On this day

August 29th

Opportunity with Gabriella Pitman

August 29, 2022

How can content creators balance the need for consistency and momentum with the risk of burnout and the desire to create meaningful, sustainable work?

The conversation unpacks the delicate balance between consistency and creative freedom for podcasters.

There is a certain amount of spaciousness in your mind in your emotions in your physical mental space. You need to have that kind of openness that emptiness in order for ideation to occur.

~ Gabriella Pitman (5:37)

The conversation explores the nuanced relationship between creative consistency and personal well-being in podcasting. Challenges such as burnout, audience engagement, and maintaining momentum without overextending oneself are discussed. Reflections on the publishing schedule reveal that rigid adherence to routines can detract from the joy and authenticity of creating. Gabriella highlights the importance of stepping back to recharge and regain inspiration.

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the evolving metrics and expectations in podcasting, particularly how creators can navigate audience demands without succumbing to the pressure of frequent publishing. Gabriella and Craig emphasize the value of intentionality in creative work and the necessity of pacing content creation according to personal capacity and audience needs.

Takeaways

Balancing momentum — Maintaining creative momentum is valuable but must not lead to overextension or burnout.

Importance of spaciousness — Openness and mental space are essential for creativity and ideation.

Publishing frequency — Audience engagement does not necessarily require constant content output; intentional pacing can be more impactful.

Resistance as a signal — Resistance can indicate either a need for persistence or a deeper issue requiring change.

Podcasting metrics — Traditional metrics like download counts and schedules are not the sole indicators of success or audience impact.

Resources

South by Southwest — Mentioned in relation to live concerts and content creation opportunities.

Seth Godin’s Blog — Referenced for its consistent publishing practice and influence on creators.

Spotify — Discussed as a podcast platform that influences engagement metrics.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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The why

August 29, 2022

People think of that complexity as an expression of our capacity for abstract thought. We believe our brains are so complex because of the wonders we can build in our minds. Make no mistake, we can build wonders in our minds but what we have neglected is that those wonders are boot strapped on top of motor control. The first purpose of the brain is to guide movement.

~ Rafe Kelley from, «https://www.evolvemoveplay.com/the-why-of-movement-practice/»

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And the second purpose it to solve problems in the physical world. (How do I go over there? How do I avoid that danger? How do I get food?) To solve problems you need to be able to define what the problem is. You define any problem by imagining some desired state (I am over there. I have avoided that danger by running. I have eaten that food.) and then looking for options that can get you from the current state, to the desired state. So it turns out that the better your imagination is, the better you can be at solving problems. Faced with endless options, you mind turns out to be really good at heuristics—making estimations in advance with limited knowledge (prejudice can be a good thing; assuming snakes are not friendly is an excellent heuristic.) All of which makes possible the beauty and diversity of our lives. Fortunately, we have a capacity for reason atop all of that which enables us to make choices so the possibility of beauty and diversity can be our a reality. I digress.

Back to Kelley’s point, if the entire edifice of our minds is built upon that first purpose, what happens if we starve the mind of the physical engagement?

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Escalation, Part 2

August 29, 2021

Three weeks ago—zoinks, time flies!—I wrote in Escalation that I didn’t want to turn this into a quote-a-day blog. That would also make my weekly email have 7 quotes, plus all the additional daily blog posts.

I’ve got to be honest: I was wrong. I really do want to publish all the quotes, and write all these blog posts. So, “All ahead flank-speed!” This week’s email will be even larger. …and onward thusly we shall proceed.

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Impregnable

August 29, 2020

But the man who puts all of his time to his own uses, who plans every day as if it were his last, is neither impatient for the morrow nor afraid of it. Is there some new kind of pleasure that an hour might bring? All are familiar, all have been experienced to the full the rest Lady Fortune may dispose of as she will; his life is now impregnable.

~ Seneca

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I suck and I know it

August 29, 2018

There. That was a mouthful, and it makes you sound like a loser. But all of a sudden, you’re no longer a victim. Suddenly, you’ve framed the problem entirely in terms of things you can control yourself, and thus you can finally make some progress towards solving your problem.

~ Peter Adeney from, To Achieve Greatness, You Must First Acknowledge that You Suck

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In terms of money and fitness— I suck. Yeah, you laugh… it is SO easy to brush this step off.

I brushed it off for about forty years.

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Day 28/100 – maximum effort

August 29, 2017

(Part 29 of 104 in series, 100 Days of Training (2017))

I don’t know why Deadpool’s catch-phrase has stuck with me… but it has. If you meet me in person, you’ll find I’m almost always wearing this little reminder, “maximum effort / effort maximal”. For me it means put in the maximum effort *now* which leads to *long term* success. …and so, out the door for another run. https://constantine.name/100days

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If you must

August 29, 2017

Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away

~ Will Smith

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Here we go, again?

August 29, 2013

The authors of the Constitution were explicit on this point. As James Madison noted, “In no part of the Constitution is more wisdom to be found, than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace to the legislature, and not to the executive department. . . . Those who are to conduct a war cannot in the nature of things, be proper or safe judges whether a war ought to be commenced, continued, or concluded.” Alexander Hamilton wrote in The Federalist that there was a clear distinction between the U.S. president’s authority as commander-in-chief, which involved “nothing more than the supreme command and direction of the military and naval forces” and that of the British king, who could declare war unilaterally.

~ John Fund from, Obama Embraces the Imperial Presidency | National Review

To which I will add that the quote from James Madison is not taken out of context. You can read it for yourself, in letter number 4 of his “Letters of Helvidius.

You can also learn a metric ton of useful stuff about our nation, it’s birth and our constitution by sitting down with a copy of The Federalist. Which is a series of essays by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison.

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