Public Service Announcement I’ll be the first to admit I’m winging this whole thing. Sure, I listen to podcasts by entrepreneurs. I read books about habits of highly effective, growing, go-getters. However, if there is one gift I could give any fledgling dreamer, it would be to remain wary of anyone who speaks as if they have it all figured out.
Sure, there are practices which help and paths to avoid (ie. supposed shortcuts that make big promises), but ultimately, things just take time and missteps are all a part of the gig. So, don’t be hard on yourself.
Plus, if you are looking for a path that will help you reach your dreams with an expectation there will be a level, smooth trail with no brush or boulders in your way, I’d encourage you to rethink taking this journey. #RoughRoad
Recently, I was having trouble with my iphone. I’m not one to complain and can be quite resourceful when the need arises. (Oh the things I can do with a binder clip and duct tape)
However, this particular problem didn’t really lend itself to much of a workaround. The gist of it was the screen wouldn’t always respond when I would touch it. While I could use the volume buttons, home button and side switch to my heart’s content, interaction with the screen was more arbitrary. Sometimes it would work and sometimes not so much.
You can imagine how fun that would be. I vividly recall attempting to take pictures at a family event, only to have my phone go all “soup nazi” on me every time I tried to snap a photo. #NoPhotoForYou
Before things got more dire, Dean stepped in and did a reinstall-fresh-wipe-factory-setting-bleep-blorp (I may have missed exactly what he did), but unfortunately even that didn’t resolve the issue.
Next was a trip to the Apple store where we received confirmation that there was indeed a problem with the screen. The smarty-pants Apple associate then inquired about the type of protective case I used for my phone. Since I left the case at home I was amazed that the gal correctly guessed what brand it was.
I remember when we bought the case that it wasn’t so much about the look of it, more the quality of the brand and assurance that the phone would be protected for those potential moments when my ninja-like reflexes fail me. #AgingIsReal
Funny story…it appears that I invested in a high-end, quality, durable case that was protecting my phone from damage if I dropped it, while simultaneously warping the screen. #CruelIrony
She also informed me that the phone was outside of warranty, so I either had to spend money to replace it or I could upgrade to a newer model. Plus, good news! They fixed the whole warping issue on subsequent versions, so a newer model wouldn’t have that problem, if I wanted to buy that brand of phone case again. Uh-huh #FoolMeOnce
Anyhoo, that was my long-winded set-up to say that I have added phone cases to my shop. ‘Cuz if I needed to find a new case that isn’t slowly rendering my phone useless, why not purty it up with my artwork?
I started with my recent “love” artwork and had some fun playing around to see what would look good on a phone case. I arrived at 3 solutions I really liked. One had a warm gradient that went from yellow to red in the heart and popped against a blue-purple background. Another repeated the word to make a wallpaper pattern, and for the last one I played with rotating the word “love” and making it much larger on a bright background gradient. But which one should make the final cut to go in the shop? #Decisions
Why not all three?! #AwwYeah
Go to my shop to see all of these beauties. We rolled it out to multiple iPhone versions, starting with the iPhone 6 all the way up to the most recent 11 Pro Max. But don’t fret if your phone isn’t there, just send me a message and I can hook you up.
We will continue to add to this collection, but if there is specific artwork you would like to see sooner than later, you have two choices:
1. Email your suggestions #NeverFails
2. You can let your wishes be known to me via mental-telepathy #YouNeverKnow
Taking steps to grow our network and connections. In addition to multiple online groups we participate in, we went to an old-school meet-up with a group of Chicago narrators.
While I appear to have fooled many people into thinking I’m an extrovert, the truth is I find events like this hard to step into. Afterwards I’m usually glad I took the risk, but there is a bit of “pep talk” that needs to happen to get up the gumption to go. (Truth be told, the drinks portion of the evening does help)
Fortunately, there is something unique about the narrator community. They truly are some of the nicest, most generous people I have ever met. People are quick to share tips and ideas, and are genuinely enthusiastic about each other’s victories. I felt encouraged by the experience and was glad I went. Plus, I think part of the pay-off is that the next time it gets a little easier. #FingersCrossed
A second connection we made was with an organization called Learning Ally. They are a non-profit that creates resources for children with learning disabilities. Originally they started in the 1940s under the name, Recording for the Blind, with a mission to help soldiers who lost their sight in combat. However, as they grew they saw the increasing need of students with learning disabilities, so they changed to Learning Ally.
As a non-profit they partner with narrators to donate their time to record various types of books that students can use in tandem with other resources to help them build self-confidence and thrive academically.
Their model allows you to volunteer when your schedule allows, which is how they had 1,200 people donate over 75,000 hours of service in 2018. #MakingADifference
I value being able to donate my time and abilities to a worthy cause, but my challenge has always keeping good boundaries so that I don’t burn the candle at both ends in the name of “helping out.” #CodependentRoots
Fortunately, I’ve made progress in this area (and with Dean in the mix) we should be able to do some good while still making sure we keep up enough paid projects to keep the lights on around here.
In terms of your goals and dreams, if you don’t know where to start in a particular industry volunteering can be a great next step. You can get experience and learn more about how things work, which will either fan the flames of your interest or clarify what you really want.
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