I was working with a great voice talent friend of mine over the weekend in my Voice Over Workshop. This person has wonderful talent and experience but a real brain cramp about calling agents. In this talent’s world, this performer feels somewhat unsure about whether she will be accepted or rejected by an agent and this has become a road block in the advance of her career.

Tired sports analogies are both obnoxious and accurate (in fact their accuracy may be why they become so darn obnoxious). But anyway, what I said as a way of helping encourage action in this case was: “you miss 100% of the shots you never take.”

The issue here really isn’t about an “agent” so much as it is overcoming our imaginations…imaging and over preparing for the worst to the point where our fear leads to inaction.

What I also pointed out in the Workshop is I have brain cramps too. Not on this particular topic but on other ones. We all do and we’re all absolute idiots for not being able to get past ourselves.

We are afraid or intimated by the possible “no”. It’s the high school date dance all over again. We’ll she go with me? If she says no, will everyone learn of my embarrassment?

Will we all ever grow up? Are we all 45 going on 15?

Let’s make a promise to each other right here that for the next 30 days, we’ll focus on our personal brain cramp issues and tackle them head on until they are resolved.

My sense is once we address them, they won’t be nearly as difficult as we expected them to be.

Will you dare to achieve with me?

Tags: commentary, marketing, voice over workshop, voiceover advice // 2 Comments »