Just Do the Goddamn Thing Already!
In my day-to-day political reading and writing, I'm really trying hard to channel my inner Spock. Rational, thoughtful. Logical. It's a dicey transition because of my natural tendency to let my anger sort run wild like a hangry kid with a hammer or a modern day activist. It's a change in perspective and a self-discipline that some who've known me for years are unwilling to accept.
In just about everything else in my life—get engaged on the third date, strike out on my own in a dwindling economy, wear Uggs slippers in plain sight—the inner Kirk wins hands down. Get enough information to be able to make a decision and go for it even if I don't have all the information or a sense of what the roadblocks ahead might look like.
Back in April, fresh off the 9-to-5 boat and floating in a raft made of past skills and ideas, I decided I wanted to learn how to podcast. I'd listened to podcasts, worked with a former friend on a moderately successful podcast in the past (although he did all the technical work), and had purchased a cool little iOS microphone and a recording app made by Shure.
In perfect Kirk fashion, one morning I popped up and my brain yelled "Just do the goddamn thing already!"
So I recorded an opening song. They all have opening songs, right? I used Garage Band and created a jazzy ballad rhythm section then recorded me playing my trumpet over the top of it. I decided that it would be all about stories because, well, that's a thing I do. Gave it name, created a graphic, did all the iTunes stuff you have to do, recorded some stories and viola! A podcast.
I didn't really announce it much (limited my promotion to an Instagram post every week a new episode dropped) and still managed over 500 subscribers.
Tomorrow, I start my second season of 13 more episodes but this group of episodes will mostly be stories from people not me. Joe Shanahan, my mom, a few people I just introduced myself to and convinced to tell me some stories. I even decided (against my basic disdain for crowdfunding) to launch a Patreon campaign to see if I could make a few bucks to facilitate better equipment or traveling to places outside of my normal walks to get stories.
The Kirk in me is enjoying the process so much that Literate Ape will soon have its own podcast as well as podcasts of The Sickest Fucking Stories I Ever Heard and BUGHOUSE!.
If you listen to podcasts and want to hear a short one (most episodes last about 20-minutes or so) then check it out. I hope you like it!