Out of Focus- Spectacles For The Brain

Listening is such a key to success in the voice over business, whether following labeling instructions from an agent or direction from a client. My good friend and agent, Erik Sheppard will not even listen to an audition if the the talent hasn’t labeled the audition according to his instruction. When we don’t listen, we are creating more work for the other person. Not listening to a client or an agent can be toxic toward your career. People want to work with talent who can follow instructions.

This is also very important when training with a voice-over coach. The coach is there to take you to the next level. Really, this applies to any coaching, schooling, etc. If we don’t listen to their instruction, we are wasting our time and not getting the most of it.

In this crazy world of so many gadgets, multi-tasking, pushing to do more, it can be hard to focus and things we communicate look fuzzy. Especially, if one chooses to only communicate via e-mail. The tone can easily get lost in the message. If you are unsure of what to do, don’t assume what you DO know is good enough. Ask the questions. Pick up the phone and call your agent or client.

A small thing that can make a huge difference in the multi-tasking area is to stay off the Internet and email while on the phone. Many of us are guilty of this. Thinking that looking at that email will just take a second and we can do both. But we can’t. That is when we miss very important information.

So let’s try to bring things back into focus. Take time to listen and don’t be doing two things at once or thinking about the next thing you’re going to say. A clear view so we can communicate more effectively.

“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” ~Robert McCloskey

Gully jumping - get out of the ditch!

Life is full of highs and lows - we get sidetracked into the ditch and have to find our way back to the road we are meant to travel. We need to jump out of the gully.

This past week I ran into a roadblock. It made me realize a few things & make some changes.

I have a cornea condition called, “Cornea Dystrophy”, a disorder that clouds up your vision and creates a constant burning sensation.  It’s a problem that heals and then comes back. During the times that it is acting up like this last week, it makes it difficult to focus on work through the pain and struggle of trying to read a script.  I always fight through it & manage to get everything done but it seems to be twice as hard to accomplish. I always tell myself that I am lucky and that things could be much worse.  What if I were a Pilot?  My career would likely be put on hold or even over. First realization. 

When facing a hurdle, it is natural to run for the ditch and give up. It’s too easy to just let the frustration overwhelm you causing you to just walk away from your project. Second realization. If you make sure to take a short break when you feel like that and then get back to your project - it will run much smoother and you will feel better. My days were difficult while dealing with my eye but when I would take just a few minutes to rest it, it made all the difference. When doing voice-overs, If you are dealing with pain or discomfort, don’t force it to happen when it’s not there.  Your frustration can lead to a dissatisfied client because they will hear it in your recording.

Third realization. We are all dealing with struggles at different points in our lives. It is the way we look at those struggles, our attitude that makes or breaks us. When facing a challenge, find a way to jump out or around it. What can you do differently?  How can you manage your time, so that these types of hurdles don’t get in the way of delivering excellence?

There is always a detour around every roadblock and you might even enjoy the scenery.

Favorite Mom Moment

My favorite Mom moment was when she came and had lunch with me in the first grade at Champlin Elementary School. They had designated a certain day of the year where parents could come and have lunch with their kids.  It was a proud moment in my life and one that has continued to stick with me. I remember being really sad when she left and I almost started crying! I did everything to fight the tears because I knew everyone else was around. Hey, we had egos and reputations to protect in the first grade! Seriously, it's moments like these that we should cherish forever. By the way, I also think that was the last time I ate a long dog roll-up!  

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!  

Team TNT!

Voice Overs By Terry Daniel Inc would like to welcome Tracy Blowers to the team!  Tracy is the new Client Relations Manager and will be handling day to day operations including scheduling (Thank God!) and other aspects of marketing and client development.  


She will also be in charge of giving Terry a massage once in a while.  Ha! Seriously, I am very excited about our new direction.  She came up with a killer plan a couple of months back on how it could work and I loved it!  Let the journey begin.

Cheers to TNT!

Spring Rain

I love sunny days but rainy days always seem to bring out the deepest memories and emotions.  Sometimes I like to stare out my dining room window and watch the rain fall.  It's my way of meditating or finding my zen.  I'm so focused on work during the day, sometimes too focused that I lose sight of how beautiful everything is.

The lawn is starting to green up.  I love this time of the year when flowers and plants start to show their stuff!  It's like, "Here I am, world.  Now take of care of me or else!"  :-)  The birds are battling for position at the bird feeder and squirrel's are showing off their moves in the grass.

We often don't take enough time to smell the flowers or feel the spring breeze on our skin.  Be careful or you might just miss how beautiful life can be.

Cry

Today was a really frustrating day and all I wanted at the end of the day, was a good cry.  I don't think I have had a good cry for well over a year.  So much emotion is bottled up inside me.  Crying comes easy for most folks.  Sometimes I wish it did for me.  Exercise and a good cry can make you forget about all the stressful stuff. Perhaps I need to watch The Champ, have a glass of red wine and listen to any song by Alison Krauss at the same time.  That should do it!

Change

Change can be frightening and wonderful all that the same time.  In a couple of weeks, my girlfriend will be my new assistant.  Even though it can be a stressful transition, we are very excited about this venture and our future. Tracy is a very talented photographer but also has a mind for marketing and I am honored to have her on board with my business.

My voiceover business has enjoyed success over the past few years and this will be a positive step forward.  Sometimes you just have to go for it, instead of allowing too much time to pass without doing anything about it.  Onward we march!  

The Disappointing Snack

I found myself getting discouraged today over the most inconsequential developments.  Perhaps it's a Monday thing.  I took a few steps back and realized that it's okay to feel a little off kilter once in a while.  Sometimes I need to remind myself that I am doing everything I want to be doing.  Recording and working from home.

But what crawled into my brain and made me feel so off kilter today?  Better yet, what crawled into my stomach?  I've decided to blame it on the original flavored yogurt I had last night.   It was the first time I have ever had it and it wasn't pretty.  Even with fruit and granola mixed in, it still tasted like Elmer's glue.  For the first time in my life, I was jealous of what my dog had in her dish.  It didn't make me sick but for some strange reason, it put me in a bad mood.  Disappointing snacks can do that.  I will rebound tonight and have some cantaloupe.

Alison Krauss & Union Station: "Paper Airplane" official music video

Welcome back, AKUS!

Voice-Over Session

This is one of my voice-over sessions from a while back.  Enjoy!