Field Notes

-Wear sunscreen. Yall little microphone goblins are in padded, windowless rooms all day long. Summer is coming… you will get burned -Nothing wrong with taking some “you” time. Businesses are built in the long term. You won't get there if you're burnt out (<--haha sunburn joke)

-If you schedule your daily tip series of LinkedIn posts to save time, make sure you schedule them for the correct month and don't unknowingly miss like 5 days… oops -On a more serious note, scheduling yourself time to do things by ACTUALLY writing into your calendar makes you more likely to follow through

- You are who you choose to be. Not a single choice, but a culmination of the big and small. Although just because you chose something once, doesn't mean you can't choose differently now. - I suffered silently for 20+ years. I thought that being anxious, exhausted, and empty was the default. Sometimes it even felt like the high. Part of me feels like having to put on a facade for the first 2 and half decades of my life is what made me a great actor, but that might just be me

-Have a lead you want to keep up with? Turn on their notifications on any socials you follow them on. Knowing every time they post gives you more, and easier, opportunities to leave a like or a comment to stay visible to them -LinkedIn is weird. Sometimes you send a connection request but it doesn’t follow the person. Sometimes you follow but that little bell doesn’t come up for you to allow post notifications. Sometimes there isn’t even an option to connect! What’s my point

-Rejection isn’t real. I hear something all the time “I had to learn to deal with 100 rejections before I heard 1 yes.” The intentions are right with this message but I’d encourage any actor or creative worker to reframe the mindset completely here. Let’s take a sports mindset approach here. You want to learn how to do a kick serve in tennis. So you go out, toss the ball and… your serve is flat. That wasn’t a loss, a failure, a miss, or a rejection of your talent. It’s just p

- As a freelancer, your career should be like a sample platter, especially early on. So many people just never try, because they want to feel like they’re ready first. You’ll never be fully ready. If you have an idea and think you can make it happen to some degree or another, just give it a shot. Don’t let it be all consuming but let it take over 10% of your usual work day. Work it into your marketing and just see if you get any bites! You’ll truly never know until you just T

- “What’s your rate?” “Well, what’s your budget?” Don’t be that person. If someone asks for your rate, give them one and give it confidently. No caveats, no “but I am open to negotiating.” Just give your rate and if they give a hard “no” THEN you can bring up negotiations if you still want to. Having no confidence in your rate signals you don’t believe your worth OR don’t even know it. Not a good look - Can’t give a rate yet? Not enough info about the project but the client i

-An amateur counts their losses. A professional counts their wins. But a true master of their craft doesn’t count. They just do. -Please exercise. We sit in a booth all day long and that aint ideal healthy livin, my friend. It doesn't matter how you do it, but just make sure you're moving and healthy. This industry is a long game anyways. Stay healthy so you stick around long enough to see your pay off.

-Never kill a bug if you can help it. Kindness comes in all sizes and I believe the little things matter just as much as the big. Respect life of all kinds. Being small doesn't make you unworthy of life. -The world is just a mirror. Fill your life and attitude with positivity, kindness, and a good mindset whenever you can. The world will reflect it back to you.

-Bring up price early! Will your rates potentially scare off clients? Yes. That's the point. You want to work with people who respect your rates. Plus, they want to know early on what they'll be expecting to pay. Don't wait until invoice time to scare someone with your rate -Have minimums and stick by them. Sometimes you can't quote out the gate. Minimums are a great way for your client to know the bottom dollar they'll be paying

-Check out the Kaizen method. Our brains dig paths like rivers. Habits are just our bodies following the paths of least resistance that we've set. Little incremental adjustments here and there are what builds new pathways and systems. Habits don't change overnight so keep on keepin on 🫡 -Never assume a client is coming back. We can hope for it and we can work towards it, but there will be moments when a massive client suddenly just stops working with you for any multitude of

-“Gave it my best and then I left it alone” a top favorite lyric of mine. Great song in general, but that line means a lot in our world. Shoot your shot then move on to the next. Sometimes the best you can do is all you can do and all you can do is more than enough. -We don't have to believe in the exact same things to believe in the same things, if you catch my drift. Find common ground and stand on it together. I don't care what you believe in so long as it's based in goodn

-Write it, don't type it. If it's important then write it. That's why I love my Field Notes. The mind muscle connection definitely helps you better retain important info. When it's written down, it carries a bit more weight in this world of digital life. -Sometimes the grass IS greener. Don't be afraid to dream, just make sure to be grateful along the way.

-Yall, please change your LinkedIn headlines. You do NOT need to be a “Pro voice actor for commercials, games, anime, corporate audio, documentaries, promos, live events, etc etc etc.” It's alright to cast a wider net but I'd argue you need to pick a few lanes you ACTUALLY work in and ACTUALLY are a pro at and advertise that the most. Have the skills to do it all but don't stretch yourself thin. Having a confident 2-3 categories makes you look more professional. -If you work

-What’s your number? How much a year do you need to make to feel good? Whatever it is, add 20% and aim for it. Money isn't life but if you're just shooting from the hip every year, it's hard to improve financially. This is still a business after all, it's okay to want to earn money -Who's the best voice actor you can think of? Now obviously “best” is pretty subjective, but there's a point here. You can have your favorites, your idols and your friends, but when it comes to YOU

-Client ever send you a weird audio file that won't open on your computer for some reason? Sometimes I'll just try to open it with my video editing software, Premiere Pro, and it'll work. Not sure why, but it's a quick fix because then I can re-export as whatever I like to work with if I'm doing an audio editing job. That, or at least just have somewhere to watch/listen to the damn file when it won't open normally. -You can be polite and you can also be a pushover. Learn the

-"The difference between hearing and listening." My friend Ken Fay and I were chatting recently when he said those words, and it really stuck with me. When you read between the lines, truly speak to the designated audience, and deliver a performance that's much more than just reading a script aloud, that's how you make sure your clients message is heard and not just listened to. -Unless you are asked to slate your audition, DON’T. If you ARE asked to slate, do it exactly as a

-Be grateful in the future tense. “I am so grateful I have achieved (enter your goal here).” Believing you can actually do what you want to do is often the first and most difficult step -Find friends, find colleagues, find mentors, and find clients. Just don't forget who is who and don't go mixing them up

-When my dog misbehaves I don't hit it. When my partner misunderstands me I don't get angry with her. When you make a mistake, don't be so hard on yourself. If anything, be proud. Realizing a mistake means you're learning and improving! -Try to work wherever you can. By that I mean if you like being outside, try finding out what parts of your job you can do out there. I send most of my marketing emails from a swing outside my door if the weather is nice. Work where you feel h

-How you speak about others matters just as much as how you speak about yourself. -Someone once asked me “how can I promote how good I am when it's a lie?” It's not a lie if you truly believe it. When you're starting out, it's easy to fall into imposter syndrome. Be honest with yourself about your abilities and capabilities. That includes your strengths just as much as your struggles