Jodi Krangle

905 836 5444

Jodi@VoiceoversAndVocals.com

Inspiration

My Interview with Artist & D&D Enthusiast, Joe Nittoly

by

I had the pleasure of talking with my friend Joe Nittoly about his art, his enthusiasm for D&D (and how the two merge), along with how he overcomes those nasty critical inner voices many of us Creatives deal with. I think lots of people will relate to this very frank discussion.

If you’d like to learn more about Joe and his art (and how you can purchase some for your very own!), you can visit his main website at https://joe.nittoly.ca . But you can also find his Etsy store at https://gaminggeekshop.etsy.com and you can connect with him on Social Media via Twitter (https://twitter.com/pasiphilo) and Instagram (https://instagram.com/pasiphilo).

This episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco (http://www.humbertofranco.com/).

My Interview with Creative Coach, Christine McAlister

by

Christine McAlister (http://www.lifewithpassion.com), is an entrepreneur, business coach and the author of The Income Replacement Formula: 7 Simple Steps To Doing What You Love And Making Six Figures From Anywhere (you can read a free chapter of her book at http://lifewithpassion.com/freechapter). We had a wonderfully fun interview about how Creatives can get out of a funk, give themselves permission to have fun, and be kinder to themselves.

These are all subjects near and dear to my heart (and probably yours, if you’re listening to this!).

If you’re looking for a speaker who knows a lot about what it takes to overcome fear and push through to a fulfilling life, Christine would make an excellent one for your podcast or conference.  And if you’re interested in working with her one-on-one, here’s some more information on how to do that: http://lifewithpassion.com/6-month .

I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did!

This episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.

How To Calm Your Mind in a Mad World

by

      How To Calm Your Mind In A Mad World - Jodi Krangle - voiceoversandvocals.com

The mind is a powerful thing. What we tell ourselves about ourselves has the power to help or harm us. Starting your day with some affirmations and soothing music, may well mean the difference between a positive or negative outcome. There are a lot of ways to train your mind to be kinder.  To those around you, sure.  But also, to YOU.

Before I speak more on this, I’m aware that life isn’t fair. That a lot of “spiritualism” can sound like it has nothing to do with reality.  Or at least, YOUR reality.   We each will deal with problems that seem insurmountable, no matter what we tell ourselves.

But as much as that’s true, I’d rather deal with things from a positive than a negative mindset.  The biggest reason for this, is that I prefer to be kind to my fellow humans.  Now maybe I was raised to be a people pleaser.  I think a lot of us have been.  But when I come at things from a sunnier side, it makes me feel better too.  No matter what the world is throwing at me.

It’s not putting my head in the sand and ignoring that there’s bad in the world.  Or that bad won’t happen to me.  It’s just choosing how I deal with it, by feeling what I need to feel myself, living it, and then letting the bad stuff go.  That’s a uniquely personal thing.  How long it takes for us to dig ourselves out, is unique to each and every one of us.  And of course, there are outside influences on that.  But so much of what forms our reality, lies in our own minds.  Why not try to make it better?

If you’re trying to dig yourself out of negativity, it can be hard to find the right words.  That’s where affirmations come in – and they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.  Some can be musical, some can be spoken, some can use both, and some could just be a visual you have posted up somewhere you frequently look during your day.  I know a lot of voice actors, for instance, who post affirmations in their booths. I’ll include a few that I’ve found that resonate with me, in this blog.  But it wouldn’t take much for you to search for ones that resonate with you.

I’m probably pretty late to this party, but I know there are a lot of YouTube channels for this sort of thing.  One of my colleagues, Amanda Sellers, has come up with a really lovely morning affirmation video that will only take you about 11 minutes out of your morning to listen to.  And I love the warmth of the messages she speaks over the background of soothing music.  It’s very meditative in nature.  So if you like to be soothed in the morning, this one might be for you.

She’s not the only one that puts these sorts of affirmation videos together.  Another friend, Bob Baker, has a YouTube channel devoted to helping people achieve their goals and do good in the world.  And really, the world could use a lot more good.  If you’re interested, you could check out some of his affirmations and meditations, here. But I’ll also link to one of the ones that particularly spoke to me (and it’s only 5 minutes!).

It can be really hard to be positive. I get it. It’s not like our lives are perfect. And they probably never will be. But a lot of what happens in your day, and a lot of how you deal with it, can be helped by a good attitude.  It’s all in how we see it.

5 Minutes Before You Fall Asleep – Positive Affirmations, is really, a wonderful 6 minutes of affirmation – or rather, explanation of why we need to think positive thoughts, especially before bed – by Dr. Wayne Dyer.  And while he mentions a higher power, that higher power could be any that you happen to believe in, or simply a spiritual awareness. It’s a search for your higher self.  Isn’t that a much better way to end the day?

I suppose I’m kind of making a playlist for myself. But guess what?  You’re along for the ride.  So you gain the benefits.

Are there any particular affirmation or meditation videos that you like to watch?  If so, I’d love to hear about them!  Feel free to email me and let me know what’s helped you.

Thanks for reading.  And remember – don’t just be kind to others.  Be kind to YOURSELF too. You DO deserve it.

My Interview with Rosi & Brian Amador

by

What a treat it was to sit down and talk with Rosi & Brian about their careers in both music and voice overs, how they keep themselves motivated and creative, where they find their inspiration and how they continue to practice kindness – both to themselves and the world around them.

If you’d like to learn more about their music, drop by the Sol y Canto website.
Rosi mentions her own website in this interview, and that’s here.
And for the entire Amador family, you can visit their website here (every member of the family has a page of their own).

If you’re interested, you can also contribute to their new Sol y Canto Indiegogo campaign here.

This episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.

Are We Too Busy?

by

      Are We Too Busy? - Jodi Krangle - voiceoversandvocals.com

We’re always so BUSY.

Ok.  I know that’s a pretty general statement.  And it might have a lot to do with the fact that I live in North America. There are places in the world that are much more relaxed about their days than we are here.  I get it.

But I’ve been noticing around me that there’s a lot of emphasis on being “efficient” with our time.  On getting the most done with what little time we seem to have to do it.   There are lots of reasons for this, of course.  The industrial revolution made “efficiency” the thing.

But jobs are changing … and attitudes about “work” are changing a lot more slowly.  Everyone’s after a “side hustle”.  The “gig economy” seems to be the new buzzword.  And sure – turning something we love into a career that makes us money, is definitely helpful to our well-being and self-worth.  But what happens when you take this idea too far?

What happens when doing what you love, becomes a chore?  What do you do to just ENJOY yourself, then?

This is entirely my own opinion – and I’ll own it.

We’ve forgotten how to just relax.

I understand that we all need to make money to put a roof over our heads and food on the table.  I think it’s admirable that there’s a whole movement out there helping people find a good work-life balance outside of a regular 9-5.

It’s also true that things like access to quality education and healthcare, and a whole host of other things make it easier for some to do this than others.  But can we each find maybe a half hour a day to just do nothing?  What’s wrong with a little “me” time?

There’s a reason every airline tells parents to put their own mask on first during a crisis.  You’re no good to anyone else if you’re not taking care of yourself first.  I don’t mean that in a selfish way.  In fact, it’s the exact OPPOSITE of selfishness.  If you’re content with yourself, you can spread that feeling to others around you – whether it’s family, friends or complete strangers.  And that makes the world a better place.  At least around you.

So what can you do to have a little peace in your life, even for just a little bit?  Take a walk or go for a run, read a good book, meditate, listen to music and just close your eyes, even settle in on the couch and chill with something on Netflix that takes your mind off of things.  When you give your brain some time to just relax, it’s amazing what might occur to you.

And don’t feel guilty.  You’re allowed some time for yourself.  It’ll make you an easier person to be around.  It’ll help you discover things about yourself that will help you relate to other people better.

Personally, I’m an introvert.  So if I don’t have that time alone?  I start to go a little bonkers.  But there are others that get their energy from being around other people.  Nothing wrong with that.  Find the way you replenish, and cater to it.

Peace is often associated with quiet.  But it doesn’t have to be.

Find your peace – wherever that happens to be – and even if it’s only for a few minutes a day – you’ll be better able to handle all the “busy-ness” that life hands you.

Stillness might not be quite what you’re after (or your style), but have a listen to this TedTalk by Pico Iyer and see if it helps you find a few moments out of every day to just …be.  One of his more insightful quotes in this talk is: “If I really want to change my life, I might best begin by changing my mind.”

Take A Photo or Live In The Moment?

by

      Take A Photo or Live In The Moment? - Jodi Krangle - voiceoversandvocals.com

Our world is a very visual one.  Especially now.  Facebook gives priority to video created on their own platform (Facebook Live) and LInkedIn is getting into that more and more.  Instagram is all ABOUT pictures – and one does say a thousand words. Twitter is bite-sized, yes – but still very visual.  A post that has an attached photo is likely to get a lot more attention (unless you already have a huge audience).  There’s a LOT of noise out there these days.  And a lot of it is in photo format.

Now, I’m not here to judge folks for their photo taking habits (though selfies are STILL kind of a mystery to me …) But when we’re so busy getting the perfect photo for Facebook or Instagram, are we really living in the moment?  Are we experiencing where we are instead of worrying about preserving it for “fans” on social media?

It’s so much easier to take a photograph now than it ever has been.  We all have a camera in our pocket.  And it’s basically a mini computer.  I’ll admit it.  I feel like I’ve lost my left arm if I forget my cell phone when I go out.  I’m just as guilty as everyone else when it comes to being addicted to my tech.  But precisely because it’s so easy to take a picture now, do we really value those pictures?  Do we plan them?  Do we try to show people how we see the world with our photographs, rather than simply trying to show the world how popular we are?

What would happen if you couldn’t just snap a picture on your phone and immediately share it on social media in digital format?  What would happen if you had to spend money and time to get those photos developed?  It wasn’t so long ago now, that that was the case.  And when photographs were a precious commodity that told the story of people’s lives sparingly, those little glimpses were valued.  Now?  Are they valued?  Photos are so commonplace that we hardly give them a second glance.  There are of course, exceptions to every rule.  But have a look right now on your social media feeds and tell me what you see?  Yes, there are some who have a really good eye for the perfect composition of an interesting photograph (I know several really talented photographers, in fact.  I’m looking at you, Irina, Seshu & Doug).  But more often what you see, is people taking pictures of themselves.

I recently ran across this particular segment on the BBC, about a photographer named Levi Bettwieser, founder and film technician of the Rescued Film Project, who is on a mission to preserve photos taken by actual cameras on film rolls and abandoned, for whatever reason.  In the case of one of his projects, the person taking them simply couldn’t afford the cost of printing them.  And considering it was twelve hundred rolls of film, that’s not too surprising.  But “Paul”, this photographer from the 50’s, preserved them as best he could. Because he felt they were important.  And he cared about his subject matter – mostly his family.

What struck me the most about this short video segment, was how preserving these photographs made Mr. Bettwieser feel about taking pictures today.  He says, “... We used to take pictures when they meant something.  But now we flood our lives with taking pictures of moments so that we can share them with others and so that we can get likes.”  and “Someone who only had nine pictures wanted to remember that one moment – and so I’d rather be in the moment and actually feel the experience then spend time trying to capture it and maybe miss out on the experience.”

So by spending all your time taking photos, are you missing out on the experience?

Just something to think about.

Here’s a link to the video segment I mention above (click on the photo below) – and also to an Outlook podcast called “Why I Rescue Old Rolls Of Film” – where he expands on the subject of his photo preservation experiences.

Oh – and just for giggles, check out this comedy routine.  Pretty spot on, huh?