For me, the less space, the better the performance.
I have claustrophobia. It shows up in weird places and at weird times. You might expect to witness all of the negative symptoms associated with a 'classic claustrophobe' such as sweaty palms and armpits, a flushed face, rapid speech, enlarged pupils and quick, shallow breathing when faced with certain circumstances, such as in small, enclosed spaces, like an elevator, airplane or a crowded theater.
I experience all of these symptoms, and then some, including the ones that you can't see with the naked eye, such as the beads of sweat accumulating in the center of my chest, a rapid heart rate, confused thinking, occasionally tunnel vision, and pretty much all of the time, out-right fear.
The funny part is that I can experience these feelings even when I'm not in enclosed spaces. I could be in the middle of a field, or at the waters edge at a lake or at the ocean, riding in a car, or going for a walk.
Or even when wearing tight socks, a turtle neck shirt, a pullover sweater or when the zipper gets stuck on a sweatshirt. I have been known to grab a pair of scissors to cut myself out of a $350 dress when I couldn't get the zipper to move on the first try.
An actor's stage can be any size
Which is why it's so strange that I so enjoy being in my recording booth. It is tight in there! It's the back third of my clothes closet. It's not a walk-in. It is about 2 feet by 3 feet. That's without my equipment; namely two mic stands, an iPad holder (holding an iPad), a music stand, plus a four drawer storage cart on wheels, full of papers, notes and office supplies, which is topped with two open storage boxes filled with clipboards, notebooks and blank paper, both lined and plain.
It is also full of clothes! I have robes hanging behind my shotgun mic, and summer tops hanging over the clipboards. Up above that I have stacks of children's storybooks that I read to my kids many, many years ago, as well as a few random Barbie dolls. Some vintage, and well worn, and a few in the too-nice-to-play with category. You never know... they might be worth something some day...
It is lined with sound absorbing blankets, (which look like giant moving blankets,) which line three sides of my space, and the fourth side, where the sliding door is, I have a separate sound blanket hanging, plus a twin size comforter from Target. Because it's so tight, I use a partially opened keyboard stand that I drape the free standing sound blanket and the comforter over, so that I can at least move my arms without banging my elbows into the sides of my booth.
Warm & cozy
But you know what? Just like I enjoy sleeping with at least three blankets covering me every night, no matter what the weather is like outside or the temperature is in the house (I just adjust the type of blanket based on the season), I seem to feel most comfortable and like me when I am all warm and cozy. My Mom used to say when we were kids eating breakfast together at the kitchen table, that if we had our placemats touching the person next to us and we had at least two cereal boxes lined up side-by-side in front of us, that we were in a 'warmbie house'.
Well, when I am in my little recording booth, I am for sure in my 'warmbie house'. And I find that I relax the most and give myself the most freedom to just be me when I am in there.
Even without the cereal boxes.
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