Comments

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  Penny Abshire August 5, 2011 at 3:06pm

  Welcome, Brandon!! So glad you've joined us!
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  Brandon Cassinelli August 5, 2011 at 3:02pm

  Thanks for the invite! I couldn't agree with you more, Penny. For about 2-3 years of doing Voice Over through the online repositories (V123, Voices.com, etc) I had little to no success.
  
  I assumed it was some issue with the website, staff or clients. Something changed in me (maybe it was the "quarter-life crisis", but in a good way). I started auditioning for more, being friendlier and more accessible, and have landed about 8 gigs in the last two months alone, and I'm just getting warmed up!
  
  This group is exactly what I'm looking for, to help spread positive creativity and influence.
  
  Thanks again!
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  Penny Abshire August 5, 2011 at 12:35am

  Way to go, Darla!
  
  Welcome, Jessica!!
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  Jessica Straus August 4, 2011 at 9:59pm

  Great postings, Penny!  A great reminder to stay the course no matter what.  Heckler, smeckler....that's what I say.

  I've got one, but I don't listen to her as much any more.

  Live your passion is one I've been leaning towards of late. 

  Thanks for the "heartfelt" reminders.  Good to see they exist here in VO Universe!

  (I've just arrived here yesterday, so give me a little bit to get my page organized.)  So happy you asked me to join in the positive energy!

   

  :) Jessica Straus
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  Darla Middlebrook August 4, 2011 at 9:01pm

  I set my heckler aside.  Then I went ahead and contacted a sound engineer here in Moose Jaw who has a studio in back of a local church.  The results were:  he's going to check out my present set up, build me a booth and partner with me to master recordings that I make independently.  He's also going to teach me about Pro-Tools.  So...take THAT you heckler, you!!
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  Shelley Baird August 4, 2011 at 8:16pm

  Thanks Penny! You've just made me realise I have a well-established heckler... it's about time I said goodbye to it.
  
  All the best
  Shelley
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  Penny Abshire August 4, 2011 at 2:49pm

  So many good things are coming my way today - I just have to share with you!

  Here's an article by Seth Godin and it's wonderful. Thanks to Curt Byk for forwarding this to me.

  The heckler

  How dare you.

  You should be ashamed of yourself.

  Is this the best you can do?

  

  I've written about the lizard brain and my friend Steve talks about the voice of the resistance.

  It occurs to me, though, that most of us have to hassle with the heckler.

  The heckler keeps a running critique going, amplifying its tone and anger as it goes on endlessly about all the things we shouldn't do, all the things we're not doing enough, and most of all, at our lack of entitlement to do much of anything new or important.

  The heckler cannot be eliminated. It's been around since the beginning of our species, and we're hard wired to have it.

  What can be done, though, is alter how the rest of the brain reacts or responds to the heckling.

  If you engage with the heckler, if you qualify yourself, justify yourself or worst of all, rationalize yourself, the heckler will pounce, turning a small wedge into a giant hole. Like a standup comedian, it's almost impossible to outwit or shut down a dedicated heckler.

  But there is a strategy that works. Acknowledge and move on.

  When the heckler announces that you're incompetent, unqualified or hardly ready to step forward, think, "oh." And then proceed.

  You give it no purchase. No opportunity to escalate. Each jibe is met with "noted."

  Over time, the heckler gets quieter, because it just isn't worth the effort.
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  Chuck Burke August 4, 2011 at 1:44pm

  Thanks Penny.
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  Vanessa Hart August 4, 2011 at 1:40pm

  Thank you Penny and Chuck for the wonderful inspiration. I want a sign like that for my studio too!! Thank you both for sharing - just what I needed.
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  Penny Abshire August 4, 2011 at 12:12pm

  SHARE WAY, my friends!
  
  Hugs,
  
  Penny