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Voice Coaches Radio #307 – Bye Bye Burnsie

Voice Coaches Radio. Everything voiceover. Welcome to a brand new episode of Voice Coaches Radio. Did that woo wake you up? Did that scare you? Uh, I'm fresh off the treadmill. I've got beads of sweat dripping down my face and I was like, this is the perfect time to go ahead and, and do a podcast episode.

You know, I've got some ideas swirling. And I think maybe it was the, the incline on 10 going, uh, you know, over three miles an hour and just, you know, the brain started that kind of activity as well. Um, you know, don't ever think that my brain stops, by the way. Um, you know, that's why there's medication involved.

Um, you know, finding out that you have ADHD as an adult. Is like, such a trip, I'm telling ya. And I, you know, I found that out a couple years ago. And it was really just cause like, I went to the doctor. And I, you know, it's funny cause I'll tell students this. And I'm like, I realize I just met you. But you know what?

I think I want to tell you this. Um, because it's eye opening. I, I went how many years? And I just kept getting, like, periodically more and more exhausted. What seemed like for no reason whatsoever. And here's the thing. I realize I expend a lot of energy every single moment of every single day because of what I do and how I do it.

So I know that I'm using a lot of energy, but you, you have to understand, like, if you're always doing that, your body's used to it. So, like, I shouldn't be at 11 a. m. Feeling so tired that if you pushed me, I would just like fall over into like the fetal position, but that's what was happening and I was just like, something's wrong.

Uh, you know, you gotta listen to your body. And I, I go to my primary for my physical, this was just before he retired, I'm so like sad that he's not in practice anymore, but I, I looked at him and I said, here's what's happening. And if one more person tells me to drink more water, I am going to actually physically hurt somebody.

And he just like gets out his little pad, he writes me this little prescription, and it is like the absolute basic lowest dose of just like a little bit of Adderall. And He wants me to take two a day. Can I tell you, I take one, unless I absolutely know that I'm gonna need it like later in the day, but one does the trick.

It clears my mind. It, it like, not, not clears my mind, but allows me to not be cloudy, if that makes sense. You know, there are some people who just, you know, if they've got a lot on their plate. They, they can't, they like panic and like they can't see straight and they can't go ahead and have the motivation to do it or keep things organized and I'm like the complete opposite side of that spectrum so like, I think what happens is the way my brain works is the more I have to do, the better I function, and You know, there are plenty of days where it's like I have a checklist going and I haven't checked everything off and then I get frustrated, um, but then I look back and I'm like, no human could have accomplished that in one day.

Marissa, you need to chill, uh, but, uh, but yeah, so, so now you know a little bit of the workings of the inner parts of my brain, you're welcome, and, uh, we've gotten to the end of yet another month and, you know, hopefully you're over here, you're taking those, those steps in the right direction and, You're feeling good about how the beginning of this year is starting, at the very least, when it comes to the stuff that you can control.

And, uh, this is, you know, one of those things. You know, I was Going through a bunch of different, like, reddits and subreddits and just trying to, I guess, like, pick the brains without actually communicating with anybody on how voice actors feel and, you know, what are some of the common misconceptions and, you know, what are the things that people fail to focus on.

And, cause I just feel like, you know, we talk about the skill and all that stuff a lot and, you know, what it takes to, to do. Like, you know, the voice work itself, but, but the, the business side of things, you know, what are the things that are so very vital and so very important when it comes to doing this, you know, as, as like the next phase of your, your, you know, life's journey career wise.

And, you know, it's like everybody's journey will be different, right? You know, my journey. It's vastly different from, you know, Simone's journey here at Voice Coaches, or Tina's, or Tom's, or anybody's, and it's just, but you look back, and while the stories are different, there are still a lot of similarities, I think, and, you know, that's what you kind of want to be Going in and looking forward to is is the balancing act of it all and you know This is gonna be a nice little it's not even a juggle.

It is just like, you know, you got that teeter totter Except that there's you know more than two sides and you've got to try to balance it all and you know it sounds more complicated than it actually is and I think you know, the the first, you know, month or two of trying to, to accomplish everything that you want to can feel like, oh my goodness, I don't, I don't know.

This just feels like too much. But then you kind of get into the normal swing of things. I mean, think about any of the jobs that you've ever had. It feels a little complicated at first, right? It's new. Anything that's new is gonna feel a little bit unnatural. Just a little bit like, you know, round ball, square hole.

You know what I mean? And you're gonna kind of question, like, should I be doing all of this? Is this too much for me to handle? And the short answer is gonna be no. It's not too much for you to handle. You just gotta, like, take a deep breath and organize things the best that you can for you. So, you know, I think that this is like, sort of like a three fold situation because the skills and the voice are important, right?

So You know, you want to be, it's not like I have the voice for voice acting, you know, it's Everybody has a voice and everybody can utilize that voice It is what you use it's what you do with it and how you grow it In your skills that are going to allow you to stand out as a voice actor So, you know, it's understanding what you need to develop the skill It's understanding the acting that goes in and how to bring, you know, emotion to what you're doing.

That is the biggest way to stand out, especially in the field today. Because, guess what AI and a computer can't bring? Empathy. sympathy, any kind of feeling, you know, I was listening to something that somebody sent me and I think my dad sent me a cat video and it was like the oldest cat in the world, 37 years old, by the way, um, and, you know, listening to the, the feet of it.

And, uh, my fiance was also hearing it from across the room. And she's just like, Ugh, God, I hate AI. Like, you know, it's just so awful because it's very rigid and very monotone and there's no there's no feeling. So when you're developing those skills, don't leave that out. Okay? So skills are very, very, very, very important.

First and foremost. Clearly. Um, secondly, I mean, today's world you're gonna want to have some sort of setup at home. And, and I don't want you to think that you have to go and spend some crazy amount of money, you know, not everybody has a budget to go and get the best of the best when it comes to the equipment, and you don't really need the best of the best, let's face it, you know, like, you can always be getting better stuff as you grow and as you earn, you know, so just start with what you absolutely need, and yeah.

Whether you go and you get a USB mic or you get an XLR, um, you know, make sure that you have, even if it's just something as basic as just like a Rode Podcaster mic, which is on the inexpensive end of things, you want to have a computer that, that can be sort of heavy duty in, in like a fast moving, um, audio capacity.

Uh, you know, I always go with like a gaming computer just because, um, they can, they can do, they can handle a lot more. Um, There's free programs to edit, you know, I'm using audacity right now in this moment before I throw some stuff in Pro Tools and, uh, and get it, you know, uploaded for you to hear. Um, you know, what else goes involved in that?

I mean, you know, people Always recommend getting like a decent set of headphones. I have a pair of DJ headphones simply because I feel like that's how I hear myself the clearest. Uh, you know, some headphones have like a tinny ness to them and uh, you know, it's just really whatever is good for your ears.

Uh, maybe, maybe some good speakers, but like that can come, you know, if you have the headphones, it's like one or the other in the moment. Um, You know, like, it doesn't have to be anything crazy. And, uh, a lot of people start in their clothes closet, you know? It's because you've got the, the self absorption right there with the clothes you already own.

Um, you know, so, so don't think that you've got to go and spend some wild and crazy amount of money to get yourself started. Now, I said it was three fold, right? Those are the first two things. And the beautiful part about editing is you had no idea that I took a break right there to blow my nose. Uh, but, you know, just a little bit of funny here in the midst of learning.

Um, but, the, the third part about this is the business side of things. And you know what, I think it might be, out of, out of the three, the thing that scares the most people. But you don't want to let it just slip away for you. You know, because the business part is, is incredibly vital. Um, You know, there are many people that will go and they'll do the rest of the work, but then they, they struggle in this side of it.

And I, I think, you know, the big part is that we tend to hold ourselves back. I mean, we held ourselves back from doing this in the first place, right? So you don't want to go ahead and, and slow your pace, uh, in, in progress. Ends. Do all this effort to, to not then put yourself out there. Don't be scared to do that.

The worst that can happen is like somebody says no, or like, you know, if you send an email, they don't reply or you leave a message and nobody calls you back. Like, you know, that's the worst. In fact, like the best things that can happen is even if they say no, and they've heard your demo, I mean, maybe they give you some feedback.

Maybe they tell you the things that they're looking for. Maybe they they say, You know what? We can't utilize you right now, but I'd love to keep this on file. And if you could, you know, follow back up with me in a couple months, I might have something coming through like, you know, the best thing that happens out of the conversations that you tend to have is connection.

And, uh, you know that that business side of things, it does happen to start with the word that a lot of people hate, even even the use of it here in voice coaches because it scares people is networking. And, um, It doesn't have to be, you know, super crazy, it's just like, you know, I always suggest to people, it's like, look in your local area, there might be businesses that you love and enjoy, that you would love to be a part of, and I've had people be like, yeah, but I just, I don't know, you know, maybe they're struggling, I don't want to bug them, and it's like, listen, you could help enhance their business, seriously.

You know, them spending 25, 50, 100 bucks or more with you could enhance what they've got going on and, you know, it does that, then, you know, you're going to potentially be getting some consistent work. That's a great relationship to have. Um, you know, and you want to look at Not just businesses, but like colleges and local studios and, you know, think outside the box a little bit and, uh, you know, even just the people that you know, those are your first people in your network without even realizing it, you know, because you just, you're never fully aware of Who could use you, or who knows who that could use you.

So just always, always talk. Like, before you're able to get paid for your voice, you still need to use it, not just to develop skill, but to make sure people are aware of what you've got going on, and what your goals are, what you want to do, and what you want to accomplish. You know, what else comes along with the business side of things?

You know, some people are like, do I need to start an LLC and blah, blah, blah. And I, I mean, I've been doing this a long time. I still haven't. Should I? Maybe. But nobody's told me otherwise just yet. Of course, when I get my taxes done this year, my lady might be like, you know, it might be time. Uh, cause your, your social security number is like overloaded at this point, but, um, you know, we'll see.

Uh, but, um, you know, there's. There's things like a website. If you're, you know, working with us and, and you go through the voice coaches program, you get some sort of starter website with your package. So you'll have that. It's great because then it's like you're able to pass it around. Hey, take a listen to my demo, you know, and that way, you know, it's, it's right there.

It's easy access. Um, you know, having something like that is great. Some people will tell you, yes, have a big, beautiful website. I, yeah. I still, like, I purchased one. I still haven't had time to really put it together because I mean, it's, it's another learning thing for me and I want to be able to, you know, create it myself.

But in the meantime, what I've just been utilizing is, is a good word of mouth, but also just like social media platforms are very, very helpful. You know, I don't know how long we're going to have TikTok. I don't know if that's going to stay in place, but I do know that things like Facebook And things like LinkedIn and things like Instagram allow audio capabilities, even if it is just in video form, you know, you're able to get quality out there.

You're able to put your demo on something like that. And. And that is just, I mean, you know, you never know who's looking at that stuff. It's just so beneficial. So, don't be scared to even just have that to start. Brand it all the same. You know, branding is important. You know, all of my stuff is Marissa on the radio.

Like, it makes it very easy for people to find me. Um, you know, if it's not that specifically, it's very, very close. And, uh, it was just a matter of, you know, making sure that Everything looks the same. I use the same pictures for everything and, you know, whatever. So, so just, you know, try that consistency is, is very important.

Um, you know, outside of that kind of stuff, it really is just then like, you know, searching and searching for the audition process, you know, there are going to be plenty of things online, but that networking too, is going to be. Uh, very, very key in helping allow you to find some opportunities. So I don't want you to let the business side of this.

Um, you know, because it is just important, just as important as any of the other steps and you might be thinking like, well, where does the demo come in that? That's when you feel like I'm ready. I'm I've been doing, you know, the work on this now for X amount of time. Um, you know, I think I'm good to, to go ahead and throw my first demo together.

Don't be scared. Don't think it's too soon. We've talked about this in a previous episode. Some people on the internet will kind of sway people like, ah, don't do it too soon. Because if you're lacking skill, it's going to be a demo showing you're lacking skill. You are always going to have the ability to improve no matter how long you've been doing this.

No. How, no matter how new or. Seasoned you are so there were always like everybody's ear is different. I want you to remember that. Okay, everybody's ear is different Everybody's feedback is taken with a grain of salt because everybody's opinion is just that it's their opinion You know, so it's like one person might love the way you do whatever and then the other person might tell you you know You might want to try to work on that and that doesn't mean that it's good or bad.

It just means that Everybody's taste is different. So that's why, and right now you're probably like, well then how the heck am I ever supposed to know? I mean, you just kind of, you learn what works along the way. And, and that's what you've got to kind of base some things on. Eventually what's going to happen is you're going to have real work that you've done, and that is what you can utilize for your demo itself.

Um, you know, by compiling some stuff together, having some good samples, and, uh, you're not going to have to worry about necessarily, like, creating. A demo from scratch, if that makes sense. Um, so listen, always hit us up Marissa at voicecoaches. com Marissa at voicecoaches. com would love to help in any kind of way that I can, whether it's, you know, the question that we can have here answered on the pod or, you know, behind the scenes, uh, I'm an email away.

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