Of all the senses and the tools and the means we have as human beings
to communicate, to make a living, to make an impact, I chose sound.
I love sound. And here is why. (I don't know if this will make sense, I write as I go along to put an order to my thoughts, and I am sleepy....)
Looks can be deceiving.
I started my first career solely based on my looks. Don't get me wrong, I was no Nicole Kidman, and I' m short. But I got my break on tv due to the fact I was photogenic. I got singing jobs cause I was cute. And a female.
I didn't know it then. The thought is insulting, but I was able to get to that conclusion without being too upset about it, because I did do something after the breaks I got,
I was able -in some cases- to make people see the value of my labour and establish myself professionally.
In my 20s,as every other snobbish snotty overgrown teenager who thinks "he's made it" to the grown up world, I thought I was sophisticated, talented and ready to be discovered.
And I was. Talented, that is. Just not as much as I thought. *( Every time I hear my first demo tape, made by Billy Dertilis a very accomplished, famous and established producer who was doing a favor to a friend,, I cringe. Even more, I am embarrassed with the ease and nerve I displayed- asking him to re do the whole thing when he had worked on the wrong song. On the other hand, when I got my opening on tv, I was not satisfied with just presenting some video clips, I wanted to interact with the audience at home. I wanted more. I wanted to get them involved and proceeded to do just that, organizing auditions, rehearsals, recording and airing time. The newly hired director insisted I would show cleavage, I refused, we fought, he got fired. But I'm digressing.)
Oddly enough, I did get discovered. Someone paid for my education- I was living alone since I was 16 and had no means to study with the teachers I later had. It was someone with business sense who never saw anything more in my looks, than an asset to sell records. So yes, as a general rule, the way people perceived me visually, were a door opener.....and closer. What I could and was able to do once the door was open, was up to me. And the business sense of my bosses. If they could go pass the looks, the sex, and the age, sometimes.
I can still remember a journalist trying to find me and hire me for his newspaper, really excited about an article I wrote, who decided the moment I got into his office, he didn't want me. Was it my unconventional outfit? Or my extra kilos? I don't know, but it was one of these times when you can actually feel the energy changing in the room, instantly.
Living in a land where women were -in my experience- second rate citizens, and where ones attractiveness is a double edge sword, I realized, deep in my mid thirties, that the way I looked and how someone experienced my physical presence, was my best ally and worst enemy.
Usually talking would set the record straight. My voice, my way of expressing myself would immediately convey the right energy, and set the tone. No misunderstandings there. (But I won't dwell on the misfortunes of being a working woman in Greece, this is not the topic today although it would be fun to write someday this little horror story)
So to sum it up, looks were a big factor that I wanted out of the way.
As I grew older, I started working in the media, that were less open to public scrutiny. Less ...visible. Teaching. Blogging. Writing. Event planning. I kept singing but not as often, just to remind me who I really was. Not a mom, not a divorcee, not even an author, a daughter, a lover, a bitch or whatever.
Opening my mouth to create sound was like putting comfortable slippers after a long day with high heels. Singing was what I wanted to do ever since I could put dolls people gave me, around me, and perform. At least they had some purpose now. ( I hated dolls, yet my voice was not powerful enough to be heard by grown ups).
Singing was just who I was and the only way I had found to make people stop and listen to me, pay attention to what I had to say, or how I felt. It was a way to shoo away all the expectations, pressures and other peoples idea of who I am or should be.
Sound is not something that you can interpret. It's there. It shows who you are. Soft, or energetic, sexy or angry, sensual and vulnerable....
I had my share of recognition till then. I worked in front and behind the cameras. I sang all over Europe.And to be honest, I needed not to draw attention any-more, but stir the focus on the product, the book, the article, the concert, the pupil...I felt satisfied, full, and in a good place.
I enjoyed stepping sideways and create in a different, more abstract way. This time it was no pencils, or a piece of music that needed lyrics. I had a virtual audience and a keyboard to write my thoughts. I had roles and tasks and imagination to create something, out of nothing. A seed of an idea that would give a product. I enjoyed the fact all of my previous experience was coming into play, even when I worked for an organization for deaf people. (The irony. I can't stop talking, I adore to sing, I love my job as a voice artist and here I was, surrounded by people who could not hear a sound. The challenges I had to overcome, out of my comfort zone were immense but I had chosen it and I loved it.)
A voice is to me, the soul's (finger)print.
It is enriched with emotions, feelings, expectations, fear, hope and all these things that it betrays. A voice can not be controlled when we are in a deep emotional state.Try to talk when you had sad news.
A voice makes you guess.It triggers your imagination and makes the other person familiar, close, intimate sometimes. It creates a connection.
A voice on the other end of the line, has no restrictions. You don't judge and are not judged.
You can imagine the other person and listen to the message he/she has to say. Really listen.
In business, a pleasant voice is attractive enough to get your attention but not to the point of distracting you from the goal.
Voicing your thoughts, opening a window to your mind, is a wonderful thing, and people's reactions to what you say are telling far more about the way they think than when they act or speak the way they think they should.
Writing has its magic, as you read my post with your own tone, your own intonation. But it also creates misunderstandings. Because you read the post in the tone you think the other person is using. Sound, is missing. Sound that sets the mood. The pace. The intentions.
Image is powerful, but distracting from the message. If someone is too attractive.
Or too old. Or too fat. Or filled with pimples, or dirty, or whatever....We miss valuable things solely based on the fact that our eyes decide what is worthy or not.
I recently enrolled to CPHbusiness and conducted my own little experiments. How many people would stereotype me due to my age. How many would come forth and maybe ask me questions, as I made it clear with some hints here and there, I had experience in the field. How many teachers would feel at ease or not. Make eye contact, involve me in the process, feel confident or uncomfortable...How my age would be a factor. It was for some.
You cant really put a person that doesn't fit in a box, in a box. A mom but... a former tattoo artist? A professional but a student? A talkative 44 year old who doesn't keep a "grown up distance"? Am i like your mom? I am. I am not. How, when .... ah, never mind.
Now imagine if classes were held on skype. You get my point.
Another example of how what we see inhibits and limits us...I had an obese friend who was unemployed for years and as soon as she lost the extra weight, she was hired. Was she suddenly qualified? Was something in her body mass stopping her from being adequate?
Of course not. But people perceived her differently.
When I was getting on stage for an opening number, I knew after the few first notes, that eyes would open wide and the comments after my performance about how "such a strong voice can come out of such a tiny person" would pour. It was not about liking me, but how they were surprised and got something they didn't expect. Based on my looks. Height. Whatever.
When you are alone with your loved one in the dark, and he is holding you, even kissing you, hearing his voice, voicing his thoughts, and that husky timber betraying his emotions, you get involved. Even if two minutes before you were mentally going through the grocery list for tomorrow, his voice reeled you in. Because it was real, and moving and gripping. Can't fake that. (And I know some will think that some women do fake "that". But are they women or girls afraid to show how they really feel? Are they dealing with men or inexperienced boys who don't really listen or are involved spiritually and mentally as well as physically?)
Sound, is real. Sound never deceives.
Sound is also related to experiences from childhood.
Tomatis has proven that we can't hear some sounds that are related to one or both parents. Depending on early traumas, our ears "shut down" some sounds related to the parent in question. It makes you think what happens when we relate to a person who emits those missing nuances and sounds. Also when learning a language we are deaf to certain sounds. It takes re-education of the mouth, the tongue, the throat and the ear to be able to lose that deafness.
Eyes deceive. Sight is used to evaluate a person, a situation, to label it and to move on.
But eyes, the sense of sight, is poor. Even in the film making industry, they use sound in crucial points, in order enhance the experience.
Of course I will use imagery when presenting a project to my colleagues. It helps people understand the little movie in my head. But its not the images, or my green eyes that gets the point across.
Its the passion in my voice, the excitement, the care, the enthusiasm and the honesty that pours out of me. If I was a movie and you muted me, you would not be sure 100% what I am saying. Arching brows, smiling, talking,(with my hands) it would set a positive note, but it would not get the point across. The personality is missing.
The voice and the sound are always able to communicate feelings, ideas, thoughts without complications. Without prejudices. Without stereotypes.
And yet, it is the most neglected, underrated, unappreciated tool in today's business world.
And it is my job,and personal agenda, to change this. To prove how voices are the back bone of every advertising venture, how a voice can ruin a film, a spot, a presentation, a first impression.
How music can add the right set and mood to any situation.
How the tone and articulation can attract listeners or shoo them away.
Speak up, present yourself. How do you sound?
Would you buy from you?
Would you trust you with your money?Are you convincing?
Most sales men, sound like sales men. Rehearsed, trying to convince and push their product.
Most IVR messages sound like tired secretaries put to the job.
Most web videos fail due to poor quality of sound and image.
On the other hand, all tv spots are done by actors. ,Animation and games. Actors. People who study the art of projecting their voice, an emotion and communicate through words, the message needed.
It is clear to me that we all need to learn the art of speaking, and develop the ability to dig deep inside in order to convey the right message, at the right time, at the right person. Find our own voice and use it the best possible way. Authenticity and energy must pour out of you and strike the other person to the core.Whether it is a book, a menu, a spot, a radio announcement, a meditation tape, a self help tape, a gym program, a game, an app, a power point presentation.... we need to know how to do it, or hire the person to do it for us.
Think of a bad play, a non professional performance. What gives it away, 99% of the time? Their voices.
That's why I chose sound to be my tool. Because of all the forms of expression I had the luck to obtain, it is the one that forces you to soul-search, that makes you dig deep in yourself to create a sound and present it in an effective way, while it shows who you are, and what energy you are made off.
I rent my energy to companies who have no voice of their own, to spread their identity across.
I read a book and bring it to life.
I keep company to someone who is waiting on the line.
I help you meditate, relax, work out.
I sing your sorrows and your pain.
I am someone you know. Even if we never met.
I love sound. And here is why. (I don't know if this will make sense, I write as I go along to put an order to my thoughts, and I am sleepy....)
Looks can be deceiving.
I started my first career solely based on my looks. Don't get me wrong, I was no Nicole Kidman, and I' m short. But I got my break on tv due to the fact I was photogenic. I got singing jobs cause I was cute. And a female.
I didn't know it then. The thought is insulting, but I was able to get to that conclusion without being too upset about it, because I did do something after the breaks I got,
I was able -in some cases- to make people see the value of my labour and establish myself professionally.
In my 20s,as every other snobbish snotty overgrown teenager who thinks "he's made it" to the grown up world, I thought I was sophisticated, talented and ready to be discovered.
And I was. Talented, that is. Just not as much as I thought. *( Every time I hear my first demo tape, made by Billy Dertilis a very accomplished, famous and established producer who was doing a favor to a friend,, I cringe. Even more, I am embarrassed with the ease and nerve I displayed- asking him to re do the whole thing when he had worked on the wrong song. On the other hand, when I got my opening on tv, I was not satisfied with just presenting some video clips, I wanted to interact with the audience at home. I wanted more. I wanted to get them involved and proceeded to do just that, organizing auditions, rehearsals, recording and airing time. The newly hired director insisted I would show cleavage, I refused, we fought, he got fired. But I'm digressing.)
Oddly enough, I did get discovered. Someone paid for my education- I was living alone since I was 16 and had no means to study with the teachers I later had. It was someone with business sense who never saw anything more in my looks, than an asset to sell records. So yes, as a general rule, the way people perceived me visually, were a door opener.....and closer. What I could and was able to do once the door was open, was up to me. And the business sense of my bosses. If they could go pass the looks, the sex, and the age, sometimes.
I can still remember a journalist trying to find me and hire me for his newspaper, really excited about an article I wrote, who decided the moment I got into his office, he didn't want me. Was it my unconventional outfit? Or my extra kilos? I don't know, but it was one of these times when you can actually feel the energy changing in the room, instantly.
Living in a land where women were -in my experience- second rate citizens, and where ones attractiveness is a double edge sword, I realized, deep in my mid thirties, that the way I looked and how someone experienced my physical presence, was my best ally and worst enemy.
Usually talking would set the record straight. My voice, my way of expressing myself would immediately convey the right energy, and set the tone. No misunderstandings there. (But I won't dwell on the misfortunes of being a working woman in Greece, this is not the topic today although it would be fun to write someday this little horror story)
So to sum it up, looks were a big factor that I wanted out of the way.
As I grew older, I started working in the media, that were less open to public scrutiny. Less ...visible. Teaching. Blogging. Writing. Event planning. I kept singing but not as often, just to remind me who I really was. Not a mom, not a divorcee, not even an author, a daughter, a lover, a bitch or whatever.
Opening my mouth to create sound was like putting comfortable slippers after a long day with high heels. Singing was what I wanted to do ever since I could put dolls people gave me, around me, and perform. At least they had some purpose now. ( I hated dolls, yet my voice was not powerful enough to be heard by grown ups).
Singing was just who I was and the only way I had found to make people stop and listen to me, pay attention to what I had to say, or how I felt. It was a way to shoo away all the expectations, pressures and other peoples idea of who I am or should be.
Sound is not something that you can interpret. It's there. It shows who you are. Soft, or energetic, sexy or angry, sensual and vulnerable....
I had my share of recognition till then. I worked in front and behind the cameras. I sang all over Europe.And to be honest, I needed not to draw attention any-more, but stir the focus on the product, the book, the article, the concert, the pupil...I felt satisfied, full, and in a good place.
I enjoyed stepping sideways and create in a different, more abstract way. This time it was no pencils, or a piece of music that needed lyrics. I had a virtual audience and a keyboard to write my thoughts. I had roles and tasks and imagination to create something, out of nothing. A seed of an idea that would give a product. I enjoyed the fact all of my previous experience was coming into play, even when I worked for an organization for deaf people. (The irony. I can't stop talking, I adore to sing, I love my job as a voice artist and here I was, surrounded by people who could not hear a sound. The challenges I had to overcome, out of my comfort zone were immense but I had chosen it and I loved it.)
A voice is to me, the soul's (finger)print.
It is enriched with emotions, feelings, expectations, fear, hope and all these things that it betrays. A voice can not be controlled when we are in a deep emotional state.Try to talk when you had sad news.
A voice makes you guess.It triggers your imagination and makes the other person familiar, close, intimate sometimes. It creates a connection.
A voice on the other end of the line, has no restrictions. You don't judge and are not judged.
You can imagine the other person and listen to the message he/she has to say. Really listen.
In business, a pleasant voice is attractive enough to get your attention but not to the point of distracting you from the goal.
Voicing your thoughts, opening a window to your mind, is a wonderful thing, and people's reactions to what you say are telling far more about the way they think than when they act or speak the way they think they should.
Writing has its magic, as you read my post with your own tone, your own intonation. But it also creates misunderstandings. Because you read the post in the tone you think the other person is using. Sound, is missing. Sound that sets the mood. The pace. The intentions.
Image is powerful, but distracting from the message. If someone is too attractive.
Or too old. Or too fat. Or filled with pimples, or dirty, or whatever....We miss valuable things solely based on the fact that our eyes decide what is worthy or not.
I recently enrolled to CPHbusiness and conducted my own little experiments. How many people would stereotype me due to my age. How many would come forth and maybe ask me questions, as I made it clear with some hints here and there, I had experience in the field. How many teachers would feel at ease or not. Make eye contact, involve me in the process, feel confident or uncomfortable...How my age would be a factor. It was for some.
You cant really put a person that doesn't fit in a box, in a box. A mom but... a former tattoo artist? A professional but a student? A talkative 44 year old who doesn't keep a "grown up distance"? Am i like your mom? I am. I am not. How, when .... ah, never mind.
Now imagine if classes were held on skype. You get my point.
Another example of how what we see inhibits and limits us...I had an obese friend who was unemployed for years and as soon as she lost the extra weight, she was hired. Was she suddenly qualified? Was something in her body mass stopping her from being adequate?
Of course not. But people perceived her differently.
When I was getting on stage for an opening number, I knew after the few first notes, that eyes would open wide and the comments after my performance about how "such a strong voice can come out of such a tiny person" would pour. It was not about liking me, but how they were surprised and got something they didn't expect. Based on my looks. Height. Whatever.
When you are alone with your loved one in the dark, and he is holding you, even kissing you, hearing his voice, voicing his thoughts, and that husky timber betraying his emotions, you get involved. Even if two minutes before you were mentally going through the grocery list for tomorrow, his voice reeled you in. Because it was real, and moving and gripping. Can't fake that. (And I know some will think that some women do fake "that". But are they women or girls afraid to show how they really feel? Are they dealing with men or inexperienced boys who don't really listen or are involved spiritually and mentally as well as physically?)
Sound, is real. Sound never deceives.
Sound is also related to experiences from childhood.
Tomatis has proven that we can't hear some sounds that are related to one or both parents. Depending on early traumas, our ears "shut down" some sounds related to the parent in question. It makes you think what happens when we relate to a person who emits those missing nuances and sounds. Also when learning a language we are deaf to certain sounds. It takes re-education of the mouth, the tongue, the throat and the ear to be able to lose that deafness.
Eyes deceive. Sight is used to evaluate a person, a situation, to label it and to move on.
But eyes, the sense of sight, is poor. Even in the film making industry, they use sound in crucial points, in order enhance the experience.
Of course I will use imagery when presenting a project to my colleagues. It helps people understand the little movie in my head. But its not the images, or my green eyes that gets the point across.
Its the passion in my voice, the excitement, the care, the enthusiasm and the honesty that pours out of me. If I was a movie and you muted me, you would not be sure 100% what I am saying. Arching brows, smiling, talking,(with my hands) it would set a positive note, but it would not get the point across. The personality is missing.
The voice and the sound are always able to communicate feelings, ideas, thoughts without complications. Without prejudices. Without stereotypes.
And yet, it is the most neglected, underrated, unappreciated tool in today's business world.
And it is my job,and personal agenda, to change this. To prove how voices are the back bone of every advertising venture, how a voice can ruin a film, a spot, a presentation, a first impression.
How music can add the right set and mood to any situation.
How the tone and articulation can attract listeners or shoo them away.
Speak up, present yourself. How do you sound?
Would you buy from you?
Would you trust you with your money?Are you convincing?
Most sales men, sound like sales men. Rehearsed, trying to convince and push their product.
Most IVR messages sound like tired secretaries put to the job.
Most web videos fail due to poor quality of sound and image.
On the other hand, all tv spots are done by actors. ,Animation and games. Actors. People who study the art of projecting their voice, an emotion and communicate through words, the message needed.
It is clear to me that we all need to learn the art of speaking, and develop the ability to dig deep inside in order to convey the right message, at the right time, at the right person. Find our own voice and use it the best possible way. Authenticity and energy must pour out of you and strike the other person to the core.Whether it is a book, a menu, a spot, a radio announcement, a meditation tape, a self help tape, a gym program, a game, an app, a power point presentation.... we need to know how to do it, or hire the person to do it for us.
Think of a bad play, a non professional performance. What gives it away, 99% of the time? Their voices.
That's why I chose sound to be my tool. Because of all the forms of expression I had the luck to obtain, it is the one that forces you to soul-search, that makes you dig deep in yourself to create a sound and present it in an effective way, while it shows who you are, and what energy you are made off.
I rent my energy to companies who have no voice of their own, to spread their identity across.
I read a book and bring it to life.
I keep company to someone who is waiting on the line.
I help you meditate, relax, work out.
I sing your sorrows and your pain.
I am someone you know. Even if we never met.
No comments:
Post a Comment