| Now that working from home is becoming more of the norm and the VO industry recording even MORE from home studios, it makes ALL the difference in the world to have a sacred, inspiring space. That can be hard to accomplish though. If you’re sharing your VO office with family members, if that space is a closet in the guest room or if it currently resides in your dining room, boundaries can quickly become blurred between work and home. Without boundaries, things can sometimes feel chaotic and unmotivating. Let’s change that! Even if your space is a small corner of your home, you CAN create an inspiring, motivating workspace just for you. |
Jonathan Tilley interviewed me on his podcast about this very thing and we talk about how to determine what that inspiring space looks like for YOU. If you want to listen to the full interview, you can do so HERE (https://www.jonathantilley.com/podcasts/heidi-rew). Before you even get to the design part of it, let’s talk about creating a space that’s functional…whether it’s at your dining table or basement. Here are my tips for creating that separate space – 1| Take an Assessment of your Day – Jot down or recognize what you use most often. What stacks up around you each day? What do you need at hand or what can be stored away? I did that in our new office space and realized I needed files to store my BOOKED VO SCRIPTS, AUDITION VO SCRIPTS, AVS PAPERS and PODCAST PAPERS. I added some wall file boxes and now it keeps my most used documents at hand. Again you can do this whether you’re spread out on the dining room table or in a closet. If you’re on a dining room table, get a portable file box or create a wheeled office station. 2| Put it in a Box! – With all the wires and equipment we use as VO talent, I love me some decorative boxes. I need to have places to put instructions, extra batteries, extension chords, etc. Get some boxes to start organizing this stuff whether you’re in a closet, dining room table or corner of a room. 3| Get Comfortable…But Not TOO Comfortable – For me, I’ve found that if I’m too comfortable in my home work space then I’m less productive. Our sofa is where I get comfortable and fall asleep 15 minutes into a show…it doesn’t welcome productivity for me. Make sure you have a desk/table/chair that’s comfortable but not too much to where your body just wants to relax. |
| After you organize and get the basics set up, now you can start creating the vibe of the space…yes, even if it’s your dining room table. For that, check out my interview on Jonathan Tilley’s podcast about creating that inspiring space https://www.jonathantilley.com/podcasts/heidi-rew. Here’s to a motivating workspace! |
-Mike and Heidi |