Being a voice-over actor and freelancer can be a roller coaster ride full of highs and lows. There may be one month where you have several bookings and an excess of incoming revenue, and other months where it feels as if you are watching tumbleweeds roll by. It takes a lot of effort to maintain a base level of physical and mental health to weather the inconsistencies this career can throw at you.
Develop a Morning Ritual
In the video above, I discuss the morning ritual outlined in Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way called ‘morning pages’. These work for me because I have found writing out my mental chatter to be a wonderful release. However, you may need to discover another type of morning ritual that works for you. It may be a 15-minute meditation in silence, maybe a 15-minute meditation with relaxing music and sounds, or even a guided meditation. The point is, find what works for you and carve out time in the morning before your day begins that is just for YOU. I realize this may be difficult for parents of young children: I have one student who wakes up an hour before her children and has her morning routine and then gets some voice-over auditions done in that time period as well. It is different for each individual, but it’s important to draw a hard line and make your morning ritual a non-negotiable priority.
Practice Self-Compassion
That being said, don’t beat yourself up if it is something that can’t get done every morning. Even if you set a goal to do it three times a week, you will see a difference. Once you start reaping the benefits this brings, I believe you will find a way to make it habitual and incorporate it into your daily lifestyle.
Don’t Censor Yourself
The morning pages are designed to be for you and your eyes only. You don’t need to impress anyone or show off eloquent writing skills. Sometimes, profound writing and ideas do come out of morning pages, but that is not their purpose. Julia Cameron even suggests tearing them up or storing them in a sealed envelope so you don’t read the pages over after writing them. The idea is to let go of negative thoughts and mental chatter that may be blocking us from creativity and success.
