Processing

When I’m recording/editing/producing… processing speed is important. I’ll confess that I don’t know much about computers, but I do know that I like it when my computer does what it’s supposed to do… and even more when it does it FAST. That’s the point.. isn’t it? That’s why they keep making all these upgrades that make your computer obsolete the moment you take it out of the box… so that we can do things better and faster. Good for Voice work. But is processing things quickly good for the human soul?

In the flurry of recent celebrity deaths (Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, Billy Mays, etc) I’ve taken notice of something on Facebook and other places. We, for the most part, don’t want to take the time to allow things to process in our hearts and minds.

I was a little late to find out about Michael Jackson’s death… just happened to be checking Facebook and saw some posts. Within an hour of the surprising announcement, people were posting messages like, “I’m already sick of hearing about this.. can we get back to talking about sports?” Some people had already had t-shirts made to capitalize on the event.

Granted, a celebrity death is going to have varying degrees of interest and emotion for each person. It’s not like (or even to be compared to ) 911, which gripped every heart. But being a teenager in the 80’s, MJ’s music was a big influence.. and even though he went on to lead a troubling, strange, controversial life… I was bit saddened when I heard the news. There were some fun memories of moonwalking and red jackets with zippers and the Thriller video that he brought to my life… I was okay with reflecting on that for a little longer than an hour.

This is not meant to be a criticism of anyone. It’s simply caused me to look inside… and… I guess I just don’t want to place the same expectations that I’ve put on my computer on my heart and mind. I don’t want to force myself to race through the process of contemplating our mortality or the impact a person’s death might have on those who are truly close to them (not to mention all the fans that feel close to them). I think that there are times when we need to travel slowly through a circumstance.

How Hard Could It Be?

I'm always amazed at how some people respond when I tell them I do voicework. Apparently, it's the type of work that folks assume must be easy and that anyone could just jump right into a full time career doing it. Does this happen with other professions? Do people tell doctors, "Oh yeah... I was thinking about getting into that. Where can I get one o' them stethoscopes?"

While VO is by no means rocket science, making a real go of it is a bit more complex than just buying a microphone at Radio Shack and talking. Very few trained monkeys earn enough to support their entire family. :)

The truth is, it's just like any other job... to succeed, you have to love it and work at it. Granted, that's simplifying things a bit... but I really feel that those elements are at the root of it. Can anyone do it? Given those 2 components (love and effort).. and some time... yeah, I think most could. But it's not just something one can jump into on a whim and expect to succeed. You have to know how to use your voice as an actor... to own your voice... and to market your voice. I truly believe that there's no such thing as a bad voice.... but you have to know how to use it.

And of course there's one thing that overrules all these other factors... God's hand of providence. Is it something that God wants you to do or does he have something else in mind for you? The most satisfaction in work is found when you're doing what you were made to do.

Surprising Greatness

By now we've all seen the video of Susan Boyle's inspiring and surprising performance on Britain's Got Talent. It's the most watched video in YouTube history. It's stirs our emotions... fills us with joy... makes us think about the way we judge others too quickly.

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent
by dwarthy

As a Voice Actor, it's caused me to strive to have the same impact in my work, whether it's an audition or a gig, being on the air or encouraging a fellow voicer... to surprise people with greatness. Professionalism... effort... integrity... greatness.