trying to live my life outside of the booth. There is a lot of noise in the world that can try to take away the daily truths of doing great work and serving others around us, but that’s what life is –a constant tension of shadow and light.

Only when we can take ourselves and ego away from the scripts on page and life…can we begin to see more clearly of what is being asked of us. The transformation comes when we say, “ok- it’s not about me. I am just the messenger for this journey, project or scripts being asked of me.” Remember, you are enough or you wouldn’t be here.