This Episode:
Happy Valentines Day from the past… or the future… or whatever.
Brad and Louise talk about their audiobook production process, and Brad outsources his proofing (Thank you Listen Closely Proof and Prep!)
We discuss creating your own spaces and networking opportunities – NOVA, Samwichland and getting together with other voice actors.
Brad is reading the book, The Freelance Introvert – Work The Way You Want Without Changing Who You Are, by Tom Albrighton.
Then we talk about how we handle, and in fact appreciate, the isolation that comes with voice over work.
And… what makes Brad *happy*?
And finally, we try a new closing tagline!
Louise’s Website
Brad’s Website
Transcript:
00:00.48 Louise: Hi Brad how’s it going.
00:01.37 Brad: Hey hey louise hey there good happy quick. Can we say that can I say happy val because it’s found. We’re recording this on Valentine’s day so on to say happy Valentine’s day but people aren’t going to hear it I know I know.
00:10.67 Louise: I mean you can but people aren’t going to get it. Yeah I mean unless we just we might want to speed up our our releases just to catch up a little. Maybe just be two weeks ahead instead of a whole month. Yeah, a happy Valentine’s day
00:21.56 Brad: Maybe yeah, maybe um, but well happy valentine say anyway I I don’t care I I have I have temporal disregard for that sort of thing.
00:30.35 Louise: Yeah, okay.
00:35.70 Louise: Oh really? so it like you and you and lacy don’t not do you don’t celebrate. You don’t know go up for drink sir.
00:42.12 Brad: Oh no, no, no, no, not that no I meant temporal meaning time like I don’t care how much time passes before people hear it. No no, no, no, no, no, no, no ah we we never know what to do on Valentine’s day because we don’t want to make a big deal out of it. We definitely don’t like going out.
00:46.14 Louise: Oh I thought you met for Valentine’s day generally but
00:59.76 Brad: Because it’s a mess and so this year I said hey how about this I’ll make dinner and you make dessert and then we’ll have dinner together. Yeah so I found a recipe that I thought looked good and got all the stuff for it and she’s making Crumb Rewle for dessert.
01:06.30 Louise: Oh that’s really nice. Cool.
01:15.39 Louise: I Don’t think we don’t usually do anything either. We just sort of like give each other a little gift or something and um.
01:19.96 Brad: Yeah, we we also for our cards we we compete to to see who can get the worst Valentine’s day card like the cheesiest most inappropriate. Yeah yeah, the one I got this year it has. It’s very.
01:26.87 Louise: Oh I like hot. Oh I love it. Yeah, that’s funny.
01:38.40 Brad: Very christy First of all and no you know I Personally we’re not super religious people so it was a little ironic in that sense. But the it has ah the cover of it as yeah, Well ok.
01:46.60 Louise: Super religious as and like your atheists.
01:53.67 Brad: Ah, the the cover of the card has to a man and a woman holding hands. But it’s clearly an Ai generated image and the man’s like hand is like just bizarrely distorted ah like his pinky finger comes out of his ring finger kind of it’s a weird.
01:59.16 Louise: Um, yeah.
02:08.43 Louise: Sounds totally normal. What are you talking about.
02:12.00 Brad: Yeah, exactly. Ah so that that’s yeah, yeah, because that’s that’s what I did. The imagery itself isn’t but it’s all like she’s my gift from God and stuff like that. So it’s very like very like about.
02:18.70 Louise: Sorry what does this have to do with religious um imagery.
02:26.69 Louise: Oh I stay ok.
02:31.00 Brad: Being a possession sort of thing and it was weird. It’s really weird, but regardless of how weird a card I get she usually beats me.
02:34.55 Louise: Um, ah ah.
02:43.29 Louise: That’s so funny I Love it all right swell now that we’ve gotten those pleasant trees out of the way.
02:47.51 Brad: Um, that’s definitely what we’re here to talk about So how was your how’s your week then you have a good week so far. Yeah.
02:55.44 Louise: Um, well I guess we’re only halfway through yeah fine I’m plugging away on ah on an audio book. Um, so that’s kind of keeping me busy which is nice because it’s kind of in quiet other than that. So um, it’s always good to at least have something on the go which is I mean.
03:01.29 Brad: Yeah.
03:07.22 Brad: M.
03:13.78 Louise: Think a lot of people talk about Audiobooks as sort of you know the last thing they want to do and it’s It’s not that I particularly love it myself because it can be a bit of a slog although the more you do it The better you get at it and that more you know the faster your process gets but um I Really appreciate.
03:18.61 Brad: Ah.
03:22.32 Brad: Um, yeah, yeah.
03:32.95 Louise: Just having sort of an ongoing project with you know, a chunk of a chunk of change at the end of it right? So yeah, yeah.
03:39.46 Brad: Yeah I I I can agree with that. It’s not my favorite thing the the amount the the revenue per hour spent working on. It is really low compared to other genres of course. Um, but it still works out pretty good in the in the end I think.
03:50.85 Louise: But it’s still pretty darn good. Just yeah I mean yeah.
03:57.50 Brad: And I enjoy doing it kind of the same way a runner. Well I don’t know I enjoy doing it the same way I sort of like I enjoy doing x. You know like. Running or whatever like I know it’s good for me and I kind of enjoy it while I’m doing it but like getting into the booth to if I know I’m going to be in there for an hour or more it it. It. It is a slog. It is the word. Do you use and I agree. Yeah yeah.
04:14.95 Louise: Yeah.
04:25.20 Louise: There It’s the Stamina I mean for me now it’s not I mean because I’ve gotten really really proficient with punch and roll my my post work is very minimal. Um, so production time is is fairly um, fairly good. But what I find.
04:30.27 Brad: Um, yeah.
04:38.44 Brad: Yeah.
04:42.20 Louise: Is difficult is um, sound interruptions for me personally because I am in a city and I there I’m in a flight path and you know sometimes there’s garbage trucks or there’s um, they don’t fly over but sometimes the sea planes fly over a lot ah play you know.
04:44.16 Brad: Oh.
04:50.24 Brad: Yeah.
05:00.64 Louise: Large jets that going out to the airport flyer. So like yesterday I was recording. Um I what really wanted to get a big chunk in so it’s like all right I’m going to record for a couple hours and like I had to stop every minute like I started timing it I was like well my.
05:15.68 Brad: Ah.
05:18.82 Louise: Like because planes kept flying over Helicopters are like and I I’m in a quiet booth but you can see it on because I always have a split screen with my you know my scripts on one side and I can see my dog on the other and I and I have one headphone off so that if there is you know those? Um, what do you call it. It’s.
05:28.68 Brad: Yep yep, that’s how I do it.
05:38.33 Louise: It’s not the decibels so much as it is the frequency of that sound you can see it on the waveform and with one headphone off I can usually hear it as well. So I know I need to just stop because it’s too much of a pain to go back and and post and clean it up even though you can do that. It’s like it’s just pointless. But.
05:42.76 Brad: Um.
05:52.48 Brad: Yeah, but it’s a lot of work. Yeah.
05:55.63 Louise: Just kept having to stop and I’m like you know what this process would be so much less painful if I just said a completely sound proof like completely sound proof room but I mean who has that I don’t know how many people have that like is that just me, no.
06:03.44 Brad: Yeah, yeah, because that’ll ah I I don’t think many people do I think you listen you, you listen and talk to a a lot of audio Book narrators and they’ll tell you the same thing like even if they have their whisper room or or their um.
06:16.32 Louise: Yeah.
06:22.62 Brad: Studio Bricks or whatever. Um, but yeah I hear you that that can really slow you down when you have to keep stopping like that. Um really kind of break your flow I’ve got. Yeah yeah, yeah, Yeahp No no, no I was just going to say I’ve got two audio bookss in the forage right now are.
06:29.36 Louise: Ah, it’s so irritating. Yeah and just the time the time. Sorry go ahead.
06:41.40 Brad: On the forge in the forge I don’t know but they’re nice, Nice, nice, nice. But I just I just sent both of them off to the proofer. So I’ve got a couple days. Ah audiobook free which is kind of nice. Um, oh oh yeah.
06:43.88 Louise: I’ve got 2 more lined up coming. So it’s like it’s yeah.
06:55.44 Louise: Oh you actually use. Ah you outsource an actual human being for proofing. You don’t use 1 of the programs. Hey oh ok.
07:00.30 Brad: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no I I’m I’m too I I Just do not trust myself. So even if I were to use like um oh what’s it called? you know the proofing software I can’t remember what it’s called right now I.
07:14.19 Louise: There is a few. Yeah.
07:17.30 Brad: Yeah I Still just wouldn’t trust myself I’m a terrible proofer. It takes forever I used to manually listen through the book with the document and proof that way and I just was finding I was missing too many things. So it’s a it seems.
07:28.14 Louise: And and so how like what’s your error rate like are you we obviously you’re hiring someone for a reason then because you’re making mistakes So when it comes back to you like how much are you having to go back and and actually correct. Yeah.
07:36.10 Brad: Yeah.
07:43.33 Brad: Ah, it it depends. Ah, it depends on what it is how long it is ah how good the writing is like my error rate is a lot better when it’s a well-written manuscript written. It’s a raw written book right? But if it’s poorly written.
07:47.43 Louise: I.
07:59.19 Brad: I make more mistakes because you you you like you expect it to say 1 thing and it says something completely different by the end of the sentence. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
08:05.77 Louise: Oh I know what you mean and then the flow is really strange sometimes yeah, um, ok so here’s a question are you being? ah like do you do do you demand from yourself or does your client do your clients demand that you’re absolutely 100% word perfect
08:22.50 Brad: Yeah, yeah I mean yeah I mean I don’t It’s possible that even after my proofer and she’s really she’s ah she’s great. Ah, but it’s possible that um.
08:22.25 Louise: Like if you miss an Anne or a oh really I don’t see I don’t do that.
08:37.61 Brad: That she could miss something I suppose and and so I don’t do the the pickup for it I guess um so it’s possible that um, a mistake could still slip in there. Um, but ah the idea is that it’s um that it’s perfect. Yeah.
08:43.93 Louise: Um.
08:53.63 Louise: Well well there you go ladies and gentlemen hire Brian Grahouseki to do your audio book because he’ll be word perfect.
08:57.28 Brad: Um, yeah, or hire Tracy Smith from listen closely proofing to do your editing if you’re a if you’re a narrator. She’s awesome, really fun to work with yeah yeah, and I know I can send it off to her and she’ll turn it around and get it back to me and then.
09:07.12 Louise: Um, there you go hot tip Hot tip. Oh call.
09:17.23 Brad: Nicely organized. Everything’s just exactly how I need it to do the pickups quickly. And yeah.
09:23.60 Louise: That’s got to be that’s quite the personality I think you would have to have to be able to sit through something and read along to try and spot mistakes. That’s not easy to do.
09:30.38 Brad: Oh yeah I and I can’t like I tried it and it was I hate I hated it plus the time that it takes holy cow I mean if you’ve got a 5 hour book or at a 10 hour you know one of the 2 books summer Ken I was a 10 hour book and I would try doing it at like you know.
09:37.99 Louise: That’s very time consuming. Yeah.
09:45.19 Louise: Um.
09:49.14 Brad: A faster speed. But then I would miss more it just there just wasn’t a good solution for me other than just handing that off and it’s it’s worth every nickel that I that I spend on it. Yeah yeah, but that’s one of the first things I found that.
09:54.52 Louise: Got it. Hey that’s fair.
10:06.73 Brad: That I and maybe one of the few things I found that that I can that I delegate off and really it yeah it it. It’s definitely improved my process and my product and my outcome and all that.
10:21.60 Louise: Food for thought that’s great. So now you had not you haven’t told me about your um you had like a networking meetup. A couple of week weeks ago or weekends ago and I I’ve yet to hear about it. So why don’t why don’t you talk about that. Um.
10:34.55 Brad: Yeah, so sure so sort of even more than just yeah, sort of even more than just having a ah network thing networking thing. Um I I live in Baltimore like west just west of Baltimore in Catonsville. Sort of on the Dc side right? and there’s a lot of voiceover community on the other side of Dc like in Alexandria area in Northern Virginia area and they’re they’re wonderful people I’ve met a lot of them. Ah, you know.
10:55.54 Louise: Um.
11:03.93 Louise: Oh ok, who.
11:10.71 Brad: They’re they’re fantastic, but they always do their networking events over there on the other side of DC like on the fireside and yeah, ah, yeah, yeah, it’s about an hour so if their meetup is that not close. Ah.
11:16.00 Louise: And so just just give us an idea like if you were to have to drive to one of those meetups. How long would that take ok so not clothes. Yeah, right.
11:28.63 Brad: Like if they’re doing it a happy hour at 5 you know I’d have to hop in the car at 4 and I’d get wouldn’t get there to 5 and if we’re there till 7 or whatever. It’d be an hour back. Ah, not impossible if 1 were determined but there are also a lot of us who live between Dc and Baltimore. And I call it the sandwich land because it’s between the 2 like 2 buns of the beltways silly but um and there’s a bunch of us in that area that we’re all always just a little not not frustrated but disappointed that there wasn’t there weren’t more. Ah, the nova group things that we could attend so I thought hey let’s start to create our own community here in between bothtimore and Dc and I met a lot of them at Marilyn I’m sorry midatlantic voice over conference which is one of the reads. 1 of my goals of going there was to meeting me. Local people and people in this sort of sandwich land area and I met a bunch and so we’ve all sort of connected on Facebook and ah and so I I put out. Ah we we we have a little Facebook chat group um saying hey let’s let’s meet up what. What date works well and so that’s what we did and it’s more than just um I think for me for me, it comes out of the sort of the introversion that we’re talking about um it like if I if there’s a group.
12:53.36 Louise: Right.
12:58.54 Brad: Of people and I have to walk in and establish myself there I can do that. But it’s very challenging. It’s very scary. It’s very anxiety inducing but I find that if I if I’m the one creating the space. And and and that may not work for everybody to some people that may just give them nightmares. But if I’m the one who’s saying hey you know I’m kind of the 1 organizing the the the the group or the meet up. It’s much easier for me to go in and be the because then I I don’t I don’t have to like. I don’t have to introduce myself to anybody I don’t have to like meet anybody I don’t have to get you know I know everybody because they’ve all communicated with me about participating.
13:39.58 Louise: Oh that’s interesting I can see what you mean by that. Yeah, it’s like it’s sort of a given of who you are because of by virtue of the fact that you’ve kind of made all the arrangements and set the whole thing up and it maybe takes the pressure off in a way which I would have thought you know not having you explained it that way.
13:49.24 Brad: Right? And you walk in and yep.
13:58.96 Louise: You and not having had you a I can’t talk without you having had explained that I would have thought the opposite I would have thought oh that’s too much pressure I’m not sure you know that might make me feel like I’m under under the microscope or under the magnifying glass. But.
14:06.49 Brad: Um.
14:16.20 Brad: Yeah, and I can see yeah and and I’d absolutely understand that what you’re saying that totally makes sense. Um, but I I I choose to flip it and look at it the other way right? like I just sort of have to make that choice and.
14:16.25 Louise: But yeah, no I think you’re right I I think I can see how that would work.
14:33.46 Brad: Ah, because you show up and everybody already knows you then because you’ve already talked to everybody so everybody already knows you and it takes a lot of the pressure off. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and 2 then you can kind of choose how much pressure you want to put on yourself like.
14:38.95 Louise: Yeah, it’s like being norm at Cheers. It’s great I like it. Yeah, it’s exactly like that.
14:52.28 Brad: I try and keep it light and breezy I try to like not super over formalize it like I didn’t even want to do a Facebook group for it. But then I just realized that just makes it so much easier to communicate with everybody and everybody can and and then they’ve.
15:02.47 Louise: Right.
15:06.36 Brad: There’s a centralized place that has the ah you know the location and the address and the time and the date and all of that. So I ended up doing that and then that allowed me to share that out to the to the Northern Virginia the nova group ah and um, got a lot of support from them which was really cool. It. It wasn’t like oh you’re doing it was hey that’s awesome. Some of us would love to come up your way sometime if it ever works out that sort of thing. So yeah, it was it. It worked well and I I find I’m finding over the last year or so that that strategy works for me I don’t know if it would work for but um, same thing with with um.
15:40.57 Louise: Um, right.
15:44.86 Brad: Going to Vo Atlanta and we may have talked about this a little bit I don’t remember but it’s very yeah, yeah, so Vio Atlanta’s it’s a huge I mean by voiceover conference standards. It’s a thousand people I think ah by you know some of the other.
15:48.47 Louise: You touched on it. But I feel like this is expanding on it which is great.
16:03.90 Brad: Conferences I’ve been to. It’s peanuts but by voiceover standards. It’s pretty big and pretty intimidating and all of the the people that we know from their podcasts and their coaching and their workshops. They’re all there and you can you can meet them and and hang out with them and everybody’s super friendly. Super open but it’s still intimidating. And I knew last year I was really kind of anxious about it and I thought well it’s going to be a lot easier if I show up and I already am connected to some people so in one of our Facebook groups. Um, ah.
16:36.68 Louise: Um, um.
16:40.38 Brad: I put out a message and and this is the Troy’s group that we’re admins on so I was comfortable doing this saying hey if you’re going to Vio Atlanna let’s start a chat Facebook chat group of people who are going and we did that and it was it worked so well and again it was that sort of situation where. Going into an environment I created my own sort of networking space within that so that I could I so people already knew who I was so I would get there and there were already 10 people who knew me who had communicated with me who were waiting for me or.
17:03.74 Louise: Um.
17:14.14 Brad: Who knew when they arrived I was one of the people because they’re all feeling the same way about it right? So Um I was one of the people that they were looking forward to seeing when they got there and so I made sure we did the same thing again this year and it’s really great because now we’re talking about what who’s staying at what hotel and I Think. Ah, few of us are staying at the Laquinta which is just down the street from the from the conference but it’s off-site so you know I’ll probably try and organize. Ah ah one morning of the conference where we meet for breakfast. Um, so again, it’s just another example of creating a space where. If somebody else was organizing a breakfast I might get intimidated and not go.. You’re right because I’d be like I don’t know if if they even want me there sort of thing but because I organized it then it makes it much easier for me to go. They already know who I am and it totally like relieves a lot of that stress.
17:54.50 Louise: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:03.76 Louise: Um, right right.
18:07.29 Louise: No, that’s awesome. So so and then so how did your meet up go of your your Baltimore folks.
18:15.40 Brad: It was awesome. Yeah, ah there were 5 of us which is pretty good I think for our first time. Um, when we had a really? yeah yeah, yep, yep, absolutely which was really cool. Ah and it was interesting like I was the only full time voiceover. But.
18:19.50 Louise: And different different levels of voiceover and where people are at and stuff like that. Okay.
18:30.56 Louise: Oh interesting.
18:33.14 Brad: Um, but 1 of the women had just gotten her first agent she was I think she was the only one with an agent. Um, that’s something that I’m just starting to work on now. Um a cup of somebody else who um had been doing it for a while but was trying to figure out how to you know grow. Success March so it was it was really really cool. Um, just just all all different levels but we could all talk about this and that and and sharing notes and giving ideas and ah and strategies. It was really cool and they were all super nice. Yeah.
19:06.55 Louise: That’s awesome and that is 1 thing too about about the voiceover community that I found since I started is just how welcoming and friendly. It is I mean there’s always you know in any kind of group or community. There’s always a couple like.
19:11.93 Brad: Listen.
19:18.93 Brad: Yeah.
19:24.40 Louise: Bad apples. But but I mean that the good far Outweighs um bad on that aspect very welcoming, very giving very open like there’s you know that the attitude is sort of like there. There’s enough work for everyone to let’s like nobody’s really guarding much.
19:28.24 Brad: Yeah, absolutely, that’s yeah, that’s one of my favorite things about this community.
19:38.16 Brad: Yeah, yeah, I mean if you figure something out, you know it’s fair to sort of if that’s your angle to work that angle and not have to like share that out with everybody but at the same time.
19:43.79 Louise: And I can see there’s a little bit of the old guard I feel like but yeah.
19:50.52 Louise: Yeah, yeah.
19:57.38 Louise: Um, utterly fair.
19:58.40 Brad: If somebody’s having a struggling with the thing that you figured out and in you know you’re talking about it. Absolutely people tend to share what they’ve figured out and yeah and I and I think that that actually is great for introverts right? That makes it a community. That’s very.
20:05.49 Louise: Yeah.
20:17.80 Brad: Ah, amenable. First of all I think a lot of I think voice actors tend to skew toward interview introversion. Um, yeah I didn’t I didn’t talk about that but I did talk to a few of them I had met at.
20:23.65 Louise: Yeah I think so and did you get that sense from this group that did you talk about that at all or like.
20:35.48 Louise: Right? right.
20:35.67 Brad: Mavo at the Mid-atlantic voiceover conference and we did talk about that a little bit and um and and I talked that at that point you and I were just talking about this podcast and the idea behind it and what we were hoping to address and they they thought that sounded like really cool. Um.
20:50.60 Louise: Yeah, oh maybe you should ask if any 1 of them once said to be a guest and chat with us. yeah yeah I would love that.
20:55.68 Brad: Yeah, yeah, that would be cool. That’s a good idea. That’s a great idea. Yeah I’ll do that. Ah yeah, that’s brilliant. You’re so smart Louise no one. No wonder I decided to do this with you.
21:07.00 Louise: I Just sit back and I come up with all the ideas. That’s what I do you’re welcome.
21:13.88 Brad: Yeah, So that’s my that’s my story there. That’s what I I Um, that’s sort of the background behind that question and I know you didn’t ask me for all of that. But that was sort of the background behind and and how I’m sort of exploring this strategy of dealing with my interversion and that was a perfect example that. Meet up was a perfect example of it really working well and and and paying off. Yeah yeah, So that’s my that’s my thoughts on sort of creating your own social engagements as a technique to manager. Yeah.
21:33.31 Louise: Right? right? Cool That’s great.
21:47.31 Louise: Yeah, love it I think it’s great I mean I’m I’m not attending. Ah the the conferences. Ah you know, being in Canada atlanta is quite the trip. Ah from the west coast of Canada but um, at some point I will for me, it’s just.
21:55.21 Brad: Yeah.
22:03.55 Louise: It’s not so much about the group dynamic introversion piece. It’s it’s sort of making that decision of um, you know how do I want to reinvest in my career this year you know and I’ve already kind of I’ve laid out quite a bit of um.
22:07.29 Brad: Nothing.
22:23.27 Louise: Money reinvesting already early in the year and just I had to make that choice of like all right? Where’s where is this money actually going to go is it going to be conference or is it going to be 1 on one coaching and new equipment. So which is what I ended up going with. So yeah, that’s just what made sense for me.
22:27.31 Brad: Um, yeah, yeah, um. Yeah, yeah I mean that it Yeah, it’s a decision you have to make yeah and for you, it’s international travel. So There’s elements like you know.
22:42.40 Louise: Can’t do it all. Unfortunately, yeah, yeah, and yeah, and it’s I looked into flights before and it’s like there’s I don’t think there’s actually any direct travel at least not that I can see like it’s like it’s layovers and um so it’s sort of like you know, somebody from.
22:51.94 Brad: Yeah, yeah.
23:01.13 Louise: You know the middle of the states going to like you know somewhere in Europe I mean yeah.
23:06.52 Brad: Yeah, yeah, well next year ah if if you want to go you can fly into Baltimore a little early and hang out with lacy and I and we can both work out of my studio. Yeah yeah, and then we can fly down to Atlanta together. And yeah, that would be so cool.
23:16.14 Louise: You know and not is what I would do for sure. Yeah, absolutely yeah, that would be so fine. Yeah, all right? Well um I guess we’ve covered that topic.
23:24.54 Brad: M.
23:31.62 Brad: Yeah I think so I hope so yeah.
23:34.86 Louise: Yeah, for now anyways because you’re going to go to Vo Atlanta and then you can you can report back as well, right? It’s like ah midmarch or something isn’t it. Yeah, all right? Yeah and um.
23:39.68 Brad: Yeah, that’s it’s a few weeks away but it probably will have happened by the time this actually airs. So yeah.
23:54.20 Louise: You had a note about the introverts edge to networking by Matthew Pollard or is that a book what you mentioned before we talked about that already. Ok, we’ve actually we’ve covered that ok ok.
24:00.85 Brad: Yeah, yeah, that yeah we talked about that. Yeah, but I will say I’ve started a new one another one? Ah ah, it’s very introverting name hold on a second. The freelance Introvert is what it’s called ah by.
24:18.48 Louise: Oh no, you mentioned that one. So maybe I’m getting confused between the 2
24:19.40 Brad: Tom Albrighten and no so the one we talked about and I kind of reviewed was introverts edge to not workinging by Matthew Pollard but the new one that I’m working through is the freelance enter the full title is.
24:28.72 Louise: Um, oh ok.
24:35.90 Brad: The freelance Introvert work The way you want without changing who you are and I haven’t yeah and.
24:37.40 Louise: Yeah, oh I like that because I’m not I think I said at the beginning of of when we started doing this podcast that I was like I don’t know. Maybe it’s just about leaning into who we are as well like I mean there’s nothing wrong with being an introvert like it’s not like it’s not like a character flaw.
24:49.10 Brad: Um, no.
24:53.19 Brad: Right? right.
24:56.75 Louise: So it’s just I feel like no one’s really talking about it which has kind of got me entrusted.
24:58.70 Brad: Yeah, what 1 thing so this book is a lot more in some ways I like it better because it’s less very finally tuned focused on you know Matthew Poeard has his process for networking as an introvert for.
25:13.67 Louise: Right.
25:16.66 Brad: And that book was very much in line with his very focused specific process. This book is much more it takes you back like you, you rewind the tape and and you start out. Ah ah so it’s sort of assuming you have a current full time job and you want to so transfer to freelancing. But you can’t because or you feel like you can’t because you’re an introvert and so it kind of walks you through a lot of those that thought process and the steps and it does a lot more um, defining what it means to be an introvert and what impact that has and and why you might be feeling the things you’re feeling. Um, so it’s much more interesting in that way and I yeah I think everyone should check them out. Everyone who might happen to listen to.
25:53.59 Louise: Um, oh cool. Well I’ll definitely have to check both of those out. Yeah, ok so that let’s repeat it. So the first one is the introverts edge to networking by Matthew Pollard and the one you’re reading now is.
26:08.57 Brad: Yep, the freelance the freelance introvert work the way you want without changing who you are by Tom Albrighten
26:15.47 Louise: Nice and that’ll be on the yeah I guess on the web site on the little blog post to right? Yeah, so if anybody wants to search it? Yeah yeah.
26:23.69 Brad: Oh I guess we can do that? Yeah I’m still getting all that sorted out. Yeah yeah, um, and but and they’re they’re both on audible of course and probably elsewhere and I haven’t finished it but the the 1 thing that it had mentioned. Ah it said that the majority.
26:40.75 Brad: The majority of the human population are extroverts and ah ah yeah, and but and I don’t remember if they gave a statistic or not. But um, because yeah and I thought the same thing because the world I walk in definitely the majority people are definitely not extroverts. Ah.
26:44.73 Louise: Um, really oh oh, that’s so fascinating.
27:00.33 Brad: So I’m I’m very curious about that if that’s true I Guess maybe I should do a little digging.
27:02.33 Louise: Is lacy an Introvert or an extrovert.
27:10.41 Brad: That’s really Tricky. Um I That’s a really good question. She is much more extroverted than I am she’s very socially oriented. She has lots of friends. They communicate all of the time. We’re always going out. Um, she gets frustrated when we stay in like I don’t mean that I mean yeah, yeah, but at the same time she definitely and and maybe that’s just being a human I don’t know she definitely feels the exhaustion of being out. So.
27:33.11 Louise: So she sounds like an extrovert then first I think.
27:48.40 Brad: It’s possible. She’s I I have a feeling this is what’s happening I have a feeling that at her core. She’s an Introvert just sort of knowing her whole life history but but she really enjoys people so much that she pushes past that in ways that are challenging for other introverts and I feel like I am able to do that in some.
27:54.47 Louise: Right.
28:07.35 Brad: Ways. But I think she has really um I don’t want to get too much into her background. But um, she she she? Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah.
28:11.89 Louise: Oh no no die it was just the 1 question just because you’re married and it’s interesting to know like how partners may differ in that aspect like I know if irv and I are I think we’re both introverts. Um, yeah, we’re definitely both introverts but he seems to he he will thrive in different social social situations than I thrive in like I’m more likely to say hello to people when we’re walking down the street that I don’t know but he’s not.
28:38.24 Brad: Sure.
28:47.23 Brad: Um, ah.
28:48.88 Louise: But then in a group situation. He’s pretty comfortable whereas I’m not.
28:51.47 Brad: Yeah, how about this if if if either of you had to get up to do an icebreaker event which one of you is more likely to cringe and just want to go hide in a corner there you go.
29:04.68 Louise: Oh I think both of us. Yeah, and we’re both introverts for sure. It just manifests a little differently. But um, yeah I’m we’re quiet. We we you know we don’t need to go out a lot. Um, but doesn’t you know it doesn’t I mean.
29:09.39 Brad: Yeah, yeah.
29:15.86 Brad: How nice.
29:21.85 Louise: Doesn’t get frustrating for either of us to to stay home at all and like literally for me being in a you know a little quiet studio all day long by myself is a dream a dream.
29:23.16 Brad: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
29:35.82 Brad: Isn’t it though like I’ve always yeah I’ve always thought if I could just find a job where I just sit in a windowless room and just focus on what’s important to me and then I can come out when I want to but I don’t have to like that’s that is literally.
29:44.10 Louise: Yeah, no distractions. Yeah.
29:51.53 Brad: And then and now that I’m doing it and I thought I don’t know and lacy’s like you don’t have any windows in here and you don’t have and I’m like that’s cool and it turns out to be a billion percent true like I just I just want to be in ah in a box doing the things that are important to me. Ah.
30:05.24 Louise: Yeah, yeah, it’s I mean it’s as much about that I mean we all obviously need some vitamin D and sunlight and I do go out and I hike and I walk and I do all these things but when it comes to work I Absolutely thrive in a really quiet, um isolated. So.
30:12.18 Brad: Um, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
30:23.52 Brad: Um, yeah.
30:24.00 Louise: Type of environment and when I think back to when I was um in my other career like all the all the sort of people coming in and out of my office and the shoulder tapping and even just through you know. And um programs like slack or whatever we know, whatever teams and and people just match that messaging constant like I it even just thinking about it causes me anxiety.
30:47.83 Brad: Um, yeah.
30:50.85 Brad: Yeah.
30:52.89 Louise: And I don’t know I think there are people who thrive in those environments I Really do I I mean I’ve seen people thrive in those environments. It does not bother them in the least and what’s interesting is I think that and this may be a generalization or an assumption but it seems to me that the.
30:59.38 Brad: My heart.
31:11.50 Louise: Most of the working world um requires that of people to be able to thrive in those environments and if you don’t or you can’t or you find them extremely challenging. It’s it’s It’s frowned upon you know? yeah.
31:25.28 Brad: I Think that’s true. No I think that’s right, yeah.
31:30.44 Louise: So I think that’s where freelancing really Jives with me as much as it has its own challenges. Um, yeah, that’s pretty much all I had to say about that you can add to that of you.
31:43.60 Brad: Yeah I don’t look like I don’t I don’t get lonely. You know what? I mean like I don’t I I I Love my wife dearly I love spending time with her and I love but when she she’s going away this weekend. She’s doing a book her and her her friend’s rent to airbnb.
31:50.90 Louise: No neither. Ah.
32:03.28 Brad: Ah, out of town I don’t even know where it is um and they they just spend the weekend in a cabin reading books and it’s awesome and I I Just as much as I love her in love when she’s here and spending time with her I just relish the when she’s away and to get to like.
32:07.52 Louise: Ah, that’s awesome.
32:19.24 Louise: Just be on your own. Yeah yeah.
32:22.16 Brad: Just be on my own and just enjoy my so my own company. My mom said that about me 1 time she’s like well you know she’s like well it was when I was like I always get into too much personal stuff here, but it was when I was going through my divorce and my ah yeah and i.
32:36.85 Louise: Ah, the old over the oversharing now. It’s fine with me I mean anybody can turn this off if they want to.
32:40.91 Brad: I Yeah and that’s true and I got and I just got in my car I threw a tent in my car and I just started driving because I was you know you’re going through divorce and it’s challenging and and I just spent a weekend just in a tent by myself.
32:49.30 Louise: Yeah.
32:57.73 Brad: And my mom’s like well you’ve always enjoyed your own company. So I’m sure you you know you got to spend time with the person you needed to over that time. Yeah, you.
33:02.36 Louise: Now I’ve done I’ve done quite a bit of my you know solo traveling myself as well. So I I totally get that.
33:11.70 Brad: You’re really good I’m so impressed at how good you are at carving out time for yourself to just go on these gorgeous. You always post the pictures on Facebook and they’re so gorgeous and yeah of course you’re in Vancouver and you’ve got your beautiful dog and and I’m just so impressed that you’re.
33:20.32 Louise: Oh my hikes here.
33:28.93 Louise: It’s my sanity. Yeah, it’s my sanity and I mean I I think when you work for yourself. You could just keep where you could work twenty four seven you because there’s always something to do and you have to um, you have to set boundaries with yourself I mean.
33:30.51 Brad: Yeah.
33:37.56 Brad: Be out.
33:44.75 Louise: Because when you’re freelancing. Of course you’re ah you know you’re working with the global Clientele. So So there are time differences and so people could technically get ahold of you whenever but I think it’s really important, not only to to be kind to yourself and place those boundaries with your clients and. Um, and I haven’t had to do that in any kind of you know overt Way. It’s just this is my time zone and these are normal working hours. I mean it’s not difficult to grasp right? So um, but being but having those boundaries with with yourself.
34:04.76 Brad: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
34:18.63 Louise: I think is probably the more challenging thing and I think in the last year or two I’ve got a lot better at just giving myself like a hard stop on certain days and now actually this year I’m doing a hard stop at the end of the day um to get out for really long walks so not necessarily hiking but really long walks.
34:36.21 Brad: Ah.
34:38.18 Louise: And just really getting out and getting sunshine and but I’m by myself and with my dog and I you know I throw on a podcast and um and I don’t answer messages so client messages come in. That’s my time you know sometimes I’ll come home and I will if I need to do work. You know later in the evening I will.
34:41.75 Brad: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
34:49.59 Brad: Yeah.
34:57.10 Brad: Yeah.
34:57.64 Louise: Sometimes but the other thing is I live in a really small space with my partner and my dog and it’s just not um, it’s not that feasible because there’s so many shared walls and it requires that literally I have to tell my partner to go into the bedroom and.
35:16.93 Brad: Um, yeah, would you please stop breathing.
35:17.22 Louise: Just not move like don’t creak the bed. Don’t you know? Yeah, so and that’s obviously if that’s if I need to record in the evening that so it’s not super feasible feasible. It’s doable, but it’s not something I would want to be doing all the time and and actually so it’s good to be forced to have.
35:26.99 Brad: Yeah, yeah.
35:35.44 Louise: My evenings to spend with my little family. You know as well. So yeah.
35:37.28 Brad: Yeah, yeah, and I’m you know I’m I’m a month and a half I’m six weeks into being a full-time freelancer now. So I’m still sort of sorting through all that and and what what works for me and what time you know what sort of schedule works for me.
35:44.10 Louise: Yeah.
35:54.18 Brad: Um, because I’m used to working 8 hours at my day job and then 4 hours every night doing voiceover at least? Ah, so now I find I’m doing 8 hours of voiceover and then 8 or 8 hours of voiceover during the day and 4 hours of voiceover at night and it’s like the same amount of time but it’s more focused and ideally getting me to a place where I’m not.
35:54.47 Louise: Um.
36:13.34 Louise: Yeah.
36:13.39 Brad: Spending that much time right? like because right now I’m working and marketing and you know and building and and and establishing and and and it’s a lot and I’m I’m trying to figure out I’m also trying to sort out. This is an interesting question I’ve been struggling with if if I may share like.
36:28.58 Louise: Sure.
36:31.69 Brad: Trying to just trying to figure out what activities make me happy and I don’t mean so like I like playing video games I’m shoulders deep in Boulder’s gate right now and I absolutely love it I enjoy playing Boulder I enjoy playing video games but I’m not convinced. They make me.
36:49.87 Louise: Right? Sure Yeah I think that you can derive pleasure from things but happiness is a whole different thing. Yeah.
36:50.85 Brad: Happy Does that does that make sense the distinction.
36:57.10 Brad: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and I don’t I don’t like walking I know yeah I feel like you derive pleasure and walking and hiking makes you happy when I’m doing it I’m like Wow What am I It’s just a slog like I’m just the thing I got to do so I Just don’t get that same sense I’m trying to think of the different.
37:10.31 Louise: Yeah, yeah.
37:15.38 Brad: What different things are and and I ah so I’m trying to so trying to sort of suss through that a little bit and I I think.
37:20.31 Louise: Yeah I think it’s one of those things to it depends on your environment because I don’t think I would be geared this way if I wasn’t living where I live So I’m in a really mild climate I’m in an absolutely beautiful place in the world in the Pacific northwest.
37:29.99 Brad: Sure. Yeah.
37:37.69 Louise: If I want to go on a hike in nature. It’s a 15 minute drive from my doorstep like I am surrounded by beauty and I never take it for granted. So I think that shifts that need and that desire and what it brings to me into my life where. If you live somewhere totally different or you’re in a really urban environment that may not be the case. So so walking for, you may not give you that. But.
38:01.38 Brad: Yeah, that’s a good point. Yeah because it’s a half hour drive to paapsco state park which has a river it’s not that it isn’t pretty, but it’s not Vancouver you know what? I mean it’s not ah.
38:16.97 Louise: Oh and so many places are not so it’s a it’s a very it a huge privilege to be here. Yeah, that’s the other thing I’m in a a temper climate but um I mean I and I think it’s interesting to touch on this too because we also.
38:19.13 Brad: Yeah, and it’s see it’s either too hot. Yeah, and it’s It’s always either too hot or too cold. You know? yeah.
38:34.95 Louise: I mean I don’t know what you’re going to find that that makes you happy you’re going to figure that ah as you go along because I think probably what’s happened with you I’m I mean I’m not a psychologist but it’s like you’ve been part part time voiceover and full time career person for a few years so there’s been a lot of it’s been work heavy.
38:39.90 Brad: Man Can’t just tell me.
38:52.86 Brad: Yeah, and deferring happiness in a lot of ways. Yeah, and so now but and and that’s exactly right and I’m I’m finding I’m at a place now or approaching a place where that sort of starts to become something I can afford to think about right? and so I’m starting to think about that? yeah.
38:54.15 Louise: Right? Yeah, yeah, and.
39:04.89 Louise: Yeah, which is a privilege and it’s wonderful and that’s hopefully where we can all strive to get to. It’s you know, not but not everybody’s life can afford that So but I I do think that our culture and we’ve touched on this a couple of times and and I think it’s.
39:16.47 Brad: Yeah, ah.
39:24.34 Louise: Unk mentioning is that you know, especially when you’re running your own business that the idea of sort of workaholism. Um and constantly being on it and like you know we see it and are in in some of the some of the.
39:32.70 Brad: Mother.
39:43.59 Louise: You know, social media groups that were in Facebook groups that we’re in that are voiceover centric and and people talking about like what they’re working on quote unquote over the weekend and that’s fine like because people might actually you know have full time you know 9 to 5 whatevers. But it’s like it’s becoming. It’s it’s.
39:51.10 Brad: Yeah, or yeah.
40:02.75 Louise: It seems to be really normalized and I really wish we could normalize also um, taking time out and really prioritizing your mental health and your physical health like sitting down all day long.
40:02.97 Brad: Yeah, yeah.
40:11.33 Brad: Self-care and taking the time. Yeah and I don’t you? Yeah yeah, well, that’s why yeah and I like that I stand I I’m a standard.
40:21.70 Louise: You know if you’re able to not sit down all day long then don’t.
40:28.36 Brad: For voiceover and other standards and sitters I stand so I feel like half the day I’m at a standing desk essentially right? and I think that’s good for me I I wanted to say I totally agree with what you’re saying really like what you’re saying about people but I don’t I don’t mind so much if people. Share that they’re working on something over the weekend because like you said ah that may be the time they get to do it what I don’t what I what I get uncomfortable with I should say is when I see the posts that sort of are challenging people to be working like it’s Saturday What’s everybody working on today. Yeah.
41:00.11 Louise: Or bragging or bragging about it and it’s just like I you know I’m happy for you If you’re finding success I’m always going to be happy that my peers and my friends are finding success in whatever way that works for them. But.
41:04.83 Brad: Yeah, yeah.
41:15.67 Louise: But that’s just that that line where I’m like ok let’s all have a conversation or at least get into so this the least get it into the conversation and into um, a more normalized way or more frequent topic of like.
41:20.45 Brad: Fifth.
41:31.67 Brad: Ah, haha.
41:33.31 Louise: What what are you doing in your time off. Are you taking time off are you taking time out for yourself and your family you know? yeah I sound like a broken record. Um.
41:39.62 Brad: Yeah.
41:50.26 Louise: Yeah, so I just see a lot of that kind of content in it. Um, it’s concerning I find it concerning? yeah.
41:52.32 Brad: Yeah, and and and yeah and I think the whole like there’s there’s 2 sides to sharing success right? Like I think it can either be encouraging to people who are just starting out saying hey look.
42:00.70 Louise: E.
42:11.10 Brad: This is where I’m able to do this. You can too and when it’s presented in that way I’m a fan of it I think it’s great. But I also see a lot of time success posts. You know you I don’t know I suspect that the subtext the intention behind it is.
42:16.49 Louise: Yeah.
42:30.42 Brad: Ha I’m doing this what you know and sort of like doing it to to push other people down or or away.
42:35.17 Louise: I and I think it’s that is fed by our culture in general like workaholism is rewarded. It’s you know, taking time out for yourself and your family isn’t something. It’s rewarded I mean it’s not that recent in history that we’ve you know had 9 to.
42:42.31 Brad: Aha I thought. Yeah.
42:53.74 Louise: That that the work week existed and weekends existed. So I mean um, that’s isn’t that why we have a labor day weekend isn’t that all about I’m I’m not very good with history. But yeah.
42:54.71 Brad: All right.
43:01.92 Brad: I Think we’re honoring the yeah honoring the people who fought yeah in a day work weeks. Yeah.
43:06.20 Louise: For us to have weekends so it’s like now you know you’re kind of going backwards and and sort of glorifying it I think and glorifying was the word I was missing earlier when we started talking about this and I I have a problem with that. It’s like don’t do not glorify that like I understand if that is. Ah, you know when you’re starting Out. We’ve all been there where it’s all hours all the time. It’s all consuming but there comes a time where you need to move away from it and I think especially people who are influential in a lot of these groups and communities and when whatever freelance community you’re in.. It’s sort of your responsibility to maybe not um, encourage things that can be detrimental to people’s health. You know, um, the yeah Burnout’s real lack of lack of sleep I mean the the amount of.
43:50.19 Brad: Yeah, yeah, unless you want everyone around you to burn out so that you’re less competition.
44:02.80 Louise: Um, what do you call it is it co comorbidities or basically really bad shit that can happen to you from from you know, repeatedly not getting enough sleep I mean you’re talking like heart disease and dementia and like all kinds of stuff that can just.
44:15.82 Brad: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
44:21.20 Louise: Obesity that they’re just related to not not resting enough not sleeping enough not getting good quality sleep. So yeah I Just think it’s important to um, recognize that that’s I don’t I don’t think I think that’s another one of those things. No one talks about.
44:25.83 Brad: Um, yeah, yeah.
44:40.96 Louise: We all just end up feeling. Oh I’m not doing enough. You know I yeah I’m not blaming any 1 person that is definitely cultural. Yeah, we should all just move to Denmark.
44:45.39 Brad: Yep, and that’s our culture That’s it in a nutshell.
44:57.12 Brad: I Don’t know if there’s room for all of us there though. Yeah, they probably would not like that at all even Canadians they like they definitely wouldn’t want the the Americans there but definitely definitely wouldn’t but they probably if all the Canadians showed up, they’d probably. Also.
44:58.97 Louise: Ah, Denmark would probably hate that though. Yeah.
45:16.78 Brad: Prefer that not happen. Yeah, that’s true. It’s a pretty little country or if there if there were enough of yeah if there were enough people there. Maybe we could convince them to expand the borders out a little bit.
45:18.16 Louise: There’s not as many of us so it might work out, but it’s the tan. It’s a tiny little country. We’d probably all have to go to likes we’d probably have to go to Sweden instead. That’s a lot bigger. Yeah, or Norway Finland.
45:34.60 Brad: I went whatever. But I think we’ve devolved into. Yeah yeah, oh nice look at that. Yeah, let’s do that hey I have a I thought of a new closing tag. Let’s see what you think ah now now if I can remember because I didn’t write it down. Ah.
45:37.35 Louise: Um, we’ve fallen off the rails. Ok we’re at about 45 minutes so maybe we should wrap it up anyway. Oh ok I’m excited.
45:54.32 Brad: You can be heard even if you’re using your inside voice I don’t love it. But it’s a contender like it’s a it’s a it’s another one out there right.
45:56.51 Louise: Um I Love it. Ok, that’s fair. Yeah yeah, Well I think what you should do this weekend is spend all weekend trying to to show again. Um. So What was it again because do do I get to say part of it as we close out of here. Ok um, ok.
46:16.28 Brad: Oh yeah, we can do that? Um, oh now it let me write it down because I keep forgetting it. You can be heard even when you’re using your inside Voice. I Don’t know if that’s good or not., But ah so how about yeah, how about that. So So your your line is even when you’re using your inside voice right? Ready. You can be heard inside.
46:34.43 Louise: So do you want me to say the second part. Ok.
46:46.44 Louise: Um, even when you’re using your inside voice. Ah again, even when you’re using your inside voice.
46:49.29 Brad: Oh oh I Just I stepped in your line I’m sorry I’m sorry, let’s check one more time I stepped on. You can be heard.
47:00.23 Brad: I like it all right? Ah hey if anybody’s listening and you have a better idea. You have a tagline there you think would be great email it to us at connect at the inside voice podcast.com
47:03.34 Louise: Hey.
47:14.76 Brad: Or if you have any other questions or suggestions for sure.
47:15.30 Louise: Hey love it. Love it. Yeah, or if you’d like to chat with us. Um on the podcast too. We’d love to have other introverts join the mix or extroverts I mean we could We can learn from extroverts probably to or just like try to get it to.
47:19.61 Brad: Yeah yep, yep.
47:25.46 Brad: I Would love that. Actually if if you identify as an extrovert and you’re like what are these guys prattling on about let us know because we can talk about it. It would be fun.
47:32.28 Louise: Yeah, yeah, that would be fine because I would like to know what that’s like So what’s life like for you anyway. Okay.
47:43.97 Brad: All right? Let’s wrap it up. So let’s do let’s do that line 1 more time to to close the show. You can be heard even when you’re using your inside voice all right. You can be heard.
47:49.79 Louise: Sure I forget it already. Even when you’re using your inside voice. Okay Bye Brett
48:01.51 Brad: All right Bye louise.