IS IT WORTH IT ?

IS IT WORTH IT ?

Many a time we come to the crossroad between our sacrifice and our end goal. The scale tips un evenly and we are confronted with a decision constantly. This very teeter totter makes life seem impossible at times, doesn’t it?

We are met with the conditions of our sacrifice, we pay for the palette of our own tastes and are met with discomforts all around us.

When will our struggle have any ease to it or when will we not gnash our teeth awaiting the next disappointment? Could there be a success or pivotal opportunity on the other side of the immediate task or mission at hand? I believe we can answer this with a powerful, YES !

Risk = Reward, whether personal gratification or simply the overwhelming feeling of being alive. Risk in and of itself is living. For what are we risking, if not our very lives?

We are betting on ourselves with the sacrifices we have made, are currently making and with the currency of time.

So, one last question, Is it worth it to you?

IS WHAT YOU'RE INVOLVED IN GRATIFYInG?

Gratification: IS WHAT YOU'RE INVOLVED IN GRATIFYING?

This question encompasses so much of life, do we actively have a source of satisfaction or pleasure in our lives? Is what we use our physical and mental energy on gratifying?

If that is day to day work for you, or a relationship, a craft or possibly an exercise; do you receive more than a pheromone high from it ? Let’s not think of gratification as a momentary chemical reaction or that flickering smirk of a job well done. Gratification isn’t the way you rest your head at night with your arms behind your head, peering at the ceiling as if to announce, “I did my best with what I had” when the day has come its close.

Gratification cannot be just the trophy we place in the case to nod at or polish from time to time.

Isn’t it more? Well, it must be !

It isn’t enough to experience happiness, for that is simply a fleeting emotion. There is a genuine joy to be experienced from how we live our days; and gratification can truly be an active state of being.

So are you finding gratification in life, or not ?

GENUINITY

GENUINITY- the quality of being true, authentic, or valid

What are we missing in todays content? What are we missing when we take in content visibly, audibly or emotionally even ?

I would beg the idea that in the year 2023 we are missing “genuinity”. It’s interesting that we see popular apps come out with the title, “BE REAL”. It would almost seem as if the general population is losing the desire to view content with a filter on it, exhausted with the idea of something polished or possibly there is a general tiredness to viewing peoples highlight reels.

It’s as if humans want to see other humans in their natural elements. At home with no makeup on or in their pajamas. They would rather know where someone is struggling (for the emathy that they themselves are not alone), or would rather view families enjoying family time. Maybe they like to see funny genuine relationships that are transparent about their many faults.

For the first time in a long time we are longing as a human race for authenticity.

Maybe we can blame it on the global pandemic for us getting used to content from our homes.

So, what’s the point here? Well, why not make more professional content that has “genuinity” ?

The more humans feel their being spoken to from another human as opposed to a brand, business or entity; the more I believe we will connect with authenticity.

WHAT DO YOU DESIRE ?

What do you desire in your vocation? Is it accolade, craftsmanship, quality or longevity?

When I consistently ask myself, it has bode me well over the years as I’ve built the blocks of my own craft. Once I start with the foundation each year of this very question, it results in a trajectory for the days and months that so quickly go by. Please don’t think of it merely as a, “new years resolution”; more so it is a starting place.

I am not the same person I was 5 years ago, and guess what, neither are you. Our desires for our life change and take on new forms over time. This simple exercise is a self check on where we are at in the here and now. It becomes all apart of the process of being present with the realities of our current lives; yet gives us hope and dreams once again for whats to come.

So if we have a desire, how do we see it come into fruition?

Incremental steps towards our desires are of pinnacle importance. So many times we look at all we have to become and it’s impossibly intimidating. It stares back at us and with its ugly scowl says, “You can’t find time for that”, “You’re too old” or the inevitable “Comparison game with others in our industry”. This is where passivity creeps in and debilitates our potential.

If we tell ourselves and agree that “this very incremental step I am apart right now will get me over there”, then we are really going places!

In conclusion, “What do you desire?” for your life and your vocation?

Take those incremental steps today, and don’t listen to yourself or others when you hear “you can’t”.

• God be with you,

  - RR

YOU'RE A FAILURE: NOW MOVE ON

When we as onlookers dive more deeply into a creatives (actor, musician, artist’s etc.) career we try to find a recipe for their seemingly mass success’. However, the more interviews, stories and the vast array of quotations published by these individuals are very telling of one thing, “there is truly no method to the madness”.

Some people were trained from a young age to be avid at their skill honing their specific craft early on. Others it came more naturally to and someone in their lives simply encouraged them in the field of their gifting.

However, there is a reoccurring theme in the greatest, most recognized and honored artists stories, “Failure”. Every one of these humans is well acquainted with this inevitability. We have to ask ourselves as renaissance men and women, are we willing to fail? Can we rise above the failure and still receive vision for the rest of our existence.

When the years go by and your career doesn’t look like what you had hoped. When your place in life doesn’t match the dreams you swear you saw in your head. Do we dare to ask ourselves, have I written my best song, painted my greatest work of art and played my most meaningful role? These questions come loaded with an inspiration that far exceeds our past failures or where we’ve come up short thus far.

Creatives who don’t create feel as if they are not being or doing enough in life, like there is something lacking, missing and a change must occur.

So if there is no perfect, “method to the madness “of our industries and failure is inevitable. Well then go ahead and fail, and after that let’s move on. Cause right around the corner of that failure is a vision that will make you leap out of bed just to experience it.

You and I have yet to fully live out those dreams, so in the meantime have fun failing and I’ll see you on the other side of it.

IS IT REALLY CO-VID?

Isolation can be used as a gauge of where we might be in our own personal mental state of mind. Research truly shows the risk presented by social isolation is very similar in magnitude to that of obesity, lack of access to care and physical inactivity or even smoking. Researchers have weighted several standard measures of social isolation, frequency of religious service attendance,  including marital status, club meetings/group activities and number of close friends or relatives. Those who are lonely may slip into unhealthy habits, even lack of encouragement from family or friends can deeply effect those in social isolation. This state of loneliness and level of stress impede true rest and can harm the body and augment depression or anxiety.

So what have we learned from something of a so called “Pandemic”, which has forced our nation and the globe to be in a state of social isolation. We’ve learned thus far that social closeness, the activity of relational communication and or socializing is very important to our very mental health. It affects us in ways we couldn’t have conceived before this time, and we feel the gravity and weight of a world without it.

So, what now? How do we prioritize relationship with others now that we are “allowed” to be together. How do perceive our lives through the lens of relational health? What has this “CO-VID” given us instead of taken from us in this time? Finally, what does a future look like when we truly realize what is vital to our humanity?

I’ll leave you with a quote I read as of recent which made quite an impact on me to sum it all up:

“Traffic has gone, fuel is affordable, bills extended, kids are at home with their families. Parents are home taking care and connecting with their children. Fast food has been replaced by home cooked meals. Hectic Schedules replaced by naps, rest and relaxation. The air is cleaner, the world is quieter. People are conscious of hygiene and health. Money doesn’t make the world go around anymore. Designer clothes are a bit pointless as we never really needed them anyways. Doctor, teachers and nurses have never been more praised in our society. Most of all, God still seems to be enthroned and in the middle; restoring peace to turmoil.”

SELAH, CO-VID PANDEMIC

FOCUS LIKE 20/20

I simply have never felt my actual age. 30 however is finally an age I feel at peace with, and it’s rather ironic turning 30 in the year 2020. My focus has truly never been clearer, and my purpose never more defined than now. Though I have comfortability in my age and stage of life (in a sense); I know that I cannot stay here. Which brings me to my most intriguing find in turning this specific age. The “Focal Point”.

As we know from many artists in their various mediums; it takes around 10,000 hours to master a skill or craft (or at least be on your way towards mastering it). A focal point is the center of an interest or activity. I can say with certainty I’ve set my focus on my personal focal point. Though I am nearing 10,000 hours of Voice Acting; I dare not take a stance of “arrived”. I have much more to learn and to develop in. This I’m well aware of.

All I can say is that at this point, if there is any way to find your unique “focal point” ; focus your attention and intention on it however you possibly can. Here’s to centering in on the “Focal Point” in this year of 2020.

BE A “CHAMELEON”

The title to this post comes from a statement made to me by my mentor when I was living in Australia. The context for this statement was him speaking on the topic of longevity in the industry, and also of what separates an artist from a common “voice”. Thankfully I met this wonderful man early on in my career; and he has certainly saved me years of struggle trying to find sustainability within this craft. He made it clear to me to not be a “one trick pony”. Now, at first I was in wonderment of what he might mean by this seemingly strange nickname. He went on to describe there’s nothing worse than being “just” a commercial voice. A commercial voice has a place and a purpose; but those few artists who can consistently produce wonderful commercial voice over and then turn around and be a character voice (you’d never recognize in a million years) they are the ones that are the, “Chameleons”. They use their own rare palette of character, richness and unique vocal technique to change the color, mood and styling of whatever project they are working on. Perhaps a similar character actor (who would be known in the on camera world as a “chameleon”) would be the presence of, “Sir Johnny Depp”. Not a one character of his is likened to another; each its own stand alone presentation and performance in his own personal outward and unique flare. This is the art form that a voice actor strives to create behind a microphone; and this is what truly makes a “Chameleon”.

So here are my personal two cents on this subject for those in the industry. Though I am not your typical union voice actor or own some multi million dollar vocal pipes; I can only tell you the way I experience our industry and a little of what I’ve learned thus far. Being a “Chameleon” goes far beyond accent, pitch of a vocal or aging of the voice; it’s in the subtle characteristics you might bring to the character that you’re creating. Meaning when you approach a character or a project, define and envision the past, present and future of your character; their hardships, maybe even the way their put together physically, the silly quirks that make them simply them.

To become them is to show another color on your palette and also to present the world another facet of the artist you truly are. So cheers to your career, your brand and most importantly cheers to the “Chameleon” YOU MIGHT BECOME.