When I was in radio years ago, Clear Channel came along and gobbled up all of the small stations and took the fun out of working in radio. Eventually, it felt like I was working for an insurance company. Nothing wrong with working in the insurance business but this was radio and radio was supposed to be fun!
After about five years, I would sit in the parking lot staring at that massive corporate building every morning and didn't want to go inside. It created a lot of pain and anxiety. The panic attacks would go on for 2 hours sometimes. This was no way to live my life.
After scratching and clawing for a couple of years as a part-time voice actor, I was able to secure a few steady clients. Still, I didn't have a ton of capital to work with. In addition, I was feeling pretty restless at this point.
It was a spring morning. The warmest day so far that year in Minnesota. I got out of bed and said, "that's it!" I am putting in my notice today. I was scared as hell but the excitement outweighed the fear. This decision was going to be life-changing and while there was trepidation about finances, I was determined to make this work or I was going to die trying. Voice acting was my passion and I got tired of ignoring it.
I went into the office and handed my manager my notice. While I was sad to leave so many friends I had made in the radio industry, this was a liberating feeling. It instantly felt like I had removed a heavy backpack. Tears of joy ran down my cheeks as I left the building for the last time.
Now, it was time to get to work! Unfortunately, I didn't have a ton of capital to spend on a new business and my credit score wasn't exactly going to win any awards! So I took out a business loan with extremely high-interest rates. That alone made me feel uneasy but I had no choice. I was going to make this work and I needed money for coaching, demos and recording gear.
I could have easily panicked and failed, but I chose to channel my stress into working my ass off until this paid off. Brick by brick, I made it work. That was 20 years ago and I haven't looked back since.
It's okay to be scared and uncomfortable when you're just getting started in voiceovers. You're going to feel this way for a while. There will be days when you'll want to quit. Trust me, I had my share of those days but you have to keep going! Life is too short not to follow your passions due to fear or uncertainty.