Meet Veronica Barrera

We were lucky to catch up with Veronica Barrera recently and have shared our conversation below.

Veronica, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I will start by saying that creative jobs don’t always pay the most money, but it’s probably the most fulfilling in my life. I read this book by Elizabeth Gilbert called “Big Magic” and she talks about having a day job to pay the bills and so you can keep your creative juices flowing. For a long time, she didn’t quit her day job, just so she could keep having a relationship with her writing and it took the pressure off to write something big. I know people who are doing quite well making good money from creative jobs.

I keep my creativity alive by trying new things I wouldn’t normally do. Sometimes, I like to take risks and sometimes it works. Yes, sometimes there are failures too, but that’s part of staying alive, as I call it. Like for instance, I am a voice actor and I try to have a social media presence. However, I am doing a 31-day challenge where I got back into drawing – it was a first love before I did voice acting. I am really enjoying it and having fun! It’s giving me that spark again for drawing.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Well, I am a voice actor and podcaster. I started about 7 years ago and I was excited and nervous. It was definitely not easy at first and took class after class and it was just a wealth of knowledge. But the main thing I kept grasping, is that it’s hard work and nothing is guaranteed. You have to work hard for what you want in life. Nothing is handed to you. There were challenges of course, building my home studios and all the iterations they went through. Learning about audio technology is always hard, but so rewarding. I’ve learned along the way that not everyone has your best interest at heart and that’s okay. Learn from those mistakes and pick yourself up and try again. Don’t let anything stop you and keep on going.

I want people to know that you can always change and adapt. Nothing is set in stone. You can control the narrative. For example, my podcast is called Voice Acting Stories, it’s on all podcast streaming platforms. I changed the name a while ago, because I felt that we were talking about voice acting, but it’s the stories people stayed for. I’ve had so many amazing guests on the show and continue to do so. Also, it’s so rewarding to have a sponsor finally on the podcast. It’s hard work, but so rewarding to give back to the VO community! I’ve been thinking about teaching a podcast class as some point down the road, but we shall see.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

First, I would say that having a booth is key if you want to have a career in voice acting, so you have use it whenever you want. Second, is taking direction well is another key thing – because if the casting director or director can’t direct you to make it easier for them, they will go onto the next person. Third, I would say that knowing how to use your equipment (mic, interface, DAW, etc) well, because I edit so quickly now.

Take classes to get better at your craft. You are a performer, first and foremost. Yes, all the other things I mentioned are equally as important too. I heard a saying once; how badly do you want it? Food for thought.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

I would say that my parents made so many sacrifices for my sister and I. I am forever grateful for them. I’ll pick two if that’s okay. First, my parents knew that I loved drawing, just like my older sister. I wanted to keep drawing and my parents recognized that I had talent too. They told me to test into this public school that was like a mini college for “gifted” students. I took this art test where I had to draw and I got it. If they didn’t push me along, I wouldn’t have had the chance to test into this school. I wouldn’t have gone to art school and a successful career. Second, I was teased a lot when I was in middle school, because I had crooked teeth and dressed funny. I never was happy about it. When I was in college my parents surprised me with braces. My parents made a hard financial sacrifice to get me braces. They dipped into their savings so I could get braces at the a big time college. It was much cheaper, but still very expensive. I will be forever grateful for them for making that sacrifice for me. It really changed me as a person and I have more confidence now when I smile.

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Image Credits

Joe Funk Photography, Society Voice Arts Awards, Two Dudes Photo

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