WIL WHEATON dot NET

50,000 Monkeys at 50,000 Typewriters Can't Be Wrong

the weight is the gift

  • WWdN in Exile

I can't say anything specific about the job, but I got to be a voice actor again today, working with people I love, on a show that I love. 

While we were all in the booth together between acts, waiting to hear from the director about our pickups, I took a moment to look around and appreciate where I was, who I was working with, and what I was working on. 

I talked a little bit about truly appreciating things a little bit on this week's Radio Free Burrito. My biggest regret from my years on TNG is that I was too young and immature to truly and fully appreciate how lucky I was to work with such wonderful people, even though I was able to enjoy it while I was there. I guess the only way to unlock the "appreciate" ability is by leveling up your Wisdom attribute, in other words.

In my life experience, I've come to believe that enjoying something and appreciating something each involve a sense of gratitude, but when you put both feelings together, you end up with something that is greater than the sum of its individual parts. The two don't go hand-in-hand unless you actively make the effort, but when you do … well, you end up having a day like today, where I enjoyed working with wonderful people while creating a fantastic characters, and I also appreciated the opportunity to be there.

  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related


Discover more from WIL WHEATON dot NET

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

6 January, 2010 Wil

Post navigation

This is, without a doubt, the coolest thing I’ve seen all year → ← In which the audio versions of Happiest Days and Just A Geek get a new home

21 thoughts on “the weight is the gift”

  1. Mark Haines says:
    6 January, 2010 at 2:27 pm

    And now for your reading pleasure…an article abour TNG characters that suck, the cute boy character that we should all hate, and not a mention of Wesely! As it should be!
    http://www.fanboy.com/2010/01/why-we-loathe-counselor-deanna-troi.html

  2. angie k says:
    6 January, 2010 at 2:34 pm

    I really like this post. Glad to hear you had a great day. Your point about enjoying something and appreciating something gives me something to meditate on.
    Cheers!

  3. Beyond Ken says:
    6 January, 2010 at 2:39 pm

    I knew it!!! Your on Toy Story Part Troi.

  4. Adamsusskind says:
    6 January, 2010 at 2:39 pm

    This wouldn’t be Aqualad related, would it? ;D
    Keep it up, I love your blog!
    -Adam

  5. yiftach says:
    6 January, 2010 at 2:58 pm

    Children very rarely experience that joint enjoyment and appreciation. I know this because
    1) I have a basic background in developmental psychology,
    2) I am a dad, and
    3) I was a child once myself (shocking, I know).
    Being young and immature is kinda part of the package of being a kid, Wil (as I know you’re aware now). I’m really happy for the gig today and the feelings it engendered in you.
    I’m even happier that I’ve been following you and reading your material long enough to have seen your growth and evolution as a human being that has brought you to the point of consciously recognizing this great moment today. (I hope I’m not sounding paternalistic or patronizing, I mean this in the best way possible; you’ve inspired me at many points along the way.)

  6. The Bitter Script Reader says:
    6 January, 2010 at 3:06 pm

    Just a question: since you clearly get a great deal out of the experience of recording with other voice actors, what do you have to do in order to get that sort of performance when being recorded alone? Is the challenge of remaining “in the moment” when not playing against the actual actors a pain or a fun workout?

  7. karohemd says:
    6 January, 2010 at 3:25 pm

    Can’t wait for the revelation of what it was. 😀
    I’ve been listening to the Lulu version Just a Geek all day at work today and I can’t wait to get back to it tomorrow.
    Thank you very much for the stories.

  8. JCB1978 says:
    6 January, 2010 at 3:27 pm

    That is so great! I bet they loved you too. You deserve to have all kinds of great doors open up for you. I hope 2010 brings you everything you want.

  9. Joeltelling says:
    6 January, 2010 at 3:33 pm

    What sets you apart from many others, besides the obvious, is that you are able to look back and appreciate those who you worked with. I’m sure there are those that don’t look back so fondly on people they interacted with at a younger age.

  10. www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=555150372 says:
    6 January, 2010 at 3:38 pm

    would it be Moe Czslak’s long-lost love child?

  11. Trickfred says:
    6 January, 2010 at 3:42 pm

    “the only way to unlock the “appreciate” ability is by leveling up your Wisdom attribute”
    In 100 years, that will be on a list of famous quotes attributed to you, I’ll wager.
    …Not that I’ll be around to pay up if it isn’t…

  12. Alan says:
    6 January, 2010 at 4:16 pm

    I believe that is is hard to really appreciate something while you have it. But appreciation of things lost in the past can help us appreciate the things we have today.
    Now I’m waiting for the post where you talk about your appreciation for your teenage self’s decision to leave Star Trek.

  13. Thiefree says:
    6 January, 2010 at 4:29 pm

    Ugh, why does levelling Wisdom take so much grinding?

  14. Wil says:
    6 January, 2010 at 6:17 pm

    Well, that’s the thing about Wisdom: you can’t just grind to get it because it has to be earned through hard work and many quests.
    You can certainly find party members who will give you bonuses to Wisdom (and, in fact, one of the quests to gain Wisdom involves removing party members who lack the Wisdom to help you gain your own) but ultimately, you have to earn it, and it’s never easy.

  15. Rick says:
    6 January, 2010 at 6:38 pm

    So does that mean that you have a new agent for voice acting work, or did the previous one realize the error of his ways and beg your forgiveness?

  16. Wil says:
    6 January, 2010 at 6:46 pm

    I am still without a VO agent. All the voice acting work I've gotten in the last few years has been the result of my manager's hard work and offers from people I've worked with before.
    I consider myself to be very, very lucky.

  17. Chris Hore says:
    6 January, 2010 at 8:06 pm

    You kinda gave a hint, is it Star Trek Online?

  18. FABIAN says:
    6 January, 2010 at 9:26 pm

    Wil,
    It is good to still read that you are still having fun with your art. The people around you, seem to be great, which can make you even better. You might find out, from them, that they are better because of your current work. Keep up the great work.
    FG

  19. Darrell Cramphorn says:
    7 January, 2010 at 7:51 am

    Wil,
    Your quote says a lot: ” I guess the only way to unlock the “appreciate” ability is by leveling up your Wisdom attribute, in other words.”
    I do remember your character from TNG, but I don’t know how old you are. I’m in my 40s and only recently learned to appreciate what you just described. If you’ve learned this ability at a younger age, kudos to you.

  20. pojut says:
    7 January, 2010 at 12:17 pm

    “I’ve come to believe that enjoying something and appreciating something each involve a sense of gratitude, but when you put both feelings together, you end up with something that is greater than the sum of its individual parts.”
    This sums up my relationship with my fiance perfectly. As an example: I love anything geeky, nerdy, etc. I enjoy sharing these things with my fiance, and the fact that she herself enjoys them and encourages me to show her more makes me appreciate what we have.
    On its own, a loved one encouraging you to do what you enjoy is simply a good thing. Combined with them enjoying who you are and what you are interested in makes it go from great to amazing.
    http://www.livingwithanerd.com

  21. Andrea Zander says:
    8 January, 2010 at 7:47 am

    Speaking of VO work, I’m sitting here with my 4yo DD, watching The Secret of NIMH. You’ve gone and touched another generation. Oh, and that’s another thing. DD wanted to Google images of unicorns the other day, and insisted on checking out THIS gem: http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2008/10/stretch-out-and.html. Oh what fun to explain. She had trouble with the whole “tank of rainbows” thing, and I’m sure she won’t recall it later. But thanks so much for making my job as parent that much more interesting. 😀

Comments are closed.

Related Posts

from the vault: the autumn moon lights my way

I wrote A LOT about my sons, and our relationship, during this five year mission. It's rewarding and special to look back at those posts, now, knowing everything I know.

WIL WHEATON dot NET is open for business

After a long Exile, I returned home this weekend. Until the heat death of the universe or I stop blogging (whichever comes first), I'll be back at WWdN.

Treat her like a lady, and she’ll always bring you home.

This is the second to last post I made at WWdN:in Exile. I’m copying it here for completion’s sake. In 2001, blogs were very new things. In fact, as much more time was […]

Treat her like a lady, and she’ll always bring you home.

This weekend, after way, way too many years in exile, I’m finally returning home. Wow. Typing that made me feel all the feels. I wasn't expecting that.

Recent Posts

catching halos on the moon

catching halos on the moon

I had such a good time with my garden last season. It was the first time I had ever capital-t Tended a garden in my life, and it was a […]

More Info
in the heat of the summer better call out a plumber

in the heat of the summer better call out a plumber

Back in the old days, the good old days, when it was generally accepted that Fascism and Nazis were bad, bloggers would write these posts that were sort of recaps […]

More Info
lift every voice and sing

lift every voice and sing

Lift every voice and sing,‘Til earth and heaven ring,Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;Let our rejoicing riseHigh as the listening skies,Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.Sing a song [...]

More Info
it picks me up, puts me down

it picks me up, puts me down

I’ve been open and unashamed about my mental health struggles and triumphs, always willing to talk about my CPTSD, always willing to supportively listen when someone chooses to share their [...]

More Info

 

  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Member of The Internet Defense League

Creative Commons License
WIL WHEATON dot NET by Wil Wheaton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://wilwheaton.net.

Search my blog

Powered by WordPress | theme SG Double
%d