Life Goes On
Let’s not talk about January, OK?
I don’t wanna be reminded about my worst month for VO revenue in years. But life is not going to end, the sun still rises, and gravity remains one of the laws of the universe.
I mean, heck, I wrote about this back in December: The #1 Mistake Freelance Voice Actors Make During Down Times. I did NOT make that mistake, but I have to wonder if it was some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy
The Abbo-lute Truth
People sometimes ask if there is a particular season in VO that’s more lucrative than another.
It depends, of course, on SO many variables…not the least of which is the particular genre that is your bread ‘n’ butter…but even then not so much. Some of it is arbitrary, but there is much you can do to mitigate the circumstance.
WORKING your plan consistently and faithfully may be your best guard against the peaks and valleys Click To Tweet
I hope newcoers to this business understand that voice-acting can be very fickle. I never try to discourage anyone from getting into VO, and certainly there are some who are KILLING it in voice acting (after all, I see their prideful posts alla time on FaceBook!), but freelance ANYTHING will inherently have its peaks and valleys.
The trick is to take those highs and lows out of the equation, if it only weren’t for the variables:
- dependability of clients
- consistency of marketing
- word of mouth referrals
- auditioning uptime
- vacations
- cultural trends
- changes in online/digital opportunities
- vicissitudes of social media
- family intrusions (the good kind usually)
- Union strikes
- technical/hardware/software issues
You don’t need to go looking for excuses…because the root of the issue is usually of your own doing…or NOT doing something.
As I’ve often noted; having a system/habits/goals/routine/plan…and WORKING the plan consistently and faithfully may be your best guard against the peaks and valleys. There will always be those who beat the rules and make a success of it… but for most of us shmoes, adherence to a well thought out course of action is the key.
So where are you right now? A peak, a valley, or in the tram going one way or the other?
CourVO
I think that mystical/statistical phenomenon – the tendency of number 19 buses to arrive in droves after a long wait – applies to gigs as well.
I’m fighting my way up the booking stakes at last, after a long and unavoidable break. And, as with a previous unrelated biz, I find that simply giving absolute love and attention to the activity (not specifically marketing or networking) seems to activate something ‘out there’ even with zero face-to-face encounters.
Telepathic? I don’t know, I try to stay mainstream rational, but a positive view does seem to make things happen.
I concur, Howard…it’s not foolproof, but there’s something to what you say. I like to call it “immersion”. An absolute necessity for success in an endeavour.
Thanks for commenting.
Dave C
Dave, I am giving you an A+ for integrity it telling it like it is vis a vie your January. That’s refreshing and actually INCREASES your attraction. ( I said so …as it is spoken, so it is written)..or something like that. Since the stars crossed and dropped not one but 2 great audio books on my lap in January, ( I do not know where they came from as I have just put out my shingle as it were…but I was Getting Ready for 5 months…)… I can attest to all this…that plus 65 years and counting….cough cough So onward through the professional fog…
Thanks, Scott… I have nothing to hide in all that. We all find a struggle now ‘n’ then. Knowing that may help someone else along the way.
Dave C