Joshua Cookingham - Voice Actor!

Some perspective I think a lot of newer and even not so new VO folks need to hear: One thing they don't tell you when you are a new voice actor that you absolutely MUST understand - this is a multi-year endeavor. YEARS. It will take you literal YEARS to gain traction. This is not an exaggeration. Sure you'll find one or two people who blow up huge in anime or something, but that's not the whole career - at all. Demo mills and less scrupulous coaches will sell you on the dream of being a full time VA right after your training is done and a demo is made. This is not reality - you should not quit your day job and dive into this expecting to feed your family right away. Even when you start getting traction, you'll experience rejection and "failure" that will literally rip your soul out. It is HARD. You will feel extremely vulnerable. You will want to give up because you were lied to and tricked into spending tons of money on things you do not need. It gets better. You find "your people". However, the biggest thing I've found so far in my endeavour is that you have to give support - unconditionally - to the people around you. That's how you push through it. You have to love this craft. Love auditioning. View each audition as a new opportunity to get better, to hone your craft. Send it AND FORGET IT. The people you admire that do this so effortlessly? YEARS OF WORK. It doesn't just materialize. I'll say it again - you have to spend YEARS working on being an ACTOR - not just a voice. Don't give up if you love this. Don't let it get you so down that you quit. Remind yourself that your journey is only beginning - and it never stops. There is no epiphany where "oh, I've made it", only milestones. The things you do a year from now are the things you'll wish you were doing now and you may not realize it. Keep pushing. Be kind. Be supportive. Be patient. Always learn. #voiceover #VoiceActors #thegrind