Instinct
You already know what to do. You're just convincing yourself not to do it.
I love the show Fleabag. I think it’s so smart and funny. If you haven’t watched it, I highly suggest you do.
But before I go on and on about the show, there’s a scene where the protagonist goes to see an analyst (the great Fiona Shaw) and she asks the doctor to tell her what to do. And the doctor says, “You already know what you’re going to do.”
And so do you. You already know what to do.
That’s the part nobody wants to hear. Because if you already know, then the thing standing between you and the performance you’re capable of isn’t information.
It’s fear.
I got an email recently from a student who said something that really made me reflect. She said: “I am great with directions but get in my own way with shutting myself down to be good.”
Read that again.
Shutting herself down. To be good.
That is the most honest description of what fear does to a performer that I have ever heard. It doesn’t make you careless. It doesn’t make you sloppy. It makes you careful. Too careful. Controlled. Managed. And managed is the DEATH of instinct.
Here’s what I know after twenty years of doing this work and watching other people do it:
The performance that books is never the one where you were trying the hardest. Sometimes I know in my bones after I send an audition that I will book it because after I audition I quietly say to myself, “Ugh. Fuck it. Whatever.”
It’s the one where you got out of your own way long enough to just be in the room.
The instinct was always there. The fear just had better volume.
Instinct is not a gift. It’s not something you either have or you don’t. It’s what’s left when you stop managing yourself. It’s the read you do before you’ve had time to second guess it. It’s the choice you make before your brain catches up and tells you to retract and crawl into a whole and never say another word ever again. It’s the moment in the booth when you stop performing and start meaning it.
Every actor I’ve ever worked with has had it. Not just the confident ones or the veterans. Every single one! I have watched it surface in students who came to me convinced they had nothing interesting to offer. It was there the whole time. Buried under years of being corrected, compared, and told to be better. Under childhood trauma. Hell, under adult trauma. (If you’re ready to work through that, you can schedule time with me here)
And lemme tell ya something that will hopefully rattle the little shit-bastards in your head telling you nonsense things like, “The casting directors are listening for technique!” They’re fucking not. They’re listening for the moment you forget to be careful. That’s the moment. That’s what books the job. They’re hoping and praying you arrive at it. (Sooner rather than later.) Not the take where you hit every note. The take where you believed it so completely that you stopped thinking about the notes entirely.
So here’s what I want you to do the next time you’re in the booth: Notice the moment you reach for safety. Notice the moment your brain says “that was good, don’t push it” or “play it straighter” or “that was too much.”
And then ask yourself: was that instinct telling you to pull back? Or was that fear? Because they feel identical in your body. But they are not the same thing. Instinct moves you toward something. Fear moves you away. One of them books jobs.
Here’s your Homework:
Pick a piece of copy. Any copy. Something you’ve done before or something brand new. Record three takes.
Take one: your “safe” take. The one that’s “correct”. The one you’d send if you were playing it smart. The one where you’ve convinved yourself that you’ve been able to mind-read and are doing exactly what the CD wants to hear.
Take two: the take where you do the thing you talked yourself out of in take one. The choice that felt like too much. The read that made you a little nervous.
Take three: don’t think. Just go. No plan. No adjustments. Just start talking and mean it.
Then listen back. And don’t listen for which one is best technically. For which one you’d want to listen to again.
I already know which one it is.
So do you.
LOTS ON THE CALENDAR THIS MONTH:
🎙THE AUDITION EXPERIENCE SUMMER COHORT IS OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT! In this 2 week role-playing experience, you will be exposed to various types of copy from commercial to interactive, medical to political and more. You’ll receive 3-5 auditions a day and feedback at the end of the two weeks. Grab your spot now! https://www.astoriaredheadvoiceover.com/the-experience
🎙TOYS, JUNE 8th 730PM EST June is all about Toys & Games, one of the most fun, most specific, and most underestimated markets in voiceover. We’re talking about what makes this genre its own thing, who’s buying, and what the work actually sounds like across the full range from high-energy kids’ toy spots to parent-targeted trust copy to tabletop game trailers. We’ll work copy from across the spectrum so you can start hearing where your voice naturally lands in this world. Come ready to play.
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🎙 GAMES AND INTERACTIVE MEDIA, JUNE 17th 730PM EST The games industry is massive, it’s growing, and most voice actors aren’t pitching it strategically. This class covers the full range of what “games” actually means for VO: board game and tabletop, app and mobile game, and interactive media. The tonal range in this space is wild: comedic chaos, epic fantasy narration, casual mobile hype, family game night warmth. We’ll work copy from across all of it so you can hear how different these reads need to be and figure out where you fit.
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$20 to audit: https://www.actingbusinessbootcamp.com/offers/MjcTLXSL/checkout
🎙 $5 WEBINAR: IS YOUR DEMO HURTING YOU? In this Masterclass, you’ll learn about the 5 most common mistakes that are costing you bookings and what to do about them!!
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And of course, enrollment for THE VOICEOVER ACTOR ROAD MAP is open. If you’re ready to kick your career in gear, then please, join me for business coaching!! I can’t wait to help you craft the career you want to have. (Reach out to me for a 15% off coupon)