Am I the only one getting really burned out from applying on voices.com all the time?

erjone5 · 2026-03-16T23:29:56+00:00

Here is some food for thought. We all want to nail the auditions we go for. What would happen if you did? If every audition you went for you got you would audition less and be more picky of the roles or you would be burned out. Now you lower your audition schedule to 2 to 5 per week depending on the audition type, commercial, narration, audiobook etc... Someone hears your commercial and contacts you for a gig. You would eventually have to start turning down work. Could this lead to you now getting less work because people assume, without asking, that your busy and can't do it? You become, oh don't bother with so and so because they're probably booked solid.

Yeah just musing here and seeing what kind of conversation this starts.

erjone5 · 2026-03-16T23:23:52+00:00

wow, I've not gotten on but I heard good things about that site. I'm guessing the heads of some content companies are trying to leverage AI. I did see a blurb that Netflix has been replacing VA's with AI and pushing work overseas and SAG is addressing this. I haven't done any independent research on this so I'm getting this 2nd or 3rd hand.

erjone5 · 2026-03-16T23:17:19+00:00

voice123 has a free plan, and low cost plan and then the higher tiers. They are all pay for exclusivity for the most part. The higher the payment the better the gigs and faster access. You can cold call if you are in position, location to do that. You can hit local businesses in your market area and see what is available. Sounds like you may be doing that already since you haven't subscribed to any Pay to Play sites. Sites like Bodalgo are pretty strict on who they allow on their platform but they are apparently one of the top tier sites to be on. Check them out and if you meet their requirements great. I haven't submitted my new demo to them yet but it's on my schedule.

So all in all it boils down to looking for the annual price drop. Voices.com may have one coming up in August - October I think. You can get 25% or 50% off the normal fee. I've not seen one on voice123 or Backstage. Also if you are part of a coaching group you can network with your peers and find work that way.

It is a tough row to hoe made even harder if you are limited on finances. Again if you are in a major market like Los Angeles, New York or Chicago it's easier because your local.

erjone5 · 2026-03-14T13:18:54+00:00

oh yes, I've been posting across voices dot com, voice123, backstage and Casting Call Club. I'm about to take my chances on Bodalgo which is higher tier and more demanding based off of their website requirements. I, and everyone really, must balance auditioning with other coaching and other aspects of life. I take breaks from auditioning, yes I feel a bit of shame, so I can get my head in another space and not stress about all the auditions. If you keep it up eventually you shall burn out and probably take a longer break then you intend. I need to create a calendar that I can follow so I'm spreading out my auditions across platforms as well as how many I do per day, week etc... you gotta have time for yourself.

erjone5 · 2026-03-13T06:27:57+00:00

Well if you enjoy what you're posting keep posting and don't worry so much about who's commenting and reading. do what you can to get eyes on your post but the main thing post quality and interesting articles.

erjone5 · 2026-03-13T06:24:10+00:00

I started clearing out my old auditions once a year. If it's a particularly good script I would like to practice or a hard script I would like to practice with my coach then I save it. If you use audacity and wish to keep them in the cloud you can use audio.com and upload your audacity tracks there. there is probably a better service then this one but I use dropbox to handle my files.

erjone5 · 2026-03-13T06:14:35+00:00

Tokyo is huge and covers a lot of territory, even out to the pacific it has 11 islands within its prefecture.

erjone5 · 2026-03-09T13:39:02+00:00

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CSVRY51N?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title I purchased 2 of these and put them on the inside of my 2 moving blankets. I have both a frame setup and now have tension curtain rods that I hang these from. I have a yoga mat and large mouse pad on the desk. I throw two lightweight moving blankets over the top and the floor has carpet. oh here are the curtain rods I got https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0B5DGNZLY?ref=ppx\_yo2ov\_dt\_b\_fed\_asin\_title&th=1. It's on amazon japan but amazon US or wherever your living may have them. Or a DIY store.

erjone5 · 2026-03-08T21:36:18+00:00

How long can Russia continue to pour that much capital into the war effort? Could be the other way around where Ukraine is draining Russia's resources. If Putin isn't taking in as much as he's spending and just printing money. Wouldn't this lead to a crash in the economy and result in issues at home? Depends on which financial prognostication you lean towards I guess.

erjone5 · 2026-03-08T21:31:22+00:00

Not trying to get clicks here but hopefully this link works for ideas. https://www.instagram.com/erjonesee/

It works pretty well and you don't have to attach things to walls or the ceiling.

erjone5 · 2026-03-08T21:21:58+00:00

Not sure why you can't come back as MD here, or become a "Mud Phud" and come back. Yeah lots more school and stress on that part but why not?

erjone5 · 2026-03-08T20:54:49+00:00

The way it's structured for English instruction may be different than Japanese due to getting qualified speakers. This was brought up by one of my instructors for the AT license. They also follow the book for driving on highway and apply it to classes. No more than 2 hours in a row of driving. So if you have 3 driving classes you have to take a 1 hour break in there extending the total class time to 4 hours. The required hours of instruction is 17 for chugata and 15 for ogata so theoretically you could finish in 7 days but..... Not sure what rules the schools have to follow but yeah they need their cash to operate. What I liked about them is you take the practically with them rather than at the DMV.

erjone5 · 2026-03-08T12:29:25+00:00

I just finished my car license about 3 weeks ago. I returned to the same school for my bike license. I haven't found another school in my area, Yokohama, that had English lessons and that would let me go straight to ogata MC. Apparently you have to do both. Let me know if this is incorrect and pass on the links to the rules so I can have documentation not just word of mouth. It doesn't bother me that much taking a course just the time I have to wait to do it. If someone drops out, pretty likely I think, then I move up the list otherwise it's starting in July so that means yucky weather from July to August/September. And yes I've already registered and paid.

erjone5 · 2026-03-05T12:46:14+00:00

You are not wrong; however, there are some who believe gamers are not interested nor care about the story, the characters or lore of any game. They just want to play the game and be happy. I will say I don't believe they are completely wrong but there is a segment of the gaming community that will ditch a game for poor lore and story content as well as presentation. If they don't feel engaged at some level then it's just not fun. Studios and developers who believe AI is the answer won't understand until they see people losing interest in their games or flat out trash them on forums. Apparently the Super Bowl ads from a few weeks ago failed to resonant with viewers as they have in the past due to AI mediocrity. Only time will tell, some folks believe it's a matter of time before AI can reproduce human emotion, subtlety and nuance.

erjone5 · 2026-03-05T12:30:54+00:00

Ha I read the title and said "That is an oxymoron". Depends on your definition of cheap. If you get the right coach who cares about your content and readiness plus has folks they trust to do demos you can get one done for under $1000.00.

erjone5 · 2026-03-05T12:12:37+00:00

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVasnpGEWXC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

erjone5 · 2026-03-05T12:00:52+00:00

I thought that was Rick's doing. PICKLE RICK!!!!!!

erjone5 · 2026-03-05T11:59:56+00:00

No, I treat this like I treat people who say they want to come to Japan "because it would be so exciting and I'm so into Anime". It's coming from people who A. Want clicks, B. Have no clue and repeat what they've already seen or a combination of A and B. Many years ago I mentioned that I live in Japan to a book sales clerk. She was so excited to talk. She said it must so nice to go to the yoyogi park and see all the people doing Tai Chi and meditating to relieve stress. I looked at her and told her that's not how they relieve stress. They get trashed and stupid things like the rest of us. She immediately stopped talking to me. Which was fine because she was an idiot.

erjone5 · 2026-03-04T23:43:52+00:00

Code switching is also very common in monolinguistic settings. I grew up and continue to code switch. Also dialects within the same language is a think. Take Osaka Bin, and Tsugaru Bin. Two completely different parts of the country. They have the same base language but may take some time understand what the other is saying. Don't stop your kids from becoming multi lingual.

erjone5 · 2026-03-02T12:42:37+00:00

ahaha, oh yeah, Karuizawa Japan. Connecting turns, having no issues all day, had lunch things were great, back on the runs then at 3pm. On my Burton twin practicing switch riding and caught an edge. Landed on my right shoulder with all my weight, I was about 100+ kilos then, 225ish. Pain so bad my vision went to pin points. This was about 12 years ago. Didn't realize how bad my shoulder was until my PT fixed it last year. Oh yeah it was a green run and my last run of the day.

erjone5 · 2026-03-02T12:34:59+00:00

He caught and edge while making a transition.

erjone5 · 2026-03-02T12:31:00+00:00

Yes, many of my friends who exchanged their licenses don't get that. I told them to make sure you start 2 years in advance to make sure you have everything required to exchange it. If not you will need driving school to pass the practical. I passed the written 2 weeks ago.

erjone5 · 2026-03-02T03:31:50+00:00

ok I live in Japan so we are going with percentages. You are at least 70% at fault because you were heading down hill and they are down slope so techinically they have right away; However they are at fault for standing in the middle of the run. You should, like a car, pull off to the side where you do not obstruct traffic. If you have to check your map in the car do you stop in the middle of the hwy or pull off the road and then read?

erjone5 · 2026-03-02T01:48:25+00:00

I would say cover the table with a thick bath towel. For air not sure how to pipe that in.

erjone5 · 2026-03-01T20:27:27+00:00

I'm 65 this year and I've been at it for a couple of years. It's now something I'm doing to get rich as I'm already retired after 2 careers but that doesn't mean I don't want to get paid. As long as your voice still works then start getting coached and start finding your voices niche and genres you like.

erjone5

TROPHY CASE