Missing Motivation?

Let’s be real—we’re all human. (FUAI) And sometimes, I’d rather do anything than step in the booth.

Balancing a full-time job, the chaos of life, and the pressure to audition daily can be excruciating. Some weeks, I’m onsite for 14+ hour show days—and when I finally get home, the last thing I want to do is rip off a few auditions before collapsing into bed. That’s not laziness. That’s capacity. And I’ve learned to listen to mine.

It’s hard enough trying to launch a second career and give it the time it deserves. I’m not trying to kill myself! As voice actors, we don’t just perform—we’re also the marketer, the accountant, the publicist, the content creator, the negotiator, the scheduling manager... all of it.

There’s this unspoken idea in voiceover (and creative industries in general) that if you’re not hustling 24/7, you’re falling behind. But here’s the thing: rest is productive, too. Your mic will pick up on your energy—your anxiety, your exhaustion, your overwhelm. You’re doing no one any favors if you’re recording from a place of burnout.

Now, that doesn’t mean I completely abandon VO when I’m tapped out. Sometimes I shift gears—draft a blog post, update my website, hop into a local meetup, listen to a podcast, or brainstorm new goals with my accountability buddy. I stay connected, just in ways that support my bandwidth instead of draining it.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it a million times: you only get one chance to make a first impression. I’d rather wait and submit auditions I feel proud of than send something out of obligation that doesn’t reflect my best work. So if you’re in a season where the mic feels heavier than usual, give yourself some grace. Take a breath. Step away. Refuel. Because when you are ready to press record again? You’ll bring your full, authentic self to the read—and it’ll show.