Discipline, Repetiton, and Insanity

"Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results." - Rita Mae Brown, Sudden Death (Bantam Books, New York, 1983), p. 68

The above quotation has also been attributed in several forms to Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin (it's all about the Benjamins, apparently), Chinese folk knowledge, and to message board trolls from Toledo at 2AM who think that this is some kind of remarkably clever axiom.

It isn't clever, and it isn't correct.


Success comes from discipline. Discipline comes largely from the applied repetition of beneficial behavior. Of course repeating destructive behavior is crazy, that is a given and not a particularly keen observation.

In voice over, repetition and discipline can be just as important as creativity and imagination. Vocal exercises, body exercises, and facial exercises done as part of a regimen will lead to a disciplined command of one's voice over craft, and hopefully success. Building good technique and habits will lead to efficient muscle memory that can aid with both making the most of a "cold" unrehearsed read and engaging one's full creativity for a prepared read. It can aid with both the ability to improvise in auditions and to maintain consistency over long form voice over narrations. Hard work just makes everything easier.

I strongly recommend those seeking discipline through repetition for voice over to visit Connie Terwilliger's excellent resources on her site there are also lists of other great books on the matter there as well.

So do those tongue twisters every day. Try to touch your chin with your tongue. Massage your face. Go ahead with your yoga or yoga-like breathing each morning.

You are not insane.