A couple of days ago, I had the opportunity to meet with a group of voice actor friends.  My elite group of FaffCon friends and I have been virtually meeting very nearly monthly for several years.  (FaffCon was developed by Amy Snively and is one of the first content laden, voice-over events specifically geared to helping voice-over talent become successful through collaboration.)  While time and life have changed us all, we are very happy to still be working voice over talents.  Hearing of my friends’ successes and optimistic hope for the future really uplifted my spirits.  While human relationships can be work, they are the best way to fuel your creativity and hope for the future.

The meeting with my friends reminded me of how important it is to focus on the good things in life. Where I live, the airways are constantly bombarded with negative rhetoric and news.  After hearing hours of negative comments, death reports, and predictions of doom from an irradiated planet, taking time to interact with the right set of friends is just what I needed.

So, what does this have to do with voice acting?  Plenty.  Voice actors by nature and sensitive to the world around them.  I have found that to be an effective voice actor, confidence and optimism are essential. One way to keep and maintain confidence and optimum is to fill your creativity soil with those things that grow your confidence and optimism.

Choose to associate with positive people who like you for the person you are, who encourage you to be yourself, and be the best you can be.”  The Napoleon Hill Foundation

An Ear for the Positive

We all want to be successful, so pay it forward.  Take time to listen as others speak, especially a friend telling of success, and be happy for them.  We all have times of success and failure.  It’s a part of the human experience.  Hanging out with the right friends and business associates can make all the difference in the world. For more on this, see my blog “How I Get my Voice-over Help.”

This week’s meeting (like many) with my FaffCon VO friends felt like a cozy warm hug from a friend that I hadn’t seen in some time.  Of course, not all relationships and interactions are always cozy and warm, co don’t give up on doing the hard work of building healthy relationships.  Through healthy relationships, you become a much better voice actor and person overall as you learn, grow, forgive, appreciate, and do it all over again.  You’ll truly see how building positive relationships can help in the down times and fuel your creativity even in the recording booth.

Now, with all this optimism, it’s time to break a lip.