I'm writing this to you as I watch the spinning wheel of my 2nd ever YouTube video upload. With 67 minutes remaining until the first episode of a project we've been working on for 2 years and imagining since my podcasting days goes live; this particular creative Thursday is feeling surreal.
When I started Creative Thursday, I wanted to design and make art. I didn't initially realize how valuable hearing others' stories was until I really started going for things in my life, and by things I mean - making the choices that feel risky and require BIG leaps of faith. Knowing that fellow business owners, creatives especially, made it through to the other side of those uncertain times over and over again {both professionally and personally} gave me the determination and confidence to keep going in everything I've had the courage to try. And those same stories have also taught me how to know when it's time to stop and change the direction I'm going.
When you're an artist, a creative business owner, an entrepreneur, especially one who is braving it in the online world in any number of industries, you learn super fast that there is no rule book. No one, not even the most successful, can tell you the exact path that will work to get you where you want to go. Not only because we are all making it up as we go, but the game has changed. This is why it's more important than ever to hear stories and learn from others, and the reason why I am creating this series. Ultimately though, You will always be the only one who can discover your path. Honestly, minus the fear and sleepless nights, the uncertainty is {supposed to be} one of the most exciting parts of choosing this life. And I know this to be true, because here I stand again, with 48 minutes remaining, headed into a new adventure filled with anticipation and uncertainty. And while it's scary, it's also crazy EXCITING! and worth everything it's taken to get here.
What I also didn't realize when I started out - besides the fact that Creative Thursday is a perfect name for a weekly series ;) - is that I too have a voice, a story to share and a desire to share it. It was podcasting that opened that door for me and then blogging and then my book. And the door has remained open because of you. As I wrote to my Facebook group yesterday, all of you, especially those who have commented, written me emails, taken my classes - over all these years - and most recently supported the Kickstarter for this series - your continued encouragement of me sharing my voice and story has given me the courage and dedication to continue developing this series to share more amazing people and their stories with you.
We're keeping it real. And by real, I mean genuine not drama. I've always been frustrated with quick snippets of interviews and conversations with all the predictable questions and no substance. I happen to be someone who does have an attention span for compelling, quality, audio and film creations. And I know I'm not the only one. These 6 episodes are long form, with each running between 50 and 55 minutes. There is editing of course, but mostly these are the entire conversations we had. And usually it takes about 20 minutes before we fully get into the focus that the episode reveals to us. While I knew all of the interviewees beforehand, and had a general idea of the topics I wanted to cover, I had no agenda. I wanted the conversation go where it wanted to go, and I knew all of these awesome, inspiring people could go there.
With all of that said, I hope you are going to LOVE this series.
To view the first episode featuring Erin Dollar of Cotton and Flax, click on the video link above. You can also subscribe to the new Creative Thursday YouTube channel and this way you will be notified every time a new episode is added over the next 5 Thursdays. I will send out an email when they go live as well. And stay tuned to my Periscope channel, as we're working on having live Q&A's with the interviewees. To learn more about Erin and her beautiful work with Cotton and Flax you can find her at cottonandflax.com.
