50 Classes: Beyond the Vision

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”BLOG NAVIGATION – COPY ME” _builder_version=”4.9.1″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#ffffff” custom_padding=”2px||0px|||” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” locked=”off” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”95%” max_width=”638px” custom_padding=”||4px|||”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Go to Previous” _builder_version=”4.9.1″ _module_preset=”default”]

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Go to Archive” _builder_version=”4.9.1″ _module_preset=”default”]

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Go to Next” _builder_version=”4.9.1″ _module_preset=”default”]

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.1″ background_color=”rgba(234,228,211,0)” min_height=”2964.8px” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ background_color=”rgba(10,10,10,0)”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_post_title date=”off” categories=”off” comments=”off” _builder_version=”4.4.8″][/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_text admin_label=”BLOG CONTENT” _builder_version=”4.9.2″]

Hey fam.  So… we just completed our 50^th class. A few years ago, to me and my partner Trina, Blumvox Studios was nothing more than a dream.  Trina saw the vision, but to me it was a seemingly insurmountable, nebulous, foray into the unknown.  After the first three decades in the business and almost 6 decades on the planet… organizing my thoughts and experiences, financing and collaborating with people who are a lot smarter than me – to offer something valuable to people who really wanted and deserved a new, accessible, useful alternative to what was available – felt like an insane risk that was so far beyond the vision that I simply wasn’t qualified for it and had no idea how to pull off.

Saying Yes to the Vision

But as I’ve learned with every worthwhile bit of growth along the way, saying yes is sometimes all that’s needed to get the ball rolling in a new, positive direction. It then became our mission to follow the ball, cause at that point, it was rollin,’ whether we liked it or not, and we’d committed to it’s path.  Ain’t gonna lie, it’s been a hard journey. Like voiceover, sometimes extremely difficult, but when others’ livelihoods and success depends on every decision we made, the weight of that had to be supported somewhere in every thought, every day. We had to constantly recommit to the vision and stay on that ride no matter what.

The Gift beyond the Vision

What I realized fairly quickly, was that my insecurities, my fear and thoughts of failure became the best teaching tools of all. Because we all experience that – no matter what level of perceived success we achieve. If I was going to teach people how to overcome these things, I had to experience them again personally, in real time, in a new way, and work through them with the tools I had accumulated through the years.  If I was gonna teach the walk – or the talk and help people realize their vision, I had to face my own, walk it, and talk it again first.

The Journey and beyond

So as I continued my own voiceover journey, and began my teaching journey, I had to trust that what I had to say had value.  That it would be – and that I could be of service to others on their journeys.  And I’d have no way of knowing for sure if any of it worked, until we put the thing together and put it out there.  I had to trust in the value of the vision and dig beneath and beyond that to discover new depths of surrender and collaboration – and sometimes we were let down.  But our team stuck it out and supported each other through some seriously rough waters.  I owe them everything.

Reflection of the Vision

And as 2020 comes screaming and groaning to a close, I sit here, unwashed, in clothes I’ve been working in for four days and realize that we’ve created a beautiful thing.  50 classes in the can – despite the setbacks, despite a pandemic, despite the fear.  We didn’t just realize the vision, we went far beyond it. And people in these classes are learning, and growing. Armed with information that none of us older VO grunts had when we were bumbling our way in and through. It caused me to take new risks too.  I just installed, wired and insulated a new (used, but new to me!) pro recording booth to up my personal game.  Today I learned how to completely rework the ventilation system because it was put in upside down by the previous owner.  And today I recorded my first audition in that new space.

Re-Visioning

I also took a songwriting workshop this year and wrote and recorded two new songs.  Talk about going beyond… this is something I’ve been thinking about doing for the last 35 years. This, after I gave up on music because of some traumatic experiences that I’ve been holding on to. Even if I never release the songs, I feel a beautiful sense of peace that I established a new relationship with something I dearly love and was damaged by. Beyond even my original vision.  It’s never too late.

Going beyond together

My goal as a teacher is to always be a student too. Our amazing guests, my friends – have brought entirely new, magnificent dimensions to the tapestry of this work with their knowledge and experience – and their individual visions and journeys.  When I was learning this stuff, we never even had access to the brilliant minds behind this business unless we were already working in it.  And for the most part, it was inappropriate to pick their brains for advice in the booth.  I’m so grateful to every one of our guests for sharing their hearts, stories and experience with us so we can all rise a little higher together.  You can’t do this work alone. I believe that though we can and must do a LOT to discover and work on our gifts alone, we need each other to nurture our unique gifts and visions to their full potential.

Thank you, Team Blumvox, to our Facebook community, to all of our business partners, to my dear friends and colleagues and mostly to you, for trusting us with your time and for supporting each other in this process.  We’re just getting started!  Let’s expand our possibilities and go beyond our visions together. Have a safe, happy, healthy, creative and abundant New Year!

With love and in solidarity,

Steve

Some additional material to further you in Your Vision:

https://bvs.madebytribe.com/blog/team/persistence-aka-persist-dance/

https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/create-a-vision-for-the-life-you-want.html

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_sidebar area=”et_pb_widget_area_1″ _builder_version=”4.4.8″ background_color=”rgba(233,228,213,0)” text_orientation=”center” locked=”off”][/et_pb_sidebar][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]