Or, as in this case, a blog post I’d written in 2011 was kept by someone who enjoyed reading it, and reached out to tell me so 5 years later. I wrote about etiquette. It’s something I think about, in a variety of ways.
Take self-promotion; for some reason, in our business actors are always talking about what projects they’ve completed. Is there any other industry where people do that?
- Doctors, who talk about the surgeries they’ve just performed?
- Teachers, who go on Facebook to tell the world about a lesson they just gave in astrophysics?
- Lawyers, who post about cases they’ve won or lost?
Why is it that so many voice actors feel the need to broadcast their accomplishments?
- Because we don’t get credit otherwise?
- To impress our friends, family, colleagues, and clients?
- Share the genuine pride of having been involved with a cool project?
I don’t know. The answers are probably more varied than that, but there is an etiquette issue at play here.
- How do others perceive you when you shout your latest gig to the world?
- How do your clients feel about you talking about their projects?
- Do you have the right to talk about it, or did you sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement)?
- Do you feel obligated to ‘like’ the posting, even if you feel it would be more decorous to keep quiet?
Etiquette and Consideration
I’m struggling with this concept for myself, and am leaning to the side of less disclosure—not more. It’s come to my attention lately that even the act of posting projects on YouTube or SoundCloud (without promoting them), can be dangerous waters to swim in (more about this in another blog post coming soon.)
So I’m going to hold my cards closer to my chest and dance around the Internet with other news and bits of interesting content to share. A new friend and seasoned VO vet, Ruth Weisberg, recently called me a ‘soup cauldron of interesting information.’ I like that. I’d rather be acknowledged for the ways that I help people rather than the ways in which I earn my livelihood. And every once in a while a compliment comes along, unprompted, and therefore all the sweeter in the hearing.
“Thanks for sending me and Talia your blog series. The posts are practical and inspiring. LOVED LOVED LOVED your VO on “Martinu’s Muse” — haunting and lyrical, with mesmerizing swells of meaning and nuance. Wow. — Ruth Weisberg (Seasoned Voiceover Artist) and Talia Gonzalez (Upcoming Voiceover Talent)
Just wanted to drop a quick note to say “thank you” for this blog post! You pretty much answered the biggest question I had: that starting up isn’t a “brick by brick” process. I have all these bullet points in motion as I write this, so it’s nice to know I’m moving in the right direction. 🙂 Thank you so much! — Amy Cerenzi (Upcoming Voiceover Talent)
What can I do to be more considerate of you?
Etiquette endears and endures.