Give It a Year
Give it a year.
If you have a wacky idea that scares the beans out of you, give it a year.
Backed by science (kidding), a year is the litmus test necessary to building a habit of consistency. The one year mark is where you finally start to nail your rhythm, your cadence, and your stride. It becomes less foreign, and more second nature.
On Branding is one year old today. This time last year, I was sitting around the table with our creative directors and President, explaining how podcasts and building conversations for mobile immersion were important – and that it could put us on the map for the type of deep thinking we do at our agency every day. I'm a lucky girl. They bought it. In fact, they didn't even just buy it. Everyone that's worked to make this show a success has given their all to it, investing time, money, and energy. To the incredible folks at Friendly Human, and Rusticus Films -- thank you for making every video episode look so jaw droppingly beautiful.
I was nervous about inane things, like whether my voice would sound too nasal to do a podcast that people could enjoy on their commutes, if I'd sneeze on the recording, how we'd piece together a storyline instead of a public Skype call, and whether I'd be asking good questions people would want answered.
We put out our first show on April 25, 2013, with Songza Co-Founder Eric Davich. I couldn't believe he actually replied to my invite, but he did. And it was the starting gun.
As we head into our second year of recording, that feeling hasn't worn off. I'm still just as surprised, thrilled, and shocked that people accept my invitations. I hope that never wears off.
One year later, I'm here to say – I did it. I'm doing it. I climbed my own little Everest.
Podcasting is a BUTT TONNE of work. I've been a one woman team over the last 365 days, besides my partner in life and crime, Joe, who I couldn't have done this show without, and who's edited this project into something incredible week after week.
Finding the guests. Vetting the guests. Figuring out which category, topic, or sector we haven't discussed yet. Asking, "what's juicy?" Wondering, "why do people care?" Thinking, "will people listen to this?" Questioning, "how do I market this?" Doing the research before each episode, two, three hours at a pop. Studying the art of the interview. Overcoming nerves every time I'm sitting face to face or ear to ear with someone that's kind of a big deal, who's made a label everyone in the world has touched, or an app millions of people enjoy every single day. Learning how to be a damn good conversationalist. Taking what I've learned about design processes, critiques, struggles and triumphs, and being able to talk about shared experiences with equally creative minds. Writing storylines that make me stretch week after week to fit the quality of "a Radiolab", or "a This American Life" or "a Design Matters".
Global Creative Directors. Founders. CEO's. Design Leads. Directors. Chief Marketing Officers. They've all been a part of the ride. [Visit the archive here.]
Pressing publish on a post and flinging it out into the world is not for the faint of heart.
Doing it consistently, while balancing other demanding day job responsibilities is a juggling act that must be mastered.
It's nervewracking, exhausting work that will keep you up late, but if you thrive on knowing that you're delivering something valuable and helpful to your creative colleagues, making design or branding or innovation a little bit more accessible, a little bit more understandable – you will love it.
Just give it a year.
