We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jolene Mei. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jolene below.
Hi Jolene, thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
I feel so fortunate to be able to lead a life where the work that I do is so much fun. However, don’t let this fool you because, in my opinion, being a voice over artist requires dedication, consistency, a business mindset, self motivation, and self discipline. Also – I am only about 2 years into my entrepreneurial journey so I do want to normalize, that at this point – it is normal to have ups and downs being self employed. There is no perfect.
I first started with outlining what I wanted my life to look like in 10 years. I saw myself working remotely, drinking tea in the backyard of my home, hopefully somewhere in a forest not too far away from civilization. Let’s not forget the jacuzzi, I’ve always wanted one. To make a long story short, I spent a lot of time thinking about my own strategic plan, what career I would want to make this happen, and what my quarterly goals were. This really helped me stay focused on my objective and thus, my vision. This vision is a motivator and reminder for me to keep grinding everyday.
Day one, my husband let me borrow his Blue Yeti USB mic (by the way, this mic should only work for really beginner jobs), he hooked me up with my DAW, and I did as much research as possible about the field. If I were to do this again, I think I would consider getting a small business loan to finance more individual and group coaching opportunities. I think this would have really helped some struggles I had with self doubt. Being a solo entrepreneur and I’d say a women of color alongside that, I definitely am trying to fight against my imposter syndrome. I found that finding trustworthy coaches really gave me the encouragement, support, feedback, and perspective I needed to keep myself motivated.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a full time Asian American Voice Over Artist and Talent. I think what sets my work apart is that I bring my unique flare of warmth, compassion, and easygoingness in my voice overs. It is my mission to provide high quality and meaningful voice overs. How I do this is by using quality recording and editing techniques I’ve learned through professional courses and experience. I truly appreciate creativity and impact, thus I try to connect to each project’s intention and really try to engage with the intended audience to encourage them to feel something. Whether it be excitement, warmth, like they’re talking to a friend, or feeling at ease.
I especially feel proud to be a part of projects that have the intention to make a positive impact. Whether that is for the environment, equity, or truly just being there for someone listening with a problem. I feel so honored to be the podcast host of Diverseek, where we have nuanced conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging work. I have had the absolute pleasure of meeting so many amazing human beings that are our guests. Each time I have an interview, I feel like my hope in humanity is restored. There are amazing people out there doing really meaningful work.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
This is such an abstract and important question. First, and this might sound obvious, we need to be sure to pay artists fairly – ESPECIALLY artists who are in their first 1 – 2 years of starting their business. So many out there are trailblazing by choosing a difficult but rewarding career in the creative space. I truly believe that many can reach their potential more efficiently and meaningfully if everyone who purchases art, makes an extra effort to ensure that they are paying their creatives fairly. That being said, I believe there is a need for more educational offerings about negotiating as a creative. I’m sure that classes are out there, but in my experience it was something I had to actively seek out (and am still learning).
Secondly, for family members or personal support systems of creatives – we need to validate and encourage our creatives more and question our own internal biases. Yes, artists can find healthcare. Yes, we get good paying projects. Yes, we also have struggles. A few of my creative friends and also myself, face pressure from all sides because we choose a career path that isn’t the norm. I remind myself that I am a trailblazer by choosing this path. For any creatives reading this, think about future generations who will feel more comfortable pursuing a creative career because you already did.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I am not emotionally responsible for anyone, except myself.
I am, to this day, continually fighting my inner perfectionist and people-pleasing habits. Many different events in my left led me to roles where I was taking care of others because it needed to be done. I, like many, have also experienced being shut down although I knew what I was sharing had value. With that, came my own self doubt and my tendency to fill in the blank for the actions of others.
How does this effect my work? I am continually working on my self advocacy. I am continually aiming to see advocacy as my newest form of self care. I am working on reminding myself that advocating for an appropriate rate, saying “no”, and speaking up when I see something amiss is all a form of freedom and self love.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092296516565
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolenemeivo/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC19CyDNFOzoj0p-LF4vLn9Q
- Other: jolenemeivo.com
Image Credits
Photos: Arson Sefi mezmeriscenes.com