Ok, we're going to keep this concise and punchy! In this post, we're going to talk about actionable things to keep your confidence up, and maintain that Voiceover boss attitude that you need, in order to keep paddling and stay afloat.
So here we go...
- "Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it" Charles R Swindoll
I've always found this quote to be really important. You are going to see other voiceovers get the jobs you want. You are going to watch others succeed beyond yourself. And you are going to feel inadequate by comparison. Dust off those shoulders, take a deep breath, and get back to work. You must teach yourself not to focus too much on the success of others.
- Don't Over Track
Monitoring your voice over business is really important, as is tracking your auditions if you choose to engage with pay to plays. However, over tracking can quickly lead to a downward spiral. Remember to pay attention to the good bits, and take positive information from the bad bits. Not getting likes or positive feedback from your e-learning marketing or auditions? Maybe that's an area that needs a little bit more work. Not getting much return on your direct marketing? Think about reformatting your email or trying a different approach for the follow up. Keep track of these things, take the good, and learn from the rest.
- Compartmentalise
By this I mean, splitting your voice over work into sections, and not being afraid to maintain the ones that are working for you. Trying to do too much all at the same time can be detrimental. If something is working for you, and you find you're getting lots of work in that area, then pursue it! You can diversify your styles at a later point in your career, after all, it should be with you for quite some time.
This can lead to a positive reinforcement loop, a term I started using after I noticed friends of mine going from success to success. When you are constantly putting work out there, and getting positive feedback from that work, you gain in confidence and continue the cycle. This in turn will then give you the confidence to start moving into others areas of voiceover.
- Stay Busy When it's Quiet
Now this one is really important. Don't let the dreaded silence of not having anything to record consume you. Get busy with all the other parts of running your own business. Admin, accounting, goal and schedule reviews, social media and direct marketing, are all ways in which you can keep yourself busy, and feel like the boss that you are.
I know that even if I'm not in the booth, a day of networking, social media and keeping on top of my business gives me just as much satisfaction as delivering that great job, so learn to enjoy those quiet(er) moments.
- Learn Something New
Ok, this applies to much more than just voiceover, but within the context, it can be really helpful when you find your inner saboteur approaching, and your sense of self-worth slowly slipping off the edge of the cliff.
Jump onto youtube and find some tutorials about audio editing or mastering, head over to VO Kickstart and do one of their short courses, or start to look at skills that are outside of voiceover, but might still benefit your career, like singing or playing the piano.
- The Problem is Time
This is something I've had to teach myself. The consistency with which you put work into your business, is relevant to the growth and output that you will see. Maintaining a level of hard work and dedication will reap benefits, but it all takes time.
And that time is the defining factor between those who will succeed and those who will move on to other pursuits. Staying confident over time is all about accepting that you will have bad days, or let's just say fewer good days, but that doesn't mean you stop, and it certainly doesn't mean you give up!
" A rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in the pursuit of success." Bo Bennett
Thanks for reading folks, I hope you can take some of these words and use them to fuel the fire that's waiting to be lit.
Singing out, SBVO.