A lot of people talk about imposter syndrome in their jobs. The feeling that you’re gonna be “found out” and people will discover you don’t really know what you’re doing. A lot of voice talent have that feeling. Another affliction we all share is depression. Stefan Johnson had a funny Tik Tok describing the day in the life of a full time voice talent. “and then the self doubt kicks in. He tells his reflection, you’re not a voice actor, you’re a bitch”. We’ve all been there. I think a lot of people suffer from depression to varying degrees. For voice talent such as myself, it ramps up when business is slow. You’re not booking and your motivation is going south. Why bother, you think to yourself.
It’s the worst in the quiet times. Voice over can be a lonely gig. There you are, sitting in your studio or booth reading copy. No one to talk to. Often when I lay in bed at night trying to sleep like tonight, my mind races to all the things that could be going wrong, real or imagined. Hey, I haven’t heard from that studio in a minute, what did I do to scare them off? What marketing idea can I post tomorrow, oh why bother no one sees it anyway. Why can’t I get motivated? Those kinds of thoughts. The depression is only heightened when you go on social media and see so and so booked some national gig…again. I know we’re not supposed to compare to others, for sure, but sometimes it’s hard, you know?
So what do we do to combat this depression? Try to make voiceover not so lonely. Talk to someone. Talk to other talent, agents, producers. I mean talk not just post in some random Facebook group. Reach out, phone call, text, or email. Let others help you lift that burden off your own mind. Your mind can be your greatest enemy if you let it control you.
Try something different. Something completely out of the box. We get depressed when we get into a rut or routine, that’s not working for you. You never know what’s going to hit and elevate your business. If it feels weird or uncomfortable, it’s probably worth trying.
Allow yourself to take some time away. I hear a lot about self care, and honestly it sounds a little hippie dippie to me, but being able to take some time out of the booth to clear your head and not letting yourself feel guilty about it is key. Take a vacation, take a walk, eat some cake, it doesn’t matter. Giving yourself permission to not work for a minute will declutter your mind.
What other tricks and tips do you have for battling depression? Let me know in the comments. We’re all in this together, so let’s help each other out of this mess and back to success.