13308: Logic vs. Magic

Raw transcript:

Two words, five letters, both ending in
gic.
Logic versus magic, and why we as human
beings, especially performers, have to
leave room for magic in our lives. In
this episode of the VO Heroes podcast,
I am clearly a leftbrain person saddled
with a rightbrained
uh career and uh joy and pursuit. I am
very very logical and it’s taken me a
long time to realize that because I’ve
chosen to be a performer as you have an
artist,
logic sometimes just doesn’t add up. And
instead of logic,
you have to believe in the magic. And
that can drive somebody who takes pride
in being scientific
uh precise
uh methodical. it can drive them just a
little bit crazy. I I I see it in my
peers who are great actors but have been
raised to be rewarded for figuring
things out, for figuring out why things
work, for understanding that when they
work, here’s how they work. Right?
So, I’m listening to a book right now
called Alchemy by Rory Sutherland, who
is uh the guy at Oglevie, the ad agency,
and lovely man, very very good author as
narrator uh did a great job with his
book. And what he talks about is those
things in our lives that simply can’t be
explained logically. that can’t be
explained process-wise, step by step by
step. They just don’t make sense. And so
much of that is what happens in our
business. Whether we’re a writer,
whether we’re a voice talent, whether we
are an actor, sometimes things happen
much more often than typical
categories of work. you know, like when
I think about an electrician or I think
about a plumber or I think about
um
the kinds of jobs that you know if if
this is turned a particular way that’s
going to happen every single time. That
doesn’t happen in our business ever.
like the weirdest things happen in our
business and we have to be open to the
possibility that that’s going to and
it’s not going to be satisfying to be
able to not say well here’s why you know
why did that actor get the job why did
they book that writer to do the article
uh why did that narrator get that
particular title why didn’t I get those
things why did I get those things why
did I book those things It’s just the
phrase that Rory came up with, which I
think is something that you could
probably emlazen uh on a reminder card
and put it in front of you, is you have
to leave room for the magic.
You just do.
And a part of me is like, hey, that’s
kind of worth celebrating. Not just like
going, oh golly gosh, you got to leave
room for the magic and not worry about
trying to explain everything. Well, how
about celebrating that instead of uh you
know it being an excuse? Like how cool
is it? Hey, you get to leave room for
the magic in what we do. You don’t
always get to leave room for the magic
when you’re a machine shop operator. You
know, you don’t always get to leave room
for the magic when you’re a a professor
or a mathematician or uh anybody who is
rewarded for being logical and being
precise. Sometimes that just doesn’t
happen in what we’ve chosen to pursue.
I imagine that
if you’re watching this, you’re going,
“Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I understand
what you’re Or if you’re like, “Okay, is
that what that’s all about?”
Maybe this is putting words to some
feelings that you’ve had or that you
rely on. You know, you never know what’s
coming. It’s fun to know that it’s it’s
going to be a surprise. Let me know in
the comments below. I’d love to know.
And go check out Alchemy. I’m going to
put a link for it in the show notes. Um,
again, Rory does a great job. Uh, he’s a
really smart guy and really creative. He
does a lot of really cool allegorories.
Uh he talks in the book about why Red
Bull, even though it tastes like, you
know, motor oil, uh competes
successfully with something that tastes
much better, Coca-Cola, you know, like
how did that happen? You know, he talks
about the fact that if they did market
research, one of the questions might ask
is, would you buy something that tastes
as awful as this? You know, so it it’s
really interesting. Uh the book is
great. Um, it’s going to go on my list
of of highly recommendeds. Uh, again,
it’s called Alchemy. Again, link in the
show notes, but go beyond the show notes
on VO Heroes
and let me know in the comments below if
you are at ease with the notion that
pursuing things as an artist
necessarily requires that you leave room
for the magic. And how do you handle
that? Tell me what your what your
thoughts are when you can’t safely
predict what’s going to happen in the
business that we’ve pursued. Hit the
like button if you like what you’re
you’re seeing or hearing. Uh you can
subscribe to the channel. You can click
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when the next episode comes out. Feel
free to forward this to another actor
who’s like, “Well, I need to make money
now and I need to know how I’m going to
make money and I need to know whether
I’m going to get booked on things.” if
they just are frustrated by the fact
that this isn’t a a a predictable
business or a a a a logical business to
be in. It’s more of a magical business
to be in. And join my mailing list if
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see something that says get on the list.
We’d love to have you. I’m David H.
Lawrence the 17th. I thank you so much
for watching and for listening and I
will see you in the next episode of the
VO Heroes podcast.

(from YouTube)