Losing Confidence

[Bryn]

Lately I've been telling myself to give up on the whole voice-acting gig...Am I really that good? I can only see my voice coach 1 or 2 times a month due to finances, which makes me feel like it will take forever to get anywhere...

My coach says that I'm doing well, and when I put on accents or do characters, I keep in character throughout the whole script...

But then again, I have to go over short on-hold scripts several times because sometimes I'm not "conversational" enough...Documentaries are what I'd like to get into the most, but she has me read them and she records them at least 3 times...I sit down after I get out of the sound booth, and we go over the positives and the negatives...

Maybe I am nowhere near a natural, and that's what brings me down...Are any of your voice coaches really working you hard?

Does anyone wonder if this is the right field for them? I've been debating with myself whether I should even try anymore, but it scares me, because I have a tendency to give up on things easily..(it's something I really need to work on)...

Thanks for any comments

[John Bigl]

Hello Bryn,

those "give up on the whole voice-acting gig" moments need not be the kind where you demand that you make the choice of giving up or not. consider them an opportunity to assess where you are, the improvements you've made, and how best to proceed.

over a year ago, after being frustrated over the lack of gigs i was getting, i put aside the pursuit of VO work, sought out voice and acting coaches, and began to unlearn and relearn this craft. yes, i still get those "should i just quit" moments but, i won't, as an unrepentant and incorrigible hedonist, i'm having loads of fun. plus, i must confess, muckity muck VO talents that use the word "announcer" as a pejorative get me going in an "i'll show them" kinda way.

being willing to invest the time needed to develop the talents needed for this craft allows you to develop many principals that are helpful in keeping your motivation up. mine are simple: Patient Persistent Practice, my "3 P's". there are many more, some of which were posted by Bryan Cox on his blog: How to Stay… Motivated !! « Bigbry’s Weblog .. follow the links and enjoy.

i really hope you continue, Bryn. at the end of a session w/ a voice/acting coach, take a stroll to your favorite spot on Puget Sound for a moment of Zen. and don't forget to breathe.

Be Well

[Bob Bergen]

Hey Bryn!

First of all, let me start by saying you are completely normal in your confusion.

That's the good news! ;-)

I'm about to confuse you some more!! >;-)

What I usually tell folks who wonder if they should throw in the towel or not, is to throw in the towel. This business is WAY too hard for those who don't love every aspect. The ups, the downs, the auditions, the near misses, the investments, the awards, the failures, the reinvention, etc.

NOW-that said, about once a year I go through the, "Should I just throw in the towel? This just isn't doing it for me." I usually go through this funk when things are financially at their best, and work is in abundance.

It's those times I realize that this business isn't the end all when it comes to happiness in life. Sure, it's a blast, and I'm blessed to be able to make a living at what I love doing.

But it doesn't define us, and it shouldn't be what instigates one's happiness.

What I usually have to do at this point is, reinvent. Creatively, I'm bored. I look into a new genre of VO to work on. I do a play, or my one man show. I just need a new creative fix.

Now-going back to you. You are having more trouble being real on the mic? Characters are easier? Welcome to the club! I was in VO classes for 4 years straight, hearing my instructors say "be real" or "go less charactery." Charactery was my comfort zone. It's what I was good at. I didn't want to waste my time being "real" when:

1) I wasn't very good at it

and

2) It wasn't as fun.

But the VO business is 90% commercials. If I was going to even be able to pursue animation I had to conquer commercials, and learn to be "real."

SO-off to acting class I went. For 2 solid years, twice a week. Hated it for the first 9 months. I talked to my instructor about quitting. He asked me to stay with it through the first year. After the first year, if I still hated it then I should quite.

I stuck with it. By the end of the 11th month I got it!!! It made perfect sense, and I was then able to apply what I learned in year 2.

THEN, I went back to VO classes. And I was able to apply what I learned there. And I TOTALLY got it! And I found that I could be handed any piece of commercial copy and give a believable, competitive read. It was exhilarating!

SO-what should you do??

I don't know. Only you can answer this.

I will tell you that if making money is what you think will make you happy, it won't. Because as soon as you start making money, you'll feel absolutely the same. And you'll think making MORE money will be the answer. And you'll make it. And you'll be in the same place. OR, you'll be making a great living and a strike will get in the way of your momentum. OR, you'll get to a point where you are at the top of your field with your current agent and it's time to find another to take you to the next level.

For those who think this is a great problem to have, guess again. You never know if the grass will indeed be greener on the other side.

But as I've said before, you get no where without the risk/gamble.

SO-back to Bryn. What are your options? Are you happy with your coach? Is it that your coach is great but you are investing more time being down on yourself than being proactive and growing? Do you need to incorporate acting technique? If funds are tight, welcome to the world of being an actor. Unless you come from a lot of money, funds are always tight for those of us in the training period of our journey. But if it's meant to be, you'll do it. Everyone who has that burning desire does. I did. I had to. I worked the day job, and every other job I could find to pay for my acting habit. I call it a habit because, just like drugs, you crave it. You need it. You need that fix. I worked as a tour guide at Universal for 5 years. I was a mall Santa for many years. I took any odd job I could to pay for my habit.

I had to. I had no choice. it was an obsession.

Is it an obsession for you????

If so, you'll do it.

You will always have doubts. You'll doubt if you'll get more auditions. You'll doubt if your read is what the buyer wants.

Those doubts are out of your hands.

But if you doubt your talent, but the habit fix outweighs the doubt, do something to get that fix.

Then, enjoy the journey!!!!

[imaginator]

mr. b says it all when he talks about "characters" being the comfort zone, and the unfortunate fact that there's a smaller market for them. that's what i've been transitioning from myself for a long time.

i find it encouraging that even someone with his talent says he took so long to "get it". ...and that it's always an ongoing process.

as for giving up, it's a natual temptation. but i heard george burns in an interview once saying we do this sort of thing "because we can't NOT do it."

give it up? sure, i actively tried to last fall (after 30 years of working it). but i seriously looked around and only found a bigger question to ponder: "give it up and do what?" i couldn't come up with a good answer, so i'm at the starting point of that re-invention process bob outlined in his marvelous post.

wishing you well in your own decisions.

rg

[Jon Morss]

Bryn,

I really know what you are going through and the comments that John B. and Bob made have pretty much said it all.

One thing that I would add is that you stated:

Originally Posted by Bryn

...Are any of your voice coaches really working you hard?

To me, the question should be "Am I working myself hard?" Coaches really can only guide you in your path and provide you with suggestions. But, it is up to you to take them and do something with them. Also, something that Rodney Saulsberry said to me when I was feeling the same as you and had a similar question. He said, "How can I believe you can do this if you don't?". If you don't think you can accomplish your goal of becoming a Voice Actor, then it really doesn't matter what others think. You have to see and treat yourself as if you already are a Voice Talent and then the rest of your being will believe it as well. You will find that you will start to do those things you need to do to be successful such as performing a Real person read. For some of us, this whole VO thing takes a lot of work, but the reward at the end is certainly well worth the effort.

Think about what Michelangelo said about his own talents:
"If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem wonderful at all."

So, believe in yourself that you will be a great Voice Over artist and the rest will fall into place. Be patient though, and just take it one step at a time. You will get there eventually.

Take care...

[Julie Williams]

Hi Bryn,

I know you can only afford to see your voice coach twice a month... but I want to encourage you that while coaching is extremely valuable, it is the time BETWEEN sessions ...when you practice what you are learning, that true growth takes place.

There is no shame in getting out of the biz. It does not make you a failure to have tried and then decided that it's not worth it.

It's a hard biz. Even those of us who work regularly, still have to peddle our wares to continue working. I heard Pat Fraley recently say, when you get a big job, buy a steak, not a car. For most of us, It doesn't become "easy" to the point that we don't have to keep marketing. Most of our days is spend GETTING not DOING jobs.

Why don't you pull back and take a break. Then maybe practice for fun. And if you don't like it, get out of the biz for a while. If you miss VO, then come back and adjust your expectations.

I understand how you feel. THis business can be discouraging at times for all of us...and if you're not getting work, it would be so much more discouraging. I'm glad you're here. One of the urposes of this forum is so we all have a support system when we're discouraged... and a community to celebrate our successes!

We're here for you.

[karen]

I am so glad to be a part of this forum and to know that such a group of amazing professionals is out there willing to give candid, kind advice. You all are wonderful.

Bryn: This may come off as hokey or crazy, but I found "The Passion Test" process in the book of the same name by Janet and Chris Attwood to be a wonderful* resource for discovering/evaulating/prioritizing my passions (career and otherwise). Once you truly know your passions then it's simple: Whenever you have a decision to make, choose in favor of your passions. Clarity brings confidence, so you may want to check it out.

Wishing you all the best!
Karen

*and I mean super, duper, amazingly great!

[PierceVoice]

Keep the faith... just because the boat's not rocking you dosen't mean you can't rock the boat!

"Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell No! And it ain't over now! Cause when the going gets tough...."