Spring is on here in Western North Carolina. Well, as much as we can have our spring when a ton of our trees were knocked out from last fall’s hurricane. And while the pollen still manages to make the attack, I still find a reason to wind up on a brewery patio in the middle of the day with the dog – it’s just too nice out. Who can work at a time like this?!
But that is today. Saturday we were met with a fierce cloud of smoke as the nearby wildfires burned. Fueled by the seasonal winds and the excess of deadfall the smoke made for a rather apocalyptic vibe. Yet that didn’t keep tourists from wandering the arts districts with their kids in tow. Fortunately, rains have drenched the area, and things are getting time-to-mow-the-lawn sort of green.
***
A few years ago, I was diagnosed with ADHD. The real kind they give you all sorts of fun little pills for. A big part of the last year or so is relearning the “why” behind everything and how it impacts the today. For example: knowing that I can create something really interesting in the moment, but fail at the follow-through (usually when the “sale” or “money” thing happens). I can’t help it; I get the feeling like things are “old” far too quickly and I end up moving on right when someone else finds a need for the stuff I make.
With this in mind, I am going back through the OutWord archives to rebuild the product in a way that can be effectively handed off to a sales team and place the knowledge in the right hands. Already I’m seeing a massive shift in how the chaos-backed, story-driven approach that I foster with OutWord needs a rejuvenation to look prettier among the AI chatbots. I still think copywriting – as a process – is vital to the development of a business, and AI is robbing people of the experience.
Process over product, that sort of thing.
***
Spring brings about an energy that I put into planning. In addition to all of the OutWord work, I’ve also juggled around what it would take to open up a working studio/ gallery space in town. It’s something I touched on last week, but have been chewing on for a while.
One thing that remains to be true: I always gain energy when I get to work with other people. Being with others, in a space, is something we don’t get enough of nowadays. This is why I’m also planning out a series of “office hours” sort of events. Online or in person, I put a spot of time on the calendar and leave the link open. Drop in, say hey, ask questions about copywriting, marketing, and creating. Or just bounce an idea through and see what comes back. More on this soon.
***
Photography has come back to me in a big way. From shooting to working with subjects to diving into the editing, I love all of it even though I don’t have a lot to show for it. I’ve lost a ton of hard drives over the years, started over, and wished I did better at backing things up. The mantra a lot of photographers I know follow is to have three drives (in addition to the working disk and the cloud backups). Three backups, and one of them lives off-site with the idea that you periodically cycle a home drive with the off-site one, wherever it lives.
For what files I do have, the arrangement is a mess. Every folder is an ad-hoc situation to house projects, raw images, edits, and video. No reason for it, either! I have the tools to keep things sorted and the aim to keep archives safe and updated. Must be more of that ADHD business…
***
This week: I want to finish getting a photo gallery designed and published on this domain. I am also getting closer to launching a print store here (via WooCommerce) to sell all of this stuff I keep making and not doing anything with.
