The year 2021 is finally coming to an end. I say “finally,” but, with the torturous slog that was 2020, 2021 felt like it passed in the blink of an eye. In this end-of-year blog post, I’d like to talk about my accomplishments in 2021. I need to keep myself accountable!
The first accomplishment was not losing my day job in January. The first week of the year, I thought I might lose my job due to a health condition I developed because of my job. Thankfully, through some heavy investigation and determination on my part, I was offered a different position the day before my scheduled termination. For me, that was a major win. For the people whose job it was to help my professional transition—not so much.
In February, I bought the Scarlet Focusrite Solo interface. This was a game changer for my voice over practice. This was also the same month I joined a number of voice over Facebook groups and started making friends in the community.
On the first of March, I started the new position. Even though it hasn’t been the best or most ideal job for me mentally or emotionally (I have some, shall we say, dense coworkers), it has given me a chance to focus extra time on voice over. That same month, I received my first COVID vaccine and only had a sore arm. In April, I got my second COVID vaccine, once again with only minor side effects (fatigue and a light headache).
May brought my very first coaching session. This helped me learn more about wanting to specialize in commercial work for voice over. June was the month I decided I was going to go to the One Voice Conference in Dallas and started saving up.
At the end of August, I went to One Voice Dallas as planned—an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. There I met my ever growing accountability group, of whom I love each and every one! I feel like the conference was a major tipping of the scale for me. When I got back from OVC Dallas, and went back to my day job, I felt like I was missing a part of me. Something just felt off. I’m in a place I don’t want to be, and I had just gotten a taste of the “good life” I’ve wanted for so long. A career I picked, not one that was picked for me.
In October, I was kicked out of my “office” at my day job and put on different desks every day; this was hard for me. Even though I don’t want to stay doing this job forever, it made me feel like I wasn’t worth the effort and had been tossed aside with nary an explanation. However, what initially felt like rejection turned out to be a good thing; I’ve been able to focus more on my voice over work at my day job, because I’m given very little work to do… I was even able to get my first gig! It wasn’t paid but you know what it was? A start.
I joined SkillsHub.Life in November, and I find the experience to be fantastic. I have a new coach now, and getting to meet new people is so much fun. I feel so valued with these people—something I don’t feel at my day job.
Now it’s December. I’m currently on a swing shift this month to try and help out the new person (and my boss) at my day job. It has given me so much more time to audition and practice my voice over than I did before. Because I’m not getting up early every day, I also have more energy to do it. I’m also trying to do my best to prep for things in 2022. I have some crazy dreams, but I want to do my best to realize them, even if it may be a longshot. But, if I can, it would feel so good to prove people wrong (myself included). What is that dream? By June, I’d like to work part time at a day job and spend the rest of my time dedicated to paid voice over work. Man, wouldn’t that be something?
I know this is a shorter blog, and there isn’t much context to it, but I told myself I’d have something to post for the 23rd, and here it is—one more thing to check off my to-do list! I wish you all a happy holidays and a safe but exciting year!
Cheers!
-Ghosty