I wrote the following (in bold, below) while on an airplane about 6 weeks ago after mentally processing Bob Bergen’s fabulous one man show during the VOICE2007 conference in Las Vegas. It sums up for me the reality behind “work life in a box”, even for those of us who work regularly.
Don’t let the egotistical braggarts who seemingly “have it made” , or appear to know or have done everything fool you. The truth is, for most of us, the wolf is always at the door, and you’re only as good as your last session, and the axe can always fall.
One of my favorite voice coaches, who I respect immensely , LA’s infamous Joanie Gerber once told me about 17 years ago, “Whenever you’re asked about how your career is going, don’t brag and don’t bitch”.
Joanie’s sage advice I have taken to heart, as my work motto. Those who love talking about themselves and all their accomplishments, are boring to me, as it seems they need to continually convince themselves as well as others how wonderful they are, how much they know and name drop as long as they have their audience of admirers.
Don’t get me wrong, I immensely enjoy my voice over and on camera talent work and many great folks I’ve met along the journey . But voice acting is a job, it’s just business and we are just people, and as such, imperfect.
I make decent earnings, not a six or 7 figure income, off my work, a la Don La Fontaine. I probably make more than many, but it’s not everything to live or die for. But I am happy.
Many folks think being a “talent” is so easy and glamorous, and will bring you the big bucks. Think again……..
Now to my quote:
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A voice actor leads a life that is mostly isolated, full of rejection and feelings of inadequacy. Each day, you must prove yourself, take risks, and get out of your own way. Your resulting efforts could fail miserably, acheive a great level of success, or lie somewhere in-between.
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Anyone else who’s in the business leave your comments , please.
I appreciate the sentiment of this post, and your work motto courtesy of your voice coach. I have a friend who used to he could never get out of his own way. I was never sure what he meant, until this past year. It’s good advice. Thanks for your post.
Hi Nikki,
Thanks for leaving your comment. This particular post is very near to my heart. I just read a new article about the voice actors cast in Pixar’s new release, “Ratatouille”. It essentailly validated what we as voice actors eventually come to know too well:
“…it’s a lonely job since each voice is recorded separately”