While I don't generally subscribe to the idea of New Year's Resolutions it would be silly to ignore the fact that 2020 is shaping up to be a helluva year. Transitions are happening in my family in a big way: the 4-year-old is in preschool every weekday now, the 1st- and 3rd-graders are much more self-sufficient and able to play on their own. The energy and time freed up by these developments has gone straight into my #voiceover business and I can audition more than ever before. I've been connecting with people who have opened my eyes to greater possibilities for myself than I imagined - hooray for #coaches and cheerleaders! - and I've been allowing myself to explore parts of the VO world I hadn't considered before.
#Teaching is a big one; beginning with a series of workshops at Google (through #GoogleArts) I am now in the middle of an 8-week class exploring every aspect of voiceover. I never thought of myself teaching because I still consider myself a student, but it has been such a joy to direct and coach and watch my students grow. It's a cliche (I know) but it has also made me better at my own auditions by reminding me of the good old basics - over and over and over again. We get lazy, alone in our booths all day! We forget to do the work. The vocal and physical warmups. The script analysis. It's inspiring to watch the moment when a student "gets it", when they drop into the pocket and the whole room gets goosebumps. It makes me want to do that for myself in my own auditions.
#Networking is another big one. I'm slowly releasing the idea of waiting for the "perfect moment" to put myself out there in the world - the moment when I have the right website and the right business card and the right headshot and the right demo and oh my God it's never all going to be perfect is it? My business is a work in progress - *I* am a work in progress - and I'm getting comfortable with letting people see me in all my not-quite-right glory. It's good.
So here am I poised at the beginning of a new phase - motherhood looks different than it did when they were so very small, voiceover looks different that it did when I had so little time for it - and it's all wonderful. And a little nerve-wracking. But I can't wait to see what this year brings.
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