Hello to you 2022! As we spring into the new year, of course, resolutions are everywhere. Whether you’re attempting dry-January, or starting to incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine, here are three resolutions we think every budding voice over should consider: 1: Take every opportunity to practice, and practice properly. One of the biggest errors that voice over actors make is not practicing, or even worse, not practicing properly. So, I hear you ask, what exactly does practicing properly mean? The official art of ‘proper practice’ entails recording yourself every day. Practicing is paramount to getting you used to being vocally ready at the drop of a mic. Try and take fifteen minutes every day to practice. Whether you’re doing your RichCraft homework, or reading the back of a shampoo bottle, it’s crucial to keep your voice working and ready to go. After you have recorded your audio, be sure to listen to it without reading along to the script. We know this may feel a bit strange, and of course you want to be sure you haven’t missed a word out, but have you ever tried to listen to Bohemian Rhaposdy whilst reading War and Peace, it’s impossible. Why? Because, technically speaking, the human brain is incapable of processing language and music (in this case your own audio) at the same time. Arranging the written word and vocal tones simultaneously essentially overloads the brain, causing a detachment from your audio-self to your script-reading self. Remember, our listener does not have a script, you are their guide. Therefore it is imperative to know what you sound like. Basically folks, don’t read and listen. It’s important to focus on your audio, ensuring your diction, tone, and breathing is correct and all the ‘lifts and leans’ are in the right place. Then if you need to double check the script, read it again in silence, scan through once more whilst playing your audio in the background BUT make sure that the first time you listen to your audio, you’re focusing solely on your audio! Trust us, it works! 2: Say goodbye to imposter syndrome. At some point in time, everybody questions themselves. Whether that’s personally or professionally, we all get a little niggle of doubt that makes us think we are not good enough for whatever reason. But this year we would like to kick imposter syndrome to the curb, 2022 is the year to start truly believing in yourself and your abilities. If you work with RichCraft coaches, you know that we will tell you straight. There is no agenda, making your voice career a success is the agenda! In a nutshell, if you have the talent, self-belief, and a coach telling you that you are ready to take control of your voice over career, you are no longer an imposter, you’re a voice over. If we believe in you, you believe in you. 3: Connections are key. We’re all guilty of endlessly scrolling through social media, probably a bit more than we should do. But if you’d like to be a little bit more productive, use your scrolling time to connect to existing and future clients, as well as other people in the industry. Nowadays it’s very common that every company you buy from, and every person you know, is on at least one social media platform. So, what are you waiting for? Connect, connect, connect. By building your network, of both personal and professional contacts, will help share your brand and business with the world. Make sure all your information is up to date and that you’re sharing content regularly, people like to engage with who you are and what you’re doing, so share away and a start building your following.