We’ve all had them.
Days, weeks… months perhaps, during which very little seems to go our way.
Clients stop calling. Agents have gone AWOL. Lots of auditions and hardly any bookings.
You’re busy but unproductive. You try to stay positive but it feels fake. Something’s not right.
Meanwhile, colleagues are telling the world how well they’re doing:
“Just booked another spot for a national brand!”
“Signed a long-term narration deal with a successful author!”
“I’m recording my first big video game!”
Rub it in, folks. Rub it in!
I’m happy you’re happy but can you please shut up about it?
One part of you is hopeful, though. You tell yourself:
Paul, thanks for your thoughts, and emotional honesty. It’s easy to wallow in self-defeat, especially since so many of us work in isolation. Living in our heads is the enemy. Love the advice about changing the scenery. I also find being involved in something creative — painting, mosaics or writing — helps. One creative endeavor feeds the other; and other interests — who we are aside from our profession — informs, and enriches who we are in front of the mic.
Beautifully put, Elizabeth. I turn to music when I want to change my mood. My piano is a great creative outlet.
Thanks, Paul. Love this one. I do the same. Some exercise, meditation or fun distraction to get my mind back on track, then some small steps or big steps to stay focused. Knowing there is ebb and flow in this biz, I remind myself to enjoy the ebb as much as the flow. 🙂
I love your approach, Joell. It’s too easy to get all negative about the business when things aren’t going well. At that point it’s time to do something positive.
I am hand writing this and putting it front and center on my bulletin board.
“You can never find what’s right by looking for what’s wrong.”
Thank you Paul, for another excellent work!
I’m honored, Cliff!
OML. This was a tonic, brother. I’m in a full-on Rah-Rah! frenzy. I always appreciate your POV. 🙂
Thanks, Debbie. I’ve gotten used to the ebbs and flows of the business. Having some downtime can also be a blessing. Sometimes I have to create downtime so I can hit the slopes!
Beautifully put Paul! I try to not focus on the negative as well. If you concentrate on the bad, more bad will be created. If you focus on the positive and take small steps to accomplish your goals, you will create positive things. I personally love to run, and it helps me focus on the good things in my life.
Whatever we focus on most, tends to expand (this includes my waistline :-)).
Wow. Just wow. What a beautiful piece, Paul. It’s something something everyone should read – particularly actors. Really, thanks!
-jm
My pleasure, John. As I was writing this story, I couldn’t help but think of one of my favorite actors: Philip Seymour Hoffman.
People take drugs for many reasons. A drug is one way to change our state almost instantaneously. That’s why I chose my words carefully when I wrote: “Do something healthy that makes you feel good.” Unfortunately, Philip chose something lethal to change his state. What a great loss!
As a freelance copywriter/CD/producer for over 25 years, I’ve experienced a few brutal “down” periods. I’ve learned that all one can control at those low points is attitude and action: thinking positive and taking positive action is a powerful remedy. As a VO with just a few years under my belt, I have to keep that in mind every single day. Thanks for the reminder that even those fortunate enough to succeed as a full-time VO deal with the same issues. Keep on chuuglin’, Paul.
I will do that, Bruce. Apart from looking at attitude and action, I think it’s also important to address dry spells from a business point of view. Too many colleagues forget that we have to factor dry spells into our fee. We’re not only getting paid for the time we spend behing the mic. We’re getting paid so we can build a buffer that will get us through rough times when the money isn’t flowing.
Paul, your beautifully written and insightful post is especially timely for me right now. I try to recognize when I start feeling this way (and recently, I have felt this exact way), and try to shift my focus on to more positive things. Thank you so much for sharing your feelings so candidly!
Fran
You’re not alone, Fran. Colleagues have reached out to me privately and publicly. For me it really helps to (re)focus on the many positive reasons why I have chosen to do what I do for a living. If your WHY is strong enough, it can get you through anything!
Thanks for the inspiration, Paul. It’s just what I needed. 🙂
My pleasure, Justin. Stay inspired!
Paul, well said or written. I have been down and hard on myself. Yet, I usually rebound quickly. It helps to have a strong loving family beside me. Plus coaching kids sports always puts a smile on my face and warms my heart. Thank you
Once again, Paul you’ve hit a nerve with your honesty and thoughtfulness. Thank you.
Most of my life I’ve been involved in the “entertainment business” in one form or another. Of course, VO is part of that. When I’ve found myself feeling crazy I just remind myself that the entertainment biz is always 2 steps away from reality. That’s why we’re all enthralled with it! So it’s not to be taken so seriously as to change the world. We’re all just entertaining people. When you see it beyond that is when things get muddy, you lose perspective and drive yourself crazy. Oh, yes, there are the Beatles, James Earl Jones, and others who have changed the world a bit. But it was a side affect to just happily doing what they love.
And who could really ask for more?
Peter, we sometimes are our own worst critics. I speak from experience. Coaching kids is a great way to clear the mind and focus on something truly rewarding and meaningful.
Rick, thanks for adding your perspective. On one hand VO’s want to be taken seriously. On the other, it really helps to keep in mind that what we do isn’t exactly earth shattering. We pass on information and provide distraction. Most of the time, that’s it.
For a few minutes I thought ” he’s been reading my diary.” Every single example and ever paragraph hit right on target. Paul you are so right in so many ways. But, you know the most difficult thing to accomplish for a person with these issues is to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Often it’s so faint that it’s almost not there.
Sometimes I think the social networks are a breeding ground for exaggerating these issues.
Thanks so much for the encouraging blog.
My pleasure, Jerry. Any artist, whether a classically trained musician, a sculptor or a voice actor has to face rejection. Any freelancer knows that work comes and goes. Dealing with uncertainty is one of the toughest aspects of our job (most people prefer predictability and stability).
At the same time, our work offers tremendous freedom and an opportunity for self-expression. I’m willing to take the uncertainly, as long as I can set my own hours and work from my own studio. From experience I know that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel, even though I can’t see it yet.
Brilliant, insightful, and full of great advice! My mantra, like yours is: “whatever happens, I’ll handle it somehow”.
We ARE more than the gigs we book.
We judge others by their outsides, ourselves by our insides.
PS – may be healthy to stay off facebook for awhile…sometimes ignorance is bliss 🙂
My other mantra? – “Run your own race,”
It helps! 🙂
Paul you rock
Hey Randye, we’re kindred spirits and after many years we’re still in the race. I’m determining my own course, but boy is it wonderful to have people like you who are traveling through the same surroundings.
Suzanne, I used Quozio.com to frame my quote and post it on Facebook. I’m glad you found my advice uplifting.
Paul thank you so much for talking about a topic not many do, and doing it brilliantly at that! You better believe I will be putting this nugget in a frame….
You can never find what’s right by looking for what’s wrong.
Thanks for the uplifting advice.
Suzanne
Paul, Thanks once again for your brilliant insight, shared in a way that is “in your face real”, in describing what happens to us all at one time or the other. Because in part, because you’ve been there too! But Paul goes a step further–and provides a path to help you get beyond that bump in the road, This posting came at the perfect time for me–Thanks! (Oh, thanks for the photo credit line–I just thought that was an angle of you we had not seen before!
Paul,
I always appreciate what you have to say. I’m not a big fan of many of the “positive attitude” posts out there. What you have to say here is pretty darn practical. I tend to believe in the wise words of Frank Sinatra, “Pick yourself up, dust yourself off. Start all over again.”
I find that for many talent, spending a lot of time in any number of the various chat rooms, groups, etc for voice talent can be highly detrimental.
The problem is how we often tend to interpret the predominantly ad hominem comments. What does somebody mean by a national commercial? It could be a buyout for $350. The individual who says “I’m in my third year of doing voice over and doing really well may be referring to their now feeling competent to audition for $50 jobs”
Even when you hear a spot come on that you had auditioned for, it may be the only thing that person has booked all year.
What I know is that a huge number of people are n ow looking to make money in voice over; many of whom when confronted will admit it’s either because they couldn’t find a “job”, or as I’m hearing more and more, “I have few if any marketable skills”.
If things aren’t going the way you might like them to, then it’s time to think. A person who can’t get work and has no marketable skills probably isn’t going to fare very well in v.o.
Today it is about constantly being in learning mode, regardless of past experiences. Paul is right about not looking at what is wrong with oneself, but I fear that too many individuals fail when it comes to understanding personal deficiencies and taking the steps to improve upon those deficiencies.
And as I am somewhat famous for saying, “The nicest thing about banging one’s head against the wall, is stopping”.
Hey Paul,
Hey Paul,
Just wanted to drop you a short line and tell you that I really enjoy your articles. I just read the ‘What to do when you are down’….not because I’m down ‘NOW’….but yes, I have been there and you nailed it with those 3 little tips. Often, we are own worst enemy but yet even when we know that, it doesn’t always make it any easier.
….take it easy and have a great weekend!
Matt
Larry, JS, Matt and Kent, if anything could lift an author out of a somewhat gloomy mood, reading your kind words would certainly do it! Having the right attitude is a must, if one wants to survive and thrive in this business. But some days and weeks it’s a bit easier to find ones groove than other times.
I just came back from the snowy slopes of the Pocono Mountains. I find skiing to be a great way to change my state. When I’m going down, I’m completely in the moment and absorbed in what I’m doing. It gets me out of my head. Back home I feel refreshed and energized, even though my body would like to take it easy for a while. In fact, I think I should listen to it and put my feet up right now!
Paul, out of all the blogs you’ve written, this one really spoke to ME, personally! My situation was bad, 3 years ago, and the depression I suffered spilled over to my VO business and probably stilted my auditions, over time. I’ve had a heck of a lot of negative things happen to me in that time period, but there were some really good things that occurred, as well. I’m in much better place, nowadays, but it took a friend getting me hot-under-the-collar to shake me into reality. I realized that my MINDSET had everything to do with how I perceived the world around me and it was up to me to get myself in a mindset that allowed me to move forward and not get mired down in the past. Thanks, once again, Paul, for a wonderfully profound article!
Hello Mr. Strikwerda.
There was a movie I watched in the past where one character, a literature teacher, was discussing a book with his student. This student was talking about a part of the book that he could really relate to. The teacher said, “sometimes, it feels like an author is reaching out their hand, and taking ours in theirs.” With this post, I felt like you had reached out your hand and taken mine in yours.
This past March, I landed my first ever paying voice over job. I went to the studio, recorded the job, and received great compliments from the producers. Six weeks later when I politely inquired about receiving a check for my services, I was told that the producers had decided to go another direction. I allowed that rejection to send me into a deep funk for months, where I questioned my self-worth, and questioned if what I was pursuing really added value to the life of my fellow man.
I’m not ashamed to say that your compassionate post made me “mist up”. This post helps me more than I can adequately express to you. Thank you very much.
Dear Larry, thank you so much for your honest and moving response. On one hand I am glad that my words were helpful to you. On the other, I am trying to understand what really happened between you and your client. It seems that you had an agreement to record a voice-over and that you kept your end of the deal. Consequently, you should be paid for your services. Had you recorded an audition, things would have been different. An audition is not a guarantee.
I compare your situation to that of a painter who just painted a living room red (voice-overs paint with words). His client walks in and says: “You’ve done a great job, but my wife has asked someone else to paint it green instead.” That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get paid for your time and materials.
It’s also good to know the difference between “rejection” and “selection.” Just because a client did not select you for a project doesn’t mean you have to question your talent. As a voice-over, you will lose more auditions than you will ever win, and most of these losses will have nothing to do with you.
P.S. please call me Paul
Paul:
This is so very good! I’m going to bookmark this, for “those times”.
My pleasure, Dustin. May “those times” be few and far away!
Thank you for some great advice, Paul. Sometimes it feels that the more you try to make things happen, the less they do!
It’s good to remember life’s not all about VO… I think I’ll take a holiday!
That’s an excellent observation, Alex. Sometimes, less is more. Unfortunately, people often confuse “busy” with “productive” and that’s why they refuse to slow down. Also, at one point in our lives we have to learn to accept that we are not totally in control.