Don’t Sweat Streaks

So I missed publishing a video the other day. My 10-day streak of posting gone just like that. No excuses, but it is what it is.

The challenge now is getting back on that horse, and not letting “not posting” to become the streak, which can easily happen! Getting back to recording, editing, and publishing, even when not inspired, or not feeling well – that’s the battle!

My reasoning behind all this posting is learning. If I only posted once a week, I wouldn’t learn much. But this way I get a feel for how to share them effectivley, what subjects to hit, and so much more. Each video hopefully gets better than the last, and now at #15 I feel like they are! There’s a small bit of growth, and I’m okay with that.

If I had taken the last two weeks and only made two episodes, I would not have learned nearly as much, which I why I believe it’s a good idea to just keep making content, no matter what you’re doing.

Worried that you’ll be annoying? People post about which TV shows they’re watching, and complain about the weather, and they do that 50 times a day. You’re posting one thing a day, a thing you made and built and created from NOTHING.

Don’t worry about being annoying, focus on putting more of YOU out there into the world.

Over and Over

Do things a little, and then do them a lot!

Like, I started off barely able to run 5 minutes at a time. Almost three later I can run like 2.5 hours and not walk weird afterwards.

Same with music! Ya might suck today, but keep at it and a few years later you’ll be okay!

Not about QUIT YOUR JOB FOLLOW YOUR PASSION. Do your stuff when you can, and maybe a decade from now it’s what you do.

Lots of the artists you see out there touring and stuff and recording have been doing it since they were teenagers. Objects in motion stay in motion.

Different Costs in Different Cities

My friend from NYC drove to PA today for a tattoo. I only have one tattoo, so I don’t know all that much about the economics of getting work done, but she told me how much more affordable it was to get work done in a smaller city.

Sure, they have to pay for a rental car, and gas, but those things lead to other things – like dinner with her friend! Win win!

It’s fun to think of costs related to geographic locations. Rents are cheaper in smaller cities, which can change how we think about incomes.

Ten Years

I love this bit from a recent Creative Mornings interview:

My illustrations have evolved stylistically in the past 10 years. Originally, my work was heavily influenced by low brow art and depicted a grungier aesthetic. I was very determined to create a career out of illustration and came to the realisation that I would need to refine my style into an aesthetic that was more commercially viable. With this came a long period of experimentation and research into different styles and techniques. Today, my illustration style is light-hearted in nature, playful and vibrant.

Sofia Varano

Every overnight success is ten years in the making, right? And probably longer. Hell, I turn 43 this year and I’m still trying to figure things out.

Assemble a Team

It only took me a few decades, but I feel like I have a team finally. Someone I riff idea with via text a few times a week. Someone I chat on the phone week a few times a week. Another that I swap emails with.

When I was doing Skull Toaster, I used to have a roster of writer friends helping me with the nightly newsletter. After awhile I started doing all the writing again, though I’m not sure why. One thing that I lost from that? The idea of team! There were no more emails that meandered into other subjects about home life, or day jobs, or puppies. Poof. Gone. And I know Skull Toaster suffered because of it.

See, that’s the thing about putting yourself out there; other people will see it. Which then leads to emails and conversations on Twitter. Then maybe you start working with those people who like your stuff. Or you join forces and start something else.