Meet Patricia Shade

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Patricia Shade. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with PATRICIA below.

PATRICIA, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?

Throughout my life, I always took what I called “calculated risks” — those are risks that took me out of my comfort zone, required some bravery, without totally jumping off into the abyss. Why? I’ve always wanted to do things in my life that had “purpose and meaning”. (I’m not sure where that came from). That philosophy was my blueprint, my interests the launching pad and baby steps heading in the direction of those interests that shored up my bravery to continue.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Audiobook narration is my third major career change – from two decades each of working for a Fortune 500 company and then as a Montessori lower elementary teacher. During my two subsequent careers, I moonlighted as an actor/singer, became a mom, dabbled in art, and raised puppies for a service dog organization.

I came to audiobook narration during the first month of the pandemic when looking for an alternative to recording my daily “read aloud” sessions for my students who were learning from home, which incidentally, was always the favorite part of my day in the classroom.

What I discovered was that my life up until this point had been a preparation for this perfect new career — just like teaching, audiobook narration is primarily an acting job — only better. You get to set your own hours, play all the parts and, if you’re voicing non-fiction, learn something new and interesting. So, in 2022, I retired from teaching to do audiobooks as my full time work.

I love the anonymity of audiobook narration. Unlike other forms of acting, no one knows what you look like. As an older woman who often feels invisible out in the real world, this work is freeing. It’s a way to have a true presence in the world without being subjected to the stereotypes that come with the ageism I have experienced.

My greatest happiness comes when authors tell me how thrilled they are to hear their stories come to life and that they experienced their own work in a new way.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Knowledge of acting and character development. Get comfortable with accents.

2. Learn the technical parts of the job through reputable online courses.

3. Have a bias for action. Do something every day towards your goal (audition, make demos, work on your website, etc.)

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

I’ve learned over the years that just because you CAN do something, doesn’t mean you should. I’ve always been a “Jack of all trades“ and when I was younger, I thought this was a liability. I could do lots of things, but I wasn’t great at just one thing. Turns out, being a generalist makes for a good Montessori teacher, parent, actor and audiobook narrator.

But, choosing what to spend time on is tricky. I have found little success in forcing myself to work on something I “should“ do for very long. Two things cause me to be sufficiently motivated to dive deep: (1) Knowing my “why“ — examining and understanding the purpose and meaning behind my undertaking, and (2) Necessity. An example of the latter is when I took an accents class. After the course, I resolved to practice a new accent every week until I learned the myriad of accents I had access to. This quickly fell to the wayside until the day I was hired to do a book that required Irish, Russian, Indian, old Maine and southern accents! That immediate need became a new “why” which allowed me to easily buckle down and learn them for the work. So, your “why” can (and should) change as you journey through life.

So, although well-roundedness can be an asset, I believe that having a “why“ is necessary for “mastery”. (I put this in quotes because can we ever really master something?). I’ve always thought of myself as a “serial hobbyist” — becoming intrigued with an activity or skill, and taking a deep dive with my “why” being essentially, “This seems fun! Let’s see where it goes“ and doing it as long as it brings me joy. More often than not, it leads me to the next step along the path.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://patriciashade.com
• Instagram: @patricia-shade-narrator
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PatriciaShadeAudio?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits

Headshot: Gabrielle Battista