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CAREER
Are You Bored In VO? Get Back To The
Heart 'N Soul Of Why You Serve Others
August 10, 2018

By Dave Courvoisier
Voice Actor

As quoted in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible: Ecclesiastes 1:9:

"What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun."

This is not just "reflective Dave" waxing eloquent. This is the CourVO who has time and time again been reminded (even in my recent retirement from TV) that there's some profound and fundamental truth to that quote. Even the shiniest new toy, and the trendiest new social media platform doesn't gloss over the core of human experience:                      
  • excellence rises to the top                       
  • there is a hunger for originality                       
  • we're tribal at our core                       
  • humans are competitive (and sociable)                       
  • relationships matter                       
  • unique, creative content is rewarded                       
  • we seek joy and happiness
REWARD OF SERVING OTHERS

There's more - of course, there's more - and I'm not a philosopher or psychologist. Basic human selfishness fits into the equation somewhere, too. Ego. The urge to HAVE things.

But we come into the world alone, and we go out alone, and in between, it's what we do to/for/in service of others that seems to matter most in the final analysis.

That's why I find such reward in the freelance voice-over work I do. I'm actually providing something of value to someone else.

In the course of providing it, I get to make a new relationship. I'm expected to be excellent in my work ... original, unique. It brings me joy, and hopefully it makes my client happy. What's not to like?

When you lose sight the fact that you're relating to and for other human beings in the voice work you do, then you've lost the heart 'n soul of your endeavor.

Then it's just ... business. Bo-o-o-oring.

So, I'm not - you're not - doing anything new under the sun. But in serving someone else, in being creatively unique, you've enhanced the definition of being human.
--------------------
ABOUT DAVE
Dave Courvoisier is a full-time voice actor and audiobook narrator based in Las Vegas, where he was formerly an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, producer and the main weeknight news anchor on KLAS-TV, Channel 8, the CBS affiliate. A former president and a founding member of the World-Voices Organization (WoVO), he also writes Voice-Acting in Vegas, a daily blog of voice over adventures, observations and technology, and is author and publisher of the book, More Than Just A Voice: The Real Secret To VoiceOver Success.

Email: CourVO@CourVO.com
Web: http://www.courvo.com
Blog: https://courvo.com/blog
More Than Just A Voice: http://courvo.com/more-than-just-a-voice


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Comments (1)
Larry Wayne
8/12/2018 at 7:55 PM
Corvo...

WELL spoken words. Thank you. Like you, I am retired from my full time gig on air at K-LOVE network. But my vo work continues. One of the funnest parts of my job is that every job is different! For clients here in the states and around the world! It puts a smile on my face when I know I have done the best I can for them and they tell me that! Repeat business! Life is good!
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