Welp. Here we are again.
In 2008, I was working at a big ad agency when the recession hit. Although a few people got laid off, I thought as the receptionist, I was safe.
I used to work WAAAAAYYY up there at the top. We had floors 34-36.
I was wrong.
It was devastating to be laid off from that job. I was in shock. I tried to find new employment, but after a few months of really terrible interviews, I gave up, and decided to recommit myself to acting. For the decade following that layoff, I only took jobs that would support and allow flexibility for my acting career.
Cut to the present: I have considered myself a full-time voice actor since 2020…because I put in full-time hours, and I’m always home and available.
But I still had a part time WFH support job. A job that was super flexible, interesting, well-paid, and that used my acting skills.
At least I DID. Until Friday, when I was furloughed.
I knew a few days in advance that it was happening, I had time to mentally prepare…and it still hit me pretty hard.
Any voice actor (hell, any freelancer) will tell you that the voiceover business is completely unpredictable. You can make $8K one month and literally $0 the next. If you’re lucky, you have regular clients who give you repeat work; however, get too dependent on one source of income, and you are setting yourself up for disaster if that source goes away.
When something like this happens, whether it’s your full-time job, part-time job, or a big voiceover client that disappears suddenly, it can be hard not to panic. How are you going to pay your bills? What if next month is slow?
Panicking will not help you move forward. It will only paralyze you and lead to inaction.
Friday night, I was in no shape to do anything, so I decided to allow myself to feel all the feels I was having about the situation: worry, sadness, stress, fear, anger. I cried a bit. I told my closest friends. I hugged my cat a lot.
But mostly, I kept reminding myself that I am a resilient and hardworking person, and I truly believe that it’s going to work out. I have faith that I will get through this.
Then, despite thinking I probably shouldn’t spend extra money, I allowed myself to go get takeout ramen instead of eating at home, because I had no interest in cooking, and just needed a night of sitting on the couch watching Korean supernatural rom-coms (The Mystic Pop-Up Bar if you’re curious).
On the show, they’re always eating delicious-looking things like this, and I want to eat all of them.
And on the way home…I received a call from a California number I didn’t know. The kind of call I typically let go to voicemail, knowing it will be something about my car’s extended warranty. This time, I picked it up. I had a feeling.
It was a client, calling to ask for a quote for a potential voiceover job. I chose to see it as a sign.
That’s the thing about this business.
It IS unpredictable. But things often tend to pop up just when you least expect them.
And so long as you keep planting seeds, and you keep watering them, eventually things grow.
Last time I was laid off, I immediately started floundering around, looking for other corporate jobs to fill the void. Jobs that didn’t pay enough, that weren’t fulfilling, that required me to dress and act NOT like myself. That required me to shrink. I eventually figured out that wasn’t the best route, but not before a lot of trial and error and stress and terrible, absolutely demeaning interviews.
This time, although it still smarts, I’m already moving forward. I am refusing to shrink back in fear, and instead I choose to grow into what’s next.
I choose to recommit to my own dreams and goals, and face my fears head on by taking action.
Voiceover.
My writing.
And now, a business where I coach actors, entrepreneurs, and creatives-in-denial how to own their neglected dreams and goals, face their fears, and utilize the time they have to achieve greater things. If this sounds like you, feel free to reach out and let me know what I can help you with.
The nice thing about moments like these is that they force you out of your comfort zone, into places where you are forced to grow. The training wheels are off, and you gotta hustle and get some more forward momentum so that bike stays upright, man!
In the meantime, I don’t have time to dwell on what’s over.
I leave for Orlando in less than a week, where I’ll be speaking at WoVOcon, and then I’m going to spend the rest of the week hanging out with my old roommate, looking for shark teeth on the Florida coast, watching for manatees and dolphins, hitting up the Barnum and Bailey’s museum, etc.
We have big plans to watch Llamageddon and Avalanche Sharks, too.
Ryan and I back in Minneapolis, on the Stone Arch Bridge, where there are no sharks, manatees, dolphins or murderous llamas…I think.
Plus, my friend has a TORTOISE named SAL!
You know what??? I’m just so entirely grateful for all of the amazing things happening right now, you know what? The sad that I felt right after I got this news can suck it.
Because that sad was fear-based nonsense, and the best is yet to come.
Until next time, friends! ❤️