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It’s been a week

We had Hurricane Milton roll on through the west coast of Florida and through the state, on the heels of Hurricane Helene.

Yesterday, while chatting with a neighbor, she was joking at the irony of me being married to a first responder whose nature is to be prepared and take emergencies seriously, and yet, I’m the least worried person when it comes to hurricanes. I don’t put shutters up, don’t evacuate, don’t hoard non perishables or fill up gas cans. Heck, our generator isn’t even usable in our place. If the power goes out, I’m OK with no electricity. Typically the weather is gorgeous after a hurricane! Today is BEAUTIFUL!

My hurricane experience

When a friend texted me there was a tornado in my neighborhood and I should get into a bathroom immediately, I didn’t panic. I just stopped, listened, moved a lantern, charger, and water bottle into the bathroom, looked outside for swirls, and went about my business shutting down breakers. Never set foot in that bathroom. (That tornado was definitely too close for comfort though.)

Maybe I’m just incredibly stupid.

Part of it is experience I guess. Where we live is as safe as can be, there will be gas available and food available eventually, and while things could be uncomfortable for a brief time, it’s not the end of the world. (Note: this is not to undermine what happened in NC btw. There is NOTHING that could’ve prepared the wonderful people of that state for what happened. Nothing. My heart is absolutely broken for a place I would love to call home.)

Trust me, I have anxiety about a lot of things. A lot. Emphasis on “a lot.” I work my ass off in my business. You don’t want to have me as your passenger on curvy mountain roads, and let’s not even talk about aspects of being a step parent. My poor husband, and friends. I can be a lot.

It’s not that these things don’t affect me. They do. I had a migraine for two days and yesterday, I basically took the day off to recuperate. I even napped because I was so exhausted. I’m not a napper.

I guess there are certain things you know are simply out of your hands. I’m grateful to God for giving me the calm this week, and for watching out for all of us. I’m glad everyone is safe and sound.

#hurricanemilton #hurricanehelene #northcarolina #florida

I get inquiries from aspiring voice actors often. I’ve had two just in the past 24 hours, matter of fact. I’m always happy to help, particularly those who have a certain eagerness about them, and an understanding that this isn’t a game.

I think back to when I was getting started (which was SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO… that blows my mind). I was so excited to learn what ever I needed to make a voice over career happen. It was a dream… something I never thought possible. I also wanted to quit my full-time corporate job, so I was motivated to find that something I could do full-time to replace my corporate career.

BTW, I was terrible at voice over. Not at all talented at the onset. I was fired from my first vo job. As in, I voiced the script, and then got a call a couple of hours later I was being replaced. I was CRUSHED, y’all. (If you know me, yes, yep, lots of crying happened.)

But I didn’t give up. I guess I just had this little fire inside of me that pushed me to keep going. I really wanted to make voice over my thing.

And I did.

But y’all, this job ain’t for the faint of heart.

First, it’s an investment of not just time studying and learning, it’s an investment of money in home studio equipment, coaching, marketing, demo creation… you name it. Your studio sound needs to be PRISTINE. And you have to continue learning. I still take classes, have a coach, and have an awesome mentor. When I first got started in 2005-2007, I invested about $10,000 – $12,000 for equipment and training. I studied and auditioned at night, when I wasn’t working my full-time job.

Second, I audition EVERY DAY. Anywhere from around 2-15 auditions a day. Now, I don’t know exactly how many people I’m auditioning with for any given job, but it could be upward of 200-300 people on a single job. Yes, you read that right. TWO TO THREE HUNDRED ACTORS.

So of course, I don’t book every job. And every job doesn’t pay thousands upon thousands of dollars. Matter of fact, most do not.

Basically, I start at ZERO dollars every month, and have NO IDEA how much I will make on any given day/week/month.

Sound fun?

Then this career is for you!

I just LOL’d.

Seriously though, it really IS a wonderful career. And, it is a CAREER. This is not something you can really pursue half-heartedly. You have to know up front, it’s not as easy or fun as it might look. I am VERY BLESSED (#blessed inside joke for some vo’s out there lol) to make a living. This post isn’t to dash your dreams, btw, but to say you CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN, if you really want it to happen. You just have to know, it’s not an easy, get rich quick scheme. It requires persistence, lots of hard work, and talent, and an investment of not only time, but money, for proper equipment, coaching, demos, and marketing.