I'm a Voice Actor, Not a Gambler

No one can deliver a punch line quite like my grandpa.

This past week when I was in TX for work, I took a 2 day flight to Lubbock to see my grandpa. He asked me how work was going, and I said good (I'm not quite sure he fully understands what I do for a living, so I didn't go into many details). He told me the following story.

"I once knew a farmer that was often accused of being a gambler. One day he decided to look up the word gambler in the dictionary. It said a gambler was a person who took a chance. That farmer knew he wasn't a gambler, because in farmin'- you haven't got a chance!"

My grandpa came to Lubbock in a covered wagon at the age of 7, in 1922. He retired from cotton farming this year, at the young age of 93. He saw many good years and many bad years on his farm, but he kept at it year after year.

I've spoken with many voice actors over the past year that are frustrated with how their business is going. Some want more work, some want different work, some are questioning if this is the right business for them. The truth is, voice acting is a profession that not everyone can succeed in. You need a thick skin to weather the storms, perseverance to keep planting seeds, and trust to just let mother nature take her course. You have to take the tough times, and turn them around.

And if there is someone in your life even half as wise as my grandpa- don't forget to stop and listen...you just might learn something that can change your perspective forever!

Kara Edwards, Voice Actor