Karen Commins's Blog, page 17
January 5, 2013
New series -- This Date in My History: Elance
Greetings, all, and happy new year! When I began my voice-over career in 1999, one of my friends suggested that I start a journal. She said that when Biography or Intimate Portrait wanted to highlight me in a show, I would have all of this great background material to share with them about how I progressed from voice-over newbie to superstar. :)
Initially, I only focused on writing my voice-over activities in my journal. Over time, though, I found it more helpful and interesting to write almost daily about everything in my life. I often look back at my journals and find answers to current problems along with treasured memories.
I highly recommend writing in a journal as a way to clarify your thinking. It's important to me that I hand-write my entries as the act of writing will slow down my thoughts. Long-time readers also know that I love writing with fountain pens. I also have written my It Works! lists many times in my journals.
Tip #1: If you aren't writing in a journal, what better time to start one than a new year!
After transcribing parts of my journals in previous entries, I've decided to create an on-going series here on the blog of things I've written in my journals. I hope that you may also find answers to problems and learn from some of my mistakes!
This Date in My History: Elance
Elance logo
Saturday 1/5/02 10:00pm
I lost another bid on eLance. This is the one where the guy said "great bid". He chose someone else who is a professional talent but only bid half of my bid. My unwillingness to literally sell myself short sure hasn't gotten me any jobs on that system.
Tip #2: You won't know if a marketing channel works for you until you try it.
For more thoughts about on-line casting sites, you may want to read this article.
I look forward to sharing more of my journal entries with you!
Initially, I only focused on writing my voice-over activities in my journal. Over time, though, I found it more helpful and interesting to write almost daily about everything in my life. I often look back at my journals and find answers to current problems along with treasured memories.
I highly recommend writing in a journal as a way to clarify your thinking. It's important to me that I hand-write my entries as the act of writing will slow down my thoughts. Long-time readers also know that I love writing with fountain pens. I also have written my It Works! lists many times in my journals.
Tip #1: If you aren't writing in a journal, what better time to start one than a new year!
After transcribing parts of my journals in previous entries, I've decided to create an on-going series here on the blog of things I've written in my journals. I hope that you may also find answers to problems and learn from some of my mistakes!
This Date in My History: Elance
Elance logo
Saturday 1/5/02 10:00pm
I lost another bid on eLance. This is the one where the guy said "great bid". He chose someone else who is a professional talent but only bid half of my bid. My unwillingness to literally sell myself short sure hasn't gotten me any jobs on that system.
Tip #2: You won't know if a marketing channel works for you until you try it.
For more thoughts about on-line casting sites, you may want to read this article.
I look forward to sharing more of my journal entries with you!
October 24, 2012
3 Thoughts to Help You Get Past That Mistake
Every job promotion I earned through my long career at the IRS was a competitive action. Today's story is about a job I didn't get due to my own mistakes and how those mistakes help me in my voice-over career today.
Once upon a time...
I started working at the IRS as a teenager. Daddy worked there and encouraged me to apply for a part-time job on the evening shift after school. It was a data entry job in which your output was measured against that of your peers.
As a fast typist, the work was easy for me, plus I made more money and had a more structured schedule than my friends who worked in restaurants. I never thought my job there would evolve into a career, but I eagerly applied for every position that had potential for more money.
Given the procedures involved, the high number of applicants, and paper blizzard of job applications, jobs typically weren't filled for 3-6 months after the announcement. I would apply for a job and then forget it (kind of like doing an audition today).
One evening, my manager called me to her desk and told me that I had a job interview. I think she ended this exciting news flash with something like, "Oh, and it's 5 minutes from now, so you better start walking."
I worked in a 1-story building spanning several acres. All of the tax returns for several states were processed in that building, so you can imagine its size. I didn't know where the interview room was and, after several wrong turns on various hallways, practically had to run to get there.
Even though 3 decades have passed since that day, I still remember the interviewer's face when she saw me.
There I was, fashionably dressed in my lovely tank top, overalls, colorful toe socks and flip flops, out of breath and probably a bit sweaty as I burst into the room.
She looked me up and down and most assuredly thought, "Um, no."
She asked me a few questions, and my answers revealed my complete lack of knowledge about her organization. I didn't even know which job I was being interviewed for! I'm sure she thought that if her other top candidates were as prepared as me, she'd prefer to leave the job vacant.
Someone else's job "interview" story
I thought about this incident recently when I received an email from someone who bemoaned a mistake in an audition. That person kindly gave me permission to reprint their words here:
Man smacks his head after making a mistake
I learned 3 things from my bad interview experience that may help you get past your own mistakes:
1. You have to prepare for what you want.
Louis Pasteur said, "Chance favors the prepared mind." In my case, preparation would have included dressing the part and being familiar with the organizations where I had applied.
However, a big part of your preparation involves learning what NOT to do. Like showing up for job interview dressed like a hobo and submitting an audition with horrible sound quality, we all have to learn some things the hard way!
Being in a learning curve is a scary place to be. The best article I've written about being in a learning curve is 12 lessons from Dancing With The Stars. If you read that article and absorb the lessons, you'll find it easier to give yourself permission to learn and grow from your experiences.
2. You've got to bring your A game.
My friend Dave Courvoisier writes an excellent blog about voice-over, equipment, and social media topics. He recently wrote an (Embarrassingly) True Story and the subsequent Feedback Follow-up in which he described a producer's reactions to 400 auditions for a pirate voice.
I encourage you to read these illuminating articles as they offer a producer's exact comments about the auditions he heard. In short, he felt most people didn't make an effort to impress him or do good work, with half sending "terrible recordings" and others sending "laid-back and lazy" auditions.
The good news is -- to quote George Eliot and a title of one of my audiobooks -- "It's Never Too Late To Be What You Might Have Been".
Every day is an opportunity to grow and improve. As you learn more and improve, your A game is going to change.
You may have lost one chance to make a good impression, but you haven't lost ALL of them. You have to shake off the negative thoughts and hold the attitude every day that you are working to the best of your ability. Your actions will follow your thoughts, so you might as well think thoughts of progress and victory!
And remember, people on top of the mountain didn't just fall there.
3. Things happen for a reason.
Sometimes you figure out the reason, and sometimes you never do because it wasn't about you. If I could go back to that blown interview, I wouldn't change a thing. I learned something valuable that day.
I can look back at the closed doors in my life and see how they led to something better. I'm reminded of another IRS interview story.
In 2008, I had an interview with the multilingual office. I really, REALLY wanted that job. It would have been a promotion, and the work was something I thought I'd be very interested in doing. For some reason unknown to me, they were delayed in making a decision after the interview.
Meanwhile, my best friend Mike asked me to work on a temporary promotion for 4 months in his office in Applications Development. When I said yes to that opportunity, my life changed in ways I couldn't imagine:
I wasn't selected for the job I thought I really wanted. It turns out I never missed it.I loved working with Mike again! I was his assistant manager, and I felt pride in contributing in a meaningful way to the organization. Although I had been desperate for years to get out of the IRS and into voice-over full-time , I actually ACCEPTED my life for the first time. Acceptance of your life is a key to moving forward .My original manager in Network Operations was incredibly generous. Since I loved the job with Mike so much, she let me continue working in Mike's office for a year after the temporary promotion ended.Tax Exempt and Government Entities (TE/GE) is an IRS business unit that deals with taxes for those groups. TE/GE was one of our main clients in Applications Development, so I learned a lot about their organization.In 2009, I had an interview for a project manager position in TE/GE Business Systems Planning. They didn't select me for the job.Instead, TE/GE actually offered a communications job to me! It was my dream position at the IRS!In 2011, the IRS offered early retirements to a very small number of employees, mostly in areas of communications and training. Guess what? I was one of them! If I had stayed in Information Technology, whether with Mike in Applications Development or my original job in Network Operations, I would still be working at the IRS, with no end in sight.
My life would have turned out very differently if I had gotten that job as a teenager. I love my life and wouldn't want to change it!
When you know that things happen for a reason, you place less emphasis on any one thing that happens. This knowledge takes the stress out of any perceived mistakes of the moment.
Don't dwell on those "mistakes"! As I discovered through my many IRS interview experiences, what we think are mistakes are often the catalysts we need to take our lives higher.
image: iStockPhoto/PeskyMonkey
Once upon a time...
I started working at the IRS as a teenager. Daddy worked there and encouraged me to apply for a part-time job on the evening shift after school. It was a data entry job in which your output was measured against that of your peers.
As a fast typist, the work was easy for me, plus I made more money and had a more structured schedule than my friends who worked in restaurants. I never thought my job there would evolve into a career, but I eagerly applied for every position that had potential for more money.
Given the procedures involved, the high number of applicants, and paper blizzard of job applications, jobs typically weren't filled for 3-6 months after the announcement. I would apply for a job and then forget it (kind of like doing an audition today).
One evening, my manager called me to her desk and told me that I had a job interview. I think she ended this exciting news flash with something like, "Oh, and it's 5 minutes from now, so you better start walking."
I worked in a 1-story building spanning several acres. All of the tax returns for several states were processed in that building, so you can imagine its size. I didn't know where the interview room was and, after several wrong turns on various hallways, practically had to run to get there.
Even though 3 decades have passed since that day, I still remember the interviewer's face when she saw me.
There I was, fashionably dressed in my lovely tank top, overalls, colorful toe socks and flip flops, out of breath and probably a bit sweaty as I burst into the room.
She looked me up and down and most assuredly thought, "Um, no."
She asked me a few questions, and my answers revealed my complete lack of knowledge about her organization. I didn't even know which job I was being interviewed for! I'm sure she thought that if her other top candidates were as prepared as me, she'd prefer to leave the job vacant.
Someone else's job "interview" story
I thought about this incident recently when I received an email from someone who bemoaned a mistake in an audition. That person kindly gave me permission to reprint their words here:
I am on ACX. I made the mistake of submitting an audition from home with horrendous lack of quality and only put in the comment, "please let me know if there are issues." Ha . That must have been like comedy for them. I did not get any comments. So I have been making all the mistakes that teach me what to do next. Still looking to figure out how I recover from such embarrassing mistakes.
Man smacks his head after making a mistake
I learned 3 things from my bad interview experience that may help you get past your own mistakes:
1. You have to prepare for what you want.
Louis Pasteur said, "Chance favors the prepared mind." In my case, preparation would have included dressing the part and being familiar with the organizations where I had applied.
However, a big part of your preparation involves learning what NOT to do. Like showing up for job interview dressed like a hobo and submitting an audition with horrible sound quality, we all have to learn some things the hard way!
Being in a learning curve is a scary place to be. The best article I've written about being in a learning curve is 12 lessons from Dancing With The Stars. If you read that article and absorb the lessons, you'll find it easier to give yourself permission to learn and grow from your experiences.
2. You've got to bring your A game.
My friend Dave Courvoisier writes an excellent blog about voice-over, equipment, and social media topics. He recently wrote an (Embarrassingly) True Story and the subsequent Feedback Follow-up in which he described a producer's reactions to 400 auditions for a pirate voice.
I encourage you to read these illuminating articles as they offer a producer's exact comments about the auditions he heard. In short, he felt most people didn't make an effort to impress him or do good work, with half sending "terrible recordings" and others sending "laid-back and lazy" auditions.
The good news is -- to quote George Eliot and a title of one of my audiobooks -- "It's Never Too Late To Be What You Might Have Been".
Every day is an opportunity to grow and improve. As you learn more and improve, your A game is going to change.
You may have lost one chance to make a good impression, but you haven't lost ALL of them. You have to shake off the negative thoughts and hold the attitude every day that you are working to the best of your ability. Your actions will follow your thoughts, so you might as well think thoughts of progress and victory!
And remember, people on top of the mountain didn't just fall there.
3. Things happen for a reason.
Sometimes you figure out the reason, and sometimes you never do because it wasn't about you. If I could go back to that blown interview, I wouldn't change a thing. I learned something valuable that day.
I can look back at the closed doors in my life and see how they led to something better. I'm reminded of another IRS interview story.
In 2008, I had an interview with the multilingual office. I really, REALLY wanted that job. It would have been a promotion, and the work was something I thought I'd be very interested in doing. For some reason unknown to me, they were delayed in making a decision after the interview.
Meanwhile, my best friend Mike asked me to work on a temporary promotion for 4 months in his office in Applications Development. When I said yes to that opportunity, my life changed in ways I couldn't imagine:
I wasn't selected for the job I thought I really wanted. It turns out I never missed it.I loved working with Mike again! I was his assistant manager, and I felt pride in contributing in a meaningful way to the organization. Although I had been desperate for years to get out of the IRS and into voice-over full-time , I actually ACCEPTED my life for the first time. Acceptance of your life is a key to moving forward .My original manager in Network Operations was incredibly generous. Since I loved the job with Mike so much, she let me continue working in Mike's office for a year after the temporary promotion ended.Tax Exempt and Government Entities (TE/GE) is an IRS business unit that deals with taxes for those groups. TE/GE was one of our main clients in Applications Development, so I learned a lot about their organization.In 2009, I had an interview for a project manager position in TE/GE Business Systems Planning. They didn't select me for the job.Instead, TE/GE actually offered a communications job to me! It was my dream position at the IRS!In 2011, the IRS offered early retirements to a very small number of employees, mostly in areas of communications and training. Guess what? I was one of them! If I had stayed in Information Technology, whether with Mike in Applications Development or my original job in Network Operations, I would still be working at the IRS, with no end in sight.
My life would have turned out very differently if I had gotten that job as a teenager. I love my life and wouldn't want to change it!
When you know that things happen for a reason, you place less emphasis on any one thing that happens. This knowledge takes the stress out of any perceived mistakes of the moment.
Don't dwell on those "mistakes"! As I discovered through my many IRS interview experiences, what we think are mistakes are often the catalysts we need to take our lives higher.
image: iStockPhoto/PeskyMonkey
October 16, 2012
Summer/Fall 2012 Audiobook Releases
My audiobook has continued steadily all year, and I'm blessed and grateful to report that more are coming!
In addition to the narration, I did the complete production of each of these books in my stunning soundproof studio . I am so fortunate that Drew directs me on my audiobooks. He is exceedingly good at catching mis-reads, and he also offers guidance about saying lines with different emotion or inflection.
Drop Dead Divas by Virginia Brown (Book 2 in the Dixie Divas mystery series)
No sooner has Bitty Hollandale been cleared of the murder of her ex-husband than townspeople suspect she may have killed his lover, town bad girl Naomi Spencer. In addition, Naomi's fiancé Race Champion is also found dead. Talk about a fly in the martini!
Dixie Diva Blues by Virginia Brown (Book 3 in the Dixie Divas mystery series)
Trinket Truevine and her cousin Bitty Hollandale are once again up to their eyebrows in murder and mayhem. This time, the husband of one of the Divas has been arrested for murder. The Divas will stop at nothing to clear him...but what happens at a Divas meeting stays at a Divas meeting!
Irreparable Harm by Melissa F. Miller (Book 1 in the Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller series)A smartphone app is capable of crashing a commercial jet. And it's for sale to the highest bidder. A plane slams into the side of a mountain, killing everyone aboard. But, as attorney Sasha McCandless digs into the case, she learns the crash was no accident. She joins forces with federal air marshal Leo Connelly, and they race to prevent another crash.
Hound Dog Blues by Virginia Brown (Book 1 in the Blue Suede Memphis series)
With a heroine named Harley Davidson, you know this cozy mystery will be fun! Harley sets out to find out who dognapped family dog King (named after Elvis, of course) and quickly finds herself in the midst of a band of jewel thieves!
I'm also excited about it because my co-narrator who did all of the male parts is also the hero of my life story -- Drew Commins! It was quite a challenge to record both of our parts and then edit it to make it sound seamless. We also gained greater appreciation for each others' usual roles.
Inadvertent Disclosure by Melissa F. Miller (Book 2 in the Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller series)
In this book, tiny but fierce lawyer Sasha McCandless finds a town divided by the practice of hydrofracking. The town's only judge is killed just as he is about to decide a major issue about the mineral leases. Sasha races to find the murderer and save the town before it's too late.
Subsequent books in each of these 3 series are on tap for the coming months. I'm currently finishing Lowcountry Bribe by C. Hope Clark. This mystery thriller is set in South Carolina, and the protagonist works for the US Department of Agriculture. It should be released in early November.
In addition to the narration, I did the complete production of each of these books in my stunning soundproof studio . I am so fortunate that Drew directs me on my audiobooks. He is exceedingly good at catching mis-reads, and he also offers guidance about saying lines with different emotion or inflection.
Drop Dead Divas by Virginia Brown (Book 2 in the Dixie Divas mystery series)
No sooner has Bitty Hollandale been cleared of the murder of her ex-husband than townspeople suspect she may have killed his lover, town bad girl Naomi Spencer. In addition, Naomi's fiancé Race Champion is also found dead. Talk about a fly in the martini!
Dixie Diva Blues by Virginia Brown (Book 3 in the Dixie Divas mystery series)
Trinket Truevine and her cousin Bitty Hollandale are once again up to their eyebrows in murder and mayhem. This time, the husband of one of the Divas has been arrested for murder. The Divas will stop at nothing to clear him...but what happens at a Divas meeting stays at a Divas meeting!
Irreparable Harm by Melissa F. Miller (Book 1 in the Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller series)A smartphone app is capable of crashing a commercial jet. And it's for sale to the highest bidder. A plane slams into the side of a mountain, killing everyone aboard. But, as attorney Sasha McCandless digs into the case, she learns the crash was no accident. She joins forces with federal air marshal Leo Connelly, and they race to prevent another crash.
Hound Dog Blues by Virginia Brown (Book 1 in the Blue Suede Memphis series)
With a heroine named Harley Davidson, you know this cozy mystery will be fun! Harley sets out to find out who dognapped family dog King (named after Elvis, of course) and quickly finds herself in the midst of a band of jewel thieves!
I'm also excited about it because my co-narrator who did all of the male parts is also the hero of my life story -- Drew Commins! It was quite a challenge to record both of our parts and then edit it to make it sound seamless. We also gained greater appreciation for each others' usual roles.
Inadvertent Disclosure by Melissa F. Miller (Book 2 in the Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller series)
In this book, tiny but fierce lawyer Sasha McCandless finds a town divided by the practice of hydrofracking. The town's only judge is killed just as he is about to decide a major issue about the mineral leases. Sasha races to find the murderer and save the town before it's too late.
Subsequent books in each of these 3 series are on tap for the coming months. I'm currently finishing Lowcountry Bribe by C. Hope Clark. This mystery thriller is set in South Carolina, and the protagonist works for the US Department of Agriculture. It should be released in early November.
September 25, 2012
4 Ways to Find Happiness When You Hate Your Job
Does this paragraph sound like you:
Or what about these comments:
I worked 13 hours today....I have been exhausted all day and found it very difficult to concentrate at work.... I felt frustrated, overwhelmed, and burned out a good bit of today.... Just thinking about work makes me feel sick to my stomach.
I know what it's like to feel all of those things because I lifted these sentences from my first serious journal, which I kept between March 1993 and December 1994. (I say it's a serious journal only to distinguish it from diaries with the little lock that I wrote in as a child. I wish I'd kept those and written journals throughout my life, but that's another story.)
I started the journal after a meeting with a counselor from the Employee Assistance Program at my job with the IRS. I wrote:
If you see yourself in my mirror, there's hope!
This way to happiness!
I think many people want to leave their current jobs and pursue a voice-over career because they perceive voice-over to be a fast and easy way to make money. I've already covered the fallacy in this thinking in many other articles.
However, I found 4 quick lessons in my 1993 journal that may help you find happiness when you hate your job:
LESSON 1: Most people immediately think they would be happy if they could change jobs or possibly even start a new career. Before you make an irrevocable and life-changing decision, read the article Every passion does not lead to a career choice. You need to figure out what is missing on your job and in your life, as well as ways to get it in your life.
If you do decide that a career change is necessary, accept that becoming a professional in ANY category requires time and money to gain the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary for that line of work. Malcolm Gladstone asserts that 10,000 hours - or approximately 5 years of 40-hour weeks - of dedicated practice is needed for anyone to reach the elite level of his or her field.
Of course, you can become an expert in your field with less than 10,000 hours of practice. I can't say precisely how long it would take. I do know that success requires more effort than a weekend workshop.
Based on my experience in switching careers, I advise people to start their new career slowly and in a part-time capacity while still employed in the first career. It takes the pressure off you as you gain the skills to be successful in the new career. You can funnel money made in the first career into classes needed for the second. Through it all, you will feel happier knowing that you are taking active steps to live the life you envision.
***************
LESSON 2: Even voiceover -- a career based on something as seemingly simple as talking -- is not as easy as it looks! One way to gain valuable knowledge and experience is to volunteer for an organization.
My husband Drew is not the first person to parlay his volunteer gig into a paid position. You can read his inspiring story in the article 10 Law of Attraction principles in creating a job shift .
***************
LESSON 3: Your career is only one aspect of your life. Find a new hobby that brings you joy. That joy will overflow into every other aspect of your life, including the job. If it's an expensive hobby (like traveling to see 51 Barry Manilow concerts in 20 cities!), you'll feel greater appreciation and gratitude for the job that funds the hobby.
***************
LESSON 4: This lesson may seem like the same thing as #2, but it's not. Item #2 was to volunteer for organization to gain experience you need. Item #4 is to take the focus off yourself and your problems, and instead, help someone else solve their problem.
I've read that one way to achieve your dreams is to help someone else achieve their dream. You can help someone by volunteering for an organization or just in a one-on-one capacity where you see a need. Helping someone else helps make the world a better place for all of us.
Your career is a series of decisions and an evolutionary process. Your job may add to your happiness, but it's isn't the source of your happiness. You can CHOOSE to be happy every day, even at a job that doesn't fulfill you.
In an upcoming article, I'll share some lessons I've learned about dealing with criticism. In the meantime, do you have tips about staying happy? I'd love to get your comments on the blog!
I've had tremendous anxiety and stress on my job for over a year. Actually, I've been stressed out for much longer. Lately, I feel like I'm "on the edge"; I'm about to go crazy.
Or what about these comments:
I worked 13 hours today....I have been exhausted all day and found it very difficult to concentrate at work.... I felt frustrated, overwhelmed, and burned out a good bit of today.... Just thinking about work makes me feel sick to my stomach.
I know what it's like to feel all of those things because I lifted these sentences from my first serious journal, which I kept between March 1993 and December 1994. (I say it's a serious journal only to distinguish it from diaries with the little lock that I wrote in as a child. I wish I'd kept those and written journals throughout my life, but that's another story.)
I started the journal after a meeting with a counselor from the Employee Assistance Program at my job with the IRS. I wrote:
I want to think about things that make me happy rather than dwell on those things that make me feel anxious, worried, depressed, etc.
I told the counselor, "I think this job is killing me."
The counselor replied, "If you think that, it probably really is."
The counselor said my relationship with my job/employer is unhealthy and destructive since I have been suffering from headaches, digestive problems, and an inability to get to sleep at night.
The counselor's immediate answer to my problem is to find another job. I think I'll try harder to do that very thing.
If you see yourself in my mirror, there's hope!
This way to happiness!I think many people want to leave their current jobs and pursue a voice-over career because they perceive voice-over to be a fast and easy way to make money. I've already covered the fallacy in this thinking in many other articles.
However, I found 4 quick lessons in my 1993 journal that may help you find happiness when you hate your job:
4/21/93 -- [A fellow computer network administrator] and I had a discussion while in Nashville that we have lost professionalism in the eyes of others. The proliferation of PCs has caused other people to think that our profession doesn't require special skills. [My boss's] refusal to fund my classes only emphasizes that point to me.
LESSON 1: Most people immediately think they would be happy if they could change jobs or possibly even start a new career. Before you make an irrevocable and life-changing decision, read the article Every passion does not lead to a career choice. You need to figure out what is missing on your job and in your life, as well as ways to get it in your life.
If you do decide that a career change is necessary, accept that becoming a professional in ANY category requires time and money to gain the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary for that line of work. Malcolm Gladstone asserts that 10,000 hours - or approximately 5 years of 40-hour weeks - of dedicated practice is needed for anyone to reach the elite level of his or her field.
Of course, you can become an expert in your field with less than 10,000 hours of practice. I can't say precisely how long it would take. I do know that success requires more effort than a weekend workshop.
Based on my experience in switching careers, I advise people to start their new career slowly and in a part-time capacity while still employed in the first career. It takes the pressure off you as you gain the skills to be successful in the new career. You can funnel money made in the first career into classes needed for the second. Through it all, you will feel happier knowing that you are taking active steps to live the life you envision.
***************
7/12/93 - I did my first training session as a reader for the GA Radio Reading Service. I auditioned several weeks ago. On 6/30, the Director of Volunteers told me I had passed the audition. She said only about 35% of the people pass the audition. Since it consisted of 100 difficult vocabulary words, 2 newspaper articles, and a dramatic piece, I can believe the majority of people wouldn't pass.
LESSON 2: Even voiceover -- a career based on something as seemingly simple as talking -- is not as easy as it looks! One way to gain valuable knowledge and experience is to volunteer for an organization.
My husband Drew is not the first person to parlay his volunteer gig into a paid position. You can read his inspiring story in the article 10 Law of Attraction principles in creating a job shift .
***************
7/30/93 - The best thing that happened all week was seeing Barry Manilow in concert tonight! He was on his "Greatest Hits...and More" tour. I had never seen him in concert...I was so excited at my first glimpse of Barry....The more Manilow I hear, the more Manilow I want to hear!
LESSON 3: Your career is only one aspect of your life. Find a new hobby that brings you joy. That joy will overflow into every other aspect of your life, including the job. If it's an expensive hobby (like traveling to see 51 Barry Manilow concerts in 20 cities!), you'll feel greater appreciation and gratitude for the job that funds the hobby.
***************
8/11/93 - I went to the [literacy] tutor workshop last night. They are matching students and tutors starting today. I'm anxious to get started with it.
LESSON 4: This lesson may seem like the same thing as #2, but it's not. Item #2 was to volunteer for organization to gain experience you need. Item #4 is to take the focus off yourself and your problems, and instead, help someone else solve their problem.
I've read that one way to achieve your dreams is to help someone else achieve their dream. You can help someone by volunteering for an organization or just in a one-on-one capacity where you see a need. Helping someone else helps make the world a better place for all of us.
Your career is a series of decisions and an evolutionary process. Your job may add to your happiness, but it's isn't the source of your happiness. You can CHOOSE to be happy every day, even at a job that doesn't fulfill you.
In an upcoming article, I'll share some lessons I've learned about dealing with criticism. In the meantime, do you have tips about staying happy? I'd love to get your comments on the blog!
June 29, 2012
Going Public for Audiobook Month and Some Pronunciation Info
June is Audiobook Month, and this is Audiobook Week!
To celebrate, a number of audiobook narrators are posting short recordings today in the Going Public project .
This audio project is the brainchild of narrator Xe Sands . Each Friday, new audio is offered for free download. Xe describes the project as pieces:
The project is also a brilliant way to further perfect and market our voices and our talents as audiobook narrators!
Today, I'm presenting the short story "Black Thursday". Author Melissa F. Miller graciously gave me permission to record her award-winning short story, which is the prequel to the suspense/thriller audiobook IRREPARABLE HARM .
In this story, first-year legal associate Sasha McCandless learns that her blessings come at a cost.
When performing audiobooks, one large part of the narrator's job is the preliminary preparation. You need to pre-read a fiction book to know how the story flows and find clues about each character that will help you make good choices about their voice.
You also need to look up pronunciations of words. Since this short story dealt with a law firm, I needed to find out how to pronounce some legal terms.
I usually start by Googling "word pronunciation", for example, "qui tam pronunciation". Usually, dictionaries pop up first in the results, and I may quickly find what I need.
In this example, I found an interesting document from the American Bar Association which explains that lawyers differ on the pronunciation of qui tam. This material was an exciting find since it allowed me to further develop the character in my mind and decide which way he would say the phrase based on the back story I imagined for him.
Narrators Judith West and Heather Henderson collected and created an exceptional resource of pronunciation dictionaries and research techniques that is a treasure trove for any audiobook narrator: AudioEloquence.com
If you have some free time, take a listen to the contributions in Going Public. Like researching pronunciations for your book, you'll never know what you'll find!
Photo: iStockPhoto/ContentWorks
To celebrate, a number of audiobook narrators are posting short recordings today in the Going Public project .
This audio project is the brainchild of narrator Xe Sands . Each Friday, new audio is offered for free download. Xe describes the project as pieces:
recorded purely for the joy of reading something that truly resonates with the narrator and then sharing that joy with others. Pieces are offered gratis on a weekly basis, without compensation of any sort either to the narrator or author.
The project is also a brilliant way to further perfect and market our voices and our talents as audiobook narrators!
Today, I'm presenting the short story "Black Thursday". Author Melissa F. Miller graciously gave me permission to record her award-winning short story, which is the prequel to the suspense/thriller audiobook IRREPARABLE HARM .
In this story, first-year legal associate Sasha McCandless learns that her blessings come at a cost.
When performing audiobooks, one large part of the narrator's job is the preliminary preparation. You need to pre-read a fiction book to know how the story flows and find clues about each character that will help you make good choices about their voice.
You also need to look up pronunciations of words. Since this short story dealt with a law firm, I needed to find out how to pronounce some legal terms.
I usually start by Googling "word pronunciation", for example, "qui tam pronunciation". Usually, dictionaries pop up first in the results, and I may quickly find what I need.
In this example, I found an interesting document from the American Bar Association which explains that lawyers differ on the pronunciation of qui tam. This material was an exciting find since it allowed me to further develop the character in my mind and decide which way he would say the phrase based on the back story I imagined for him.
Narrators Judith West and Heather Henderson collected and created an exceptional resource of pronunciation dictionaries and research techniques that is a treasure trove for any audiobook narrator: AudioEloquence.com
If you have some free time, take a listen to the contributions in Going Public. Like researching pronunciations for your book, you'll never know what you'll find!
Photo: iStockPhoto/ContentWorks
June 23, 2012
Power of "I AM" in Maintaining a Positive Attitude
A positive attitude is one thing that people always advise you to have when starting or pursuing a voice-over career. You probably even think you have one. I thought I did....until I realized just how pervasive our negative thoughts and words really are.
For instance, in one of the on-line voice-over forums, we were discussing an audio recording technique. Someone made a comment like "I could kick myself that I wasn't smart enough to figure it out for myself."
We think and say things like that all of the time without ever realizing the negative energy lurking in our words.
That particular example is a double negation of self. First, the "kick myself" part could cause you to feel actual pain in your body. Your ears are listening to every word that comes out of your mouth. Your brain is processing those words and may interpret them as commands.
Some very common phrases that people use without thinking can cause mental or physical pain, especially when repeated and said with emotion:
Someone is a pain in the neck or butt.I'd give my right arm for that.That thing is to die for.I am blown away by that.That person is driving me crazy.That situation is on my last nerve.I love that person to death.
The "I wasn't smart enough" part of the forum comment is the part I really want to discuss today. Saying "I wasn't smart enough" re-inforces a negative belief system. If the person thinks they weren't smart enough for one thing, maybe they start thinking they aren't smart enough for other things as well.
When I'm around people who put forth such comments, I offer them a different perspective. I urge them to think and speak kindly of themselves. Rather than saying "I wasn't not smart enough", the person in the example could instead think something like "I had a good workflow but am happy to learn an easier way to do it."
Vigilance is necessary when monitoring your thoughts. We can't help that first, unbidden, unwelcome thought. Two steps are necessary to maintain a positive attitude after having it:
Think a different, better-feeling thought as your next thought. This is your life, and your thoughts and words are your script. As Joel Osteen advises, don't use your words to describe the situation. Use your words to change the situation.
Lately, I started to question whether I have lost my ambition or motivation. This negative thought only came to me when I looked at this blog and realized that I have not written a post of substance in 3 months.
It was bad enough to think it, let alone say it. When I heard myself say these things about myself, I felt bad. I felt discouraged. That's what these insidious negative thoughts do -- they make us feel bad and may paralyze us from reaching our destiny!
The bad thoughts and feelings multiplied even though all other evidence about my ambition and motivation told me both were in overflowing abundance:
I've been super busy recording and producing audiobooks this year and enjoying every minute. I've been creating a new web site to promote my audiobook work.I have a new agent. I attended the Audio Publisher Association Conference in New York.I continuously add ideas to my Evernote notebooks for blog topics, selections I could read for the Going Public project, artwork to accompany both types of creations, and more.
If I had repeatedly said "I am not motivated" or "I lack ambition", those statements -- like all words we speak -- would have become a self-fulfilling prophecy!
I've been writing this blog for 6 years and previously had missed only 2 months (August 2009 and November 2011) when I didn't have at least one new post. Those missed months followed major life changes for me -- the loss of my mother in 2009 and an early retirement from the day job last year.
When I really thought about my motivation and ambition, I realized I have not lost either. Instead, I've gained new freedoms I previously had only imagined.
I'm still adjusting to being a full-time voice actor and audiobook narrator. My new role means that I can go to breakfast, shopping, or to a movie with Drew any day of the week. I can take a nap any time I want. With another big change in my life, it's natural that other changes would occur, like writing less frequently on this blog.
This picture recently was shared on Facebook and nicely sums up this post:
The key is to keep reminding yourself of all the positive things you are. I have been writing a growing list of "I AM" statements, like I am talented, I am creative, and I am blessed. I pull out the list when I feel negativity creeping into my thoughts.
As you might have guessed, the last 2 statements that I added to my list are:
I am ambitious.
I am motivated.
If you'll start keeping a list of "I AM" statements and repeating them to yourself, you'll find that you'll have more than a positive attitude. You'll have a positive MINDSET!
For instance, in one of the on-line voice-over forums, we were discussing an audio recording technique. Someone made a comment like "I could kick myself that I wasn't smart enough to figure it out for myself."
We think and say things like that all of the time without ever realizing the negative energy lurking in our words.
That particular example is a double negation of self. First, the "kick myself" part could cause you to feel actual pain in your body. Your ears are listening to every word that comes out of your mouth. Your brain is processing those words and may interpret them as commands.
Some very common phrases that people use without thinking can cause mental or physical pain, especially when repeated and said with emotion:
Someone is a pain in the neck or butt.I'd give my right arm for that.That thing is to die for.I am blown away by that.That person is driving me crazy.That situation is on my last nerve.I love that person to death.
The "I wasn't smart enough" part of the forum comment is the part I really want to discuss today. Saying "I wasn't smart enough" re-inforces a negative belief system. If the person thinks they weren't smart enough for one thing, maybe they start thinking they aren't smart enough for other things as well.
When I'm around people who put forth such comments, I offer them a different perspective. I urge them to think and speak kindly of themselves. Rather than saying "I wasn't not smart enough", the person in the example could instead think something like "I had a good workflow but am happy to learn an easier way to do it."
Vigilance is necessary when monitoring your thoughts. We can't help that first, unbidden, unwelcome thought. Two steps are necessary to maintain a positive attitude after having it:
Don't say it! Saying the thought gives it a life out in the Universe. What you put out in the world comes back to you, probably in ways you didn't expect.
Think a different, better-feeling thought as your next thought. This is your life, and your thoughts and words are your script. As Joel Osteen advises, don't use your words to describe the situation. Use your words to change the situation.
Lately, I started to question whether I have lost my ambition or motivation. This negative thought only came to me when I looked at this blog and realized that I have not written a post of substance in 3 months.
It was bad enough to think it, let alone say it. When I heard myself say these things about myself, I felt bad. I felt discouraged. That's what these insidious negative thoughts do -- they make us feel bad and may paralyze us from reaching our destiny!
The bad thoughts and feelings multiplied even though all other evidence about my ambition and motivation told me both were in overflowing abundance:
I've been super busy recording and producing audiobooks this year and enjoying every minute. I've been creating a new web site to promote my audiobook work.I have a new agent. I attended the Audio Publisher Association Conference in New York.I continuously add ideas to my Evernote notebooks for blog topics, selections I could read for the Going Public project, artwork to accompany both types of creations, and more.
If I had repeatedly said "I am not motivated" or "I lack ambition", those statements -- like all words we speak -- would have become a self-fulfilling prophecy!
I've been writing this blog for 6 years and previously had missed only 2 months (August 2009 and November 2011) when I didn't have at least one new post. Those missed months followed major life changes for me -- the loss of my mother in 2009 and an early retirement from the day job last year.
When I really thought about my motivation and ambition, I realized I have not lost either. Instead, I've gained new freedoms I previously had only imagined.
I'm still adjusting to being a full-time voice actor and audiobook narrator. My new role means that I can go to breakfast, shopping, or to a movie with Drew any day of the week. I can take a nap any time I want. With another big change in my life, it's natural that other changes would occur, like writing less frequently on this blog.
This picture recently was shared on Facebook and nicely sums up this post:
The key is to keep reminding yourself of all the positive things you are. I have been writing a growing list of "I AM" statements, like I am talented, I am creative, and I am blessed. I pull out the list when I feel negativity creeping into my thoughts.
As you might have guessed, the last 2 statements that I added to my list are:
I am ambitious.
I am motivated.
If you'll start keeping a list of "I AM" statements and repeating them to yourself, you'll find that you'll have more than a positive attitude. You'll have a positive MINDSET!
May 31, 2012
Where does the time go?
As the excellent voice-over talent says in this Staples commercial, "in a small business, it's all you."
I laugh each time I see this ad because I relate a lot to Dave these days!
The past 2 months have been wonderfully busy. I've done full production on 3 audiobooks; the finished time of each ranged from 9.5 hours to almost 13 hours. I also worked with my web designer in creating a new audiobooks site to showcase my work in this area.
With all of these big projects, I haven't had much time to write articles here on the blog.
I am developing several ideas and expect to post a new article in the next week or so.
Thanks for your patience during my absence. I'd love to hear from you about your projects, so please leave a comment on the blog!
I laugh each time I see this ad because I relate a lot to Dave these days!
The past 2 months have been wonderfully busy. I've done full production on 3 audiobooks; the finished time of each ranged from 9.5 hours to almost 13 hours. I also worked with my web designer in creating a new audiobooks site to showcase my work in this area.
With all of these big projects, I haven't had much time to write articles here on the blog.
I am developing several ideas and expect to post a new article in the next week or so.
Thanks for your patience during my absence. I'd love to hear from you about your projects, so please leave a comment on the blog!
March 27, 2012
Recent audiobooks
The new year has started off with a burst of audiobook work! I'm excited to report that 2 books I narrated are now available for digital download on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.
It's Never Too Late To Be What You Might Have Been
This audiobook is actually the perfect title for this exciting, new phase in my life.
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN
by the wonderful storyteller B.J. Gallagher is full of inspiring interviews with people aged 40 and higher who have made dramatic changes in their lives in order to make their dreams come true.
Not only are the stories interesting and inspirational, but each chapter ends with some specific tips for making similar changes in your own life.
Recording this particular book was a gift to me because I benefitted from reading the chapters on wealth and fitness. Chellie Campbell was profiled in the chapter on attaining wealth. Thanks to her list of 50 abundance affirmations , my new mantra is "People just love to give me money!" Since I've started saying it, it seems to be coming true! :)
It's never too late to have the dream career, attain wealth, fall in love, be healthy, and more! This audiobook may be just the right thing to help you start living the life you were meant to lead!
Dixie Divas
What could be more fun and intriguing than a murder mystery that starts with a bowl of chicken and dumplings?
Award-winning and prolific novelist Virginia Brown has cooked up a delicious tale about a close-knit group of Southern women who call themselves the Dixie Divas . The Divas gather for chocolate, conversation, and carrying a dead body around town. If you want to know what else happens at a Divas meeting, you'll just have to hear the book!
I loved the characters and vivid descriptions of their charming Mississippi town. My director and I had to stop recording several times because we cracked up over the dialogue! This audiobook is the perfect companion for your spring break or summer trips when you want to entertained while relaxing by the pool or ocean. At almost 13 hours, it's a terrific audiobook to enjoy on long car trips or while doing housework or walking the dog.
After only 2 weeks for sale, this audiobook is currently the #1 bestseller on Audible in the Chick Lit category! I'm also thrilled and honored that the publisher has asked me to narrate the 2nd and 3rd books in the series. Those titles should be available in early summer.
Speaking of which, it's time to head back into the studio -- the Divas await!
It's Never Too Late To Be What You Might Have Been
This audiobook is actually the perfect title for this exciting, new phase in my life.
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN
by the wonderful storyteller B.J. Gallagher is full of inspiring interviews with people aged 40 and higher who have made dramatic changes in their lives in order to make their dreams come true.Not only are the stories interesting and inspirational, but each chapter ends with some specific tips for making similar changes in your own life.
Recording this particular book was a gift to me because I benefitted from reading the chapters on wealth and fitness. Chellie Campbell was profiled in the chapter on attaining wealth. Thanks to her list of 50 abundance affirmations , my new mantra is "People just love to give me money!" Since I've started saying it, it seems to be coming true! :)
It's never too late to have the dream career, attain wealth, fall in love, be healthy, and more! This audiobook may be just the right thing to help you start living the life you were meant to lead!
Dixie Divas
What could be more fun and intriguing than a murder mystery that starts with a bowl of chicken and dumplings?Award-winning and prolific novelist Virginia Brown has cooked up a delicious tale about a close-knit group of Southern women who call themselves the Dixie Divas . The Divas gather for chocolate, conversation, and carrying a dead body around town. If you want to know what else happens at a Divas meeting, you'll just have to hear the book!
I loved the characters and vivid descriptions of their charming Mississippi town. My director and I had to stop recording several times because we cracked up over the dialogue! This audiobook is the perfect companion for your spring break or summer trips when you want to entertained while relaxing by the pool or ocean. At almost 13 hours, it's a terrific audiobook to enjoy on long car trips or while doing housework or walking the dog.
After only 2 weeks for sale, this audiobook is currently the #1 bestseller on Audible in the Chick Lit category! I'm also thrilled and honored that the publisher has asked me to narrate the 2nd and 3rd books in the series. Those titles should be available in early summer.
Speaking of which, it's time to head back into the studio -- the Divas await!
March 11, 2012
What's holding you back?
This post will be short, but it contains one of the powerful lessons I've learned. It has taken me a long time to realize that my 2 biggest obstacles were mental and of my own doing:
frustration about what I thought I hadn't achieved and my perceived lack of time to achieve itcomparisons to others and jealousy about their success (frustration's wicked twin sibling).
The day job wasn't the obstacle
For years, I blamed my day job for holding me back from achieving the success I wanted in voice-over. Sure, it was difficult to work 2 jobs for 12 years:
It was physically demanding to work a full day and then come home and do marketing, recording, and editing on evenings and weekends to further my voiceover career.
The job itself was mentally draining because I worked for 25 years as an IT specialist who was responsible for the end user hardware and software, computer networks, and email systems. I had a problem-solving job that required constant communication with the customers. This job also occasionally caused me to work late or on weekends, disrupting any other plan.
I wrote on my blog about my feelings of being a secret agent in both the day job and voiceover camps. Note my comment on that post about:
Be aware of the Law of Paradoxical Intent
The frustration and comparisons/jealousy are self-defeating attitudes that cause you to feel desperate and set up the Law of Paradoxical Intent in your life. If you only read one of the links I'm providing here, make it this one. It explains how the more desperate you become about achieving your goal, the more you push it away.
I've written several times about the negative effects of comparing yourself to others and ways to stop the insanity:
Voice-Over Secrets from Adam, Bob, and BobThink/Write/Speak what you WANT into BEING!Has the competition got you down?
It's all too easy to make comparisons to other people and then measure your success only on the income you generated in voiceover or the biggest name client that you have. The comparisons only keep you focused on a perceived lack . As Eckhart Tolle beautifully explains in the passage I excerpted in this post , since what you think about expands, focusing on what you think you lack will only ensure that MORE lack will come into your life!
Someone recently left a comment on my blog about their own frustration. My comment back to them is sort of the blueprint I've learned and followed to overcome the frustration and accept my life .
ACCEPTANCE is the key
Acceptance of your life is the key to being in the flow and receiving the good that is yours!
It was only after I accepted my life as it was -- complete with the day job -- in the last several years that things really started to move quickly for me. Part of that acceptance meant that I made conscious and continuous effort to be grateful for all of the many blessings that I received as a result of my day job.
I got a clear sign from the Universe about making the leap to full-time voiceover. I didn't have to force anything to happen. I've found that if I'm forcing the solution, the outcome is not the best that I could have. You have to know that the Universe is always orchestrating the right action in your life.
I can't say that I'm always perfect in maintaining the right attitude. However, my lapses to the dark side are more infrequent and last a much shorter amount of time when they do occur.
What's holding you back? I'd love to get your comments about these thoughts!
frustration about what I thought I hadn't achieved and my perceived lack of time to achieve itcomparisons to others and jealousy about their success (frustration's wicked twin sibling).
The day job wasn't the obstacle
For years, I blamed my day job for holding me back from achieving the success I wanted in voice-over. Sure, it was difficult to work 2 jobs for 12 years:
It was physically demanding to work a full day and then come home and do marketing, recording, and editing on evenings and weekends to further my voiceover career.
The job itself was mentally draining because I worked for 25 years as an IT specialist who was responsible for the end user hardware and software, computer networks, and email systems. I had a problem-solving job that required constant communication with the customers. This job also occasionally caused me to work late or on weekends, disrupting any other plan.
I wrote on my blog about my feelings of being a secret agent in both the day job and voiceover camps. Note my comment on that post about:
A) how to manage voiceover clients while working full-time, andYou may be amused at a journal entry about frustration that I included in this blog post. What I didn't say in that post was that I was frustrated because I had the full-time job and felt the time spent there could be better and more enjoyably spent on voiceover marketing and gigs.
B) not letting fear and a scarcity mentality cause you to make bad decisions.
Be aware of the Law of Paradoxical Intent
The frustration and comparisons/jealousy are self-defeating attitudes that cause you to feel desperate and set up the Law of Paradoxical Intent in your life. If you only read one of the links I'm providing here, make it this one. It explains how the more desperate you become about achieving your goal, the more you push it away.
I've written several times about the negative effects of comparing yourself to others and ways to stop the insanity:
Voice-Over Secrets from Adam, Bob, and BobThink/Write/Speak what you WANT into BEING!Has the competition got you down?
It's all too easy to make comparisons to other people and then measure your success only on the income you generated in voiceover or the biggest name client that you have. The comparisons only keep you focused on a perceived lack . As Eckhart Tolle beautifully explains in the passage I excerpted in this post , since what you think about expands, focusing on what you think you lack will only ensure that MORE lack will come into your life!
Someone recently left a comment on my blog about their own frustration. My comment back to them is sort of the blueprint I've learned and followed to overcome the frustration and accept my life .
ACCEPTANCE is the key
Acceptance of your life is the key to being in the flow and receiving the good that is yours!
It was only after I accepted my life as it was -- complete with the day job -- in the last several years that things really started to move quickly for me. Part of that acceptance meant that I made conscious and continuous effort to be grateful for all of the many blessings that I received as a result of my day job.
I got a clear sign from the Universe about making the leap to full-time voiceover. I didn't have to force anything to happen. I've found that if I'm forcing the solution, the outcome is not the best that I could have. You have to know that the Universe is always orchestrating the right action in your life.
I can't say that I'm always perfect in maintaining the right attitude. However, my lapses to the dark side are more infrequent and last a much shorter amount of time when they do occur.
What's holding you back? I'd love to get your comments about these thoughts!
February 22, 2012
Are you looking for a mentor in voiceover?
Just about every week, I receive email from someone who is interested in starting a career in voiceover. Lately, I've noticed that more and more people are writing to me and asking for a mentor to help them get started.
While it's certainly a flattering request, whenever the word mentor is mentioned in an introductory email, I am flooded with a torrent of not-so-kind thoughts:
It's all about their wants and not at all about me. They haven't read the advice page on my web site. or a single one of my blog articles (2 good places to start would be So you want to get into voiceovers? and Thinking about starting a voiceover career? ).I'm not sure why they think I am the right person to help them.I don't know why they think I should want to help them. The person has no clue about what is involved in working as a voice talent.They want me to tell them everything I know about working in voiceover as quickly as possible.They expect me to invest my time in furthering their career, with my only form of compensation being my joy in helping them succeed.They want me to introduce or refer them to my contacts and launch their successful career, similar to how a debutante is presented to society.They want validation that they are doing the right thing, and all their dreams really will come true.
In short, the word mentor is so loaded with connotations that it makes me want to run in the opposite direction!
Of course, everybody needs help sometimes. It feels good to be able to help someone along the way and make a difference in their lives. I also know first-hand how fantastic it feels to receive key advice from someone whom you admire and respect. However, people are approaching the mentor question way too soon and in the wrong way.
After doing some research, here are 3 things to know about finding a mentor:
1) You first must assess the kind of help that you need.
In his excellent article for the Huffington Post , Steve Blank points out this important distinction between teachers, coaches, and mentors:
If you want to learn a specific subject, find a teacher. If you want to hone specific skills or reach an exact goal, hire a coach. If you want to get smarter and better over your career, find someone who cares about you enough to be a mentor [my emphasis].
When newcomers write to me saying they are looking for a mentor , they really should be looking for a teacher .
My friend Bob Souer is one person in the voiceover world who is universally admired and respected. He is an exceptional voice talent who is unfailingly kind and generous to each person he meets. Since I knew he occasionally has chosen to mentor some people, I asked him how and why he decided to become a mentor. He quickly responded and graciously gave me permission to quote him here. His comments illustrate Blank's 3rd point:
Blank states that "a mentor relationship is a two-way street. To make it work, you have to bring something to the party... [be] "prepared to give as good as you get."
2) You must identify your weaknesses and then research potential mentors in order to determine the person who is best able to provide the help you seek.
Steven K. Scott includes a terrific chapter about recruiting mentors in his book Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams: The 15 Power Secrets of the World's Most Successful People . He gives a detailed, 10-step strategy for identifying and recruiting mentors. The strategy requires that you thoroughly research the potential mentors and be able to pinpoint qualities that you admire. When you approach the person, you will want to be able to explain how you would like to make their admired qualities a part of your life.
Yes, finding a good mentor in the traditional sense can be a very time-consuming proposition. However, you can be mentored by many people in a more passive sense. Often, a voiceover teacher or coach may provide informal and occasional mentoring by listening to a demo or answering questions.
3) You don't have to meet or have a conversation with your mentor(s) in order to learn from them.
This thought may surprise you at first. Scott illustrated this point in a story about a woman who wanted to improve her marriage. She identified family counselor and best-selling author Gary Smalley at the top of her list of perfect mentors:
We live in the Information Age. No matter what your interest, at least one on-line forum exists to discuss it. Voice talent can join a plethora of on-line communities dedicated to voice-over, segments of voice work like audiobook narration or character acting, audio engineering, etc. These forums are populated with people having all levels of experience and are great places to sit at the virtual feet of masters.
If sitting at their virtual feet is good, listening to them is even better. Whatever category of voiceover work (audiobooks, video games, cartoons, telephony, documentary, etc.) mosts interests you, you need to be a listener of that category.
In her excellent article The Company You Keep , Barbara Winter points out that you should "study those who have done what you want to do" in order to meet with the greatest success. I had an epiphany when reading her wise words and wrote in my journal:
Since that day in May 2011, I have listened to audiobooks while I walk my dog or swim. I have heard 14 audiobooks and substantial parts of several more. Not only have I been studying and learning from the technical aspects of each narrator and production, but the avid reader in me is thrilled to be even more immersed in books!
Whether you're new to voiceover or have been in the industry for years, I hope these 3 tips will help you find the people who can help you move toward your destiny! I'd love to get your thoughts about the mentors you have had, so please leave a comment on the blog.
Photo: iStockPhoto/Shane O'Brien
While it's certainly a flattering request, whenever the word mentor is mentioned in an introductory email, I am flooded with a torrent of not-so-kind thoughts:
It's all about their wants and not at all about me. They haven't read the advice page on my web site. or a single one of my blog articles (2 good places to start would be So you want to get into voiceovers? and Thinking about starting a voiceover career? ).I'm not sure why they think I am the right person to help them.I don't know why they think I should want to help them. The person has no clue about what is involved in working as a voice talent.They want me to tell them everything I know about working in voiceover as quickly as possible.They expect me to invest my time in furthering their career, with my only form of compensation being my joy in helping them succeed.They want me to introduce or refer them to my contacts and launch their successful career, similar to how a debutante is presented to society.They want validation that they are doing the right thing, and all their dreams really will come true.
In short, the word mentor is so loaded with connotations that it makes me want to run in the opposite direction!
Of course, everybody needs help sometimes. It feels good to be able to help someone along the way and make a difference in their lives. I also know first-hand how fantastic it feels to receive key advice from someone whom you admire and respect. However, people are approaching the mentor question way too soon and in the wrong way.
After doing some research, here are 3 things to know about finding a mentor:
1) You first must assess the kind of help that you need.
In his excellent article for the Huffington Post , Steve Blank points out this important distinction between teachers, coaches, and mentors:
If you want to learn a specific subject, find a teacher. If you want to hone specific skills or reach an exact goal, hire a coach. If you want to get smarter and better over your career, find someone who cares about you enough to be a mentor [my emphasis].
When newcomers write to me saying they are looking for a mentor , they really should be looking for a teacher .
My friend Bob Souer is one person in the voiceover world who is universally admired and respected. He is an exceptional voice talent who is unfailingly kind and generous to each person he meets. Since I knew he occasionally has chosen to mentor some people, I asked him how and why he decided to become a mentor. He quickly responded and graciously gave me permission to quote him here. His comments illustrate Blank's 3rd point:
The people I've chosen to mentor have each had their own story.
Some have been people with whom I had an established friendship, then (when I saw them struggling and thought I might be able to help) I've offered that help. For a few others, they've approached me with a specific question and after answering that question and after some further conversation, I've chosen to continue the relationship in a mentoring capacity for a season.
Maybe the best way to describe the process for me is that right about the time someone reaches the point that they don't need my help as much, someone else will come along who does. I have no formally established pattern and don't plan to make one.
In the 25+ years that I've been doing voiceovers professionally, I've been offered help more times than I can count. I feel a strong sense of obligation to provide help to others I encounter along the way, who need it.
However, it does very little good to approach me and ask me to be a mentor because I turn down most of the people who ask.
Blank states that "a mentor relationship is a two-way street. To make it work, you have to bring something to the party... [be] "prepared to give as good as you get."
2) You must identify your weaknesses and then research potential mentors in order to determine the person who is best able to provide the help you seek.
Steven K. Scott includes a terrific chapter about recruiting mentors in his book Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams: The 15 Power Secrets of the World's Most Successful People . He gives a detailed, 10-step strategy for identifying and recruiting mentors. The strategy requires that you thoroughly research the potential mentors and be able to pinpoint qualities that you admire. When you approach the person, you will want to be able to explain how you would like to make their admired qualities a part of your life.
Yes, finding a good mentor in the traditional sense can be a very time-consuming proposition. However, you can be mentored by many people in a more passive sense. Often, a voiceover teacher or coach may provide informal and occasional mentoring by listening to a demo or answering questions.
3) You don't have to meet or have a conversation with your mentor(s) in order to learn from them.
This thought may surprise you at first. Scott illustrated this point in a story about a woman who wanted to improve her marriage. She identified family counselor and best-selling author Gary Smalley at the top of her list of perfect mentors:
She recruited him by reading his books and viewing his tapes...Reading Gary's books and viewing his tapes was in some ways even better than meeting with him because she could do them at her own pace, taking as much time as she wanted.
We live in the Information Age. No matter what your interest, at least one on-line forum exists to discuss it. Voice talent can join a plethora of on-line communities dedicated to voice-over, segments of voice work like audiobook narration or character acting, audio engineering, etc. These forums are populated with people having all levels of experience and are great places to sit at the virtual feet of masters.
If sitting at their virtual feet is good, listening to them is even better. Whatever category of voiceover work (audiobooks, video games, cartoons, telephony, documentary, etc.) mosts interests you, you need to be a listener of that category.
In her excellent article The Company You Keep , Barbara Winter points out that you should "study those who have done what you want to do" in order to meet with the greatest success. I had an epiphany when reading her wise words and wrote in my journal:
With that in mind, I realize I need and want to be an active audiobook listener. I think the last one I heard was in Hawaii last year. [I immediately downloaded a book from the library and] will be listening to the phrasing and pauses as much or more than the accent.
I will listen to an audiobook every day...It's another good way to prepare for the audiobook success and constant work that is coming to me.
Since that day in May 2011, I have listened to audiobooks while I walk my dog or swim. I have heard 14 audiobooks and substantial parts of several more. Not only have I been studying and learning from the technical aspects of each narrator and production, but the avid reader in me is thrilled to be even more immersed in books!
Whether you're new to voiceover or have been in the industry for years, I hope these 3 tips will help you find the people who can help you move toward your destiny! I'd love to get your thoughts about the mentors you have had, so please leave a comment on the blog.
Photo: iStockPhoto/Shane O'Brien
