During my time in college, I tried to challenge myself as much as I could. I took acting classes, even though I was knowingly going into a technical theatre profession. I participated in activities and tasks within the theatre department (and outside of it) that I knew would prepare me later in life. After graduation, I took an internship out of state, something I’d never done prior, and had a blast.

I think the thing that took me most out of my comfort zone, and thus made me a more confident human being, was taking a camera class.

Television and film acting was something that excited me when I was younger. However, college aged me didn’t think so. I would later have experienced years of hating my voice on recordings or loathing watching anything that I was filmed in. I even went as far as running out of the room and closing my ears tightly if my mom played a video for someone and I was either talking or singing (and honestly, I still do that, but more out of self criticizing).

I had helped some friends out with their acting for the camera class once, which basically just involved me either holding the camera for a shot or being an extra in the scene. It got me thinking that maybe I would want to try my hand at that someday, to bring myself out of this hatred of being on recordings. I mean, a class that made you sit and watch yourself on the big screen? How bad could that be?

My senior year of college came and I was enrolled in the class. It turns out, acting for a camera wasn’t that bad. Watching myself on camera, however, was a process in itself. The first couple of assignments, I looked like a deer in headlights, like someone was about to give me the worst news of my life that I’d already knew about. Of course, it got easier to watch myself, and by the time the final project came around, I was practically a pro at watching and critiquing myself on camera.

Now, I’m continuing that getting out of my comfort zone thing by lending my voice to my first voice over. The theatre I’m working at is producing a new play that has an airport announcer, and it turns out I’m the person for the job. Good thing both of my parents worked in the airline industry.

All joking aside, it’s still hard sometimes to hear my voice over the speaker. It was nerve wracking recording it even! But, in the end, I’m still better than I was before taking a class that basically made you be comfortable with seeing and hearing yourself on camera. I can still work and do what I need to do without running away when my scene comes up.

Though I may still run out of the room if I see a scene from my camera class.

Kidding of course.