Relationships, both professional and personal, can be tricky to establish, nurture, and maintain. The really tough part is how to determine when some relationships must end.
First off, are the relationships in question transactional, personable, or personal? All of these types are valid in certain situations but becoming aware of them can help you manage your expectations of what you should give and receive on a financial, logistical, and possibly emotional level.
It's also critical to understand the dynamic of your relationships. It gets weird when your relationships with voiceover clients, agents, friends, or family are of one type to you but another type to the other person. For example, if you think your relationship with someone is personal but to them it's transactional, you're being used. Often you don't find out about that kind of dynamic until it's too late (i.e. you lose money or have your heart broken).
I bring this up because lately I have had much less tolerance for difficult clients. I think a contributing factor is that I'm really busy now voicing projects, coaching students, producing demos, and creating comic books. I'm sure the pandemic plays a role as well but overall I have less bandwidth to deal with lowballing voice seekers and micro-managing end-clients. I have laundry to do so I don't have time for your nonsense!
This lower tolerance for BS seems to happening in not just the voiceover industry but other industries and I think it's a good, no, great thing. The pandemic has put things into perspective for a lot of people and has changed not just people's priorities but forced them to reexamine their relationships at work and with their friends & family. I know I have and even though it's been tumultuous, I know I'm the better for it.
TIP OF THE WEEK
You are under no obligation to continue relationships with clients or people who mistreat you or don’t have your best interests at heart. I don't care if they are friends or family or your most lucrative voiceover client.
Learn to harness The Power Of No! No, I won't work for that rate. No, I won't give you this or that for nothing in return. No, I will stop leaving room in my life for someone like you when all you do is take, never give, and always demand more.
You are solely responsible for your self-care! Eat right, exercise, hydrate, get plenty of rest, and keep toxic voiceover clients & people out of your life.
NEWS AND NOTES
Thursday, August 12th @8PM ET: Time Management. In this one-hour Edge Studio webinar, this class will give students a game plan of how to best utilize their day and where you need to focus your time as a voice talent.
Saturday, August 14th @5PM ET: Be a Practical Voice Actor. In this Voice Actor Studio webinar, you will learn how to develop your decision-making skills so you can move your voiceover business in the direction you want it to go. You’ll also learn to determine what questions you need to ask yourself and how to find the right answers in order to be the voiceover artist and business you truly want to be.
Wednesday, August 18th @8PM ET: Tracking Your Stuff. In this 90-minute "VO How-To" webinar, we will discuss how to effectively and efficiently track your clients, your Cash Flow, and your invoices. This webinar will be recorded so if you can't attend you can still sign up and get a copy of the video.
Thursday, August 26th @8PM ET: Brand Yourself. In this one-hour Edge Studio webinar, students will be given insights on how to brand yourself as a voice over talent in order to get the right kind of attention and grow your business.
HAPPY HAPPYS
Happy S'mores Day and International Cat Day!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
