Click SUBSCRIBE so you never miss a new video!
Burnout is real. If you've been working in VO for any amount of time, you'll know that it takes a thick skin and resilience in order to survive in this business. Anne dishes out some helpful tips to help keep your juices flowing.
Without your VO Mojo, voice acting can be a real drag.
So today I want to talk a little bit about how to get your VO mojo workin.
Anybody that knows me knows that I kind of work a lot of hours. And for me it's very important when I get to that point where I just, I feel like I can't, I can't do it anymore. Where am I coming up with my creative flow for really innovative auditions or really something different? And how can I bring myself to a part?
Well, a lot of times I have to literally just step away for a bit from the booth, do anything that really sparks my creativity. So for me, I like to spend a day watching great movies or watching something great on TV. Maybe listening to music that just kind of lets me, you know, let me just relax and think about nothing because actually thinking about nothing does a wonderful job in refreshing my entire creative mind.
It might be beneficial for you to step away from the studio for a little bit, take a break because that's going to really. Refresh your creative mojo. The other thing you can do when you're in the studio. And I know when I first started voiceover, it was really difficult for me to flesh out characters for me. I was actually, even self-conscious hearing myself fleshing out characters all by myself in the studio. So number one, make sure that you're comfortable doing that. Go into the studio, play at the mic, develop characters, get silly, record yourself, just play around as much as possible with that.
And the other thing I cannot recommend enough is getting together with a group of people and maybe having playtime so that you kind of riff off one another. An improv group is wonderful. Also any workout group, peer workout groups, where you can read and perform in front of one. Another is a great way to get yourself out of that mode where you're self-conscious and you're afraid to step out of your comfort zone, have a supportive group of people that are there cheering you on. In front of, you know, guest directors, I host guest directors every month for the VIPeeps.
It's amazing that that is a safe space for people to work out and to learn and grow in their voiceover performance. And so really utilize those for all they're worth. And I promise you, I've never been in a group setting where people have not been supportive. We are in a really wonderful industry. We're very supportive of one another.
And so if you need to up your creative juices and up your mojo, find a group that can help you and support you and be with you while you grow. And if time dictates. Go ahead. Take a couple of days off. Go enjoy yourself. Maybe exercise, listen to great music, watch great movies and get that mojo back.
Thanks for reading!
Keep on rocking your business like a #VOBOSS
About Anne:
Anne Ganguzza is a professional voice actor and award-winning director and producer who works with students to develop their voiceover and business skills - including voice over Coaching and Genre-based Demo Production. She specializes in conversational Commercial & Narration styles, including Corporate, eLearning, Technology, and On-Hold Messaging. Located in Orange County, California, Anne offers private coaching and mentoring services to students via ipDTL and Zoom.