Give And Get, And Vice Versa

CVAP Week 3 Vlog

What a ride it's been so far.

Forgive me, but I'm a stickler for doing recaps, in order for retention.
What do I mean? I'm going to be talking about Week 1 and 2 again. Again, just for retention.

Sir Navi opened us up by sharing about the myths of Voice Acting, and what it really is. It isn't just about managing content - doing it for the views and all the clout and just to post stuff on the internet. Voice Acting is more about our nurturing creations. Extensions of ourselves.
Ma'am Dine was very comprehensive in sharing her experiences with radio drama, and how it involved so much more than just talking - there was emoting, writing, organizing; there were human resources and logistics to consider! It only told me that Voice Acting involves more than just your voice but your words, and your entire being - or, well, that's what I said on the vlog, but now that I'm writing about it, I think what I meant to emphasize here is that Voice Acting involves more than you, but a team. It takes a village to raise a child - and anything successful in Voice Acting, for that matter.

Sir Brian shares about how Voice Acting is just like any other art or skill - It's enhanced with external equipment.
Sir Harlem Just like any other art or skill, Voice Acting is established with internal mastery.
And on top of all of it, you prioritize internal mastery before you even consider external enhancement. Don't insult yourself (and your equipment) by buying all the expensive stuff, thinking that's all you need to 'make it' in voice acting, or in any skill or art for that matter.

So, yeah, that's what was going on so far. For last week's session, however:

Doc Onie was pretty comprehensive in expanding what it means to take care of your voice. She got my attention when it came to the food and drink to avoid prior to a speaking or singing arrangement: Caffeine & Alcoholic drinks (dehydrating), salty stuff (particles), sweet stuff (produces mucus), cold food and drinks (contracting), spicy food (irritant, produces gas), medicated pastilles of lozenges, and food that contains common allergens. Also, she mentioned later in the lesson: Stay away from an empty stomach, and also a super-full stomach!
Oh, another thing - She also made it a point to remind us that Voice Acting isn't just about managing our throats, but exercising our voice. Enhancing our creativity. It may have been in the tail end but she made good points not only for us to exercise with tongue twisters and pronunciations drills, but also to expand our minds and our brains by engaging with other voice artists and sharing best practices.
In the afternoon, I remember Ma'am Donnah's dubbing course. I was reminded of how you need to immerse yourself in the movie and the characters, just so that you can portray them properly, from your perspective. She reminds us that in Voice Acting, you don't put voice into the character, but you put character into the voice.
I have to admit that when she put up possible characters to dub, I was plenty excited when I saw Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale in Catch Me If You Can, and Heath Ledger as the Joker in Batman: The Dark Knight... Not so excited, however, when I was told that I was to try dubbing the former in Tagalog.
It was tough for me, because I already had the English lines in my head. It was tough, first of all, the follow the lines in Tagalog, and then also to speak along to make the timing as precise as possible. But I suppose, if Tagalog dubbing is anywhere in my future, that as in anything else, practice makes perfect.

Through all these weeks, I just have to share that one lesson continues to stand out - and, that is, the more you give, the more you get. What I mean is this - the more time you give, the more concern you give, the more effort you give, the more of your being that you involve in the development and the sharing of your craft, the more you're bound to get.

And just so I'm clear, I'm not saying that it's automatic that you get more money when you give more of yourself. Far from it! What I mean is that, first and foremost, you find yourself actually making creations, more than you're following the rest of the shallow world that's only interested in posting content. You find yourself enjoying the process, more than setting yourself up for disappointment. Most of all, you find satisfaction from within, which is infinitely superior to anything that this world insists is pleasurable.

Indeed, you only get what you give. And I pray that all of us just continue to focus on what we're giving, more than what we're getting.
The kids always say it, and we ought to keep reminding ourselves - Sharing is caring.

Cringe, sure, but hey, it still works.
Hope I added value to you today!

#CVAPBatch28