Less Socials, More Chats

As platforms evolve, so has my relationship with social media (and not for the better).

Most business gurus say you need to be everywhere, all the time, posting daily to stay "top of mind." That's how they sell their own courses and coaching, after all. But at what cost?

People often tell me they're amazed at how frequently they see my posts - assuming I have boundless time and energy to maintain my presence on social media. Here's the truth: I don't. Many reels you see in my feeds were queued up on Buffer 6 months ago.

And that's exactly why I'm writing this.

Here's what I hope to take into 2025:

1. Escaping the Content Treadmill

In just the past year, content has become increasingly ephemeral. Creating engaging material requires significant effort, research, or financial investment in outsourcing if you can't. It's become an all-or-nothing game - either you treat it as a full-time job or hire a full-time team to keep up.

I've found that keeping my social posts focused gives me more time for what truly matters: offline connections and direct online interactions. Anything that feels like "broadcasting" or "performing" can GET IN THE BIN.

2. Quality Connections Over Quantity Reach

Twitch streams are great because there is real-time interaction there. We can play games together. Chat on Discord. Discuss our latest entertainment discoveries. Keep up with each other's lives.

While I can't maintain a regular streaming schedule alongside my voice acting career (it simply doesn't provide the financial stability my voiceover work does), the authentic connections make it worthwhile. Sure, my audience size there has dwindled due to the lack of consistency - a requirement to facilitate my flexible acting schedule - the MVPs who have stuck around are such a joy to see when they can pop in.

However, my most valuable professional relationships have come from direct contact; whether through social media, email, or events. Terms like "cold marketing" or "networking" make me cringe. "Making friends" feels kinda fake.

Therefore, I prefer to think of these interactions as "conversations."

Direct genuine contact.

When someone's work moves me, I want them to know. I've experienced firsthand how meaningful it is when someone tells me my stream brightened their day, a reel made them laugh or my performance touched them. It feels fucking great to be seen, and I want to pay that forward.

3. Content Isn't the Core Work

Yes, social media is a marketing tool, and yes, I need marketing to get hired. But when clients book me, they deserve my absolute best. I can't deliver that if I'm exhausting myself creating three "viral" Instagram reels daily instead of honing my craft or - God forbid - actually living a life that makes me a more interesting person. I love my recording booth, but there's a whole world beyond those padded walls.

4. Energy Over Everything

Through years of discovering what my body can do, I've learned that stress significantly inhibits my freedom as a performer. The tension it generates in my body can be painful, even debilitating.

The main source of stress? It isn't mean comments, or the "comparison game;" I'm lucky to dodge that bullet which plagues many actors. If that happens to be you, reading this, stop being mean to youself where you can. You deserve better. A fleeting moment of "They/I did great!" is worthy of celebration. It's an extraordinarily vulnerable profession to pursue with the level of vigour we need to maintain it.

For me, it's the constant cacophony of social media; information overload, endless notifications, clickbait headlines, engagement-bait posts, everywhere, all the time.

Every nanosecond spent parsing whether this information is remotely relevant to me, or even real (hello, unregulated gen AI) in the current landscape, is quite frankly sucking the soul right out of every cell of my body.

And so, I want my soul back - my creative spark.

I want to read, write, play my piano, draw, paint, laugh, cry, talk and play with real life human beings that also love these things. People who love walking their dogs through the Botanical Gardens between breaks reading beneath the tree canopy, or strolling along the beach with family on a Sunday morning.

I crave life.

Which brings me to my mantra for 2025:

Simple and Sustainable.

Check back later this year to see if I've made a big mistake or a huge step forward.

And if you want to work with a voice artist who keeps it simple and makes you look good in the meantime, email me: [email protected]

www.voicesofnina.com