After much use, even the sharpest knives get dull. Paul Strikwerda
Can a voice-over pro ever take time off?
Do you have to be available 24/7?
Is it okay to shut down your business for a few weeks of Rest and Relaxation?
Will your Facebook fans unfriend you?
Will your Twitter followers desert you?
Will your voice-overworked agent ever talk to you again?
Let me answer these questions with a question:
What won’t happen if you don’t do it?
BALANCING ACT
I am a big believer in a balanced lifestyle. As a European living in the States (the number 1 “no vacation nation”), I see a lot of people around me who are absolutely addicted to their jobs. Modern technology has made it easier than ever to stay connected and become a burned-out, boss-pleasing slave laborer.
Have we forgotten our history?
On January 31st, 1865, The U.S. House of Representatives passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery in the United States. It read:
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude… shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
I guess the keyword is involuntary servitude.
We are free people, living in a free country who have earned the right to free themselves of any free time. Instead, we have chosen “voluntary servitude.”
Now, that’s what I call progress in a society built upon the principles of “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!”
But let’s put the cynicism and sarcasm aside for a moment. If you’re pursuing happiness as a full-time freelancer, you are in charge of your own destiny. You set your own hours. You determine your own rates. You’re the only one who can call it a day and shout from the roof tops:
Give me a break!
You’re self-employed. You embody your service. Literally. If you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will. If you don’t guard your boundaries carefully, good people with the best of intentions will step on them and leave you depleted.
TRAPPED & TIRED
A few weeks ago, I was asked to do a presentation in front of hundreds of people. Prior to that, there was a reception and -of course- you can’t have a reception without background music. It’s a known fact that most musicians aren’t capable of staying in the background. No matter the crowd, they have to be LOUD.
I knew that if I were to schmooze prior to my presentation, I would have no voice left, even though my vocal cords are well-trained.
As they say: “If you schmooze, you lose.”
Besides, the next day I was going to New York for a recording session and my voice had to be in top-shape in order to sell well.
So, I was left with a choice. Either slip something into the drinks of the band that would have them running to the restroom in a matter of minutes… or hide myself from the crowd until it was time to go on stage.
The first option was obviously more entertaining, but I ended up hiding in the basement. Unfortunately, an overzealous janitor came down, turned off the lights and kicked the door shut, leaving me trapped.
This is where cell phones can save the day. I called the organizer of the event:
“Hi, it’s Paul.”
“Paul, where are you? We’ve looked all over for you!”
“I am trapped in the basement. It is dark in here. Rats are nibbling on my feet. Please rescue me!”
That day, instead of being a voice-over, I became a voice-under.
I think you get my point.
In order to give your all, you sometimes have to get away from it all. But avoid being locked up.
GO AWAY
Now, in an ideal world you would just pack your bags and go where no one can reach you. But what to do when you’re waiting for that all-important callback or that once-in-a-lifetime chance to audition for something you can’t afford to refuse?
In that case, you need to take some gear on the road and improvise. Rather than spending a few hours going over all the options, I suggest you read Harlan Hogan and Jeffrey Fischer’s classic Voice Actor’s Guide to Recording at Home and on the Road. It’s jam-packed with practical information and I highly recommend it to anyone remotely interested in a voice-over career.
Here’s what I take along on my travels:
- a laptop
- a microphone
- a CEntrance MicPort Pro
- earplug-sized headphones
A MicPort Pro is a nifty mini audio interface/preamplifier that plugs directly into your microphone. On the other side there’s a USB cable that plugs into your computer. In other words: this device can turn any microphone into a USB mic. It has phantom power, a headphone jack and two knobs for setting the record level and the headphone volume.
So… after all that subtle product placement, let’s get back to the original question:
Can you take off for a period of time without ruining your career?
Here’s an experiment you should do at home:
Fill up your watering can to the brim and start watering your plants. Keep on watering and watering and watering… until there’s no more water left.
I don’t have to tell you that -in order for those plants to grow- you need to water them regularly. An empty watering can is useless. The moral of the story:
You can’t give what you don’t have.
Now, why is that so easy to understand when it comes to our plants, and why are we surprised that “We the People,” are so stressed, so drained and left without an ounce of creativity?
Take my advice and get lost! Recharge your batteries. Discover that you have significant others in your life who’d love to get to know you. It can’t be all work and no play… Your job is just a means to an end.
TAKING TIME OFF
Be sure to let your voice casting sites and agents know that you’ll be gone for a particular period of time. If you must, bring your gear, but promise yourself that you will only do what is absolutely essential. Otherwise, you’ll get sucked into obsessive email checking, incessant instant messaging and frantic Facebooking.
Only use your cell phone when you’re stuck in a basement and someone’s thrown away the key.
When you come back from your well-deserved vacation, notice how refreshed, alert and full of energy you are.
People can see it in your face. They hear it in your voice.
Now you’re ready to wow the world again!
Paul Strikwerda ©nethervoice
Paul,
The way I see it, I’m on one big vacation. Most of my days have me spending some time in the hot tub, often going to long lunches with friends and lately, taking in a regular massage. Going on day trips around the Bay Area, hanging out at the dog park; all of this while I am extensively working.
And when I do leave home on vacation, I find some of the arts of the day that I enjoy most are auditioning for a few minutes in the morning or evening, or even recording some actual work. It’s rarely issue with my traveling companions.
It’s only work if you don’t love it.
Batteries are sufficiently charged. I’m doing a little educational gig and then hitting a local Vietnamese restaurant for a 2 hour lunch.
Pocket sized Vaio computer with 256 gig SSD drive, Micport pro, Oktava 219 or Sennheiser 416 microphones. Bose, folding travel earphones. Total weight 2.8 – 3.4 pounds, and most of that is the microphone. As we Americans say, “I’m good to go.”
Now that’s what I call “Living the Real Life,” even if it ends up being a staycation.
I’ve got to run now. My therapist promised to massage my ego for 30 minutes!
Excellent story filled with great advice. I’ll retweet it in the next few seconds. Thanks, Paul!
Aha… another Dutch import to North America! Leuk om van je te horen, Lode. Ik heb net je dagboek bekeken en ik zie dat je oudere immigranten opvangt. Geweldig! Ik wens je alle goeds toe in prachtig Canada. Stay in touch with Double Dutch!
Nicely said Paul. I’m heading over to Britain in a few weeks to hang with family..and hopefully connect with a few of our London VO friends. I’m taking the laptop, mic, mbox along….but telling clients that I am on vacation. “Emergency only” recording with no less than 24 hour turn around. I will make sure though that I know where available ISDN studio’s are…just in case.
Looking forward to hanging out at Faffcon!
Lucky you, Chuck! We must catch up in Harrisburg. I’ve taken up the first slot of the conference…
Hi Paul,
I leave for vacation for two weeks tomorrow, and I admit I feel worried every time. In fact my first 2 years on the job I never took a vacation.
This is this obsessive compulsive fear that if I miss something, I will not be doing my job.
Of course, the world goes on regardless, but I hate that feeling of coming back to find someone needed help immediately or wrote something I should see, and I could not reply in real time.
Perhaps, this is why I should go on vacation.
Great article!
Steven
There will always be something waiting in your in-box, Steven. Only people who feel they’re indispensable will be bitterly disappointed when coming back from a vacation.
You’ve worked hard and you deserve a break.
I promise I won’t email you!
As always Paul – great work! On the road gear is a must for being in voiceovers, and vacations quite necessary. If for nothing else, they give me the opportunity to listen to the local TV and Radio voices… oh wait – there i go working again…
Mel
You’re welcome, Mel. As an audio expert, what do you use when you’re recording on the road? I either take my first-generation Porta-Booth, or I use my car. It’s amazing how much noise my Outback blocks.
For those of you reading over my shoulders, check out Mel’s blog. It’s packed with practical information: http://www.youraudiopro.com/blog.html
Perfectly timed post, Paul!
I leave for my yearly 2 week vacation soon to head back home and visit the folks. I’ve got my portable studio ready and, as luck would have it, my parent’s walk-in closet is a perfect place to record. 😉
My biggest concern is the jobs right before leaving. As of right now, I’m waiting to hear back from a client about any changes or revisions that might be needed in a rather long narration. If the client takes too long to reply, then I’m worried that he’ll want changes right when I’m at a different location – and with a completely different room tone. Of course I let my client know that I’ll be traveling and the problems dealing with a different room tone, but I’m not sure if he understands it or not.
Thanks again, Paul!
-David
It sounds like you’ve done all you could to clue your client in. It’s unreasonable to expect us to be available at all times and not take a break. I could be out shopping one afternoon, and miss a great opportunity. Well, so be it. There will be many more to come. Sometimes I get the feeling: if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. There’s only so much we can control. Have a great vacation, David and come back safely!
I refuse to acquire portable kit. I have two kids and a wife, and I take two holidays a year. They deserve it as much as I do, and they deserve my undivided attention for that time. (I take calls, and I answer e-mail from my phone twice a day, but that’s all.) I still seem to be in business. Customers must understand that a holiday is a holiday, and that they are dealing with a one, or in our case two person business. That implies there will be gaps, for holidays, and for colds! We always give a couple of weeks’ notice that we’re going to be away, so that important stuff can be re-scheduled, but a break is a break.
I suggest two things – 1. The cemeteries are chock full of “indispensable” people, and 2. Take a holiday regularly – otherwise you could be taking a rather long one… and sooner than you’d like.
In The Netherlands where I was born, raised and educated, vacation/holiday time is sometimes seen as a type of preventative health care. People who take regular vacations are usually happier, healthier, more creative and more productive. As a child, I longed for those long summer vacations to Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Romania etcetera. My most precious childhood memories go back to these times.
My mother used to say: mentally, a person needs at least a week to forget about work and a week to get used to getting back to work. Everything in between is a real vacation.
35 years ago, there was no internet and nobody had cell phones. Yet, somehow we survived and when we came back, we felt rejuvenated, enriched and even closer as a family.
Here in the States, a country that prides itself on being “big on family values,” kids are sent to summer camp so mommy and daddy can continue to work. When the family does take the occasional day off, parents take their mobile office with them, and send text messages while in line to get soft serve for the kids. People might leave work, but work never leaves them. It’s unhealthy.
I just heard of a company close to where I live, where people accumulate a point each time they have to take an unplanned day off, e.g. to see a doctor or to go to an emergency parent-teacher meeting. Five points and you’re out the door.
The economic crisis has intensified an existing climate of uncertainty and fear. Friends tell me: “I hope my job is still there when I return from vacation. They’ve already taken away my pension. Please let me keep my job. As long as I have my job, I can keep my house.”
And yet, Phil… they call us “those crazy Europeans!”
Enjoy your time off and stay safe!
The other side of the coin in our business is that you can’t play around with the working hours. We commit, as far as humanly possible, to 9 til 5, Monday to Friday. We do a lot of radio sessions via ISDN, and if we’re not there, right then, they move onto the next suitable voice on the list. And if you’re unavailable one time too often, you’ll be off that producer’s list completely.
Another angle? Grabbing every last morsel of work makes you look desperate, and desperate isn’t attractive, either in love or in business! Paul, your mother is right…
:o)
I like being a crazy European – how about you? (And a wink and a smile to my friends in the US…)
My double nationality makes me have a split personality 🙂
I love what I do for a living, and most of the time it doesn’t even feel like I’m working. That’s when it becomes very tempting to go on and on and on.
Even our creator took one day a week off, so I think we’re entitled to some rest and relaxation.
Taking time off has always been an issue I wrestle with. This year I’m taking the kids and holing up at my parents’ house in Northern California for the entire month of August. Since most of my work comes in steadily on a regular basis, I have decided to cut back my hours to 3 days/week during that month so as to not leave my clients in a total black hole for a month. I always give everyone lots of advance notice when I leave. I’ll only make myself available Tues-Thurs and leave the other 4 days open so we can travel around.
I’m not sure how this will work, but I’m giving it a try. I feel very guilty about working while the kids are on summer vacation.
Hi Roxanne, be careful not to end up in a catch-22 situation: guilty if you do and guilty of you don’t. You’ve made the decision to enjoy a vacation your family truly deserves. Your kids will never be this age again, and you are giving them a gift they will always remember. Can you put a price on that? Besides, you’ve worked hard. It is time to reward yourself. Otherwise, what are you doing it for?
Excellent article and follow-up comments, Paul – thank you. This year I’m bringing the USB mic and rudimentary recording/editing software on vacation, but will do my best to postpone (or if I’m able, “pre-pone”) anything that isn’t absolutely essential or liable to cost me a client! We go to a very remote place (Cape Hatteras, NC, 32 miles into the Atlantic Ocean) to get away from everything, but sometimes, a bit of “everything” sneaks through and requires attention. Aside from that, there are only two major questions to answer each day: “Which beach?” and “Which restaurant?”
You’ll notice I haven’t said WHEN I’m going; experience has taught me that announcing a vacation in advance can be the kiss of death to any momentum one has created before it. However, I will announce when I’ve returned!
Thank you for un-announcing your vacation Paul. I guess we’re all uninvited to your beach house? 🙂
Isn’t it nice to have a place to unwind where life is so much simpler?
Enjoy it to the fullest… whenever it will be.
I am just back from a three week holiday in rural France. I enjoyed great food, good wine and excellent company in what was virtually an internet-free zone with no only local French radio, no television at all, poor cell-phone reception. I did take my portable kit (USB mic kit, headphones and laptop) and organised a mini studio in the cupboard under the stairs just in case.
In the weeks leading up to the holiday I made no secret of the fact that I was disappearing and made it clear that I didn’t intend to actively seek any work while I was away, and although this resulted in an incredibly late night on the evening before leaving in order to get a job turned round and delivered ‘out of office hours’ I left with a reasonably clear conscience. During the holiday two new potential clients contacted me. When I explained the situation both were very understanding and as neither had a tight deadline, both agreed to wait until my return despite the fact that I had my kit with me. I am now home again and will be recording these two jobs next week.
I feel rested and relaxed, my career didn’t grind to a shuddering halt and I enjoyed not being tied to the computer. I kept the slate reasonably clean by visiting the local cyber cafe once a week which made me realise just how much junk I receive.
So Paul, my advice is to enjoy your holiday and relish your European roots. There is more to life… honestly.
Happy hols.
Holidays used to be holy days, but nothing’s sacred anymore. I guess that’s what’s why they started calling it a “vacation” in my part of the world.
I think it is sad when people consider taking time off a luxury instead of a necessity.
Helen, you are proof of the fact that it is possible to go away and not destroy your entire business.
I’m signing off to relish my roots!