Patricia Shanks
Forum Replies Created
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Well, there it is. The law only says no texting while driving. Says nothing about editing. The only problem is … how to make the entire process hands free. Perhaps a stylus between the teeth? Go ahead. Go ahead. Tell me I’m onto something.
Patricia Shanks
Patricia Shanks Voice Studio
http://www.studioshanks.biz -
Hey, Mark! I don’t think that just being seen is enough. I think it’s another one of those Catch 22 scenarios. I think you have to be seen “doing.” And I think we need to run a clever balance between being seen when we’re not busy and being seen when we’re busy. There are always those people at meetings who never seem to be doing anything, or anything worthy, bless their wicked hearts. But we all instantly ID them as people who are looking for work. Besides, I’d rather be standing on the hors d’oeuvres side of the room all by myself, wearing a knowing grin and accompanied only by an air of mystery. OTOH, being everywhere a lot is important. You know. Something is going to stick to the wall.
Patricia Shanks
Patricia Shanks Voice Studio
http://www.studioshanks.biz -
Isn’t it funny that we can get people to speak with us on the phone these days, but they won’t respond to an email? I remember the day when email didn’t exist. (No! Say it isn’t so!!) And people simply didn’t return calls. Of course, that was also the day when only a handful of those people had a ‘brick’ (cell) in the car. And, then, they wouldn’t give out the number, since the cost of taking a call was so prohibitive. But I digress.
Let’s all sing a chorus or two of, “I talk to the treeeeees!” That’s what I do. I email a voice file to a client who is in desperate need of it. Oh, sure. We’re all talky-talky, communicatey-communicatey, when we need something.
“Please confirm receipt.” I beg for acknowledgement. Mais, non. I find myself checking the ftp site, looking to see if anyone cares. Has the client downloaded the desperately needed narration? Is there evidence of a visit from an IP that means anything to me? Yes! I’ve made contact! We have … a connection!
Good luck.
Patricia Shanks
Patricia Shanks Voice Studio
http://www.studioshanks.biz -
Not cold-calling, here. I’m not allergic to the notion. But I do feel like I wear a scarlet “T” for talent, at times. I think there’s a lingering belief, or feeling, that talent doesn’t necessarily have technical, well, ‘talent’. (I may resemble that remark to a certain degree.) Maybe that’s only my perception because of what I’ve seen at meetings and mixers where everyone else is on the other side of the room. (As long as I have the side with the hors d’ouevres, I’m good.)
I send postcards. I only count on 1% of them hitting the mark. And the job might be down the road a year. A couple of times, my postcards scored work for other people. It’s all good. The task is to train the other people to remember me when their postcard advertising storage solutions reaches a client who needs a female voice talent or a writer.
Patricia Shanks
Patricia Shanks Voice Studio
http://www.studioshanks.biz -
When you’re creative, and you know the quality of your work, and you’re hired by a company BECAUSE of the quality and caliber of your work, and then they want you to do anything ‘but’ your work, it’s always frustrating. And it will never end.
On the list of things that I do very well is writing. I’m on a project right now that will probably be beaten, bloodied, torn apart and reconstructed into some meaningless pile of prattle by director and committees before it sees daylight. I would like my product to be a genuine representation of my work. Ain’t gonna happen.
I have a shirt that says, “Let it go.” That should become my uniform. It doesn’t serve us to get our tights all in a wad over the inevitable. We would be better served to expect this kind of behavior and treatment, and then be pleasantly surprised when they let us do what they hired us to do. Of course, the reason I have the shirt is that I haven’t yet learned to take my own advice. And what am I really doing, anyway? In rebuffing their dictums, I’m only passively trying to control the situation. That and H. pylori will get a person nothing but an ulcer.
Patricia Shanks
Patricia Shanks Voice Studio
http://www.studioshanks.biz