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Gremlins aren’t the exclusive domain of the voice over – we all have them!
Our minds are busy places, full of noise, pictures & constant chatter. Some of it we’re able to ignore or filter, but sometimes those gremlins lure us into dark places. They encourage us to do battle with them, until we tie ourselves in knots of negativity.
Actors and voice overs are the perfect prey for gremlins, because rejection is a part of the job. Combine that with the fact that we voice overs often works alone in a dark, padded room & you have the ideal playground for gremlins. “You didn’t get that job because you aren’t good enough”, “So & so is far better than you!” and on it goes. But here’s the thing. As the mindfulness mantra goes – thoughts are not facts. There are many reasons why that job didn’t happen. It could have been pulled completely, or simply stalled. Sometimes the client will even decide that they want a totally different approach & plump for a voice of the opposite sex. So beating yourself up over something that’s out of your control is utterly pointless. Stay at the top of your game and know your worth.
Now, how to control those Gremlins….
There’s a great book by Rick Carson called ‘Taming your Gremlin’. It’s a fabulous book and I highly recommend it (thank you for the tip Nancy Wolfson!). He says that one of the key factors in rising above the negativity of those pesky blighters, is to simply notice them. When you notice them, it allows you to take enough of a step back to give yourself options. The more you notice them, the better your chances are of making different choices. More positive choices. Diving into battle with your gremlin is not recommended. If you choose to tread that path, he advises that you put a time limit on it of a few minutes.
I haven’t decided what my gremlin looks like yet, but I am noticing him/her a little more every day. No doubt he/she will emerge from the swamp over time. Perhaps by then, as with Harry Potter and those nasty Boggarts, I’ll be able to simply laugh him/her into submission.