Yesterday, I got off a call with my podcast producer, who was in the middle of editing the first episode of my new show, and 3 words kept ringing in my head after we hung up: “I’m really struggling.”
I’m really struggling. I’m really struggling. I’m really struggling. This it how I felt for over a month as I procrastinated on executing the raw footage for this first episode. And now, I was hearing these same words from the professional I had hired to help me bring this vision to life.
"This is not a format I’ve ever done before,” she said. “I think it will be absolutely beautiful in the end. But, I am just really struggling right now to figure out the process and get it to the finish line.”
And, I felt for her. We had spent over 2 months chatting about a fieldnotes podcast concept, and I had spent another month coordinating my guest’s and my own audio segments. And, now, my producer was experiencing all the novelty and disruptions of executing this concept on the backend. So, we brainstormed together: ways to tweak the process, tools to streamline communications and edits, and considerations for the show’s sustainability…(more on the show later)
I share this behind-the-scenes tidbit because, oftentimes, this is the reality of pursuing our creative endeavors. It is sticky, messy, tests our patience, and a true labor of love.
And, these feelings are exactly what our last Community Coffee Chat was about, where I invited fellow creative entrepreneurs Gretchen Robards and Nicole Rangel to share candidly about how they: overcome the fear of being seen, invite more joy into the hard work of building their dreams, and grapple with the complex realities of financially investing in themselves.
Gretchen Robards is a multi-disciplinary creative working across photography, creative direction, and design, with movement, music, and writing woven into everything she does. Nicole Rangel is a holistic educator and papermaker who handcrafts (and teaches others to handcraft) plantable paper goods that are designed to be shared and planted to grow organic flowers, herbs, and food-bearing plants. And, this conversation spoke directly to my heart.
Quick reminder to join us for…
A Summer Picnic with Creative Lunch Club in Berkeley on 7/24 at 12pm PST. RSVP here.
Summer Vision-boarding: A Mid-Year Reset & Manifestation Party on 7/29 in Berkeley, CA at 6pm. Get tickets here.
And, our July Possibilities Club on 7/31 at 3pm PST over Zoom. Open to paid subscribers only. RSVP here.
5 Takeaways from Our Conversation
If you’re a paid subscriber, feel free to go straight to our full conversation by clicking the video above. Or, you can browse below for the topics that stayed with me the most.
1. Curiosity is a compass.
Some people call it “distraction”, but curiosity is often the map to where we’re going next. At times, it can show up in delightfully unserious ways. In others, it can feel quite existential.
