Hi everyone, my name is Bev and you’re listening to How to make a living being creative on Radio Carrum.

Over the past few years, I have always relied on casual jobs to keep me afloat. I have even written a book about it!

But now I have cut ties with my main job which was in a call centre and decided to take a chance on myself.

It was scary and I shed a few tears, but I realised that if I did not do this now, I might never leave and discover my true potential.

During the next few weeks, I will share my journey seeking a more creative path, I’m not sure if I’ll be successful but I sure will have a lot of fun along the way!

I’ll be exploring a few passion areas like art, drawing, voice acting, and of course writing!

For my fifth episode I’ll be talking a little about a fascinating career, the role of being a forensic artist who are creative professional who helps law enforcement officials by creating drawings or 3D models of potential suspects, missing persons, and crime victims.

What I find intriguing is that forensic artists manage to sketch an image of a person from a description of their features to help in huge investigations. Such as Lois Gibson who is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as The Worlds Most successful forensic artist. Her sketches have helped solve more than 1000 crimes during her 30-year career.

Lois specializes in the art of pulling images out of someone’s subconscious memory, an image of a person she has never seen before so that her sketches can be used as evidence to help arrest and solve brutal crimes.

Lois has the talent of being able to pinpoint specific features from the minds of the people she speaks with. It can be tough working with victims of these horrific crimes, and she makes sure the space she works from is comfortable and puts the person at ease.

She has the type of personality that is empathetic and caring, customizing interviews for each witness. Lois says if the person needs to scream and cry to remember that’s what they will do. While most people are traumatized too much to remember much about the criminal’s looks. Lois has the knack to help the terrified victim remember the small details and the last thing they would ever want to remember. Such as the type of hair the suspect has can help trigger the start of a portrait.

It’s amazing that her tools of the trade are quite simple. To do this important job Lois needs her specialized glove, a red velvet bag full of hundreds of pastels, charcoals, felt grey paper, and an easel. She also has a specialized book of facial features where the victims pick characteristics of the person who did the crime.

For Lois, it all boils down to her personality and her specific way of transferring descriptions to a portrait that can be used to find the criminal.

Another way forensic artists use their work is to show what missing persons can look like over time.

On the Australian Federal Police website, they have a video that documents how a digital artist created a series of unique age-progressed images that captured how seven Australians who have been missing for up to 40 years could look today.

Forensic artist Sean Carling says the process relies heavily on input from the family of the missing person.

He says they closely replicate the person’s appearance when they went missing with a similar hairstyle. If the person’s hairstyle has severely dated, then they may update the style to a more recent look.

Sean says he relies on families to gather as much information as possible. If available, families are asked if photos can be provided showing the missing person’s parents at around the age the person would be now. They are also asked if they have any images of any siblings from both past and current, to demonstrate how the missing person’s siblings have aged.

Sean then tries to replicate what the missing person would look like in the present.

Sean says the AFP forensic artists generally have a background in Fine arts, graphic art, or digital imaging and receive extra training in anatomy, especially the head and neck to better understand the aging process.

Another interesting forensic artist discipline is postmortem rending and reconstruction. This involves forensic artists creating images based on the remains of crime victims that police have discovered.

Forensic artists may use traditional methods or modern computer imaging to reconstruct faces or other body parts. They will also have to use their knowledge of anatomy to reconstruct a face from a skull estimating the way the person’s brow, jawline and other bone structures might have looked. In some cases, the forensic artist may collaborate with a forensic scientist who sometimes use biological samples from the remains to determine the person’s age, hair colour and other distinguishing characteristics.

Usually, it takes a forensic artist between three and five years to complete their undergraduate education and training courses. Often Forensic artists might have a degree majoring in an art field like studio or graphic design, or criminal justice.

Some students decide to major in one subject such as criminal justice, and minor in another subject like art allowing the diversity of building skills in both areas. A degree in forensic art or forensic science with a focus on facial reconstruction may also be beneficial.

You must be a talented artist and it’s important to build and keep practicing your drawing and sketching regularly. Also pay close attention to facial features, proportions, and the ability to capture likeness accurately.

Like any industry-based job, you can build a portfolio showcasing your best work and include examples of facial reconstructions and any related artwork.

While you are studying go out and seek opportunities to gain practical experience such as volunteering or interning with law enforcement agencies or forensic departments.

It’s important to note that the field of forensic sketch artistry is small and job opportunities may be limited. Persistence, dedication, and a strong portfolio are crucial for success in this field. Additionally, consider seeking guidance from professionals already working in forensic artistry for personalized advice.

It’s been so interesting exploring the world of forensic artists, the first time I saw this type of job role was on the TV show Criminal Minds and I’ve been fascinated ever since about how important this role plays in capturing criminals.

On a random topic, I’ve just finished working at the Melbourne Cup Carnival and I have noticed the fashion of men not wearing socks. What is up with that? I really do feel sorry for those fancy leather shoes.

Just like the ladies in the morning, the men look all bright-eyed and excited to take on the day with their ankles glowing in between their beautifully tailored pants and shoes.

I often thought of these men’s feet becoming so sweaty and gross throughout the day and I shudder. Their leather shoes become the prime environment for blisters.

Random fact: Did you know the earliest pioneer of the no-sock movement was menswear designer Thom Browne who was GQs Designer of the Year in 2008.

Regardless of this I really hope these men are wearing sockettes or no-show socks. For those who are not familiar with scockettes, they are low-cut socks designed to be worn with shoes that expose the top of the foot, such as loafers, boat shoes, or sneakers. Sockettes provide the benefits of wearing socks, such as moisture absorption, reduced friction, and improved comfort, while remaining discreet and hidden within the shoe.

There are four days of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, and I must say every day I was disappointed in men’s fashion. The men put in such an effort with their tailored suits and ruin everything with the no-sock look. I was not amused…

However, the ladies always put in an effort even though some of the outfits did leave little to the imagination, I lost count of all the bits and bops that popped out.

I love the bright designs that portray elegance and class these outfits always make me smile.

Even though, some of the high heels looked painful! With some ladies struggling to get past the gate to enter the racecourse!

There are some smart ladies who carry slip-on ballet flats in their bags for when their feet hurt too much. These ladies are smart and always get the nod of approval from me.

At the end of the day when all the races are over, that is when you could see the day’s toll on the people. After drinking a few too many champagnes these ladies are now holding their high heels dragging their feet along the ground. The soles of their feet were stark black from walking across the Flemington racecourse, mascara running down their faces, and a totally blank look on their face. With some ladies doing the ow, ow, ow I’m so hot, the concrete is too hot dance.

I hope these ladies went home and chilled out in their pajamas and watched Netflix. That’s what my preference would be after such a huge day!

Now the men could have been comfortable all day, but they choose not to wear socks.  I’ve lost count of how many times I have seen men groan and sit down on the concrete while taking off their shoes and complain about the pain from the blisters on their feet. These men often ask first aid if they have band-aids to help with the pain.

This situation could have been avoided by wearing fun socks such as those by The Business of Smiles a not-for-profit organization based in Frankston. These socks are designed to positively bridge the gaps that exist on many fronts in the community, symbolic in their brightness and smiling face, the socks also have black polka dots to represent the hard times we all endure.

The Business of Smiles Co-Founder Scott Carson says these socks are a tool to connect with people’s hearts and to thank people for doing their best in life.

To check out these smiling socks visit www.ihopeyouaresmiling.com

Now you can’t unsee the whole men not wearing socks thing… bahahhahahha.

Thanks for listening to How to Make a Living Being Creative- Join me on my journey at www.bevwilkinson.com.au. Cheers till next time. BYEEEEEEEEE.

Hi everyone, my name is Bev and you’re listening to How to make a living being creative on Radio Carrum.

Over the past few years, I have always relied on casual jobs to keep me afloat. I have even written a book about it!

But now I have cut ties with my main job which was in a call centre and decided to take a chance on myself.

It was scary and I shed a few tears, but I realised that if I did not do this now, I might never leave and discover my true potential.

During the next few weeks, I will share my journey seeking a more creative path, I’m not sure if I’ll be successful but I sure will have a lot of fun along the way!

I’ll be exploring a few passion areas like art, drawing, voice acting, and of course writing!

For my fourth episode I’ll be talking about business planning! I’ve been going through old paperwork from mentors over the past 10 years and the common theme is that I’m not very strategic.

For those with the creative spark they will understand the need to jump into ideas and make them a reality, no matter how.

I get so excited I have the tendency to bring out the butcher paper and brainstorm like crazy. Then sometimes that paper gains dust or other times I make my idea a reality like my books, workshops, and an organisation.

But when it comes to making money out of these ideas that’s where I fail. As one of my mentors said there will come a time when I must let everything go, at the end of the day I must make a living.

The idea of letting everything go at first felt painful but then I thought its kind of uplifting. Just to start fresh and let old ideas go.

One of my favourite quotes by Eckhart Tolle is Sometimes letting go is an act of far greater power than hanging on.

Looking back at all my started business plans, I see the common theme that I give up too easily. Or I keep pushing and the idea is not gaining traction the way I want it to.

Or I have a little bit of success making money then there is the great slump after all the enthusiasm is over. You really must have the tenacity to keep going with a business idea or the ability to see what is working and what is not. To decide what you are doing is a hobby or a business?

I know after interviewing over 51 people for the Entrepreneurs: Generations Apart book some of these businesses are no longer active. Or some of these people have changed their businesses to something totally different. When I was trying to follow up some of these business owners, I had to stalk them on Linked In which is a professional social media platform and find out what they were doing now!

That’s what life is about nothing ever remains the same. There will always be changes.

This time around I decided to do something different, I approached a person that I admired and asked her what she thought of my idea. And if I can test my idea on her to see what works and doesn’t work.

She had great insight and offered some advice she believed my idea had the ability to gain traction, but I must promote and market my idea well. I also must network with those I want as customers and pitch my idea to them. I think that can be the hardest part just putting your idea out in the world and hoping someone will want to purchase your product or service.

We chatted about imposter syndrome which is that uncomfortable feeling you experience when you think you’re unqualified and incompetent. Its when you look around and assume everyone knows what they are doing except you. And if you do something good, you’ll assume your accomplishments are up to good luck.

Sometimes I feel this way even though I have qualifications and the equipment to move forward with my idea. I have that feeling I am not professional enough. I must constantly tell myself that I need to fake it before I make it, despite what I have achieved so far. It sounds so silly but is so common even with people who look like they are doing well in life.

If you can ask someone in your community to bounce your idea off. While the idea in your head is a great start, its just a beginning find someone you admire that is in the industry that you’re trying to promote your business in. They can often give you great tips and advice to being successful.

I think a quote from American Professor and author, Brene Brown suits this situation “We don’t have to do it all alone, we were never meant to.”

I stumbled across a great free program called Global Sisters their mission is to enable women to start their own businesses and achieve financial independence.

Global Sisters has an online portal where you can learn from experts and move forward with your business idea.

I’ve managed to go through parts of the program and pick and choose subjects that are most relevant to my idea. It’s a great program for those who are thinking about starting a business and have no idea what do to.

One exercise that I enjoyed was Finding your Sweet Spot you draw three circles in a circle one you write what you love this is typically considered a hobby. Try to use your passion, enthusiasm, and self-belief to ensure you charge for your effort, and on the other side of the same circle write what is likely to be profitable but may need to keep building your skills to increase the quality of your offering, in circle two you write what you know and in the last circle What people will pay you for.

It was a great way to see all my strengths displayed on paper and nut out what I need to work on.

I also had to think of reasons why I wanted to start a business and for me, the core reason is to be paid to do what I love and do well. I have been working in the call centre industry for so long and while I am good at this role my heart is not in it.

There comes a time when you must drop everything and just simply follow your heart. Even though most times I do miss the regular fortnightly pay it can be hard to live off my savings that’s for sure. But if you have the chance to believe in yourself and try that’s a powerful thing.

If you are interested in Global Sisters visit them at globalsisters.org it’s free to join.

Another great place to check out if you are thinking of starting a business is the Business Victoria website. You can join as a member of the online portal and when you join there are options to put in what type of business structure you are thinking of setting up.

In my case, I’ll be setting up my business as a sole trader, for those not sure what a sole trader is it is a self-employed person who owns and runs their business as an individual. The sole trader is legally responsible for all aspects of the business including debts and losses.

What is interesting if you are registering your business under your name there is no need to register how However if I wanted to register the business as Bev Wilkinson Consulting, I would need to register the name as Consulting is not part of my name.

The Business Victoria website gives easy-to-follow guidelines on how to set up a business and I would highly recommend becoming a member and going through the tasks assigned. This made me think broadly about how I would set up a business with a solid foundation.

It’s funny I was talking to my friend, and she was talking about how she cleans houses to earn income while starting her coaching business.

That made me think that maybe I should become a cleaner, so I would not need to rely mainly on my savings to live. The idea of flexible hours appealed to me, and I could still work on getting my business up and running.

I told my dad who was quick to point out my qualifications and experience, he said this was taking a step back from what I could do.

Which to be honest was also on my mind when I decided to apply for a job as a cleaner. I had my dad in my head telling me to aim higher. But I also had worries about money running out and losing my savings which overtook my doubts.

I decided that I would do the interview and give it a go. I ended up applying for a job at the Clean Life and Beckii Jones the founder started talking about the story of how she started the business.

While I was sitting there, I found her story quite interesting and forgot I was in an interview for a cleaning position.

I decided to change the narrative and asked Beckii if I could interview her for the Entrepreneurs: Generations Apart Podcast on Radio Carrum this was not something she expected but she said yes.

I think your passion follows you, even when you least expect it, and this was one of those times. My reason for starting a business hit me in the head. I did not move forward in the cleaning role.

Another of my short-term money-making ideas was to deliver catalogs in my local area, I had this vision of walking with my dog Ava easily delivering brochures into letter boxes.

Sure, the payment was only $44.00 for delivery of 300 catalogues but it was $44.00 more than what I currently have! When you don’t have much income flowing in, it makes you ache for even the smallest amount of money!

Catalogs are delivered on Friday evenings, and I was in for a shock when I got home and saw 300 catalogs all lined up on my front doorstep. It does not sound like much but when you have a variety of heavy catalogues it can be very overwhelming! Those Chemist Warehouse catalogues are huge!

I had to drag these catalogs inside and sort them all out, it took me four hours to organise everything, and I was so tired afterward.

I could not wait till Tuesday so I could get all these catalogs out of the house! I had to be strategic about how I would tackle 300 homes in my local area.

I had to download an app and I was tracked on a map showing where I was going. I had a mini trolley and did the homes closest to my house. Then I had to drive and do the rest. It was hard work and took me from 9 am-4 pm to do all the houses on the map.

I did have a lot of time to reflect on what I was doing while delivering these catalogs and I was grateful it was not raining at the time. Just windy.

I never thought some letterboxes would be so interesting. Most Letterboxes were simple with a slot for letters and newspapers. While others were so ultra-fancy that I even looked them up online! There is this one letterbox called the Parcel Pal two where you can safely receive letters, parcels, and catalogs. Rest assured no one else will steal your catalogs!

I remember a few years ago there was this Ned Kelly Letterbox that I would walk past every day with my dog, this letterbox was so much fun to admire and look at. Now that Ned Kelly letterbox is at my local community garden making other people smile.

I think I’ll stick to living off my savings and casual event work for now. Being in this situation forces me to work hard on launching my idea and that’s a good thing. It has also made me think out of the box for ideas to make money. Maybe I’ll try the Facebook market next!

Thanks for listening to How to Make a Living Being Creative- Join me on my journey at www.bevwilkinson.com.au. Cheers till next time. BYEEEEEEEEE.

 

Hi everyone, my name is Bev and you’re listening to How to make a living being creative on Radio Carrum.

Over the past few years, I have always relied on casual jobs to keep me afloat. I have even written a book about it!

But now I have cut ties with my main job which was in a call centre and decided to take a chance on myself.

It was scary and I shed a few tears, but I realised that if I did not do this now, I might never leave and discover my true potential.

During the next few weeks, I will share my journey seeking a more creative path, I’m not sure if I’ll be successful but I sure will have a lot of fun along the way!

I’ll be exploring a few passion areas like art, drawing, voice acting, and of course writing!

For my third episode, I’ll be talking about my passion for art. As a child, I have always enjoyed using my imagination and would spend hours just drawing the characters in my head. I would have so much fun with simple pencils and paper. I would often get in trouble in maths class, I looked so diligent with my head down and busy writing in my notebook. But when my teacher glanced over my shoulder, he could see I was not interested in algebra, but I was drawing my own world in deep concentration. It was a great world with creatures, people, and rainbows. But nothing to do with maths. Sometimes I regret not concentrating in maths class, some of the stuff could have been used in real life. But as children, we are attracted to what we do well rather than what we don’t. I’ve just always had a knack for being creative from a young age and I still do many years later.

I remember going on a school excursion and walking through the National Gallery of Victoria the oldest and most visited gallery in Australia. There are two buildings hosting art pieces of the NGV one on St Kilda Road and the other at Federation Square.

When I visited the NGV on St Kilda Road for the first time as a child. It was like being transported into another world when I walked through the entrance and ran my fingers through the steaming waterfall flowing down the water wall. No matter how old I am the front entrance of the NGV will never fail to amaze me.

This waterfall entrance is a great introduction to the NGV’s permanent collection of more than 75,000 works in the heart of the Gallery’s activities and programs. Since being established in 1861 the NGV collection has grown to span the history and development of Australian, Indigenous, and international art, design, and architecture.

One of the other highlights of NGV that I enjoy visiting is the Great Hall a function area famous for the world’s largest stained-glass ceiling designed by Australian Artist Leonard French.

I enjoy simply lying on the bean bags and staring at the different colours shining through the stained-glass ceiling. It’s such a beautiful space to just simply relax and daydream.

Pretty amazing right? I feel so lucky to be so close to Melbourne and can pop into the NGV if I want to feel inspired by artists around the world.

As a child, I remember being so fascinated by the fashion collections. I loved how fabric can be transformed into amazing pieces of art. Fashion designers start with a blank canvas and move forward weaving splashes of colour and life into a piece of clothing. In a way, the designer passes on their passion for art through their unique way of creating pieces that can be worn and celebrated in public. During that school excursion, I was enthralled by this one intricate gown and just started sketching on my little notepad. I sat in this one spot for 30 minutes lost in the grooves and beading of this gown. I just wanted to finish my drawing and did not notice my whole class leaving the exhibition.

Luckily my teachers noticed I was missing and found me still in that spot. Simply taken over by the magic of this gown. Fashion still holds its magic in me, and I wear the loudest and brightest outfits, wearing clothes is simply an extension of my personality. I love to have fun with colour and be silly. And fashion lets me be that way in the loudest way possible.

What I love about Melbourne is that no matter where you are in the city. You are surrounded by art, which is truly wonderful.

I love that the bollards alongside the roads are decorated with fun characters, even though there is this one bollard close to Flinders Street station that features my deepest fear.

I swear he glares at me every time I descend the stairs. His long beak shone in the sun and his feathers spread out. Ready to attack.

Every time I feel a stirring inside me. I want to look the other way, but I am transfixed. I can’t stop looking at him.

Even though he is just a painting. He is pure evil. He is a seagull.

Many people laugh when I say seagulls scare me. It all started when I bought a sandwich at 7 Eleven. I was happily munching on my chicken sandwich while walking across the road when a swarm of seagulls made their descent onto me, and their claws started to dig into my hair. I quickly threw my sandwich onto the ground and yelled “Take my sandwich” and ran to the other side of the road.

Since then, I’ve had seagulls steal my hot chips and poop on me. Did you know the origin of the superstition of being pooped on by birds as a sign of good luck originated in Russia? Apparently, the chances of being pooped on by a bird is surprisingly low. Well, I’m still waiting for my good luck. Hurry up and make me a millionaire. I want my beach house with a huge wardrobe thank you very much. Mr Seagull.

Out of curiosity, I decided to look up Seagull Symbolism and Meaning if a seagull is a guiding force in your life, then allow the unique pluck, determination, and wit of the seagull to inspire you.

Even though in usual cases seagulls can symbolise negative traits such as gluttony, thievery, gossip, crowd mentality and dirtiness.

There is another side to my sandwich-eating mate he can be a devoted parent. He looks after his family and defends his young ones with incredible ferocity. My seagull friend can represent family, parenthood and protection.

Ooooh lovely! Seagulls are also incredibly adaptable. They are very resourceful and make the best out of almost any circumstances.

Seagulls may also represent navigation they can relate to finding the right path or finding one’s own way home, no matter what the conditions are like.

So, I suppose I have a lot in common with my sandwich stealer mate, my new aim to become friends with seagulls starting with a seagull as a mascot for this podcast.

Small steps, right? I like how seagulls are incredibly persistent especially when it comes to hot chips. Just the other day I was at Southern Cross station where I thought I was safe. I was happily eating my hot chips on the platform, and I spotted this one seagull staring at me. I could literally see his little eyes light up and I swear he told his mates to come swing by. Next thing you know I had this small crowd of seagulls surrounding me. One of the seagulls started to puff up his chest and started saying rar rar so the other seagulls would leave him to all the hot chips. Greedy bugger.

I hid the chips in my bag and pretended I had none left. Instead of moving to another victim all the seagulls just stared at me. Like they were telling me off for hiding the hot chips.

Then suddenly, the train arrived at the platform and all the seagulls started to fly off. I was saved by the train.

I do tend to go off-topic, right? So back to my love of art

I am lucky to live close to Frankston which is a beachside suburb referred to as the gateway to the Mornington Peninsula, located one hour southeast of Melbourne.

What I love most about Frankston is the street art there are over 50 murals by local and international artists that bring the city’s buildings and laneways to life.

I just simply wander the streets and I am inspired by these amazing artists. One of my favourite artworks is by Australian artists Brigitte Dawson and Melissa Turner who captured the story of Alice in Wonderland at the Frankston Library.

Brigette and Melissa brought to life the topsy Turvey land of Alice in Wonderland featuring the Cheshire Cat, white rabbit, and mad hatter all in vibrant colours.

It is funny I have not read Alice in Wonderland since I was a child. The whole story is kind of trippy and full of imagination, it all starts off with a young girl who falls into a rabbit hole into a world populated by talking packs of cards and animals who look at pocket watches, smoke pipes and have tea parties.

It is hard to imagine this best-loved children’s book began when author Lewis Carroll was rowing the three small daughters of the College Dean HG Liddell up the Thames in England for a picnic in 1862. One of the children especially Alice adored the story and begged Lewis to write everything down. Between 1862 and 1864 Lewis wrote the whole book in neat handwriting for Alice to read and enjoy. The book was published mainstream in 1865 for the rest of the world to enjoy for many years to come.

If you can come down to Frankston and explore the city, for two consecutive years Frankston’s Street Art Walking tours have won gold in the Australian Street Art Awards for best street art tour in 2021 and 2022.

There are street art guides you could download on the Discover Frankston website if you want a more structured tour of the artwork.

Thanks for listening to  How to Make a Living Being Creative- Join me on my journey at www.bevwilkinson.com.au. Cheers till next time. BYEEEEEEEEE.

 

Hi everyone, my name is Bev and you’re listening to How to make a living being creative on Radio Carrum.

Over the past few years, I have always relied on casual jobs to keep me afloat. I have even written a book about it!

But now I have cut ties with my main job which was in a call centre and decided to take a chance on myself.

It was scary and I shed a few tears, but I realised that if I did not do this now, I might never leave and discover my true potential.

During the next few weeks, I will share my journey seeking a more creative path, I’m not sure if I’ll be successful but I sure will have a lot of fun along the way!

I’ll be exploring a few passion areas like art, drawing, voice acting, and of course writing!

For my second episode I’ll be talking about my experience with casual jobs and who has inspired me over the years. All my work roles have supported me while I have worked on books, podcasts, and even my organisation Celebrate Living History which gives me the great opportunity to work with journalism students to document stories for older generations.

I truly believe that having a day job makes life a little bit easier, there is no stress if you don’t make money from your creative projects. You have that income to fall back on to make sure your everyday expenses are met.

I think as a creative person if you mainly focus on the money, you tend to lose all the fun and excitement of creating a new project.

It creates stress that you must make money from this project to make a living. All that stress tends to bog me down. I just like the freedom of knowing that my expenses will be covered regardless of the outcome.

As a creative person, I must be in the right head space, in a way if I’m worried about money it’s so hard to settle down and simply write. I just can’t get into the creative zone that lets me do the best work.

It’s a difficult situation, I always seem to be exhausted because I’m juggling so much, sometimes I have three jobs at the same time and I’m working 7 days a week! I’m a crazy person for sure!

If you can find jobs that you can fit around your creative projects. I’ve mainly worked in events, call centers and community centers.

Looking at some other options you can work as a support worker and even as a cleaner where you can create a schedule that suits you too.

I have also looked into platforms like Airtasker where people post tasks that they need completing. If you want to do the task as a worker, you have to bid on the task and pretty much tell them why you are the best person to do the job.

It seemed competitive; I did look at bidding on a task that looked pretty fun. They wanted people to act as extras during their gallery opening, this is something I would usually do for fun so getting paid would be a bonus.

I joined up to Airtasker and decided to go through the bidding process. At first, $50 to be an extra seemed pretty good but then Airtasker takes a $11 commission for advertising the job on the platform and I would have to pay public transport costs to Melbourne which would be $10 for the day.

In the end, I would have only earned $29 not really worth the trouble.

It’s funny when I worked in call centers that’s where I would bump into so many creative people were they pursue what they love as a side hustle. Usually, my good friends in call centers can be writers, makeup artists, life coaches, and actors who just simply need a regular income to live off.

If you are in casual employment, have a talk to your team leader or manager and see if you can make your job flexible, I have requested with most jobs to have Wednesday off to do creative projects and I have been lucky that most employers have adapted to my needs and said Yes. As a wise person once said if you don’t ask you don’t get.

I always travel up to the city for work on the train, which is usually an hour’s commute, usually, you can spot so many people working on their computers, it’s kind of like a portable office!

It’s funny at times it can be a packed train and people are jammed across from each other. It looks like these people are having a conversation with each other but if you look closely, they have earbuds on! They are not having a conversation with the person across from them, they are talking to someone on the phone very far away.

I find my commute time as a great place to edit student work, work on short stories, or simply relax and be inspired by a great book.

If you are always busy, you must find those little moments to work on what you are passionate about. When I was writing Diaries of a Casual Worker my happy place was the golden hour of 6 am that’s when I found the clarity to just simply write. I wrote most of the Diaries of a Casual Worker on the Microsoft Word app on my mobile phone while traveling on the bus, that time was very precious to me. I got creative and found a way to make the book a reality.

I make job juggling work for me, I truly believe if you are passionate about something then you will find a way!

One of my main inspirations is Joanne Kathleen Rowling otherwise known as J.K Rowling author of the Harry Potter series. Joanne knew she always wanted to be an author from the young age of 6 when she wrote her first story about a Rabbit who got measles and was visited by his friends including a giant bee called Miss Bee.

Since that moment Joanne had wanted to be a writer but rarely told anyone.

What I loved about Joanne was that she was persistent in making her goal as a writer a reality, even when she was working as a secretary for Amnesty International. When no one was looking, she would type up stories on her computer. She never paid much attention during meetings because she was usually scribing bits of the latest stories in the margins of the notepad or choosing names of characters.

Her big break arose on a delayed train from Manchester to London’s Kings Cross station where the idea for Harry Potter popped into her head. Then over five years, she outlined the plots for seven books in the series writing in longhand and amassing scraps of notes written on different papers.

While writing the series she was unemployed and living on benefits but she still kept going. Joanne knew she had to finish her story and bring Harry Potter to life.

When Joanne finally finished her first Harry Potter book in 1995, she received a lot of rejection letters until one day her book was accepted by Christopher Little a London literary agent.

And the rest is history with more than 500 million Harry Potter books sold worldwide. Joanne’s story shows that with hard work and persistence, you can make your dreams a reality, it may take a long time, but it is possible.

While I am on the topic of authors one of my favorite books is Big Magic Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert, I always pick up this book if I am feeling lost and just want to be inspired.

Elizabeth asks the question “Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures in you?”

I love this question it prompts me to look inside myself and see glimpses of what is possible. What is inside of me.

I like to imagine a future where all my aspirations and secret talents are out in the world. I like to imagine a world where I can just be me.

Maybe one day, I’ll inspire others to look inside themselves and discover their hidden treasures. Their big magic. To go from a mundane existence to a more enchanted one. A life where they believe anything is possible.

Another inspirational book that I am currently reading is The Artists Way A Course in Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self by Julia Cameron.

Julie’s book is a self-lead 12-week course to embracing your creative side, I like that at the very beginning of the book she addresses common blocks.

Some of these blocks include:

Stop telling yourself it is too late

Stop waiting until you make enough money to do something you’d really love

Stop telling yourself that dreams don’t matter that they are only dreams and that you should be more sensible.

Stop fearing that your friends and family will think you are crazy.

One of the exercises in the book which I enjoy is morning pages. If you want to give this exercise a go before you go to sleep make sure you have a notepad next to you. When you wake up before you do anything just start writing what is in your head. It doesn’t have to be magnificent. It is just a prompt to get your creativity flowing. The words can be totally mundane. It really does not matter.

Julia says to write down all the whiny stuff and get it out of the way. Such as some of my words before work could be. “I am still so tired. Ohh I need coffee. Where the heck is my coffee? Get that nice warm liquid into me now…MMmm, coffee…I love coffee. Nah Nah Nah coffee coffee coffee….Yeah, I am kind of obsessed with coffee, right?

These pages are simply the act of moving the hand across the page and writing what comes to mind. Nothing is too petty, too silly, too stupid or too weird to be included.

Another inspiration of mine was Walt Disney a man of many talents. He was an entrepreneur, animator, voice actor and film producer.

Walt Disney came from humble beginnings to achieve amazing success. His journey started at the age of 19 when Walt Disney started drawing cartoons from childhood creatures for sale. He had so little money back then and struggled to pay rent and sometimes had to live with friends and go without food.

Walt Disney was knocked back so many times when he pitched the idea for his cartoons to be published to newspapers, they said he lacked artistic integrity even though he was rejected he kept on persisting.

I feel every time Walt Disney was knocked back he learnt incredible lessons and kept trying again. He kept going in his mind he could see the big picture.

I liked that Walt Disney never gave up, when he created Disneyland he wanted the theme park to be the happiest place on earth.

He held on to this vision and worked long and hard for seven years just to plan out the project. He was determined that everything would work out.

I could just imagine how proud Walt Disney was when he opened Disneyland on July 17 1955 in Anaheim California. He must have looked around the crowd with his heart full when he said the words “To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land.”

And these words have been the beginning of his legacy- he made this magic happen. From that one idea, he grew to have Disneyland in 12 parks around the world with resorts in California, Florida, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, and China.

I liked that rather than focusing on the past, Walt Disney focused on the future he wanted. My favorite quote from Walt Disney was “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”

Such an amazing man who followed his heart to make something magnificent.

So in a nutshell, follow your creative dreams and make magic happen!

Thanks for listening to How to Make a Living Being Creative- Join me on my journey at www.bevwilkinson.com.au. Cheers till next time. BYEEEEEEEEE.

 

Hi everyone, my name is Bev and you’re listening to How to make a living being creative on Radio Carrum.

Over the past few years, I have always relied on casual jobs to keep me afloat. I have even written a book about it!

But now I have cut ties with my main job which was in a call centre and decided to take a chance on myself.

It was scary and I shed a few tears, but I realised that if I did not do this now, I might never leave and discover my true potential.

During the next few weeks, I will share my journey seeking a more creative path, I’m not sure if I’ll be successful but I sure will have a lot of fun along the way!

I’ll be exploring a few passion areas like art, drawing, voice acting, and of course writing!

For my first episode, I’ll be talking about How to make money with my voice!

I’ve always been told that my voice is very calming and relaxing over the phone and this has come from much practice working for call centres over the years.

My voice is a friendly mutual tone and has lots of personality, once I was even told I had the perfect voice for radio hence me being here today!

I love talking and putting on voices, my favorite part about working at the call centre was putting the customer on hold and then mimicking the on-hold music. My favorite was Kenny G I would bring out the fake saxophone and start singing to the amusement of my co-workers. I always like to make work a little bit of fun. (Faked on hold music) Whether it be my bright outfits or my funny voices.

I’ve always wondered if besides working in call centres, Can I make money from my voice.

I soon was in detective mode and armed with my blue light-blocking glasses which I do recommend for intensive computer research I was ready to find out if I could make money doing such a fun job.

The top four ways according to Google to earn money with your voice were Voice-overs for commercials, Audiobook recordings, radio ads, and recording audio for news articles.

But as a beginner Where the heck do I start?

It was so easy to get lost in the mountain of research, I have that habit of spending hours just researching a topic that I enjoy. Soon time flies and I’m stuck there thinking I need to make a move but ooooh this is so interesting! Knowledge is power, right?

Did you know voice-over salary statistics in Australia as of 30 August 2023, the represented employee makes $69,977 to be more precise pay rate is $5,831 per month, $1,346 per week, or $36.83 per hour. Pretty good right? But I guess as a beginner you have to practice and start small and once you build a portfolio gradually increase your prices.

Some people start on Fiver which is a platform where freelancers can provide a service such as voice-over for projects around the world. It’s a pretty good way to dip your toe in the industry and discover if there is a demand for your voice.

I found some great tips which I’ll share with you, I’ll try to break it all down into steps to make this a little less overwhelming.

Step one:

Most agencies and freelance platforms require you to provide a demo of what you can do. This demo is the first impression of you and what you can achieve with your voice.

My suggestion would be to listen to a few voice actors online and get a few ideas of what you can do on your demo. When you feel confident read a few scripts typically a standard demo should be around 60 seconds just enough to show a few variations of your voice.

It’s a pretty short time to showcase what you can do, but keep in mind it’s quite a competitive job most potential clients are skimming through numerous voice reels to find the right voice for the project. You have to grab the listener immediately or the opportunity is lost.

If you have money to invest in your passion for voice acting there are many training courses either online or in person where you can get assistance recording your reel and advice from professionals within the industry.

I truly believe in learning from those who are successful in the industry that you want to be in, take time out to watch a few YouTube videos from voice coach Bill DeWees he has some great tips on how you can make money using your voice.

Also if you have the time check out VO BUZZ Weekly where they give out great tips on how to record voice-overs for a range of industries including video games, audio books, and commercials.

Step 2:

Set up a professional space, it can be so easy to get lost in the tech specifications to make a good recording!

The main thing I’ve learned is to invest in a good microphone it doesn’t have to be too expensive to start! The Audio-Technica AT2020 has been rated as one of the best microphones for beginners and can be found on Amazon.

I’ve learned it’s best not to plug in the microphone straight into your computer as you can’t adjust the sound easily, with a desktop recording studio you can use the Lexicon Alpha Digital Recording Interface which allows a better quality sound.

Some people soundproof the area they are recoding in, with blankets, and even record voiceovers in their cupboard when they start! If you want to invest your cash, you can buy a professional traveling soundproofing box with prices ranging from 90 to 800 dollars. It’s great so even if you record in different areas you can have quality audio.

Also, make sure your space is clean and not full of clutter! It gives you a great professional mindset!

Step 3

It is important to practice your voice-over technique. Some great advice is to speak slowly and make sure that you enunciate each word but not to the extreme that you sound like a robot.

Play with your tone of voice make sure you sound pleasant but not overjoyed or overly excited. Smile when you read your script this can help your voice sound happier and more natural.

Always warm up before you work on the script this can put you in the right mindset and get your vocal cords ready for some intense voice-over work!

Some people like to stand when they read the script this gives them more freedom to move and breathing is often more comfortable.

Also, it is recommended that you drink room-temperature water when you speak as this will relax your throat making it easy to get all those words out!

Step 4

Once you start making money! Hooray! Do a happy dance! But remember this is also a business. Keep track of your finances and invest in accounting software like Zero which will enable you to send out invoices and help your accountant at the end of year tax returns.

You will also most likely need to register for an individual Australian Business Number so you are on good terms with Mr Tax Man.

Step 4

If you are serious about making a website showcasing your talents, marketing is key to getting your voice out there! It’s also a great way to easily update your demo reels.

You can also make a professional page on Linked In so your network is aware that you are ready for big voice-over projects.

Thanks for listening to How to Make a Living Being Creative- Join me on my journey at www.bevwilkinson.com.au. Cheers till next time.

 

 

 

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