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Like Life, Creative People Always Find a Way Leave it to creative people to take an event like Covid 19 – which upends everything! – and find a way to make it work for them. The film and TV industry has taken the shutdown on the chin. It shares that unfortunate distinction with restaurants, bars, movie theaters, cruise lines, airlines, hotels, live theater! – all of which rely on employing or servicing large groups of people in close proximity for an extended period of time. Unlike many businesses, which have found ways for employees to work from home (more or less productively), the on-camera world relies on its cast and crew members to be physically present. All productions abruptly shut down when it became apparent around the world that we were dealing with a virulent pandemic that would not be going away within a few weeks. Common knowledge led us to think that we would be looking at a 14 day shutdown at most. Well, as we now know all too well, that has stretched out to a minimum of 14 weeks in most states, and even longer in some. Five months later and with some lockdowns still in place, and restrictions just about everywhere else, business in ANY field is far from normal. And may be so at least through the end of 2020. The Great Shutdown. The Lost Year. Indeed. But creative people look outside of the box for work-arounds to these restrictions, and the results have been inspiring. TV commercials were the first to begin casting and filming. Scripts that called for groups of people to interact while celebrating with the client product were cleverly rewritten to be shot piecemeal, either in an actor’s home or on set under strict Covid-mandated health guidelines. Stories featured people being interviewed and lending their opinions, driving by the original action and calling out their endorsements, or video that was narrated by a remote voiceover actor. Many of the more recent commercial projects are actively looking for people who have been quarantining together, thereby mitigating a large risk of infection through personal interaction. Castings request real-life couples, families, roommates, and others who share a household or who otherwise are in such close contact that they might as well be living under one roof. My teen daughter and I have actually enjoyed auditioning together for these projects! Like many in the Southeast, where self-taped auditions have been commonplace for years, we have our own studio setup with a camera, tripod, lights, microphone, and backdrop. We also know how to edit and upload our recorded scenes to the appropriate casting sites. The learning curve has been much steeper for actors in other parts of the country where they were accustomed to in-person auditons for most projects. But there's lots of help on-line, if you don't know where to start. Google "self-tape auditions" and you can find plenty of articles and video, like this one from Backstage. SAG-AFTRA film and TV sets that have resumed filming are operating under strict and extensive new guidelines to ensure everyone’s health on set, with frequent testing of all cast and crew for Covid 19. Tyler Perry , always in a league of his own, surpassed just about everybody in the industry by creating a quarantine “bubble” – a residential community on the grounds of his studio, repurposing existing barracks and historic houses from the time the site was an active Army base, and building new homes. All crew, actors, and anyone connected with production reside on his property while shooting. Mr. Perry, who writes all his own scripts and directs all his films and TV shows, is highly efficient and shoots very quickly. The entire upcoming season of “Sistas” was filmed within a few weeks in July, and new episodes of “The Oval” began in early August. Back-to-back shoots of his BET+ series, “Bruh” and “Ruthless,” are scheduled to begin soon afterwards. He’s been a role model for the whole industry! Non-union productions, too, are taking precautions, but they make their own non-binding guidelines, which may or not be followed. Experienced non-union actors have been leery of these sets for the most part. In their favor, however, many of these productions are working with small crews and fewer actors per scene than originally scripted. It’s up to the actors and crew members who choose to participate to assess the risks themselves, based on the information that the production provides, and then hope for voluntary compliance. No outside agency will be enforcing SAG-AFTRA rules on a non-union set. There is some collateral career damage - well, call it a setback - for two distinct groups of actors. Older actors, specifically those over 65, will be sitting on the sidelines for some time to come. Not only are productions rewriting plot lines that would have naturally included older characters, but the actors themselves are well-advised to keep themselves away from potentially risky, crowded environments. The other group is the very young, children and teens under age 18. While this age group is less likely to contract the coronavirus or experience severe symptoms, they each come to set with a parent or guardian and require an on-set teacher, too. If a young actor were to be tested and possibly quarantined for an extended period on set, then all these extra people would have to be, too, and the costs and points of possible exposure to the virus go up. The hours per day on set are increasing with the extra precautions, but kids and teens are still limited to the same number of active work hours, potentially leaving too little time each day to shoot the necessary footage involving these young actors. Plus, kids and teens are likely have been exposed to more people who may have contracted Covid 19, considering the greater number of their personal interactions through extended family, friend groups, school population, sports or extra-curricular activity. Emancipated minors can be treated as adults without the extra supervision, but more often than not, the production will choose a more mature young adult to play a teen role, especially if the cast is to be quarantined prior to and/or during production. We’ll get through this “unprecedented time” (haven’t you grown to detest this phrase?!), but for many in the performing arts, 2020 will certainly be counted a lost year as they consider their careers. At least for those working in TV, film, and commercials, there are workable options. (The same can’t be said for those performing on stage, as they are presumably shut down completely until all this is OVER.) There’ll come the day when the crisis is declared past. Just watch productions gear up in response to months and months of pent-up demand! Until then, we and our creative friends will just have to think a little further outside the box. No doubt, plenty of us will find innovative ways to work within our restrictive Covid-induced bubble.

Quick Fixes on the Fly Things go wrong. Usually when it’s least convenient or most costly for them to do so. It’s called Murphy’s Law: “ Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." But that doesn’t mean problems have to take us totally out of the game – they can be anticipated and often averted with some preparation and backup planning. At a minimum, the damage can be mitigated. Let’s talk about a few situations that more than one voice actor has to deal with: Case #1: The Lost Internet Connection . Always a fun situation, especially when it happens right before or during a client-directed session. That’s what happened to me at the end of last year; my mostly reliable internet service went down throughout the entire neighborhood, due to a tree branch felling the cable line. Ah, the hazards of working from home and being dependent upon only yourself as your one-person IT department. Naturally, it happened just before an on-line client-directed session with a well-known international conglomerate based overseas. The very first time I worked with them, when I was looking to make a great first impression. The internet tanked less than an hour before our scheduled session, complete with the production studio’s clients (the international conglomerate end-users) driving some distance to guide the session. Calls to the internet provider revealed by recorded message that they were aware of the problem, that it affected my surrounding area, and that it would be a few hours until service was restored. So what do you do when this happens? In my case, I couldn’t tether to my cell phone to access 5G via its hotspot because my studio is partially underground and can’t receive an outside signal. Great for sound proofing, not so helpful when I need an alternative internet access point. On to Plan B: I got on the phone and called several local studios to see if I could record in their spaces. No such luck; they all were totally booked up. That left Plans C and D, which left egg on my face, but which offered the only honest solutions. I contacted the client to tell him what happened and offered two options: I could either record on my own and send them the files to critique and redo as necessary or we could reschedule the session. We were about to reschedule when suddenly, fortuitously!, internet service was restored and our session was back on, albeit 30 minutes later than originally planned. To offset their inconvenience and demonstrate good will, I gave them a good discount off my fee, since the technical problem was on my end. Case #2: Outside Noise Interference . Again, a hazard of a home studio, which is why this problem can often be avoided by recording during non-daylight hours: early, early morning, late at night, etc. Outside noise covers everything from a neighbor’s lawnmower to children and others in the household raising a bit of a racket, more commonplace during this time of Covid home-schooling and spouses working from home. In my recent case, this was caused by a neighbor’s landscape service cutting down a very large tree. Of course, this began an hour before another client-directed session, so I couldn’t just try recording at a later time. The incredibly loud, vibrating clamor of their equipment penetrated everything in the immediate vicinity, including my partially underground, sound-treated studio. Nothing I could do but pray that the workers would take a lunch break during my session. Again, I told the client what was happening, and they were very understanding. After all, they (like so many others!) were working from home, too, and they were dealing with some outside noises, as well; at least one person’s young child could be clearly heard from another room. I checked and told them that the noise floor wasn’t too badly affected, but that I would be willing to reschedule the session or re-record on my own later if any background sound was detected. And then, lo and behold, my prayers were answered and the tree service people stopped their work long enough for us to record. What lessons can be learned from this? First, as the voice actor, make sure that you’re working in a broadcast-quality studio that’s properly treated. It may not be totally sound-proof against unusually loud outside noise, but it can go a long way to ensuring a good sound floor. Second, prayer works! Third, appreciate even more those good-natured clients who are willing to take these things in stride and understand that some things just happen and are out of our control. And finally, be thankful to the powers that be that everything worked out as it should. Case #3: Forget To Start Recording . How embarrassing! This happens to almost all VO talent at some point in their careers, usually when they’re first getting started. Do it once and you’ll probably never do it again. What should you do if this happens to you? Hopefully, you will catch it almost immediately so that little time is wasted. If you’re recording on your own, nothing is lost but your time. Re-record and no one’s the wiser. If this happens during a client session, just admit the mistake. First takes often sound like warm-up takes and are unlikely to be a client’s favorite, so usually little is lost and the client may even laugh it off with you. Continue with the rest of the session – I guarantee you’ll be sure to keep an eye on your recording software from then on! Case #4: Illness, Allergies, or Hoarseness . Ah, winter time is often the season of the Lost Voice or the Voice Temporarily Out Of Service. Prevent compromised or lost voices with plenty of old-fashioned care: drink lots of water at least two hours before recording, get plenty of rest, wash your hands frequently to reduce catching or transmitting viruses – we’re old hands now (so to speak) with proper sanitization, due to long months of dealing with Covid. Hot tea with lemon or – my favorite! – Throat Coat tea, are also wonderful to have on hand. But sometimes, preparation is just not enough. This happened with me last November when I was scheduled to record my new commercial demo. A persistent cough and loss of vocal strength persisted for weeks and I had to reschedule the recording several times. I could do short jobs, but not a full hour-long session. Sometimes it can work to your advantage. Once, when I had a bit of hoarseness, I recorded an audition for a popular restaurant chain … and my agent later told me that I had been shortlisted for the national commercial. What I would have done to regain that vocal tone if I had booked it … well, that’s another story, but I got a kick out of knowing that my unexpectedly raspy voice was a good fit for what the client envisioned. What do you do when you are sick or you’re just out of vocal commission, and the client must have that recording without delay? If the client has a firm deadline, they may need to go to another talent. If you can, be a resource to them and recommend someone whose voiceprint or style is similar to your own. While you may lose that particular job, the client will appreciate the referral and could be more willing to come back to you for future bookings. This idea of being a resource to your client extends to more than just recommending a replacement. Network with other voice actors so that you can refer your client to others with special skills that you may not have, such as particular accents, character voices, or kid voices. If you’re a woman and they need a male voice, suggest a few good talents for them to check out. Or if they’re looking for a production studio, be a resource to both parties and provide an introduction. Now you’re seen as more than just a voice actor – you’re also a problem solver! Case #5: Your Equipment Dies . Yikes. Again, Murphy’s Law will dictate that this happens at the most inopportune time. Prepare for these potential catastrophes by having backups on hand. Or know how to procure them in a hurry. Have a backup mic available, or perhaps an older computer that is loaded with your recording and editor software to take the place of your usual computer that just died and turned into an expensive paperweight. You can never tell when disaster will strike. When I was traveling overseas last summer, my computer’s keyboard and track pad stopped working the moment I arrived at my hotel. I never discovered what caused it or why it happened when it did. The computer worked perfectly on the plane, it was never dropped but always carried in its case, and it was only a few years old. Instead of a little sight-seeing, my first trip in this new city was to a computer supply store to purchase a European style keyboard (I had external mouse). The setup was clunky and my Mac didn’t recognize this particular keyboard, but after an hour on the phone with Apple, we were able to patch up a fix for the several weeks until I returned home. Yup, sometimes you just have to do the best you can with what you have and hope for the best. I’m by nature an optimist, but that hasn’t proven to be the magic formula to ward away Murphy and his pesky Law. So, I’ve developed instead a rather practical philosophy: prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Think ahead of what my work requires and make sure that it’s all in good working order and ready to go. That includes providing for my optimal health, as well my recording space and equipment. It also extends to warming up my voice prior to a session, knowing the client’s script and expectations, working out all the terms of our agreement and pricing before even scheduling the session, and being able to quickly deliver the voice over files after the session in the format the client needs. Preparation always includes having a positive attitude! Whether working alone or in a directed session, clients pick up on the voice actor’s mood and attitude through the reads. And if you’re seeing one another via Zoom or Skype, the visual cues are there, too. Show you’re a professional through and through; have pencil and note paper around to mark client re-direction or changes. And have lots of water on hand – stay hydrated before and during a session. If you’re using Source Connect, ipDTL, or really any other connectivity tool, use an ethernet cable directly to your router for an optimal internet connection. Wi-Fi can be a bit unreliable sometimes. If your space picks up 4G or 5G, have your cell phone handy to tether your connection to your personal hotspot, in case your internet goes out completely. And finally, let family members know when you’re recording, so that they can be especially quiet during your session, if you can’t completely isolate from household sounds. I like to turn on my “Voice Over Recording” sign that I hang on the door of my studio. It lets the family know when I’m in session and usually prevents them from pounding on the door asking for this, that, or the other little thing. Benjamin Franklin said that: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” While old Ben was actually addressing the issue of fire safety, his axiom applies to so many other things. Including voice over. A little effort up front can certainly save you a whole lot of pain later on.

Putting the Skeptics (and the IRS) to Rest My son recently graduated from business school and began a career in finance this past summer. Thanks to the pandemic, he’s been living and working from our home in Atlanta, his move to Boston postponed to the indefinite near future. While this hasn’t been how he had imagined starting his career, it’s given his dad and I an opportunity to really get to know him as a young adult. And we’ve had quite a few interesting conversations along the way. Our son is very pragmatic and sees things through the lens of his training in business and computer science: facts, numbers, profit vs. loss, etc. And now that he’s back home and we’re all living (and working) in close quarters, he’s turned his financial eye to my voice over work. He sees me recording in my home studio, talking about upcoming projects, and preparing marketing campaigns. He’s curious about the industry, the clients who hire me, the equipment and software that I use, and the overall shift to home studios (even before Covid) and away from recording in outside studios. And as a financial type, he’s particularly interested in its profitability, specifically the generated income, expenses, and return on investment. In that vein, he’s asked me how I distinguish between voice over as a business versus a hobby. The question took me a bit by surprise, because for me there has never been any doubt. Voice over is a passion of mine, I’m seriously pursuing it as a business, and that’s how I present it to anyone who asks. So, I was taken aback by the implication that, in his opinion, it may not be a serious business. Is it because many aspects of voice over are a performance art? Or could it be because I like to talk about how much fun I have doing it? That doesn’t make it any less of a business. But his question was sincere, and as I thought about it, I realized that it runs deeper than it appears on the surface. Just because something is fun, doesn't it mean it isn't to be taken seriously. In the minds of many people who do not work in the arts, a creative endeavor is something that is usually done on the side and in someone’s spare time. Things like painting, wood-working, playing a musical instrument, performing in community theater. Often there is no financial component in the artistic pursuit; people engage in it for its own sake and the pure pleasure they derive from it. Perhaps some money is made, but more often than not, these activities are considered creative expressions or hobbies. To a financier, running a “business” is a serious pursuit with the objective of making money while providing needed or desired goods and services. If it’s not successful and costs overrun expenses to the point of bankruptcy, the business is either reorganized or shut down, with the operator moving on to some other venture. Losses are cut as soon as possible and ideally, the owner/operator doesn’t let emotional attachments to the business get in the way of making prudent financial decisions. He who dies with the most toys doesn't always win. Of course, that’s often not the way it goes in the real world. People are usually very attached to their businesses and are not willing to easily give up on them. This is especially true for very small businesses in the arts, where the owner(s) may also be the artist(s) that the business is built around. The products of this business, whether they’re screenplays, canvases, stage performances, or voice overs may be constantly changing as the owner/artist grows in talent, technique, and perspective. The audiences or buyers may be constantly changing, too, so it can be difficult to tell if and when there is no longer a viable market for the owner/artist’s work. It’s totally subjective and can change in a moment. There’s also this, too, in the entertainment industry: many artists nurture the hope that the one big breakthrough or golden opportunity is just around the corner, and that all they need is a little more time to pursue their dreams. Dollars and sense My son’s perspective is to treat an artist’s business as any other: if a voice over business is not acceptably profitable within a certain amount of time, then the talent should just give it up and do something else instead. Well … yes and no, it all depends. (Don’t you just love wishy-washy answers?) There’s really more to such a decision than just this logic. First, though, let’s take the logical view and a good, pragmatic look at the expenses. Yes, there are start-up costs and the artist should have been well aware and prepared to fund the initial investment to get the business started. Money is as necessary as the time, talent, dedication, and plain old hard work that goes into a new venture. Ignore the financials requirements at your own peril or you may very well be bankrupted and looking for a “real” job in no time. Fun and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs But there are other factors at play, too. And that’s because artists define success more broadly than most business people. Success comes in many forms besides financial reward. There’s the success of providing a much-needed service, such as those many non-profits perform. The success of creative self-expression and seeing it uplift the spirits of individuals and whole communities. And the personal success of responding to an innate calling to engage in such work. There are many artists who cannot imagine themselves doing anything else. If the question of “hobby vs. business” is posed to the person involved, the answer is most likely not going to be determined by applying outside financial criteria. The deciding factor will be the artist’s own subjective assessment, factoring in the importance, time, effort, and intent poured into it. Of course, the artist has to come to terms with the financial success his or her business may realize and then decide what to do about it. But remember: a business is no less a business, just because the owner has to take on a 9-5 job to pay the bills. It just may take longer to realize those measures of success, whether it’s money, a sterling reputation, fame, or seeing your work appreciated within your greater community. True, with less time to devote to it, it can be harder to operate, but many well-known businesses have started on the side like this, in garages, spare rooms, and even converted closets. Apple Computer, anyone? What's the point of a good argument without there also being a grey area to noodle about? Then again, hobbies can be financially successful, while businesses may not – there is no hard and cold rule to this. And a hobby can bring in a little side money without the hobbyist wanting it to become anything more. It can be a testing ground for an idea to see if it can be pursued more seriously and turned into a business. And sometimes, it works the other way, too: an unprofitable business pursuit can be reimagined as a hobby for the person to enjoy for its own sake, without the expectation of making money from it. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. For those aspiring to make voice over a full-time profitable business, and not just a hobby or side hustle, there are plenty of voice actors around the world serving as role models who make a very good living at it. Their careers often span decades, and they enjoy take-home pay in the six figures. And there are several good coaches who will show you how it’s done, such as Marc Scott and his VOpreneur group and Jay Roberts with Gravy For The Brain . So what's the verdict? My answer to my son’s question is essentially this: it’s up to the talents themselves to decide if voice over is a hobby or a business. If they’re doing it for fun and a little extra money, call it a hobby. If they’re actively pursuing new business, constantly training to improve their skills, making and marketing high quality demos, and trying to grow their footprint as a voice actor, call it a business. The only caveat I’ll throw out is to be careful when writing off your expenses when filing your tax return. The IRS has a very definite idea of what constitutes a business vs. a hobby: A trade or  business  is generally an activity carried on for a livelihood or in good faith to make a profit. ... You  do  not need to actually make a profit to be in a trade or  business as long as you have a profit motive. You  do  need, however, to make ongoing efforts to further the interests of your  business . Generally, the  IRS  classifies your  business  as a  hobby , it won't allow you to  deduct  any expenses or take any loss for it on your tax return. So, if you want to demonstrate to the IRS that you are operating a business versus a hobby, you need to be able to prove that you are working consistently to grow and improve it. The IRS will only allow you to claim losses on your business for three out of  five  tax years. If you don't show that your business was profitable longer than that, then the IRS can prohibit you from claiming your business losses on your taxes. Talk to your friendly neighborhood IRS representative for more information. Or google the details at irs.gov . So now we know that the financial analysts and tax specialists distinguish along – surprise, surprise – financial lines. The rest of us, however, can decide for ourselves how serious we are in pursuing voice acting opportunities and what we want it to be: a business, hobby, or just play. And my son? He’s done analyzing the ins and outs of my voice over business – for now – but he’s still interested in my work. Great! It’s always nice to have someone to talk to about these things. And who knows? Maybe one day when he’s a mogul with a successful company of his own, he’ll need my professional services.

Live Long Enough, and You Might Learn Something Sometimes it seems we’re just destined to learn things the hard way. I usually try to avoid that, but hey! life happens and sometimes it comes with a boot to the head. Sometimes, I’m clearly responsible. OK, that’s on me. I probably hadn’t thought a problem through properly, made a snap decision, and then walked confidently right into a non-pliable brick wall. Ouch, lesson learned. Sometimes, the boot came because I just didn’t know any better, but still … aarrgghh! Painful, aggravating lesson served right up. Thanks, life, I really needed that today. And sometimes, I think the universe just needs a conveniently-placed someone to come along at precisely the right moment and … BAM! … let a little steam off at that person’s expense. Whatever it is, hopefully the lesson (if there is one) will be learned and never have to be repeated. Some lessons make great stories and help to warn others who may themselves soon be in similar situations. Here are a few of mine, not that any are particularly earth-shattering, but hopefully may be somewhat entertaining: 1. Always consider the downside before taking a risk I learned this one the hard way when I was 9 years old. The much cooler, older kids in my neighborhood were showing off their vastly superior bike-riding skills by riding around without any hands on their handle bars. I vowed I was going to learn how, too, by going to the rockiest, unpaved road I could find and practice. I figured that if I could master that mess of a road, I could ride without hands ANYWHERE. Well, I don’t think I got too far before I was tumbling over those handlebars and landing on my forearm on a sizeable sharp rock. Nothing was broken, but the forearm I landed on was torn up pretty badly and I couldn’t even pick out all the smaller stones that seemed to be embedded into it. Somehow, I managed to pedal my way home, where my mother, who had a hard time dealing with blood, had to call the nurse living a few doors down to help clean up my arm and bandage it up. I never did learn to ride my bike without hands. And after that day, I was perfectly OK with it. 2. Delaying a nasty job can make it only worse I’m not on friendly terms with bugs. The bigger the bug, the more I try to avoid it. No problem when both the bug and I are outside – I figure that I’m on its turf. But when our encounter takes place indoors, specifically MY indoors, in MY home … well, that’s warfare. I’d like to be able to say that I’m one of those tender-hearted, caring Good Samaritans who would gently scoop up the offending insect and carefully place it outdoors. Nope. Well, the one exception is the stinkbug, mostly because it doesn’t have the sense to even get out of the way once it knows it’s been spotted. Those I will scoop up with a whisk broom and pan and fling out the door into the wild blue yonder. It’s up to them and their stinkbug deity-of-choice to navigate landing in one piece. But at least they have a fighting chance. Not so with roaches. Ugh! Can’t stand them and I do everything I can to prevent them from entering the house. But sometimes, I’ll come downstairs at night and flick on a light, only to freeze in horror as a roach and I suddenly stare at one another before each of us takes off in a different direction. The roach, for a dark corner or crack in the baseboard. Me, for a can of Raid or whatever else is handy. Sometimes that handy “whatever else” is a big, heavy book that can be dropped or slammed hard on top of the invader. It’s a good feeling to see it land on its target. The not so great part is knowing that, at some point, the book will have to be picked up. Then, unless I can get my husband to do it, not only do I have a dead roach to dispose of, I have a disgustingly smashed dead roach to deal with. Not to mention having to clean off the book. Lesson learned. I take the extra time now to locate that can of Raid. Chemical warfare has become my first and last weapon of choice: so much easier to clean up and dispose of the bug body. And I can only hope that the spray will kill off or at least deter any other vermin lurking about. 3. Know the limits of your household appliances Disposals are wonderful devices. You throw things into them, run the water, turn on the switch, and whoosh! All gone. Occasionally, the disposal is given more than it can handle, in which case the water won’t go down, no matter how long the switch it turned on. That’s usually not too much of a problem. Turn off the disposal, poke a knife down through the water, stir things up a bit, and it’ll generally resolve itself. But who knew that celery could bring a kitchen disposal to its knees? My husband was making a smoothie and throwing all sorts of veggie bits and pieces into the sink. Guess what we learned the hard way? Evidently, that the long fibers in celery pieces can unwind, twine around the disposal deep down in its mechanism, and bring it to a screeching halt. After fiddling with the disposal for a long while, we had to get a handyman to take the thing apart to get it working again. Lesson learned: throw everything larger than small scraps into a garbage can (or compost bin) and let the disposal mostly work on draining standing water from your sink. 4. “Avert the squirt” Here’s one from the new mommy playback. Parents of little boys learn pretty quickly to have a cloth on hand when you’re about to change a baby’s diaper. For everyone else out there, unless you’d like to risk getting a shot of baby pee straight into your face, quickly cover the baby’s nether region with the cloth as you’re removing a wet or soiled diaper before you can slide a clean one into place. Believe me, better a cloth than your face. Evidently, the cooler air triggers the baby’s system into releasing whatever has been stored in there as soon as the warm messy diaper is removed. You’re welcome. (I’ve also heard from other parents that baby girls can shoot a #2 horizontally on occasion, so be on the lookout there. Fortunately, I never experienced that, but I wouldn’t be surprised.) 5. Froot Loops do double duty I’ve passed this lesson on to every parent preparing to potty-train their little boy. Because it WORKS. Tired of seeing missed toilet shots on the bathroom floor? Even those little musical toddler potties won’t help if your little boy thinks it’s fun to test his aim everywhere but where it’s intended to go. Try this: throw a few colorful Froot Loops into the toilet and tell your little guy to sink them any way he can. The game of hitting and watching brightly colored Froot Loops bounce around inside the bowl beats just about any video game. And it’ll improve his aim, so good-bye messy floors. Just make sure your kid doesn’t reach into the bowl when you’re not looking and eats the Froot Loops. (Don’t ask.) 6. Introduce your kid to Monty Python at your own peril I promise, I’m done with the potty stuff. Moving on to the teen years... it’s great to find ways to bond with your child. When they get to the point where they’ve decided that you just don’t know anything relevant because you’re SO OLD, introduce them to Monty Python. They won’t look at you the same after that. My son and I especially had fun enjoying “ Monty Python and the Holy Grail ” together. Pure gold in there, plenty of fun quotable material, but just be prepared to have it hurled back at you at any given moment. For example, you’re having “the talk” and afterwards you ask, “Is there anything you want to ask me?” And you get, “Yes….” “What... is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?” Even parents are allowed an eyeroll once in a while. 7. Don’t tell your daughter the mistakes you made at her age It sounds like a great idea, right? Have a serious conversation with your daughter and share your stories of the mistakes you’d made at her age. All so that she could learn from them and not repeat them, thereby avoiding the heartaches you experienced. Yeah, right. More likely, you’ll hear: “Well, you did (this, that, or the other thing), so why can’t I?!” Maybe it’s better to not reveal too much and let her think you were once a paragon of righteous living. 8. There is such a thing as a tennis widow You’ve heard of the term “golf widow?” That’s a woman who never sees her husband on weekends or even some weeknights, because he spends all his free time playing golf. I had no idea that tennis could be one of them. My hubby is on the tennis courts constantly in practice or in play, and when he’s not, he’s watching a tennis tournament on TV. And there always seems to be a tournament going on somewhere around the world. When I was dating, I knew plenty of guys who were totally into one sport or another, usually football, baseball, soccer … the usual suspects. All well and good, but it wasn’t my thing and I really didn’t see myself with a hubby who was that much of an enthusiast. Oh, well! Now that my husband’s retired, it seems like it’s tennis every day, just about all day. Tennis on TV, tennis talk at the dinner table. Tennis bags, racquets, clothes all over the house. I tried it myself, but while I’m athletic, I have some trouble with depth perception - and it just didn’t work for me. Truth be told, I don’t mind so much these days. Tennis keeps him busy and fit, and gives me some much-craved alone time to do the things I enjoy, like voice over and writing these blogs. 9. Don’t spoil your spouse … too much. It’ll come back to bite you when he retires. I’m busy trying to retrain my newly retired husband. It’s not going as well as I’d like. While he was working long, demanding hours, I took up the brunt of the household chores: cooking, cleaning up, laundry, etc. Partly because I enjoyed cooking and partly because I cared that all the other chores were done RIGHT. Meaning, my way and to my higher standards. Well, now I get what I paid for, because he’s not showing much motivation to do any more, now that he has plenty of time on his hands. I’ve moved on to the rewards system: Thank you for changing the burned out light bulbs! Thank you for taking out the mounds of dirty trash! Thank you for ordering from Amazon that one specialty item that you used to expect me to run all over town to find! Throw in a favorite dinner of his and he’s slightly more inclined to help out. I think this used to be called using my “feminine wiles.” Not to manipulate as much as to persuade, encourage, etc. But it might have been much easier if I hadn’t taken on so much as my own responsibility all those years ago. Ah, well, another piece of advice for my daughter … which is probably the one piece of advice she WILL take. 10. Be positive and never give up on yourself Life’s too short to create problems for yourself. Even when things are not going well (2020, anyone?!), there’s always the hope that things will get better. We live in a world of polarity, where in our lifetimes, we’ll experience at one time or another the height of joy and a fulfilling sense of belonging and its counterpart, the depth of loss and rejection. As a teenager, I knew two older women who had both experienced the loss of their adult children. One woman, whose daughter died by suicide, was so overcome with grief that she literally lost her voice from that point forward. Yet, she forged ahead and poured all her energy into her work. Her heart was broken, but her spirit was not, and she persevered. The other woman lost a son from cancer and simply could not cope. Her focus was on her lost son, despite having a close-knit extended family with her other children and grandchildren, most of whom lived nearby. Her loss defined her and she gave up on any future, and died before her time. Our story is not finished until we are gone from this life. Lonely men and women have found love in their later years. New careers have started after old ones fallen by the wayside. I’ve learned that a positive outlook works wonders for our health and overall well-being. There’s truly a Law of Attraction: that which we focus on and work to become, will draw like people and circumstances to ourselves. Positive or negative energy, it works in the same way. It won’t be an instantaneous experience - so don’t call me a Pollyanna! (link) – but it’s there, nonetheless. There’s a philosophy that says that we can manifest what we choose to create. Positive outlooks often generate positive results. And despite our ups and downs, we have hope that the future will be brighter. There’s a reason why hope was found still in Pandora’s box after she had released all the plagues and woes in the world. As long as we remain human, there’s always the hope – a positive energy – that th ings can work out.

The Difference and What It Can Mean To Your Next Project What’s the difference between a voice talent and a voice actor? Are they the same thing? Is there any real difference or is this just another case of “to-may-toe” vs. “to-mah-toe?” Most people use the terms interchangeably, as both refer to individuals who are (presumably) skilled and experienced delivering voice over audio recordings. The word “talent” itself is widely used in the entertainment industry to refer to actors and actresses, regardless if the medium is film, TV, radio, internet, etc. But there is a subtle difference between a “voice talent” and a “voice actor.” The difference is in the extent and scope of training and experience, especially in mediums outside of voice over. Harken back to your school days and think of those mathematical lessons describing concentric circles : two circles share the same center, but each with different length radius, meaning that the smaller circle is totally enclosed and is a subset of the larger one. In this analogy, I’m suggesting that, because of their extra professional training and experience, voice actors can be considered a subset group within the larger population of voice talents. I’m not saying that voice talents without on-camera classroom instruction may not have a great deal of voice over training, skill, and experience. Not at all! Many outstanding voice talents have never studied acting, per se, and their performances and careers have not suffered for it. But the voice actor, by virtue of having studied and practiced the art of acting, may have a deeper and wider range of performance skills to bring to the project table. Especially if they are also on-camera actors with experience in film, TV, and/or theater to complement their voice over work. Voice over coaches often advise their students to broaden their training with acting classes, as well as with improvisation (improv) classes. Acting classes teach and develop skills in scene study, script analysis, and character development, and students learn how to understand and interpret story lines, create emotional arcs for their characters, and live in the moment during their performances. Actors study monologues to understand their construction, to show emotional range for their characters, and to compel their audiences to keep watching with interesting but authentic choices. They also work with one or more actors in scenes taken from feature films and popular television shows to learn to give and take the emotional connection and interplay between their characters, and to move the storyline along in patterns that may seem to be a roller coaster one minute, a deep dive to the bottom of the ocean in the next. Have you noticed a common word in the above description? Emotion . Actors don’t tell their audiences the story, they show it. They take them along for the ride to feel and experience the ups and downs of their characters’ journeys. And all this translates beautifully to voice over. Voice actors do not just read or tell their clients’ messages, they live them, whether they are narrating corporate website videos or bringing to life characters in a video game. Here’s another word: Connection . It is so important for an actor to connect with the script, whether it’s for film, TV, a commercial, or an explainer video. The listener needs to believe that the voice IS the CEO of the pharmaceutical company introducing a ground-breaking new medicine. Or the mom in the carpool line who really thinks you can take a much-needed break from kitchen duties with this new family meal-to-go kit. Or the animated, anthropomorphic beastie trying to solve the same sort of problem that a five year old viewer is learning to deal with, too. The connection is emotional , and the listener can immediately tell if the message feels truthful or not and whether they should keep paying attention - or not. Actors are trained to express a wide range of emotion. And never to think that there is only one way or right way to interpret a script. The idea is to bring a version of themselves to the character, to respond with spontaneity and invention, while staying true to the written word and underlying message. Actors practice taking direction and making different choices: changing their characters’ motivations, needs, and wants to offer alternate interpretations to the written material. In this way, a scene could be performed as a heavy drama, a dramedy (combination of drama and comedy), or even as part of a horror film. It all depends on a chosen point of view, a character’s background and inclinations, and how that character will respond as the scene unfolds. Improv experience is also a wonderful tool that belongs in every voice actor’s handy-dandy kit. Improv teaches actors to live in the moment, always reacting to whatever is presented by the situation or by another actor. It opens actors to being more comfortable with their own spontaneity and humor, accepting a client’s redirects, and discovering nuances in the material that they may not have noticed before. OK, that’s all well and good, but you may be thinking: Cut to the chase. Why should I care and what do I get by distinguishing between the two? Fair questions, so here’s my list of the top three benefits you may get with a trained actor: 1. The additional level of training and experience that the actor can draw on will make your job easier . The actor may be able to nail the interpretation you’re looking for within the first take or two, plus offer additional options that you may not have considered earlier … and may like even better. 2. The voice actor may be easier to work with and direct . On-camera experience doubles the opportunity to learn from different types of casting directors and what they expect from their actors on set. Flexibility to adapt to different styles of direction allows the actor to pivot to your redirection that much more quickly and easily. 3. You’re getting more bang for your buck if you ever want to take your campaign to the next level and include an on-camera presence. You already have the actor who’s voiced your brand and understands your message, someone who knows on-camera work and is comfortable and experienced in it, all set to go. One final consideration: More and more on-camera actors are training in voice over, particularly during this pandemic when film and TV opportunities have significantly dropped off. Casting directors and producers who wish to reach out directly to voice actors might consider posting some jobs to on-camera casting websites like Actors Access. More and more voice over jobs are appearing there, and actors can directly submit their demos with their applications to audition. Additionally, casting directors can require that actors detail information about their home studio capability, training, etc. in the submission notes, before choosing which actors they want to audition. Happy hiring!

Righting Ourselves in an Upside Down World I imagine reading these sorts of posts a year or so in the future, looking back to our days amidst this pandemic, and thinking: man, it seems like we had all been sucked down some bizarre rabbit hole into a dystopian Wonderland. We certainly can identify a bit better with Alice now that our world, for too long, has been turned upside down and inside out. We’re seeing too many seams wearing thin and the fabric of society being pulled in too many directions. Anxiety, worry, and depression are becoming more commonplace, especially among those whose livelihoods had been abruptly shut down. Even while some productions are starting to crank back up – with Covid-mandated safety procedures in place – it’s still very tough on most actors. Actors are typically a self-doubting bunch: Am I good enough? Do they like me? Did I do something that will forever ban me from working again?! And so on. Well, thanks to 2020, there are a few more tangible worries to deal with. Here’s a rundown of the five I’ve heard the most, coupled with some encouraging news: Worry #1: My momentum is broken … The popular adage that "an acting career is a marathon, not a sprint” refers to the years of work and persistence that goes into building a successful career. Each new role booked builds on the body of work that preceded it, leading to larger and more interesting and demanding roles. Most actors don’t take much time off from the industry in fear of losing this momentum, becoming sidelined, or even forgotten. And it’s been difficult for just about everyone – financial pressures notwithstanding – when the industry has shut down. Even though we’re all dealing with the same situation, worry persists that there’ll be inevitable delays in career progress. And there’s certainly truth to this. Productions are re-working scripts and cutting many smaller roles to reduce cast size, mostly to reduce the risk of Covid, accommodate social distancing, and ensure that budgets and timetables are met. Unfortunately for actors, many look to these co-star and small supporting roles to prove their acting chops, make industry connections, and build their body of work. Even those more seasoned performers who were preparing to move to LA or pursue bi-coastal opportunities are feeling their options are stymied. Don’t Worry … Too much There’s no getting around the fact that work HAS slowed down or is still stopped in some areas. But nothing lasts forever and productions in Atlanta, Vancouver, and overseas are beginning to ramp up again. Not much can be done about the lost career momentum, but that may be more of an illusion, as everyone has been in the same position. Consider the past seven months or so a “freeze” in activity for the industry and not a personal spiraling down into irrelevance. The true loss in momentum is if the actor has not done anything to keep those acting and auditioning skills sharp. There really hasn’t been much of an excuse to have not done so. Since last spring, there has been a flood of virtual classes and workshops offered, plus monologue competitions and open calls by casting directors inviting all actors to submit their best work. Worry #2: Exposure to Covid on set Safety concerns remain high, especially on non-union sets that are not required to meet the stringent SAG-AFTRA requirements . While some non-union have strict guidelines and safety precautions, others are much more lax. Don’t Worry – Be smart and choosy Common sense dictates here. If you are in a high risk group, such as having a compromised immune system or pre-existing condition that makes you susceptible to Covid, don’t audition for any project that may expose you to the virus. There are some projects that involve filming your scenes from home or only with others with whom you’ve been quarantining. Commercials especially have been booking family members, couples, and roommates for their projects. Some productions have also been stating their safety compliance procedures with their auditions, so that actors can decide for themselves whether to apply for the roles. Even after booking, directors may talk with cast members to review the precautions on set. And SAG-AFTRA actors know that the union has their back, with compliance officers and nurses on set and plenty of Covid testing before and during a shoot. Mike G., an Atlanta-based actor, says that he was very impressed with the safety and protocols put in place. “Film sets in general seem to be one of the safest work environments around. The amount of precautions taken before actors even venture on set – not to mention once you’re actually here – are very reassuring.” Worry #3: Loss of (union) health insurance SAG-AFTRA sets a minimal amount that a member actor must earn each calendar year to qualify for union health insurance. With the industry effectively shut down less than three months into 2020, this fear is certainly understandable. For many, losing affordable health insurance for the next year when they’ve already lost their means of income is a cruel blow. Don’t Worry – SAG-AFTRA is helping The union has announced a bit of a safety net. If an actor loses earned eligibility, they may be able to continue their plan's coverage through COBRA for a specified time period. Click this link for details. It’s not cure-all, but it can help in the short term. Worry #4: Newer actors losing opportunities to the veterans On the surface, this sounds like a complaint voiced by newbie actors at any time, not just during a pandemic. Yes, it’s high likely that at any given time, we all will be competing against more experienced actors for a role. That’s the business, and the casting director, director, and/or producer will choose whomever they think will best bring their character to life. Sometimes it’s the seasoned veteran, sometimes it’s a newer actor. The concern being voiced, though, refers to the few number of roles available and the stiffer competition for them. And it’s quite likely that at this time, veteran actors WILL benefit more. As they say, “them’s the breaks.” Don’t Worry – be proactive … and patient The answer to this concern is two-fold: Up your game, keep training, and become more competitive. And second, realize that this industry IS slowly coming back and with it, more jobs. Lisa T., an actress in the Southeast, reports: “I’m surprised but thrilled with the number of auditions that are popping up. So much for rumors that the market is dead!” Worry #5: All of the above worries have my energy and attitude going down the tubes Yup, we’re right there with you. 2020 has been a test of resilience, fortitude, and determination. Not to mention patience. Most of us have not done too well by it! It’s been a balancing act, too, as actors try to balance risk with reward. For those booking jobs, the question in the back of their minds may be: Is this role worth it if I bring Covid home to my family? How much do I need to make to justify the risk? All these concerns can drain actors of their normal hustle mentality. And make them question again the wisdom of working in an uncertain industry where most of the decision-making is out of their control. Don’t Worry – You have the power to choose your reaction When we can’t control the situation, we can at least choose how we will react to it. We’ll each make the decision whether or not to audition for a role, which sets we’ll be willing to work on, and for what fees. We can – and should! – continue to take care of ourselves with a healthy diet, plenty of exercise, and – if we can – a positive attitude. Continue with online classes, get new headshots (plenty of photographers are taking proper safety precautions), learn a new skill or language, read industry-related books and listen to podcasts … you get the idea. Yeah, the world is a bit upside down now, but people made their way out from under the Spanish Flu and we’ll get through this century’s pandemic, too. After all, Alice found her way out of Wonderland, even though the silly girl eventually went right back in via the Looking Glass.

When Catastrophe Comes Calling It was a glorious fall day. I was having a grand time in one of life’s simplest pleasures: just getting out of the house and enjoying a walk around my neighborhood on a beautiful day. The best part of walking in October is crunching the dry, brittle leaves underneath my feet. I don’t know why, but it’s immensely satisfying … like popping bubble wrap. As I rounded a corner, I was surprised to see an orange barricade in the middle of the street. Why was the road closed? Well, I live in an old neighborhood with equally old trees, so I figured it was probably a downed tree. Yup, sure enough, several people were gathered in the street as a crew worked on cutting up and disposing of the fallen oak. The tree had crashed mostly down the driveway between two homes, but a large branch sliced through a top floor bedroom of one house, while another branch knocked off the chimney on the other. It happened at 11pm while the homeowner was in bed in that particular bedroom. I was told that the branch actually landed at the end of her bed, though fortunately neither she nor anyone else was injured. But an incredibly close call. It’s not the first tree recently to come toppling down, without warning. Just a month ago, I was preparing for a client-directed recording session when I heard a crew fire up their cutting equipment. And a few years back, I remember talking with a friend in my family room when we heard a strange cracking sound. We looked out the back window just in time to see a 100 foot tree – in what looked like slow motion – suddenly veer over and fall, taking several other trees with it. Fortunately, this was in the woods behind my house, so no one (except maybe a slow-moving squirrel) was affected. When you live around old trees, you have to be proactive. The neighborhood received a harsh lesson years ago when an especially strong storm uprooted dozens of aging oaks along our streets. In some areas, it looked like a giant’s game of pickup sticks. Immediately afterwards, the community had each remaining tree along the streets carefully examined and endangered trees were replaced with younger, sturdier ones. In all things, it’s best to think ahead so we can check against potential catastrophes and hopefully prevent the worst from happening. It’s one thing if we’re talking about an old tree that looks sick and weak; a call to an arborist can help determine if we need to remove it before it falls. But sometimes, the catastrophe comes without warning. And it can be very personal. One day, we feel perfectly healthy. The next, our life is in danger from something we didn’t even know was there. Like a tree that looks healthy yet has a developing hollow center, we may have a serious medical problem that has not yet manifested into any symptoms we register, until it’s too late. This is what happened to a dear friend. A robust and healthy guy, he suddenly felt exhausted, had no energy, and became very ill. No, it was not Covid. A medical check-up revealed the worst: stage 4 cancer of the gall bladder that had spread to the liver. He was told that he only had two weeks to live. He didn’t make it seven days. It doesn’t take much for our fortunes to turn on a dime. Sometimes we can plan for the worst and offset it: check the health of tall trees near our homes, make sure that the heating, cooling, plumbing, etc. within our homes are all in good working order. Sometimes bad luck catches us blindsided and we can only react, as in accidents, medical emergencies, or a once-in-a-century pandemic. But occasionally, we can turn something bad into something good. The pandemic has, and still is, causing upheavals in our society, far beyond the health risks Coronavirus poses to us and our loved ones. In trying to contain its spread, the long shutdown of large segments of our economy has led to a significant loss of jobs and businesses, diminished personal financial resources, civil unrest, and high increases in the incident rates of anxiety, depression, and spousal and child abuse. Yet, through it all, people are rediscovering their sense of community, new businesses are popping up that cater to a shuttered population, and many individuals and workplaces are discovering how much more can be done through virtual conferencing than previously thought. And when this unexpected worldwide emergency is past, we’ll be more aware of the cracks in our society that this incredible stressor has produced – and hopefully do something to address repairing them. This fall season has seen a few things falling for me: trees, the sudden and unexpected passing of a friend, long accustomed ways of learning and working, old perceptions as our society is in the process of rapidly transforming in myriad ways. As human beings, we’re fairly adept at changing with the circumstances – in the long run, if not in the immediate short-term. But it’s hard when we don’t have control over things that radically impact our lives. We can plan and improvise, but sometimes all we have is our choice on how we react to unwanted happenstances. So how do we go about doing that? Religion and philosophy give us guidelines, comfort, and inspiration in these matters. Art, literature, and culture show us how others have reacted through the choices and decisions they’ve made. Our modern communications systems allow us to share and support each other as we collectively grapple with our common experiences. It’s easy to bemoan our woes, hard to accept what can’t be changed or avoided, and challenging to rise above and beyond them. But human beings have done all three of these things. Personally or communally, we all go through tough times. The key phrase is to “go through.” We’ll experience the down days, maybe learn from them, and move on … until the next crisis! Or happier times, whichever comes first.

What a Waste of a Perfectly Spooky Night Don’t you just hate it when a perfect opportunity arises for the ideal Halloween party … and then a pandemic has to come along and ruin it all? October 31, 2020 has all the ingredients one needs for a perfect spooky celebration: a Saturday night for the party (best night of the week for fun!), a full moon – and not just a full moon, but a “blue moon” (the second full moon in October), and the night in which we set our clocks back in most of the U.S. to end Daylight Savings Time , thereby gaining an extra hour of sleep to recover from said party. While some parties will continue anyways, especially amongst college kids and young adults, the rest of us will probably be staying home. But what about the mainstay of Halloween, those cute little trick-or-treaters with their pumpkin baskets? Will they be out this year and, if so, what will their numbers be like, so that we can plan on how many treats to have on hand? Who really knows how many kids will be going door to door this year, aside from the usual roving bands of teenagers with their requisite pillow cases? I live in a neighborhood full of young children and Halloween is a big celebration every year. A costume parade and competition, a home decorating contest, and a party in the park to kick-off the moment when they’re all let loose to run from house to house collecting candy. As far as I can tell, trick-or-treating isn’t called off, but I have no idea how many kids will actually be ringing the doorbell vs. going to some alternate Covid-approved event. The only cancellations for certain are the haunted house erected in the park and the huge neighborhood party. My kids, though they’re no longer little, still wanted to see our house decorated for Halloween, so up the decorations went, including the now-ragged 12-foot hanging ghost that’s truly destined soon for the dust heap. I decided to have candy ready, just in case, because I can’t imagine having to turn away any hopeful little faces should they come calling and I were to come up empty. But I decided to have a Plan B in case they don’t come in droves. Or at all. Plan B is actually rather self-serving. Truthfully, I have it in place every year, though I rarely have that much candy left over. Quite simply, I buy only the candy that my kids and I really like. It’s stuff that my husband likes, too, though he professes quite loudly that it’s just junk food and he won’t have any part of it. Then (of course) he sneaks a bunch of it into his office when no one is looking and believes he’s gotten away with it. Uh, huh. I learned about sneaky people early in life. When I was a kid, my mother used to filch her favorite candies from my Halloween stash until I noticed how all the good stuff was disappearing overnight. That’s when I learned the value of accounting and keeping an accurate inventory. And hiding my favorites from poachers. Recently, I took a little poll on Facebook to see what people are doing to prepare - or not! - for trick-or-treaters. Some, like me, are stocking up on treats, just in case the munchkins make their rounds after all. Some are checking with neighbors to see what they’re planning to do with their kids. Plans are all over the board: limited trick-or-treating, people passing out packaged candies in individual plastic bags that are set out for kids to pick up for themselves, Halloween-themed trucks that pass out pre-wrapped portions of Halloween goodies, and games that families can play with their kids inside their homes to emulate the fun of the holiday. Truthfully, if I were a kid, I’d be more than a little disappointed, especially with that last option. Nothing can beat the pure joy of running from door to door with your friends and collecting as much free candy as you can possibly carry. Or until they turn their lights off and tell you to go home. My last year canvasing for candy was in seventh grade when I was twelve. It was so discouraging when more than one neighbor eyed me critically and asked, “Aren’t you a little old to be trick-or-treating?” I didn’t think so, but nonetheless, the following year I felt obliged to hang up my goodie basket and move on to the next stage of life: answering the door and distributing candy to all the cute little kids who hadn’t yet aged out of the system. I can’t help but think how things have changed over the years. No one blinks an eye at young middle-schoolers in Halloween costumes. Hey, sometimes I get college-aged kids, which honestly is seriously pushing it. True, ostensibly they’re asking for donations to some charity or another. Never for UNICEF, though. Who else remembers holding a box while collecting candy, chanting, “ Trick or treat for UNICEF !?” Please say you do, or I’m gonna start feeling rather old.  Perhaps in future years, when this pandemic is in the rear view mirror, we’ll see Halloween costumes commemorating this bizarre time. It’ll certainly be a Halloween we won’t forget, especially if for many kids it becomes the Halloween that wasn’t. As for me, I’ll be hanging by the front door of my house that’s decorated for Halloween, including one very decrepit-looking old ghost hanging on by his chains, with a bowl full of safely-wrapped and socially distanced candies. Waiting for the trick-or-treaters. And if I’m left with a bunch of leftover candies afterwards, oh well. At least the kids and I can have fun hiding them from their dad.

Cultivating Gratitude in Adversity As we approach Thanksgiving, many Americans turn our thoughts to all that we’ve been grateful for this past year. 2020 hasn’t made it easy, not by a long shot. But cultivating gratitude, especially during a long period of adversity, provides us with a true gift. An attitude of appreciation or thankfulness reminds us that there is good to be found, even in the most difficult of times, and it naturally lifts our spirits. Want to be happy? Be grateful.” – David Steindl-Rast, monk and interfaith scholar Yes, there is an entire TED talk devoted to this subject. (Just click this link .) Happiness, David suggests, is born from gratitude. The key is to slow down, look where you’re going, and above all, be grateful. Thanksgiving provides us with an opportunity to do just that. Like the pilgrims stopped to give thanks for making it through their difficult first year, I think many of us will follow suit. A degree of happiness and optimism is indeed found by dwelling on the positive in any given situation. Here is my list, in no particular order except by stream of consciousness, of those top ten things that I'm grateful for this year. I started with the day-to-day concerns of work and routine and moved out to a wider view of life during Covid: 1. The film industry is finally opening u p in Atlanta! Long awaited, more and more productions in TV, film, industrials, and commercials have figured out how to create content while protecting their cast and crew by implementing vigorous Covid testing and distancing requirements. Actors are breathing (through their masks) a collective sigh of relief. Creatives have an innate need to express their talents and the months-long shutdown has been incredibly frustrating to artistic souls. And, of course, very taxing on the pocketbook. 2. The voiceover industry didn’t suffer the complete halt that on-camera work did. Yes, it slowed down significantly during the first few months when everyone everywhere was quarantined. But it began to rebound strongly in the summer months, especially in the areas of eLearning and (surprise, surprise) medical narration. Many voice actors in the major markets of LA and New York had to scurry to create home studios, but I’m profoundly grateful that the Southeast was ahead of the curve on this one. Long before the pandemic, we were told that a home studio was becoming essential, and I’m very thankful that my broadcast-quality studio was already up and running. All I had to do was add Source Connect for clients wanting to use it for directed sessions, which was a relatively easy thing to do. 3. I love the convenience of my favorite fitness classes moving to an online presence ! I work out daily in a Pilates, barre, or step aerobics class. While I had to buy some small pieces of exercise equipment, like resistance bands, a soft rubber ball, and hand weights, I am more than happy to work out from home. And I love saving the travel time to and from these studios, not to mention being able to totally avoid traffic congestion, parking headaches, or being out in bad weather. I can even take classes that I normally wouldn’t be able to make, especially those scheduled too close to dinner time. I also like having a virtual front row spot and an unobstructed view of the instructor. And it’s especially convenient that no one can see me check my phone from time to time during class. (To any of my instructors reading this, pretend you didn't see that last sentence.) 4. My daughter has been able to attend school in person , albeit with testing, masks, and social distancing in place. Her school implements testing and safety precautions to the nth degree, with the teachers, students, administrators, and their families exercising diligence at home, too. Consequently, there have been extremely few cases of Covid, and these are handled immediately with quarantine of those involved, so that the rest of the school population remains safe. I’m doubly thankful that she can attend school and visit with her friends there. It makes for a much happier kid! I’m also thankful that she’s old enough to drive herself to school, which has freed up many more hours in my week that I can now use towards other purposes. It’s also translated into more, much needed sleep. I rarely have to spend longer hours up at night trying to fit everything that needs to be done in one day. More sleep equals a better overall mood, a happier outlook, more energy, greater productivity, and a stronger immune system to fight off all the viruses and bugs out there. Definitely a win-win. 5. Speaking of health, I’m incredibly grateful that my family has remained healthy this year. Even without Covid, there are tragedies that touch families that fortunately we've been spared this year. My heart goes out to one family I know whose sweet little girl has been fighting cancer for well over a year, dealing with seizures and impairments that sadly developed from both the cancer and its treatments. Another dear friend is waging a losing war with cancer that has relentlessly recurred, attacking one part of her body after another, no matter what treatments she follows. And of course, there are those battling long periods of illness due to Covid. I pray that all those afflicted will recover quickly and completely; my prayers are also with those whom I know cannot. 6. I am also grateful that my immediate family – my husband, my kids – is together in our home. Not so great for my recent college graduate, who was eager to start an independent adult life in Boston, but as his mother, I’m glad to have him with us. The downside is not being able to visit my elderly parents who live out of state, except through Zoom calls. But I’m thankful for Zoom, which allows us to easily video conference with one another. 7. I’m also profoundly grateful for my family’s financial stability and that we’re not suffering the deprivations that so many others are struggling with. I’m thankful to be able to help out through the wonderful non-profit organizations that work tirelessly to support those who need a hand up during these hard times. 8. I’m profoundly thankful to my child’s teachers for going above and beyond the scope of their responsibilities to try to make life at school as normal as possible for their students. That goes for all teachers out there, and doubly for the first responders who risk their own well-being to care for others who desperately need their help. 9. Zoom classes, webinars, virtual instruction, and social meet-ups ! Thank you to Zoom itself, as well as all those who provide social outlets, educational content, and interactive learning. It help tremendously in maintaining our sanity and need for socialization. By extension, I’m grateful to all the streaming entertainment that so many have turned to over these long months. Thank goodness for the internet! Can you imagine how much more difficult this experience would have been if the pandemic had happened thirty years earlier? 10. Finally, I’m thankful that 2021 is just around the corner! With Pfizer and Moderna leading the way in providing highly effective vaccines, we can’t help but hope that this nightmare will be over by this time next year … if not sooner. In this respect, 2021 promises to be a much happier year when we can all breathe a (healthy) sigh of relief and begin to resume our lives more or less “normally” as before. No doubt, when this pandemic is relegated to the rear view mirror, we as individuals and as a society will be profoundly changed by our collective experience. Hopefully, we will also come out of this with a little gratitude for what good we did discover, and especially how much worse things might have been. This is not to minimize the loss that many suffered. For those who lost loved ones, my heart goes out to you. For those whose lives were completely upended by job loss and financial crises, I wish you a rapid turnaround of fortune. But adversity is a great teacher, and I do hope that we all are more awakened spiritually as a result of all this. We are social creatures, we need one another, we need to help one another in so many ways throughout our lives. Thanksgiving provides a time for reflection to consider the good even in the most difficult times. I hope you and yours enjoy a wonderful holiday filled with happiness, health, and appreciation.

Getting what you want in 2021 It’s almost the end of the year. Hooray! Finally, an end to 2020. Who isn’t hoping that 2021 will be so much better? It certainly can’t seem to get much worse. Well, of course, it can ALWAYS be worse: war, natural disaster, economic calamity … but after nine months of living within a pandemic, the hope of a better – and dare I say, NORMAL, year looms large in our collective psyche. With a new year comes new resolutions, most of which will be thought up, written down, considered seriously for perhaps a day or two, and then quietly abandoned. Part of the problem is that people usually make such lofty goals for themselves: lose 25 lbs., get in great physical shape, learn a new language. Part of the solution is to break those goals down into smaller, reasonably attainable steps, or reimagine those goals to something more realistic like losing 10 lbs. by year-end, going for 30 minute walks three times a week, or learning a new simple conversational phrase every week in the chosen new language. I use this time to visualize where I’d like my voice over and on-camera acting careers to be a year from now. And then I think about what’s realistic and write it down, figuring out what steps I have to take throughout the year to get there. It’s less a list of resolutions than a business plan that I resolve to follow. I know where I’d like to take both of my careers. I like to call them my twins, because I’m nurturing both simultaneously, they complement each other beautifully, and one supports the other. Yes, I’ve decided that they’re twins who get along rather well together. In my mind, there’s no competition, no fighting or choosing between them. And since it’s all in my mind anyways, I’ve decided that they enjoy a strong and positive sibling relationship and that it will remain so from here on out. And so, as we shutter 2020 and kick it to the graveyard where we’d like it to keep it buried, I’ve thought long and hard about my goals and written down business plans for each of my twins as to how I’ll achieve them. Eww. Business plans. A lot of people don’t like those words and what they represent. A lot of work to prepare, involving drudgery and a bunch of dull numbers, and the fear of failure. Well, a negative attitude usually creates negative results. So I don’t go there. I see a business plan as a roadmap to manifest some of my dreams. Not that the dreams will emerge fully realized within a year – I tend to dream big – but that I’ve taken steps to move myself farther down the road, thereby getting that much closer to reaching them. Dreams and goals. Conceptually, they’re fairly similar, though the dream is usually much rosier and a lot less well-defined than the goal. The dream is the right brain’s creatively-imagined vision. The goal is literally the brain child of, well, the left brain, and analytically and methodically constructed. Experientially, the goal often leads to the person realizing the dream, but very seldom is the dream realized without the person first putting in the effort to define, pursue, and attain the goal. The dream is the aspiration, the pinnacle achievement that we hold as indisputable success. For my acting career, one of my dreams is to become a series regular on a popular TV show. For voice over, one of my dreams is to become the voice of a well-known brand. Will either happen within twelve months just by writing it down on a piece of paper? Probably not. In this life, wishful thinking alone doesn’t generate concrete results. When the dream requires the agreement and support of other people, like in the examples I gave above, I know I’m going to have to put in quite a bit of effort just to plan and prepare the way for the dream to manifest. For that, I need specific goals, something that I can work towards and measure as smaller accomplishments. For example, I need to understand what it takes to realistically attain my dream of landing a role as a TV series regular. Most actors spend many years building their skills and proving their talents before they get to that point. And it’s not easy work, just considering how quickly the actors have to learn and master scripts and create compelling characters that grow and change during the life of a series. Additionally, TV scripts especially can be changed at the last minute, even while the scene is being filmed, and actors have to quickly adapt, learning the new lines and blocking with very little lead time. So, knowing all that, one of my acting goals may be to learn how to successfully prepare and self-tape two very different takes of a three-scene audition within a short 24 hour turnaround. That’s not an easy task and will take quite a bit of practice and experience, so I know that I’ll have to budget plenty of time to work on it. The equivalent voiceover dream needs specific goals, too: training with well-respected commercial coaches, researching the companies whose commercials I’d like to voice one day, and getting on the talent rosters of agencies and production houses who are called upon to create and cast those kinds of opportunities. Time and effort that needs to be budgeted throughout the year. Budgets for all goals consist of time and money. Specific times to work on them, scheduled into the calendar. If it’s for a class, then you’ll know the schedule and what work is required before each meeting. If it’s just your sweat equity, then you might want to block out a given amount of time in regular intervals on your calendar, like an hour three times every week to research and contact companies you’d like to work with. Budgeting money is pretty well understood. You’re allocating funds for all that it takes to work towards meeting your goal. In my examples, that includes expenses for classes and private coaching. And I budget both time and money because I know that flying by the seat of my pants won’t get me to where I want to be by year-end. I’ve tried shrugging it off, figuring that I’ll find the time to work on these tasks here and there as I go about my daily life. Sometimes I do, more often I don’t. And good luck getting other people to donate their time and talents if you don’t have the money allocated to pay for their classes and advice. People are funny about those kinds of things. The budgeting of time and money goes hand-in-hand with breaking the goals down into smaller tasks that are very focused: Enrolling in the advanced on-camera class next month. Reaching out to two dozen agents for representation within my target market every quarter. Updating that commercial voiceover demo by the end of the summer. Coaching once a month throughout the year with a respected teacher known for developing top talent in the commercial world. The goals become practical when each task is specific and can be achieved within a given time frame – and checked off when complete. It’s like the joke based on an African proverb, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” I see the whole process as a handshake deal between my inner artist and businesswoman. The artist dreams up the vision and gives voice to the goal. The businesswoman figures out how to make it happen. The trick is to give the plan life by making it REAL. That comes from writing it down, scheduling each commitment of time on the calendar, setting aside the money needed, and even creating a vision board of what you’re working towards. As a type A person, I also like to check off tasks as I complete them – what a sense of satisfaction that is! So I make daily, weekly, and monthly to do lists. (I told you I’m a type A!) Whatever motivates you, that’s what you do. And don’t forget to reward yourself when you can cross something off your list. Each task completed is another step towards meeting your goal, which is a huge leap towards realizing your dream. And before you know it, there’s nothing left but elephant dust.

How Yin and Yang are Good for Business As a former corporate gal and current actress, I get a real kick when these disparate worlds – business and performance - find common ground. It’s like a meeting of the minds, or within a single person, when the two hemispheres of the brain get together to see a pattern that escapes either side. In Ancient Chinese philosophy, yin and yang is a concept of dualism, describing how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. - Wikipedia It reminds me of the yin-yang symbol, which symbolizes the masculine and feminine aspects of our world. Each contains within it some essence of the other, which allows them to join and relate to one another. Nothing is pure logic or emotion, or even (as defined by yin-yang) entirely masculine or feminine. There is always a mix, a ratio of one to another within us, and therefore in the way we think, feel, live, and work. I see my two worlds, business and performance as an example of this entangled relationship. If I were to simplify, which I am going to do for the sake of this discussion, business embodies the yin principle, characterized as female and sustaining and associated with the earth, hard, dark, and cold. Thought predominates in the business world. So does, some detractors would say, cold hard logic. It is practical and in many ways the bedrock of our modern Western culture. Business is trade, exchanging one commodity for another for the betterment of the business person or organization and, on a larger scale, society. A lot of thought goes into determining what the merchant or business has to offer, what is wanted or needed in return, and how to find a trading partner to make that happen. The development of products and services, planning how they will be marketed and distributed to buyers, and accounting for and analyzing these results at all layers of the organization – these are not accomplished on a wish and a prayer. Film, TV, and voice acting, however, focus on affecting audiences emotionally. In performance, I recognize the active male yang principle, characterized as creativity and associated in Chinese philosophy with heaven, heat, and light. It’s energy that is alive and moving, always reacting to its surroundings and with all that it comes into contact. Actors are taught to respond viscerally to the story revealed in the script and to be “in the moment” as it’s played out with the other actors in the scene. Or, if they’re voice actors, in their imagination, when they’re alone behind a microphone in a booth. Actors capture and engage the attention of their audiences by creating worlds in which these scripted stories exist, ones that they and their audiences care about. We’re invited us in to vicariously experience these stories and relationships through them. Good stories well told generate an emotional response in us, as we identify with the characters, their problems, and how they go about resolving them. Even the driest medical narration full of pharmacological jargon stirs our feelings, as we personally relate to the problem and how we might be individually affected. Like yin and yang, business and performance are not complete opposites. They contain elements of each other which, when used together, can be quite powerful. Yin and yang can turn into each other, such as wheat in the field (yang) being harvested and milled into flour (yin). Some of the best business communications are perceived as pure entertainment, while still carrying their essential sales pitch. Remember Coca-Cola’s “We’d like to teach the world to sing” melody that turned into a hit pop song in the 1970s? Maybe not, but perhaps you remember the polar bears loving their Cokes. Kids everywhere in the 1980s parroted the elderly woman demanding to know “Where’s the beef?!” on behalf of Wendy’s. And a generation earlier, kids challenged each other to discover how many licks it takes to finish a Tootsie Pop, while others in the 90s wanted their very own Energizer Bunny mechanical toy rabbit. Similarly, many performance artists use their gifts to convey messages that they deem important to society. The purpose is to educate and widen the perspectives of their audiences through entertainment. It’s another form of a sales message, but with an inverse structure: the entertainment leads the charge, which some can enjoy just on a surface level, but there is a deeper, more meaningful purpose of thought that they want to leave their audiences pondering. Yin-yang, thought-emotion … as human beings, we live constantly with many different thoughts and emotions, and our institutions reflect that. Businesses are started by people with a passion or a desire to accomplish something. And businesses require at least some level of creativity to thrive, even if it’s just to market itself. What is creativity but the child of thought and emotion, with a good dose of inspiration thrown in? Inspiration that comes from integrating these principles within us to live as whole, balanced, and well-functioning people. Inspiration that allows us to step out of our limited self-views and take a good look to understand other people and the world around us, and to allow our hearts and minds to ponder a greater reality and purpose. There is a reason that the heartless, soulless individual, corporation, or government has been a popular villain in entertainment for a long time. We recognize that as the antithesis of what we as human beings instinctively know to be wrong. Performance, too, requires a modicum of thought. Certain questions need to be answered before the actor can begin his work: why did the writer create this story? What’s happening and why? What leads the characters from scene to scene and what obstacles are they trying to overcome to reach their objectives? Understanding the writer’s intent and bringing their essential selves to the roles lays the foundation for the performance. The actors’ interpretations and reactions to the events taking place stir the viewers’ emotions, but without thought and motivating reasons to anchor their feelings, the actors would be giving very superficial performances at best. It all comes together in the sales and marketing process: business and performance merge to create a solid, appealing message. From the business’ perspective, the product or service was created because the market has a need, which the business seeks to satisfy. A pain point, which is suffered by a large enough market segment to justify the development of that product or service. And now that the business has the solution, it’s up to its marketers to educate potential buyers and convince them to adopt it. Sometimes, as Steve Jobs did with the Apple iPhone, the business seeks to prove to their potential customers that they have a need for something new and revolutionary - to solve a problem that they didn’t even know they had! (And he was very good at doing just that.) Buyers are unlikely to be persuaded, or even interested, in a sales pitch that is purely dry and informative. It has to be personalized, striking an emotion that will generate a response. Sometimes that is a promise of happiness (food or entertainment) or relief from pain (medicine), a fear of missing out on something important (news or a competitive advantage) or risking harm without it (a security system), or – to strike at the heart of many - greater acceptance by others (stylish clothes, a new car, cosmetics, a cool toy). And people love stories. We always have. Storytellers have been an integral part of our civilization before, well, there was any civilization. We learn from stories and respond to circumstances that we could very well imagine ourselves to be in. We use them to teach, to warn, and to share our experiences and history. That is where performance comes in, to make personal the impersonal. Graphics, sound, music, the human voice and physical actions – together, they tell a story to alert potential buyers to the sales message, activating our senses and stirring up emotions that will (ideally) lead us to realize that the presented product or service solves one of our own, very real problem. Even if it’s not a problem we have, we generally sympathize with the problem that the people in the commercial are facing. And if the message fails to entertain us or touch our hearts, well, then the TV channel or radio station is changed, the mouse is clicked, and we move on. The phrase “pain point” is right on. As human beings, we’re almost always feeling some sort of pain. Small or great. Physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. Sometimes it’s a sense of emptiness or loss or just a feeling that we’re somehow missing out. As social creatures, we recognize pain in others and respond, most of us empathizing with them and wanting to help. Effective marketing strategies recognize this human dynamic and use it to show a solution to a common problem … or play to an underlying pain point and create one that can be immediately solved with their product. Similarly, artists use their mediums of video, audio, and the written word to explore flaws in the human condition, celebrate triumph over adversity, draw attention to injustices, and awaken us to a greater purpose in our lives. Like the yin-yang symbol, thought and emotion are intertwined within us. Thought sparks ideas, ways of tackling problems, and planning our actions. Emotion spurs us to action, providing an array of feelings, memories, and sensory reactions that color and influence our motivations. And the most effective messages integrate thought and emotion to inspire a reaction. Thought to lay the groundwork and logical reason for accepting what’s presented. And emotion to give us a personal reason to agree and act upon it. When I was in business, I worked on the intellectual side of the sales and marketing process: the selling points of my company’s products and services, the solution it provided, the benefits to the customer. Now that I’m an actress, my work on a commercial or video narration is to discover and share the emotional impetus of my client’s message. Two sides of the same coin, both an integral part of the overall story. I appreciate my business background; it really helps me understand things from my client’s perspective. And I always enjoyed the presentational and educational portion of my corporate job; it allowed my inner actress to come out and play. So, I have to encourage people from both sides of the coin to occasionally flip their side over and take a look the other half. Not only may they find it interesting, but perhaps it can also help them come away with a better appreciation of how both business and creative folks can work together well to create the final product. It’s the yin-yang of the human experience. One that has a practical application for those producing commercials, videos, and other media to promote a business: crafting highly effective messages that generate more sales and a better bottom line for everyone.

10 (Not Really) Mindblowing Ways They’re Different I’m waiting here on set, in what looks like a hermetically-sealed plastic booth. Strict Covid safety guidelines are in place, from the nasal swab two days earlier to my personalized bucket with a sealed sanitization kit containing a full facial plastic mask, goggles, and the instructions to properly use them. The project is an ad for a quick oil change franchise and I’m playing a customer. Fair enough, I’ve played this role in real life many times. And my car thanks me for it. Art reflects life, even in the mundane, such as making sure that your car won’t break down anytime soon. It’s not always glamorous, but it’s a believable “slice of life,” as renowned acting coach Margie Haber likes to say. The audience should feel like they’ve just dropped in on a private moment or a conversation that feels spontaneous and natural. All this preparation to play a moment, though, is anything but spontaneous. Yes, while we’re in the moment we should be, as Samford Meisner taught, “in the moment” and experience it as if it were brand new and react to it from a genuinely spontaneous place. “Acting is reacting” is taught early in the actor’s training … and for good reason. But there are some big differences between preparing to play a role and actually living it. The actor’s job is to bridge that gap so that one is indistinguishable from the other. So, while I’m waiting to live a slice in the life of a customer having her car’s oil changed, here’s a list of my top ten things that distinguish acting (even great performances) from real life: 1. High stakes vs. “don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill” An actor will study a scene to determine his objective, or what his character wants or needs from the situation and the other players in the scene. This objective will be highly important with a significant reward for achieving it or a devastating consequence if it’s not. Examples of high stakes are survival vs. death, landing a job vs. financial ruin, or winning the love interest vs. humiliating rejection. The audience doesn’t need to know any of this; it’s internal to the actor’s performance and develops his motivation to achieve his objective through a number of different tactics. In real life, however, very few moments hold such high stakes. We live in the breaths between those moments, because these big moments tend to be rather infrequent. That is, unless we’re drama queens, elevating everything above and beyond what is considered a reasonable reaction by others. I’m sure that we’ve been told at some time or another – usually by our mothers (sources of most reality checks) – not to make a bigger deal out of something than it deserves. In real life, the stakes just aren’t that high. 2. Dramatic moments vs. “keep it cool” To expand off my first point, the actor looks for the dramatic and comedic turns and twists in the script. She’ll often bring out the dramatic serious moment in a comedy or insert a humorous moment within an intense drama. This makes for interesting watching and provides depth to the performance. In real life, however, we’re more often going to be told to “lose the drama,” “keep it cool,” “don’t make waves,” “chill out.” Or we may be advised (by a teacher, perhaps?) that a little good humor is welcome, but don’t go overboard and play the class clown. 3. Interesting to watch vs. boring as h*ll For all the reasons above, a TV show or film should be pretty interesting to watch … or it’s not likely to be commercially successful. Likewise, while some individuals may be pretty intriguing to follow on social media, reality shows, or their own talk shows – most of us are just not that interesting to watch moment by moment. The actor HAS to be interesting. Well, if it’s a walk-on one-line role, that may or may not be the case – that character is just moving the story along – but most of the time there has to be a compelling reason to care about the characters in the story. In real life, well, we’re just doing what we have to do. Some of it may be binge-worthy, but honestly, most of it is cringe-worthy or just downright boring as we go about our unremarkable business. 4. Relating to others vs. focusing on ourselves The tensions in a scene lie in how the actors relate to one another and how that relationship may change and evolve as they go about pursuing their objectives. The actor MUST relate and react to the other person(s) in the scene! If he doesn’t, there’s no connection, no tension, no push and pull in their relationship and the scene falls flat. Even in a monologue, the actor is reacting to something – a memory, a known person or circumstance, another aspect of himself – and there is a dynamic movement within the scene. In real life, we’re lucky if the other person is paying attention to what we’re saying. OK, it may not be THAT bad, but we naturally focus on getting what we want and making sure we’re heard. As any parent knows, little kids are prime examples of that natural inclination. Psychologically, we become of interest to someone else when we really focus on them and listen, and ask questions about their lives, hobbies, work. So, here’s a bonus tip for those looking to make a good impression: ask another person about himself and get him talking about his favorite subject. Usually for most people, that’s themselves. And they love it. And appreciate the person showing the interest. 5. Seeing things from other people’s perspectives vs. judging from our own viewpoint Relating to other people also means learning to see things through their perspectives, which can be quite different from our own. This is one reason that actors so enjoy their craft: being able to temporarily become someone so different from themselves and imagine experiencing life’s ups and down’s, nuances, and preconceived notions from another person’s vantage point. We’d all be better off if we tried to walk in someone else’s shoes once in a while. A few other professions may do this; the helping and teaching professions come to mind (social workers, psychologists and counselors, teachers, etc.) Most of us, though, never get or try to take the opportunity. I think this is one of the true gifts of actor training, to expand beyond ourselves. Something I want to continue to practice in my daily life. 6. Emotional life vs. using your head The actor focuses on conveying the emotions of the moment, so that the audience feels those reactions within themselves. We react viscerally to emotion. It triggers physiological responses within ourselves. We find ourselves holding our breath in anticipation, shaking a bit in fear, relaxing the tension in our bodies when we realize something is funny and laugh. Actors use this tool in both ways: reacting in their bodies to an emotional stimulus and creating emotions within themselves with physical movements. It may the intensity of driving a point home that creates a finger to wag or the wagging of the finger to bring out the urgency of the message. It can be the physical reaction to an outrageous insult that stimulates a cringing response, or the act of physically shirking and avoiding an unseen enemy that creates the feeling of avoidance or powerlessness. In contrast, in real life we’re told to use our heads and get our emotions under control. In many professions, thought is valued and not emotional reaction. Can you imagine many doctors, attorneys, financial analysts, and tech wizards FEELING their way through their daily work challenges? Neither can I. Nor would we want them making decisions that could affect us by flying by the seat of their pants. Of course, we want emotion and feeling to temper their work so we have caring and compassionate physicians, civic-minded attorneys, honest accountants, and helpful technology partners. And then there are those mothers again in the back of our minds, telling us to use our heads to solve problems, “keep a level head,” and so forth. 7. Cinematic “do overs” vs. one shot wonders Actors prepare at least two, and often several, different approaches to their scenes. And then it may all go by the side when a scene partner reacts in totally unexpected way and provides a new interpretation on the spot. The actor always goes with the flow, reacting in the moment. Directors, however, decide which reaction and which interpretation best fits their vision, so actors will run their scenes multiple times. Even when their first take is spot-on, the scene will be filmed multiple times to focus on different characters and work different camera angles. The actor is always in “do over” mode until the director is satisfied. In real life, we rarely get “do overs.” Little kids on the playground will allow them in their games, but not once they’re old enough to understand and agree to play by the rules. Our lives are series of one shot wonders. We say and do something - and it’s fixed. No going back and changing the past. Perhaps that’s why time travel stories are so popular. We can admit a mistake, apologize, and make restitution – a wonderful thing to do – but we can’t go back and relive the moment, choosing to say or do something different. The premise of “ Quantum Leap ,” one of my favorite shows from the late 80s/early 90s, had the premise of going back to fix major life mistakes. And it worked, because people could relate to it. 8. Being in the moment vs. really living in the moment While real people don’t have the liberty of “do overs,” we do have the advantage of living each moment purely authentically, believably – because it’s our real lives. For the most part, we mean what we say and we say what we do. Our actions have purpose. Actors have to work at that, developing background for their characters, assessing their belief systems, and their tendencies to react, etc. before leaping into the scene to experience these moments. Audiences judge whether or not they hit their mark by their reactions to the story being presented. Are the characters believable? Even in a wild fantasy or animated feature, can we identify with them and how they’re presented? Living truthfully in the moment (Meisner again) takes work, it doesn’t always come naturally. 9. Story arcs vs. “What, me, worry?” Alfred E. Neuman of Mad Magazine fame had no concerns, breezing through life as it presented itself. Well, until MAD Magazine itself stopped publishing in 2019 after decades of popular political and social satire. Still, Alfred serves my point here, which is that actors analyze their scenes while most of us … don’t. We just live them. Actors look to develop an arc for their character, even within short scenes. An arc has the character starting in one place emotionally or with a particular view and ending somewhere different. For example, a character may feel boisterous and exuberant, receive some unsettling news, and leave flustered and upset. In real life, we may also go through something similar, but only when viewed in retrospect. Nothing planned, unless we’re the ones springing some news on someone else or taking an action that we know will certainly affect them. Otherwise, we blithely move within the scenes of our lives, never really knowing when they started or ended; mostly in mundane life, they just flow from one to the other. 10. Getting paid vs. a lifelong freebie Tongue in cheek … but a big difference is that actors get paid for their work. Well, except those who accept non-paid gigs for charity or student projects. Or do you know anyone who’s receiving payment just for living their life? Neither do I. The Truman Show may have been scripted for its audience’s entertainment, but most of us have to find payment in the work we do and the smart investments we make. Entertainment is work. Almost all actors work long hours for little pay, supplementing their income with other jobs in the industry or in other professions. Yes, it’s also a lot of fun work and personally fulfilling. I find it’s a training ground for opening up one’s heart to others, learning through other people’s experiences, and experiencing a transformation in oneself as you begin to adopt a wider worldview. And ultimately, an intimate study of life.