Is Your Voice Over Career Killing You? The truth of being a voice actor
Saving the most for last. Sadie Adler is voiced by Misty Lee who you may know as the Scarecrow, in Batman Arkham Knight. She also played a role in Saints Row IV, and Saints Row: Gat Out Of Hell. Misty Lee is an actress and magician who has been working in all fields of entertainment for over 20 years, with over 50 film and television credits to her name.
According to the official Red Dead Redemption 2 site, Misty Lee’s filmography includes Batman: The Killing Joke, Batman: Assault on Arkham, Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse, Tales From The Borderlands and many more.
Welcome to my blog, a place where I discuss the more personal side of being a voice over actor.
As a voice actor, you’ve probably heard it all. The “you sound so professional” or maybe even the “you must be rich.” Well, the truth is, neither of those things are true!
Working as a voice over actor can be fun, rewarding and exciting but it also has it’s downsides.
It’s not always easy to make money as a voice over actor. When you first start out you will have to do gigs for free in order to get your name out there. It’s part of the business, really. You will have to learn how to market yourself in order to find people who are willing to pay you for what you do.
And even when you do start getting paid jobs, it may not be much money at all! Voice actors are a dime a dozen and any old Joe Schmo with a microphone can technically become one. (I know…it makes me sad too.)
So why do we do it? Because we love what we do! Sure, there are times when I want nothing more than to give up and accept that I will never make enough money to leave my day job but in those moments
As a voice over actor, I have had to remind myself that I need to be proactive and take care of my voice. This is something that many voice actors don’t really consider until it’s too late. I have learned that the most important ting you can do for your career is to take good care of your instrument.
The truth is, you are not able to do what you do without your voice. It’s your most valuable asset as a working actor, so it makes sense to take excellent care of it. Though you may be tempted to think that other people’s voices are more important than yours, it is imperative that you stay healthy.
Your voice is unique and gives you the ability to express yourself in a way that no one else can. You should be grateful for this gift and treat it with respect.
A common misconception about being a voice over artist is that the job does not require much effort on your part. The truth is, you actually need to learn how to use your voice correctly in order to achieve success in this field.
It’s not an easy job. It takes practice and dedication to get good at it. I’ve known voice actors who were great but just couldn’t find the right agent or manager. Or they weren’t willing to self-market. Or they weren’t interested in networking with other actors and industry professionals. And sometimes, they would get really discouraged and give up on their dream of working as a professional voice actor.
Yes, there are a lot of people who just don’t want to do the work. But there are also people who want it very badly, but just can’t make it work for them for whatever reason.
I wish those people could see that being a voice actor is an amazing job and one that can be very lucrative if you take it seriously, put in the time and effort, stay positive and don’t give up!
It’s hard to find a healthy balance when you’re working from home. We’re surrounded by snacks and other unhealthy food, it’s easy to get distracted, and we spend most of our day sitting on our butts. All of this can really add up over time.
If you’re like me, you probably see your voice acting career as a marathon and not a sprint. You want to make sure that your career lasts for many years to come. The last thing you want is an early retirement due to health problems.
So what can we do to improve our health? Here are some things that have helped me (and hopefully they’ll help you too!):
I’m not talking about mental health or the challenge of being a voice actor, I’m talking about the physical harm we do to our body. The way our bodies are made to sit for long periods of time.
I would like to share with you all a little bit about my experience, and I will also describe what I’m doing now to stay healthy and live longer.
My problem is that I crack my neck every time before I record. Most people who see me do it cringe in horror. It’s not a click or crack you might hear from someone else, it’s more like a pop where the bone moves out of alignment, and then back into place again.
My father was very good at cracking his own neck for years, but he was having trouble hearing and went to an ear specialist who told him it was due to his constant cracking of his neck. He had developed bone chips in his neck that were putting pressure on his ear nerve. He could no longer hear well if at all out of that one ear, and had to have surgery to remove the bone chips so he could hear better again. The doctor told him that if he didn’t stop cracking his neck he would eventually lose hearing
I have to admit that I’m very bad at keeping up with my blog. The reason being, when I am not in the studio recording, I’m on the road making appearances and meeting new people. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet with companies such as Google and Amazon to record their IVR systems or narrate their videos.
As you can see, life is hectic for me. But one thing I’ve learned is that it pays to remain flexible. You never know what opportunities will come your way if you just keep an open mind and be willing to travel anywhere and everywhere!
