So much (too much) gratitude for the fabulous voiceover life.

The act of being grateful is the door that leads to all things beautiful in life.

Do you ever have one of those weeks where it’s like the universe is trying to teach you something? Something really quite specific?

You log on to Linkedin and the first post you see is about the magic of gratitude. You pop over to Insta and someone’s posted the 5 things they’re grateful for today. That afternoon you sit down with a meditation app and a guru wants you to meditate on one personal challenge you’re grateful for. A couple days later there’s a voiceover audition for a video about gratitude, and you find yourself tagged in a “gratitude” post on a voice acting community Facebook group…. Like, okay, I get the message!

Yes, all those things happened to me this week. So, I’m spreading the Good News – gratitude is where it’s at.

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
—Eckhart Tolle

You guys! The universe is still at it. I was halfway through writing this exact document when my partner called me into his office…. no, I wasn’t in trouble… yet… ahem, no, get your mind outta the gutter… he was doing the accounts, and he showed me reports and words I don’t understand but the point was: last month, from voiceover work, I made enough money to live on. This has only happened once before – as in Before The Pandemic – and I was amazed that it’s happened again now, with the world still a little bit bananas.

I am a full-time voice actor and I make enough money to support myself with voiceover. Yeah, baby! Talk about gratitude!

 “Enough is a feast.”
—Buddhist Proverb

What else can I / you / we be grateful for in this voiceover journey?

• The ability to work from home – I’ve blogged about working from home before, and it was a bit silly, but it’s true: the tech and communication that make voice acting from home studios possible are such a blessing. No commuting, no workplace “rules”, more time with family, the flexible hours. Voiceover is the life, ain’t it?
• Support, encouragement, and information from other voice actors. I have found that the voice acting community online are overwhelmingly positive, helpful and friendly, and always happy to share information or opportunities. I have a bunch of new friends I’ve made through voiceover and I am so thankful for their inspiration. Sometimes they even tell ME I’m inspiring them. So much love!

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”
—Voltaire

• The fact that our work helps people solve problems. I had a zoom chat with a new client this week, a medical eLearning developer, and she was SO excited to have found me, so she could stop torturing herself trying to do her own course narration. It’s just the best feeling knowing that by doing a fabulous job of some voiceover, I am actually making someone’s day. That was a very happy zoom chat!
• Being able to be creative every day. Whether it’s making up a new character voice for an animation audition, or coming up with attention-grabbing social media posts, or playing around with the range of your voice for commercial voiceover, there’s so much creativity. Sometimes I forget that while I’m busy marketing and booking and networking; let’s try to maximise and enjoy the creativity of our voiceover work!
• The support of our families – partners, spouses, children – who often put up with strange hours and requests for quiet, and Mum running around the house yelling GET OFF THE INTERNET YOU’RE MUCKING UP MY LIVE SESSION. I mean, not that parents yell at their children, that’s not a thing. But if we did, we’d be very grateful that they did in fact refrain from the seven-thousandth excruciatingly-mixed Youtube video for the day. And didn’t call child services on their crazy mama. My partner supports me in so many ways (like accounting, as mentioned!), starting from the moment I said “I think I’d like to try the voiceover thing”. I would not be where I am without his hard work and encouragement, and I bet many of you would say the same about your wonderful partners, too.

“I feel a very unusual sensation—if it is not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude.”
—Benjamin Disraeli.

I, for one, am so glad and grateful that I’m building myself a career in voiceover, with dozens of voice actor friends, wonderful clients, and the love and support of my family. And now I feel awfully warm and fuzzy and this is skating a little too close to the deep-and-meaningful zone, so quick, make a joke!

I want to read your jokes. Or you could tell me what you’re grateful for! Just don’t be too lovey and smooshy, or I’ll have to hide behind the couch.

Thank you for reading! Thank you for subscribing and commenting! Thank you for being fabulous!