Welcome to my second news bite - this is a short (ish) little monthly newsletter I send out. It is not as in depth as my regular newsletter, but hopefully still fun and full of great stuff for you to enjoy.
You know friends, sometimes things happen for a reason - good or bad. It's true - I am annoyingly look on the bright side and I really believe in fate. Case in point this news bite.
I had spent a good long late evening drafting one and annoyingly then my computer decided to shut Safari and I lost it. The email service provider I use; Flodesk, doesn't save as you go, mildly annoying, but not the end of the world.
But, rather than try to redo it and get frustrated that I couldn't remember what I had written, I decided to make it different and start afresh. Because sometimes you need a fresh slate. It also made me look out how I was planning it and in future write out to a document and save that and then copy and paste… Little tweaks help me to work smarter.
So, I wanted to use this newsletter to make mention that in addition to all the stuff going on in our country and around the world, I recognize that it was recently Mental Health Day.
I am sure many of us feel right now like we are wading through tar, and that life is an uphill battle. Financial and personal difficulties are rife, and I know of many who are really struggling to get a handle that this is the way it is now. I do believe we have to keep the faith and stay strong. Embrace the good and celebrate the wins no matter how small. Stick together, find your tribe (just 6ft apart) … I do believe that things will get better.
And so in this newsletter I have a bit of a heart to heart that I shared a while ago on my social media, I know this resonated with some of you, as many of you reached out to me privately to thank me, so I am sharing here. I hope it helps and if you wish to reach out - I am always available.
As well as all that, you will find a photo or two of my studio as many of you have asked about my studio set up, some up coming events I am attending, plus a page that is a must follow - Voice Over specific of course. Check the events and get on them FAST as they book up in a flash!
There is a link to my Instagram where you can listen to some meditation, because a world without meditation is surely an empty one. I actually voiced several for Liv Lab and I am waiting for them to upload the rest but… ya know… pandemic and all :)
And finally a shout out to someone super awesome and super talented who had some amazing news recently and who is such a beacon in this voice acting community of ours.
When this top photo was taken life was so different, I was working as Creative Director for a beauty company, my girls were dancing competitively, my husband was traveling all the time. Life was busy!! I was so mega stressed... this beautiful head of hair started to fall out, I was comfort eating and eating out a lot, running on empty and living on coffee, no time for friends or family or myself... and I was losing my sense of who I was. On top of that I had debilitating migraines and was chowing down packets of Migraleve to counteract them. Fast forward to now, despite being in a pandemic, schooling 3 kids and managing a business, I am calmer, more peaceful, more in tune with who I am and what I want. I have my own amazing business, my kids are settled and life is heading where I want it to go. Looking back at this photo I *thought* I was so happy. But I was working non stop, running myself into the ground managing 3 kids agendas and relaxing by eating and drinking - a lot! Now I’m managing my own time, am more present for my kids, I relax by reading or doing yoga. I connect with my friends more, hardly touch alcohol, eat healthily and with intention, and now thanks to my trainer Emma I’m now at this point 25lbs lighter and bonus - no more migraines. Whilst lockdown and this pandemic has had its own stresses I’ve navigated these with more ease than I would’ve done previously. So what shifted? My mindset. My belief in myself. The realisation to work smarter not harder. To relish the hustle in an industry that gives me reason to want to do well, to be the best I can be. To love waking up everyday to do my job which I adore! To find inner peace... I could go on. So... today take this time to reflect on where you are, where you want to be and look at what you need to do to get to that goal. What needs to change? Write the goals down. Stick them on your bathroom mirror, on the walls... everywhere you pass during the day.
Share with friends and family and form a tribe to be your supportive net. We all need support - get an accountability group, join classes to keep you in check.
I love my Actors Lab class run by my coach Karen Summerton at MN Acting Studio. Every Sunday I know I will be held accountable and have an action plan for the week ahead. This class has helped shape my business and given me insights into where I want to take it in the future. Do you have goals? What do you need to do to achieve them? Learning? Connections? Networking? Technology? Personal time out? What needs to change? Be kind and humble on the path to achieving them. Free your mind and the rest will follow.
Charlie xo
PS: Wanting to know more about Actors Lab? Check out Karen Summerton on Instagram and at www.mnactingstudio.com
If you are struggling, please do reach out to someone. You really are not alone.
"I want you to know you are not alone in your being alone" - Stephen Fry
Many of you have asked to see my studio.. so here are a few pics. Oh and of course what is a home studio without a studio buddy… meet mine, my 1 year old Maltese Cassie.
My studio set up can be found on my website
At Home Studio Set Up:
I offer broadcast ready audio from my beautiful acoustically treated, professionally fitted studio which includes a 4x4 booth by Complete Isolation Booths & GIK style acoustics. I am set up for Zoom, Skype, Source Connect Standard and phone patch.
Equipment:
·Microphone: Audio Technica 4040 & Rode NTG5 shotgun mic
·DAW: Adobe Audition CC & Logic Pro X
·Interface: Solid State Logic SSL2+
·Back up Interface: Focusrite 2nd Gen
·Extras: Izotope & Wave plugins
·Computer: iMac 27"
·Camera: Logitech HD 1080
·Headphones: Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 230 OHM and also Beyerdynamic 252 Pro
Computer Set Up:
Retina 5K display
Standard glass
3.3GHz 6-core 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor
Turbo Boost up to 4.8GHz
16GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
Radeon Pro 5300 with 4GB of GDDR6 memory
512GB SSD storage
Gigabit Ethernet
Magic Trackpad 2
Magic Keyboard - US English
Further equipment listed on my website.
I absolutely love learning from those who know and am excited to attend these events listed in the images below. If you are interested in finding out more check out -
SOVAS - www.sovas.org
Voice Acting opportunities are now truly global. That's Voiceover!™ Career Expo 2020 is here to help you meet the challenge. LIVE. ONLINE. GLOBAL. Nov 20th - 22nd
Whether you're new to the business or a master of the craft, opportunity is here; auditions, jobs, scholarships, networking, and awards. We empower you to reach higher - to go beyond what is possible and into the impossible.
RVLA - www.realvoicela.com
Real Voice LA: Town Hall
Are there questions about the industry you've always wanted to ask, but never had the opportunity? Are you curious about the ins and outs of representation, submitting, analyzing copy, and the other day-to-days of a VO actor? Do you just want to shake up a cocktail and hang with us on Zoom?
The Voice Over Network - www.thevoiceovernetwork.co.uk
'Video Game Acting - Getting The Best Performance!' with Addie Cuts
This workshop is an incredible opportunity to work with one of the industry's top casting directors in the world and it's been specifically designed to help you create and deliver memorable characters in video games. During this 3 hour online workshop Adele will work with Readers on creating and delivering their best performances in video games. You will work from scripts provided beforehand and you’ll get direct feedback on the day. She will focus on emotions of characters, who they are, how to get this across in a personal and believable way plus we will also briefly discuss do's and don'ts when auditioning through a casting directors eye.
Super excited for these events… I will fill you in after they happen!
And finally for fun - Women in VO - www.womeninvo.net
Women In Vo do a weekly challenge, check it out and #womeninvo to join in the fun!
With love as always.
