Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Sisson
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Well, my story goes all the way back to the time where I was interested in stories. As a child, I had a vivid imagination, much like children have. Reading and watching stories through books, movies, TV shows, cartoons, music and later on video games, captured my attention. I still have that kind of imagination today and has matured over the years, but still maintain that kind of child-like wonder. Acting and writing then became the two main things I wanted to do, and my family could see I had interest and potential.
My family and I traveled a lot, so I saw many things and many people. Of course, that didn’t mean there weren’t any conflicts. I think the biggest conflict that came into my life was when my mom and dad’s marriage started deteriorating. Then I discovered a way to capture all those moments of conflict and moments of wonder: writing. In a sense it helped me cope, but also kept me from growing if I stayed in my little world of big possibilities. I needed to literally grow up. I couldn’t be Peter Pan for the rest of my life.
So, working job to job and supporting myself while also tackling this internal struggle of what I went through – parental divorce, skepticism, isolation, and the need to get out of my shell – was a challenge. In a way, I put most of that through my voice acting and writing.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Well, like I said, dealing with my parent’s separation and eventual divorce kept me behind in my creative pursuits. I often thought about how I could pursue acting and writing and use those two to support myself and make an impact. I’m the only artist in the family, so it’s not like a technical, trade job or anything. Not to mention the inherent behavior that I’ve formed from my father made it significantly worse when I’ve interacted with people presenting me with opportunities. Sure, having a skeptical mind and asking questions can be useful, but it can sometimes leave a bad taste for other people. Thus, it kept me from pursuing and challenging myself to step up as an artist and put my work out for people to see.
On the other hand, there have been a small handful of moments presented to me, like networking and meeting other artists who have gone through the same thing I have or a struggle that I can’t compete with when the person tells me about. I think, “Whoa, here I thought I had it worse. Maybe it’s possible to come out of this and focus on figuring out who you truly are,” or something along those lines. I am grateful today to have some people who are in the same camp as me and going on to join voice acting projects and writing assignments. Having those things to focus on helps keep things balanced.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a voice actor and writer. I’ve done narration, character roleplays for YouTube and other independent projects, and as a writer I write mostly short stories and essays. Most of which probably won’t be seen publically. Yet. The latter is a work in progress.
I guess what sets me apart from other artists is that I’m fascinated by how people can play certain characters that different from them and maintain them until the project is finished. It’s psychological and tells us more about humanity than what we already know. And in a sense, it helps me understand people better. I’ve had a lot of trouble understanding people sometimes, but watching movies or listening to radio plays helped me with it.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I think the first thing you must do when becoming an artist is to ask yourself why do you want to it. Why do you want to become a voice actor? A fiction writer? The reason has to come from within and not from someone else who’s already mastered it, because if you go in blindly thinking it’s all going to be fun or believe it will give you some monetary gain, you’re not going to get very far. You’ll get confused and end up being mad at yourself and realize it wasn’t meant for you.
The reason has to come within you. It’s that little voice in your head that tells you why and how to approach it. For me, there are a couple of reasons why I decided to go into voice acting and writing. The first is I’m interested in storytelling and how it’s designed. I use the term “story architect” rather than “storyteller” because it’s all about building a blueprint of where you want the story to go, how to make it grow, and how to make it last. That’s why when I have a story idea, I jot it down and summarize the idea and if can be explained in a few seconds, then it might be good. Then I go into the research phase; psychology, geography, and other research. Once I have all those then I’ll have plenty of things to keep me occupied.
My second reason is to help me get out of my shell. I’ve suffered from generalized anxiety disorder and depression all my life, so being able to play a character – voicing them or playing them on a stage – helps me get away from the mundane and mostly bad things about my life. Then once completed, I can take it off and hang up in my “acting wardrobe” and move on to the next character.
So, whatever reason you may have, it has to be true to you. It has to be something you believe and have that belief serve as a daily reminder that this is a skill you can do for the rest of your life.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patt_man/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatManVAs
- Other: psisson@protonmail.com
Image Credits
Deano Kaye Photography
https://www.facebook.com/DeanoKayePhotography/
Me
