As another week comes to a close I look back and I find it far too easy to ignore what I did do vs what I wanted to do. I’ve gone on and on about this in the past (though perhaps another blog? I don’t know these lessons all sorta blend together for me), yet it’s a reality that shall never leave. In 100 years when I’m a seasoned pro I’m confident I’ll still be doing this.
Could I have done more? Of course, but that doesn’t change the reality that I did more than nothing. I made progress, and no amount of grumpy feelings on my part changes that. I didn’t finish my first project as I’d hoped, but I did take a swing at the editing, took another pot shot at emails, budgeting, ect.
All the while I was trying to balance my day job as a librarian, dancing around the weather, and helping take care of my roommate. Life sometimes just gets in the way, and I try to remind myself of that when I look back and think, “I could have done so much more.” Though that doesn’t mean I should be content with what I did, just acknowledge what I did do.
Something I noticed while editing my most recent piece was 1) how much slower I’m able to read my scripts without prompting and 2) how much more I still need to slow down. On top of slowing down I caught myself extending my pauses. The spoken text remained about 1.5 times faster than it needed to be, while my periods seemed to take forever. I ended up having to edit those spaces out as dead space.
I was thrown back to my theatre days in high school. I remember our director and teachers telling us kids to slow down, so the audience could understand us while staying atop of our queues so we weren’t performing until midnight. It’s funny how the lessons we were first taught often come back around. I’ve heard all the quotes about “even master’s need to review the fundamentals” but it’s kinda fun to see in action.
As for this week’s photo, I figured I should bust one out of one of my mom’s horses when they were a filly. Sometimes I like to think I’ve grown, but honestly I’m still rather young and learning all the basics of navigating and advancing a career as a voice actor. I’m sorta like this itty-bitty filly, just learning how the world works. Though I’m far less adorable than she was.
T. Hoffman Audio 