Gardening is a metaphor for life.
Particularly composting.
I see so many parallels to my voiceover career as I walk out to my compost pile every day.
A good compost bin requires green (fresh) and brown (dead) material in order to thrive. Chicken poop/cow manure counts as green, interestingly enough. It is new and fresh. So even the things that stink or “fail” need to be added to the pile. So, here’s my recipe.
Ingredients:
Greens
· Meet a local producer and learn about all things filmmaking.
· Dive deeper into compression and normalization of audio files.
· Start a relationship with a local acting studio.
· See the fruit of neglecting the mic for a time (chicken poop).
· Record new auditions.
· Record an audiobook.
· Work with a new production company.
Browns
· Review the basics of commercials.
· Look over notes from film acting.
· Employ the basics of creating characters.
· Analyze the “game tapes.” Listen to old recordings/demos and note what I would do differently.
Instructions:
1. Chop ingredients into digestible bits and combine.
2. Water periodically.
3. Apply heat (sunshine).
4. Turn the pile every few days. Allow oxygen to reach new areas and keep the metabolism going. * This pile of scrap may appear stagnant or useless, but in reality, it is an intricately evolving heap of experience. *
Ø Note: If the mound is not decomposing properly, it means there is an improper ratio of brown to green. Read: We need new experiences as well as old. Too much green and it stinks. Build experience. Too much brown and it shrivels up. Go make a new connection.
Conclusion: Eventually, you get a nutrient-rich organic matter that feeds a garden beautifully. Let’s say the booked acting/voice acting gigs are the garden. When I’m recording, I’m doing so out of an experience-rich environment. Something valuable is created because the soil is healthy.
That recording will inevitably “die” when the usage period is up. That’s life. Add it to the pile to enrich the next project.