How to Use Your Voice
The last time I wrote for this website; I wrote how cerebral palsy and time didn’t derail my dream of becoming a black belt. Now I’m back to tell how my voice might lead to a new career. Have you ever had people tell you that you are talented or good at something, but you don’t believe them? For me, it’s my voice. I’m not talking about my singing voice. I couldn’t carry a tune in a backpack or suitcase. People seem to find my speaking voice special though. I was a broadcasting major in college. My dream was to be an anchor on ESPN. The first time someone complimented my voice, I was making a commercial for a class project. I had a speaking part in my script and asked a friend to do it. We ran out of time, so I just decided to do it myself. It was only 15 seconds, and I did it on the spot. I turned in the project, got an A, and thought, “OK, on to the next project.” I started showing the project to friends and everyone wanted to know who did the voiceover in the commercial. Virtual everyone I showed refused to believe that the voice was mine. When my audience finally accepted it was me, that’s when the compliments started. I never took it seriously though. I didn’t speak on a microphone for around 15 years. I only did it again because at my job we were having an awards ceremony and the organizers needed an opening and closing. I volunteered for the fun of it, and the compliments started again. I was told I missed my calling, that I should be in cartoons, and that I had a gift. I finally started listening and believing that I was talented and wasn’t being lied to for self-esteem purposes. I got training to become a voiceover artist. I went through online training with voicecoaches.com and made a professional demo with them. I’m also a part of an amazing collective of voiceover artists that meet weekly online from all over the world at voiceoverangela.com We all nurture each other's talent and help each other grow. I have my website, seanshortvo.com where potential clients can hear me and contact me if they wish to hire me. I’m on Fiverr as seancshort and Upwork if you want to book with me. I’m venturing into audiobooks and narrations on YouTube. Maya Angelou once said when people show you who they are, believe them. I say to you, when someone tells you that you are talented or gifted, believe them. If you have something you are good at and you enjoy it, do it, practice it, and have fun with it. You can bring joy to yourself and others. Your talent may change the world for the better one day.
