We recently connected with Aubrey Tyson and have shared our conversation below.

Aubrey, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

As a public services Librarian, I’ve spent the majority of my working life NOT being artistically creative. My first job was at my local library when I was 16, and when I was in college, I chose to pursue Library Science. It was the most logical choice. I enjoy this work and know just how instrumental libraries are to their communities. What I’ve been drawn to the most is helping to connect people to valuable resources, bridging the gap between someone and a service or resource they need to thrive.

Like many others, the pandemic is what prompted my career change. It’s not even really a career change. I’m still a Librarian, but I allowed myself to explore another avenue for the first time. During the pandemic, I had a lot of compassion fatigue. So many people were suffering for a multitude of reasons, and I was really struggling with that day after day.

My husband, a composer, is creative through and through. He knew that voiceover work was something I had thought about over the years, and had even dabbled in years ago in college (some e-learning material for a class I was helping with). He encouraged me to get some coaching, to just try and see how it went. I was skeptical and didn’t think I could do it. I decided to just try this new thing and if it didn’t go anywhere, that’s fine. I still had a rewarding job.

I did some coaching, took an online course, started reading a ton, listened to podcasts, watched webinars, and took advantage of any learning opportunities that came my way. I did most of this after work, on the weekends, and during my lunch breaks. My husband took a closet in our home and turned it into a recording space for me. I was delving deep into topics like marketing, expense tracking, invoicing, CRMs, contracts, and setting proper and fair rates. I was learning about all the tech involved in voiceover work: microphone technique, using an audio interface, a digital audio workstation (DAW).

Once I felt comfortable, I started to audition for jobs through online casting sites. My first paid gig was a radio ad for a non-profit that does really positive work in their community.

I’ve been doing voiceover work for about four years now. I love it because each job is so different, and I get to bring my own creative spin to every project. What I really enjoy is doing voiceover work for businesses and organizations that help people. Whether it’s a non-profit, a faith-based organization, or a voiceover for a PSA, it’s just another way I feel I can help bridge that gap for people.

I’ve now been part-time at the library for 6 months, which has really allowed me to give the voiceover work a fair shot. I love the idea of being able to create my own schedule, be my own boss, have a creative career for the first time, and work anywhere should I ever leave Phoenix. I’ve had some really great opportunities, made many quality connections, and I’m excited to see what’s next.

Aubrey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a Voiceover Artist/Actor and I’m in the business of heartfelt storytelling. I provide voiceovers for a variety of media projects, mostly commercials and corporate videos. I love what I do and it’s so rewarding to help tell stories in a way that resonates with listeners.

I enjoy connecting with creative agencies and anyone working in video production. It brings me joy when I can make someone else’s job just a little easier. Working with me might mean bypassing the casting process. If I’m not the right voice, I might know someone who is. I like collaborating with people who are kind, communicative, and easy to work with. I try to be those things for everyone I work with because we all have the same goal and it’s making sure the end-client has a project they’ll be proud and excited to share.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the variety of the work I get to help with. It’s anything but routine and every project is so different. Voiceover Artists often spend a lot of time auditioning. And I happen to love auditioning.

One minute, you’re auditioning for a spot that requires you to be a busy, stressed mom who has just discovered this new food prep service, and the next minute, you’re auditioning for a project that needs a creepy, evil witch character voice. It’s all over the place, and I enjoy the variety.

Of course, other rewarding aspects include the ability to structure my day how I need to. If I want to carve out time in the middle of the day to grab lunch with a friend or get some errands done, I could do that. It’s pretty liberating having that ability to set my own schedule.

Lastly, it’s rewarding to see the progress I’ve made in the few years since I started voiceover work. I wanted to try something new and I went for it. I had little confidence in myself when I first started, but I’ve had a lot of personal growth through this process and am proud of myself for trying something new for myself.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Every artist and creative brings a unique perspective, experience, and wealth of knowledge to their craft. Hiring humans that have trained and worked hard to excel in that craft is one of the best ways to support the creative community.

While AI can serve as a helpful tool for many industries, including creative, AI doesn’t have ability to reach a human audience in the way human creatives do – with real emotion, expression, and nuance.

I believe listeners and viewers want to hear a human voice, hear human-made music, see human-made art, and read human-made stories – they want authenticity and something to genuinely connect with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aubreytalks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aubreytalks/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aubreytalks/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@v.o.