Podcasting – a simple man

Silences

I announced back in July that I was starting production on a podcast. The RedBeard Podcast is officially not happening. To use a film industry term, it is in development hell.

I had launched a GoFundMe to help me afford podcasting equipment that has exactly zero donations, and is now also shut down.

Why?

That’s an excellent question with multiple answers.

First: I am working on a book of poetry. I want to focus all my efforts on launching that book, and the podcast diverts attention away from that.

Second: anxiety. Every time I thought about the podcast and tried to start planning, I would flounder in a sea of negative thoughts and feelings. Like most people, I don’t like the sound of my own voice, and couldn’t imagine hearing myself speak, even just to edit the podcast. Beyond that, would I have enough to talk about? Could I sustain multiple episodes? What if no one listened? It became too much to endure, so I stopped thinking and planning. When that happens, it usually means I am headed down a wrong turn. The best way to recover an errant direction is to take the next exit to a new way.

Third: I have other projects I could focus on instead. For example, my wife started a book last November and this spring I began to help her edit and expand the text. I put that project on hold and have yet to reactivate it. That is something that I want to finish so that it too can be launched into the world. I also have photography, painting, and other making to do. All of those take time, and podcasting would be a huge time commitment with planning, recording, editing, and publishing. Even with one episode a month, as previously planned, I could see the podcast absorbing all my available energy and time. And I don’t like being tied down like that.

Fourth: finding a voice. I mentioned a bit ago that I had anxiety about the topics, and that is part of a larger problem. I had not found a Voice, no point of view that felt like it needed to be amplified. I do not represent a segment of the world population that needs to be projecting itself. That is not to say that my words are not valuable, or that I do not deserve a say, or anything like that. What I mean is that there are too many people who resemble me already speaking. I would be taking air time, however minuscule, away from other voices that do need to be heard. Until and unless that changes, I should work to amplify their voices instead of launching my own.

One of my heroes, Wil Wheaton of Star Trek and geek fame has done what he calls a Radio Free Burrito for years. It is like an itinerant podcast. It comes and goes, popping up whenever he has time, or desire, to record something. He releases one whenever he feels like it, with no set schedule or commitment. Maybe The RedBeard Podcast, when it finds its Voice, could be like that. It could sneak up on you, be present, and then fade away until the next appearance. I remain fascinated, despite everything, with the idea of an audible medium of expression. I find it hard to think that I would never do something in that space. Now is apparently not the time, so the idea will be put on hold.

It is ok to start something and never finish it. I was taught, either outright or by example, that Not Finishing was a Bad Thing. There are many reasons why I was taught this, but suffice to say, I don’t think it is always healthy or agreeable. As I said earlier, I was a taking a wrong turn and all that will get you is lost. Sometimes it’s ok to quit, to let something die, and go on to something else. Pruning a withered tree limb is healthier for the tree than allowing it to continue to support something dead. Whatever the metaphor, quitting is sometimes the best course of action. On that note, I am quitting my never-started career as a podcaster. Thanks to those who encouraged and helped me thus far on the journey. I do appreciate the insight and support, even it ends here. Knowledge gained is never lost, and can always be alternatively applied. So I will take what I have learned and move forward into other avenues of expression.

Thanks for listening.

Help Wanted

I have written previously about wanting to launch a podcast. I love old time radio shows and the idea of podcasting regularly. I would love to have a variety show where I discuss things that I find fascinating, or have guests on to talk about what is interesting to them. My current wish is to start with 12 episodes, one per month, and if successful, ramp up into something more frequent.

Currently that desire is strong, but the ability is lacking. I need about $350 to purchase podcasting equipment, and I don’t have that available. I started a GoFundMe to raise the funds. For each donor, I would be able to have a shout out “This episode brought to you by….” To date, however, I have no donations.

It looks like I will not be able to pursue podcasting at this time. It remains a dream of mine. Some day I will be able to buy a microphone and the other bits and bobs necessary, and when that day comes I will launch The RedBeard Podcast. For now, though, that will be on hold. I will leave the GoFundMe up for the rest of the year, just in hopes that someone might come along.

This is ok. Not every dream is meant to be lived, and not every endeavor is successful. I have plenty of creative outlets, and things I can achieve, and I will throw my effort in those directions. I am still working on my book of poetry; I am still enjoying toy photography, painting, and writing. Podcasting may never come, or it will come lately. I am excited for the future no matter what.

Thanks for following along on this journey, and I hope you keep following for whatever is next.

The RedBeard Podcast

I have talked before about my desire to start a podcast. You can read about that here and here.

I am eager to begin, and the first step is acquiring the equipment that I need so that I can set it up and get practicing to work out the kinks and find a good workflow.

Unfortunately, my family has been hit with a ton of unexpected and expected expenses as of late, from car to pet to medical to pet medical. I simply don’t have any extra. So I got the idea to start a GoFundMe to cover the cost of the microphone, boom arm, shock mount, pop filters, and anything else I need to get up and running. Fortunately, I can use my existing Mac Mini and GarageBand for the actual recording and editing of the podcast, but the equipment is where I need to outlay funds.

After some research and help from my brother who has podcasted before, I think I am going to purchase a Blue Yeti microphone. I might even get ambitious and make a little booth out of foam and whatnot to deaden sound, but that will come after I’ve recorded a few practice episodes to check sound and background noise.

I already have a few topics selected, a few guests I want to ask to be a part of future episodes, and a few ideas for the year ahead. I am planning, if funded, to release 12 episodes in 2022, one per month. Should I be able to do that, I will then see about 2023 and beyond.

If you want to hear my podcast, and have a hand in helping me get started, I will thank all of my donors in the podcast in a “brought to you by” segment.

I am excited to get started podcasting. Won’t you help me?

Of Voice and Verse

I recently wrote about my venture into podcasts. Along the way I ruminated on the possibility of starting my own podcast. That is very much a project I would like to start.

What would I podcast about? At the moment I am considering making my podcast an extension of my blog: a simple man, talking about what interests him. If you have any thoughts about particular topics to podcast about, please do contact me. I am intrigued about the idea of booking guests to discuss specific ideas. I think Zoom and some other conferencing software can record audio reasonably well, so that may make remote podcasting possible, a necessary requirement.

Speaking of technology, I need to research proper equipment. I have headphones, but I need a quality noise cancelling microphone to capture my audio, at least, right? Do I need a physical mixer? Do I need a pop filter? Should I do video? If so, I need a camera, or could I use my iPhone? All these questions need answering. If anyone has recommendations for tech, send those along. I can use all the help I can get.

The above picture is my podcast cover art, at least for now. The equipment shown is from when I tried to podcast before. I no longer have that microphone or pop filter, unfortunately. Podcasting remains a project in active pre-production.

While I prepare the podcast, another creative project that I have thought about for a long time is being moved up into active production: a book of poetry. I have many poems sitting around waiting for an audience. I thought I would give them one.

I’ve been writing poetry since I was a teenager, and while some of those poems survive, they aren’t my best work. I started writing in earnest when I reached university and studied English literature and composition. Since then I have intentionally written many poems on a variety of themes. I have played with structure and form. I think I have enough poems for a collection.

I have a week of vacation coming up, and I’ve been thinking of beginning work on this literary project while I rest from my day job and other regular activities. I need to start by collecting all my poems under one roof. Some of them are on my iCloud Drive in a folder. Some are in the Notes app. Others exist only on this blog. Still more are scattered in a few notebooks that I have, somewhere. That will be a job in and of itself.

Next, I need to group the poems by subject. Given what I know I have, that makes most sense right now. Then I would spend time to figure out a theme and structure to the overall collection. Finally, the task would be format. I would like to include a little bit about the writing of several poems, similar to what I did with a recent one here on my blog. Doing that would result in a mix of poesy and prose, which is fine. Clearly there are many decisions to make.

Finally, I want to design the book and release it on Apple Books and in Kindle format, so I could place it on both Amazon and Apple. If I could figure out a print-on-demand service, that would be fantastic! I’d love for readers to have the choice to order physical copies as well as download digital versions. Again, I ask for help. If you’ve done any of this, and have tips or advice, I’d be grateful for any suggestions.

It looks as if the rest of my summer and my autumn will be busy. Not only will I be working on my book of poetry (due in December), researching my burgeoning podcast (launching in January?), but I am also helping my wife write a book (due in October) and working two part time jobs. But it is good to have things to do, especially for me. I struggle with knowing what to work on sometimes, and projects with deadlines help focus my energy.

I’ve often wondered what I have “accomplished” with my life, and lately two thoughts have emerged in my mind. First, life isn’t about accomplishments. It’s about enjoying the journey and making the world the best you can while you are at it. Second, people “accomplish” things at all ages and stages of life. My thirties are simply where I start in earnest. With that in mind, consider this my launch event.

As Of Yet Untitled: A Collection of Poetry: Coming Winter 2021!

The RedBeard Podcast: Coming 2022!

Dude, Where’s My Podcast?

My life is becoming more interesting lately. I’m allowing myself to branch out into various directions in terms of what I spend my time doing.

I’m hardly breaking new ground here, but I’ve gotten into podcasts. I know, a billion people listen to them and it seems like a billion people are making them these days, and while that sentence makes it seem like a bad thing, that is a great thing. That means that there are endless avenues of entertainment, exploration, and excitement.

I’ve subscribed to a few podcasts, among them are The Friendship Onion with former hobbits Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan, Gates McFadden InvestiGates, and Did You Get My Text? with Patton Oswalt and Meredith Salenger.

At the moment I’ve only listened to one of those. I am still dipping my toes into podcast listening. That is, I have listened to podcasts in the past, but only sporadically. I am still trying to order my time so that I have a regular podcast listening habit, and the one podcast I am currently enjoying was easy to jump into. I don’t like doing something else while I am listening, mostly because I find my attention wandering and then I am like “what did they just say?” and I realize that I missed twenty minutes of the discussion. And if I am going to listen, I want to do it intentionally.

Enough preamble. Did You Get My Text? with Patton Oswalt and Meredith Salenger is hilarious, touching, and puts warmth into my heart. While Patton and Meredith are married, and live together, they often don’t get a chance to talk face to face, and instead end up texting each other profusely throughout the day. They decided to be intentional about talking together and make a podcast at the same time. The idea of the show is them discussing their texts, but they often wander afield and end up discussing almost anything.

Did I mention it’s hilarious? Yeah, Patton is a famous comedian, but the podcast isn’t him doing stand-up comedy. It is just he and his wife being genuinely funny. They are also sweet to each other, and you can feel the relationship they have being carried on the audio waves. It feels like you have stepped into their living room and are just listening to them talk. But not in a creepy way: they’ve invited you in. You are sipping your beverage of choice, and don’t really have anything to add to the conversation. It’s great.

Their podcast is a little Not Safe For Work. Patton tends to swear, not in a mean, angry way, just in a by-the-way way. If you’ve seen any of his specials (I think there are few on Netflix?) you know what I mean. Meredith swears too, though not as often. Also, their podcast is apparently sponsored by a male enhancement drug, and the way they read and present the ad copy always makes me giggle. I’m twelve and they make the awkwardness of it funny. But just be aware, sometimes the podcast gets adult.

I am looking forward to jumping into the other podcasts I mentioned a bit ago, I just haven’t made the decision to switch them on. I think my evenings are a great time to listen, because I am usually hanging out with my wife in her craft room, both of us with headphones, and it is relaxed and quiet. I want to maybe work out a schedule. You know, Mondays with Patton and Meredith, Tuesdays with the hobbits Billy and Dom, and Thursday is Star Trek time with Gates McFadden. (Wednesday might become Book Club night. More on that in another post!) Weekends are always busy and I end up doing other stuff, so they won’t really jive with the vibe I need to listen.

I’ve also thought a lot about starting my own podcast. My sister and I discussed doing one together, but nothing has yet come of it. We kind of need to be in the same physical space to make it work, and need the right equipment, and it feels like an expense and a hassle right now, but the idea remains evergreen in my mind. I tried on my own, but only got so far as recording two and half episodes before I quit. I also wasn’t in as good of a mental space as I am right now, so that might be part of it, too. If you would like to hear me do a podcast, drop me a note and let me know.

I find my favorite podcasts on Apple Podcasts via the iOS app, but really most major podcasts are available anywhere podcasts are hosted. I’ve also got Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard in my queue, need to finish Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project, and have yet to check out but am really interested in Off Camera with Sam Jones. Let me know what podcasts you enjoy, and if they strike my fancy, I’ll give them a follow and a listen. Podcasts. They are the 21st century’s idea of radio. And I’m about to tune into another episode of Did You Get My Text?