Being a voice actor has transformed my life. Here are 5 steps to help you get rolling as a voiceover actor, and open yourself up to a new, and potentially lucrative, revenue stream!
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I've been reflecting on the power of throwing our own parties.
In a sense this goes along with the philosophy that we are responsible for our own happiness AND with my belief that if you can’t get in the front door, build your own house! How did I get to thinking about this?
Last week I shared a story that began in 2006, all about assuming another artist thought I was a hack.
Today I’m diving into the vaults again to share another paradigm-shifting experience. In 2011, ten years ago, I was invited to be part of the Tarragon Theatre’s playwrights’ unit – a yearlong programme run by Toronto’s “playwright’s theatre”.
In 2006, in my final year of theatre school, I was cast in a lead role in one of our big shows.
I was so excited, but on our first day of rehearsal, when our director asked us to improvise the show, scene by scene, it quickly became evident that my classmates and I were grossly underprepared.
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My Mum, Donna Penrose turned 70 a few weeks ago.
I genuinely lucked out with her. Or, if you go in for the idea that we choose our parents before we’re born, holy sh*t did I choose well.
In honour of her seven decades on this planet, I’m sharing 10 extremely useful life lessons she’s taught me by example…
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The saving grace for me right now is the good weather in London.
Daffodils and crocuses have pushed through the earth. We've got daylight beyond until almost 8pm. And the temperature is above 10 degrees.
Sorry to open with a paragraph on the weather, but really it's having a HUGE impact on my mood.
I get emailed frequently from artists grappling with IMPOSTER SYNDROME and how to overcome it so they move into the careers and lives they desire.
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Let's talk about how depressing this time of year is. Good grief.
I've been reflecting on what I know I can do to keep my spirits up.
If you're struggling with malaise or glumness these days, here's a grab bag of tools that work for me.
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I think SM is a slippery fish. It can be a great way to promote your work, connect with audiences or fellow creators, but it is also the source of MUCH suffering!
The suffering takes many forms…
My Mum, Donna Penrose, is a scientist. Between her early twenties through her fifties, she worked in all sorts of labs, and earned a PhD in Molecular Biology.
Not long ago she was talking about scientific work and what makes a scientist. It struck me that the key ingredient to a successful career in science, is applicable to those of us in the arts.
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I hate asking for help. I get tense and uncomfortable. Not only do I not like to admit my own fallibility, I struggle to trust anyone else to do what I want, how I want.
This mindset makes life (ostensibly) more in my control, but getting sh*t done is slow, arduous and overwhelming.
When I feel shy or trepidatious about putting myself out there, I think of Alice Munro.
If you’re not familiar, Alice Munro is a Canadian short story writer. Residing, for the most part, in a tiny rural town, her stories were regularly published in the New Yorker, she’s written 14 collections of stories and won umpteen awards including the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013.
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A little real-talk from behind the scenes over here at Haley McGee Industries. I am addicted to piling my plate too full.
It felt like I should begin today with the “back to school” energy January brings – for me it’s always a time of beginning again.
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New year resolutions can often leave us feeling like a loser a few months in, and even more so when another new year rolls around and we realise we completely abandoned our well intentioned litanies of improvements.
I like to spend a little time on early in January meditating on what I want to focus on in the year to come.
We’ve been through the solstice and — hallelujah! — the days are growing longer.
I’m wishing you a wonderful Yuletide, which is a period of time between 21 Dec – 1 Jan, originally a pagan tradition in celebration of the wild hunt, that was later Christianised.
I like Yule because it begins with solstice and ends when the first day of the new year – a reflective time and a time of rest.
I want to share my fool-proof, pain-free method of building new habits that actually STICK.
First, let’s define what a “habit” is.
For me, a habit is a behaviour pattern or practice, acquired by repetition, that has become nearly or entirely involuntary. In other words, it’s something you do EVERYDAY without thinking about it.
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In lieu of being able to build relationships out there IRL, I’ve been meditating on how best to use our current situation to your advantage. I’ve written before about reaching out to your dream collaborators.
Today I want to focus on another method of building your professional contacts in the face of a global pandemic.
That is to FOCUS ON YOUR PEERS.
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Let’s get right to it. Talking to your family, and strangers, about your work. Woof.
To help you through those crunchy encounters, I've got some tips and a handy mad-lib for you to download. My goal is to help you say something, feel good and move the conversation forward swiftly.
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How can I deal with constant comparison getting in my way?
How can I overcome professional jealousies?
If you've been struggling with those questions, you're not alone. Theodore Roosevelt famously said:
"Comparison is the thief of joy."
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It’s December and we are well into the “Festive Season.” Besides all the mayhem that this time of year may or may not entail with your loved ones, it also brings with it various work-related obligations and anxieties.
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