My friend Mary McKitrick is often a source of inspiration to me. Why? Because while I’ve been a professional voice talent since 1983, she’s been doing this work for a much shorter amount of time, yet she demonstrates mature insights that far outstrip her experience.
Her recent post about networking is a perfect example. I especially enjoyed her gardening metaphors near the end of the post. Here is just a sample…
…any networking you do as a voice actor and business person is like creating a garden from bare soil – you don’t plant only one kind of plant, such that your garden will look great for a week when all the flowers are blooming, and then there’s nothing going on at all. You’re planting for the present and for the future – a variety of annuals with different blooming times, a variety of perennials and shrubs and even some trees. Aim for great diversity, so that there is always something going on in your garden. Although I can’t point to concrete ways that my business has benefited from all of my networking activities, I never know when some little seed I’ve planted at a party might take root and grow into something wonderful.
But, please, read the whole thing. It’s very much worth the few minutes of your time that it will take.