We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Vin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Vin , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Becoming Vin.

Saying yes to the endeavor of audiobook narration and voiceover was like frosting on the cake of becoming Vin.
But before even that first bite, came a lot of struggles, shedding of old skin, and fear

In the summer of 2023, I quit my job/career (of 15 years) to pursue something new. I wasn’t being challenged where I was and there was certainly no room for creativity or growth, Plus I was extremely burned out. For anyone that values financial stability, they would’ve looked at my bank account, looked at my letter of resignation… and imploded. But I knew I was worth more and I knew I deserved to give myself a shot.

At the beginning of this journey of self-discovery, my life involved a lot of travel, crafting, reading and listening to audiobooks. I was following this serious need for adventure in all its capacities.
That was a beautiful time- when I started understanding the beauty of self-care. I quit bad habits and started healthy ones.

I was surviving on very VERY limited income from contract work (unrelated to voiceover work)
Through therapy (thank the stars for sliding scale therapists) and a partner supporting me the best they could, things started to take a positive turn. I had a fire under my a** to explore different career options and opportunities. I signed up for a few classes/courses for a field I thought I would find success in and studied aggressively, in between solo cross country road trips to see family and friends (almost exclusively listening to audiobooks or SleepToken)
Really what was happening was an attempt to make up for lost time over the years by filling it with all the things I had missed out on.

Well… about 2 months into my self-proclaimed career break and self-discovery journey, I fell ill to the longest bout of chronic depression I have ever experienced.
Like many others, I couldn’t tell you why or what exactly pushed me into the black lake of depression, but slowly, between rejected job applications and the lacking feeling of fulfillment I found myself more and more often lying in the dark, being consumed by all that was not.

I was in a year-long depression. Unable to move. The fun-loving adventurer that had started all these positive habits, with a beautifully forward-thinking mindset, vanished.

I wish I could say more about this time, but, to be honest, it was just dark in all the ways. I was numb, Lots of it is a blur that I don’t remember.

until.
I began to listen to audiobook.
I escaped into these fantasy worlds, or into a new relationship, or turned into a otherworldly creature. I was able to transport into these places, people or things, and begin to feel again.

I began to feel everything again.

and when I couldn’t afford audible credits, I began to read some of the books I had aloud.

reading or listening to these books inspired me to start creating. When I read about a ball in a book I was inspired to sketch ballgowns Or when I listened to an epic battle I started looking into chainmail armor creation or started sculpting unusual clay characters.

I began to look beyond my own little creations and thought about how these authors and narrators I listen to helped me feel again. Feel safe. Feel seen. Feel love, feel a different kind of sadness even.
My depression began to melt away. (I must also include that cuddling with my cats and dogs also helped immensely during the dark times)

and I thought…what if I could do that? make a career out of that?

So, with the last available amount on my credit card before maxing it out, I went to a pawn shop and purchased an AKG USB microphone, and here we are a year and a half later.

To sum things up, I quit my job, felt alive, fell depressed, lost myself, shed all that was the old character I was, and found ‘Vin.”

Now (though still very new) I feel I’ve found something so much more beautiful than a standard job or career.
Now I get to be anybody I want, I get to go to places the world has never seen, become a creature or a warrior.

I’ve discovered that being in cocreation with authors and other artists is the most beautiful thing for my soul. It is where I am in JOY.
It’s an honor to be able to do this work and I hope I can provide that comfort and trust and joy for listeners, as it did for me.

Soon into the beginning of my narration journey I entered into a competition on social media for ‘up and coming narrators with little to no experience’
It was called The Next Dark Star Competition and it was started by a small audiobook production company, Dark Star Romance.

Of over 120 submissions I made it into the competition, narrowed down to 24 contestants.
That’s when I really had to dive into a social media presence for Vin the Audiobook Narrator.
Entering this competition was a huge step for me on its own. I’m a naturally shy person (so narrating in my tiny dark booth at home alone really is perfect for me) so having to put my face out there and make videos and be extraverted was an interesting challenge.
Skipping over a few things regarding the competition – I didn’t win, but I made it to the top 16, I was then offered the opportunity to travel to New Orleans to meet the rest of the contestants and partake in a weekend long event filled with workshops, seminars and adventure.  
I have met many authors, narrators, and other like minded creatives that I consider great friends (some I even hope to be life-long friendships)

I get to travel around to attend different book events which are incredibly fun and provide perfect networking opportunities. (again, very shy, still getting used to that)
I’ve got a few of my projects because of them.

Only one year in and this has been a beautiful journey, where I get to learn more and more about myself and the industry every day.
Talk about adventure.

 (And to give just a bit more… while VO work has filled that hungry creative artistic part of “VIN” I still needed to make ends meet. I never really like the notion of simply having a job with no enjoyment, nor have I felt making a living through art creation was sustainable for me, NOR did I believe that the ‘traditional nine to five grind working for the man’ was my path in life at all…
Along my journey I had lots of time for introspection and found that throughout all career pursuits I found myself down throughout my life, there was a common need for me to ‘help.’
I took this and ran with it. Deciding I can have my cake and pie and eat them both…or whatever the saying is… I started my own business, which allows me to fill that part of me that yearns to help those who need it
( I choose to keep the details of this private/separate from “vin, the audiobook narrator”
It took many, many months, but I was able to grow my clientele enough to make it a sustainable business, allowing me the freedom and control to create my own schedule and work for myself)

That’s my wildly jumbled story! I appreciate your time!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

*I probably answered some of this within my first question’s response but*

I am Vin.
I am an Audiobook Narrator. I primarily narrate romance! Mostly NSFW romance that has been in the paranormal romance genre so far.
I plan to move into commercial or video game type work in the next year, but am loving the audiobook and audiodrama projects I am working on now!

My voice is suitable for darker or heavier content. I love narrating all genres of romance, and land a lot of Paranormal Romance, solo-narration reverse harem romances, most set in a fantastical world with an array of different accented characters,
My voice has also been described as ” like fine wine” which is just a stellar compliment to receive.

I strive to create a safe space for listeners to be in their joy, just as I am. I know there are many people who listen to audiobooks as a way of escapism (good or bad)
all I can hope is that they feel safe, and that if there is something that they can’t say or express right now, maybe the words read by me can say it for them (let that be as literal or figurative as you see necessary)

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

I think art that challenges one’s views is how ‘creative ecosystems’ come into existence. So, when someone is able to see this art for the first time they’re able to engage with it, or question it. That little sparkle of acknowledgment is what creates the ripple within the ecosystem. Engage with art! It is what makes the human experience worth living.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

There is so much I have to learn within the VO space still. I have learned from many different resources so far, but for me and my journey the greatest resource so far has simply been the community. I’m a part of a narrator community that freely shares resources, casting calls, tips and tricks, etc.
Within this group I feel comfortable to ask the questions I might think are dumb, or to get feedback on an audition before I submit it, etc. I found myself surrounded by people that support each other in growth, learning, and achievement and this I find to be a very powerful resource,

Contact Info:

• Instagram: VoicedByVin