Post by Pete on Jun 14, 2017 7:24:02 GMT -8
Hello, my name is Pete. I have some voice experience thanks to years of telephony support, and an associates degree in communications(college radio station and some acting training in there for good measure too), but I decided to go after a photo degree for my bachelors. You know what they say though, "life is what happens while you are busy making other plans". Anyway, about a month before I graduated the photo program at RIT(at the time Kodak was giving people with my degree lifetime jobs, but then they went bankrupt my last year of study) I ended up having to pursue a run of the IT mill position(Have you tried turning off, and on again?), and little by little had to sell off my photo equipment(and dreams) away to make ends meet.
I have since left the IT world and have become a stay at home parent(wife accepted a position at the post office with better pay, and benefits so I stepped down). The thing is I have felt somewhat directionless ever since(battling a bit of a depression as a result). Then one day a few months ago while reading Harry Potter during a really sad part I was acting out my daughter gave me a huge hug and said "Don't be sad, Daddy. Everything will be alright. It is just a story." She was wholly convinced my emotions were legitimate(which blew me away because she is autistic and does not register emotions in others easily). She was so sincere in her concern she actually made me tear up for real. Once I thanked her for the concern and explained I was only acting out what JK Rowling had described she said: "Daddy you should be in cartoons."
Her words shook me. You see, like many of you reading this have probably experienced, I spent my youth playing with my voice, but I never thought I could use it to make a living(beyond phone work that is). My mother always taught me such ideas were frivolous growing up, and I needed to think more practically so as the years went on I started to internalize that idea more, and more. It got to the point where I had practically let that passion whither on the vine while I tried to find safer, more secure path through life(a fat lot of good that has done me so far).
My daughter's words moved me. They cut through all those years of self-doubt, and layers of inadequate feelings. Suddenly my old passions were reignited. I cannot express what an amazing feeling it is when someone you love unconditionally about tells you they believe in you. Even though I had sold off my photo studio over time thankfully I was able to squirrel away all my old audio equipment and have just finished putting together a nice quiet little home studio that I am itching to get started with. I don't expect to conquer the world, or become a star, or any other pie in the sky goals just yet(not that I would turn away such opportunities), no, all I am looking to do now is gain more experience, and hone these skills I have been playing with since childhood. If I can turn them into something that will help support my family that would be great, but for now I am just trying to focus on taking the first couple of steps.
Thank you for taking the time to read this short novella of an introduction. Any advice or tips, or suggestions on these first steps would be greatly appreciated.
I have since left the IT world and have become a stay at home parent(wife accepted a position at the post office with better pay, and benefits so I stepped down). The thing is I have felt somewhat directionless ever since(battling a bit of a depression as a result). Then one day a few months ago while reading Harry Potter during a really sad part I was acting out my daughter gave me a huge hug and said "Don't be sad, Daddy. Everything will be alright. It is just a story." She was wholly convinced my emotions were legitimate(which blew me away because she is autistic and does not register emotions in others easily). She was so sincere in her concern she actually made me tear up for real. Once I thanked her for the concern and explained I was only acting out what JK Rowling had described she said: "Daddy you should be in cartoons."
Her words shook me. You see, like many of you reading this have probably experienced, I spent my youth playing with my voice, but I never thought I could use it to make a living(beyond phone work that is). My mother always taught me such ideas were frivolous growing up, and I needed to think more practically so as the years went on I started to internalize that idea more, and more. It got to the point where I had practically let that passion whither on the vine while I tried to find safer, more secure path through life(a fat lot of good that has done me so far).
My daughter's words moved me. They cut through all those years of self-doubt, and layers of inadequate feelings. Suddenly my old passions were reignited. I cannot express what an amazing feeling it is when someone you love unconditionally about tells you they believe in you. Even though I had sold off my photo studio over time thankfully I was able to squirrel away all my old audio equipment and have just finished putting together a nice quiet little home studio that I am itching to get started with. I don't expect to conquer the world, or become a star, or any other pie in the sky goals just yet(not that I would turn away such opportunities), no, all I am looking to do now is gain more experience, and hone these skills I have been playing with since childhood. If I can turn them into something that will help support my family that would be great, but for now I am just trying to focus on taking the first couple of steps.
Thank you for taking the time to read this short novella of an introduction. Any advice or tips, or suggestions on these first steps would be greatly appreciated.