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Motivational factors??

 
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BBeen
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PostPosted: Sat May 07, 2005 10:45 am    Post subject: Motivational factors?? Reply with quote

When the veterans on this board just started out and had one of those days when you thought to yourself....Will this ever happen for me??? What techniques did you use to remotivate yourself????
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Frank F
Fat, Old, and Sassy


Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 4421
Location: Park City, Utah

PostPosted: Sat May 07, 2005 11:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh, that's way to easy... I just thought, "...would I rather do VO work and live the life I desired with all the time freedom I wanted or would I rather be like everyone else and work a 40 hour week back in the political environment of broadcast?"



I have never been "normal" in my life and I did not intend to start then or at any time.



Hey, VO work is a business. Which means one will need to wear many hats, deal with the ups and downs, think about how "safe" it would be to work for someone else, consider that fortunes are made and lost - and one might be on the latter side, and - last but not least - stuggle to get what one wishes.



If I were in need of the stable environment of a pay-check, I would not be in this business. I find the challenge to make ends meet; exhilarating.



If I did not, I would probably have to find a desert island and become a hermit... come to think of it - that sounds pretty good right now....



Frank F
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PostPosted: Sat May 07, 2005 3:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe we should file this under the other thread about VO truisms, but I have always found that a watched pot never boils. The more we worry about and focus on the scarcity of work, the less it seems to materialize and the worse we feel.



The best thing you can do for your career is have a life beyond it -- AND have other business-oriented goals and aspirations you can turn your attention to while waiting for things to pick up (or get started) in one area.



I don't mean that you should ignore or abandon the quest entirely - no. But when things get slow -- or you think it may never get off the ground at all -- take a day, a week or a month and do something else.



Based on years in the business and listening to countless people share their stories, the following are all but guaranteed to kick-start a spate of gigs - and are offered only slightly tongue-in-cheek . . . if work is slow or nonexistent, try:



* planning a vacation (preferably an expensive one that you will lose money cancelling or rescheduling)



* volunteering to do something important someplace (particularly effective if it's a project or cause you'll feel really guilty walking out on)



* thinking seriously about or applying for non-industry related work



* getting pregnant or adopting a baby (to a lesser degree, buying a puppy)



* moving an elderly relative into the spare bedroom you were using as your studio



* getting engaged or planning a wedding



* getting a cold or the flu



* getting hit in the throat with a baseball or hockey puck



* breaking one or both legs (literally and not theatrically)



Etc.



Okay, so I'm kidding . . . but just a little bit.



The serious part of the message is that it never fails . . . no sooner do you genuinely refocus your energies, recommit your finances or otherwise reconfigure your life, the business will pick up.



And in the end, ya know what? It's a really healthy choice to make anyway -- working to live as opposed to living to work.



Best,



Lisa L.



PS: One last thought - if you really find it hard to take your eye completely off the ball for even a day, take a dry spell and turn it into an educational opportunity. Take a class that is RELATED to the field, but isn't in VO. Acting, improv, marketing, sales. Even an exercise class is a great investment in your VO career. Anything that improves your wind or physical well-being not only takes your mind off of work, but it helps you SOUND BETTER!! (Just watch out for hockey pucks, and don't break a leg.)



Wink
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lisaloo
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PostPosted: Sat May 07, 2005 3:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

OOPS!



Thought I was logged in when I posted that.



That's me (above). Sorry.



Lisa L.,

Blonde
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Andy
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PostPosted: Sun May 08, 2005 8:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lisa makes an interesting point about turning your back on it for a spell...yet while staying persistent. The Buddhists would teach that in order for things to come your way, you've got to cast that energy out there and let it do its thing. If you're constantly holding on to it, thinking about it, worrying about it, fussing over it, then you truly haven't allowed the energy to make it's journey.



Or...as Ringo would sing: "If ya wanna sing the blues, ya gotta pay your dues; and ya know it don't come easy."



Or...as I might say: "Joke 'em if they can't take a fu...." :lol:
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Charlie Channel
Club 300


Joined: 08 Feb 2005
Posts: 356
Location: East Palo Alto, CA

PostPosted: Mon May 09, 2005 8:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Every day I become more aware of the truly great talent pool I've jumped into, and I sometimes wonder if I'll be able to successfully swim in it. The operant word is "successfully". And, I guess, the other question would be, 'For how long?'



After every screw-up, I remind myself that everyone who has, ultimately, become successful has a story of a failure, a catastrophe or a blunder that derailed others. Yet, they kept going and I think that's what paying dues is all about.



'How long can I actually live like this,' I asked myself (just this morning). Wow! I've almost made it six months this year. Now, that is something to think about.



The virtual association with those on this BB is something that helps me get through a day. And, after all, that's all anybody needs to deal with: a day at a time. Sometimes, it's a breath at a time.



Another bit of reality that keeps me moving is knowing that I don't know where success may come from. As an example, I took an on-camera acting class about a year ago. Last week I just got an e-mail and the instructor offered me a gig of being the musical director for a play that's being staged. What does that mean? It means I'm still swimming, still in the pool. And, maybe, for me, that is what it's all about. I actually spend more time playing music (my real addiction) than almost anything else.



This is really wild stuff, and it can be a lot of fun, too. I'm pretty sure that just being behind the mic may have been what was on most artists mind when they got into the biz, at one time. But, they've been compelled or propelled into being much more than a voice. When I meet those great talents in this pool, I am always impressed at how much more they do than VO work. And, perhaps, there's a lesson in that.



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Frank F
Fat, Old, and Sassy


Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 4421
Location: Park City, Utah

PostPosted: Mon May 09, 2005 9:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Charlie,



You are on track for great things when you have survived the first six months.



The music/talent business is a cruel and in-sensitive msitress, sometimes. Staying power and the ability to go with the flow is a requirement - not an alternative.



Now that you are establishing yourself in the industry. Don't stop marketing, don't stop working the contacts, don't stop expanding your talents. Keep in mind that you can do this, you have already done it and been successful.



Good Luck,



Frank F
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