3 Pieces of Advice for VAs
As the journey of voiceover continues, I’d like to highlight three pieces of advice I’ve been given from professionals in the field. I found these ideas to be helpful, inspiring, or at least food for thought.
Graeme Spicer said something in a workshop that really changed my perspective, and kept me motivated, and kept me from feeling discouraged by the competitive auditioning process. He said: The job of voiceover is auditioning. The beauty of this statement is that it takes the focus away from the results, which are not in your control, and puts the emphasis on the work. I get up and do the work of planting. Some of the seeds will grow, most won’t, but I’ll be a better farmer over time. And, as grape-grower Wayne Gretzky puts it, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
When I started auditioning for Voiceover roles, I noticed I would get tripped up on the words while reading out loud. I imagined it would be impossible to do long-form narration, if I couldn’t get through a few sentences without making mistakes. Catherine Lough Haggquist gave me this piece of advice…wait for it…PRACTICE! That’s it. Everything can be improved through practice. She said that she improved by reading out loud everyday. Now I make that part of my daily ritual, and it has made a huge difference.
Timothy Banfield (aka Funny Guy Timmy) pointed out, on a Youtube video, that “Voice Over life sucks without a day job. What he was saying is that for many VA’s, there is stress that comes from the financial uncertainty—there are busy times, and lean times—and so another job would provide a cushion so you don’t need to worry. It also addresses the isolation some might feel from working at home, without co-workers. Bev Standing told the story of how she began Voiceover part-time, working on her business, and auditions in the evenings, before her career really took off. Many respectable actors hold on to a steady part-time gig throughout their voiceover careers, and as Timothy Banfield points out, there are advantages to this beyond just the pay-cheque.
While I don’t have a part-time job at this time, I did benefit by searching for one. You see, on the rare occasion companies post voiceover opportunities on regular job sites like Indeed, and I recently stumbled on one, and landed the gig.