Life as a Visual Storyteller—Episode 22—22nd July, 2015: What an Incredible Time Suck This Podcast Is. Why? Why Do I Let It Do This to Me?!

20:28.

That's the time I started writing this blog post. Let's see how long my daily podcast/cartoon/blog post cycle takes. You'll find the end time at the very end of this blog post, under the second cartoon.

At the moment, this is the order I do things in:

Write blog post Draw cartoon Upload cartoon to Instagram Record podcast Edit podcast Upload podcast to Audioboom, along with blog post text and cartoon Publish podcast Embed podcast into blog post, along with cartoon Publish blog post Soon, I'm going to add to this list the recording, editing and uploading of an accompanying video to YouTube. The video will show the cartoon being drawn overlaid with the podcast audio. Oh, and that whole process might be broadcast on Periscope too. With snippets appearing on Beme, depending on how that platform pans out.

You'll have noticed that I'll be using the same content across a range of media. It's part of the plan.

Wait? How much time?!

Writing, recording, cartooning and editing on a daily basis is, take it from me, punishing. At the moment, it's taking me anywhere between two and three hours. I reckon adding video could add another hour.

That could add up to 4 x 7 x 52 = 1,456 hours in a year. The equivalent of just over 36 40-hour work weeks.

Without the video, I'm looking at up to 1,092 hours, or a shade over 27 40-hour work weeks.

[Insert your expletive of choice here] hell!

Why? Why would I do that? What's wrong with me?

That is a lot of time. And for what?

That is an important question. I have plenty of other projects rotting in my brain because I don't have the time to do them. My time might be better spent on those. Or it could be better spent on Show & Tell, the business I'm trying to build at the moment. Or it could be better spent on finding traditional photography and video clients.

True.

But my long-term ambitions are different.

The long game

My long-term plan is to turn myself into a writer, cartoonist, illustrator and animator. These are things I can do from home in my advanced years. Lifting cameras and chasing about the place is all good and well now. But when I reach 70, I'll want a more sedate pace of working life. (I think I've explained before that my pension arrangements are deficient. Besides, I plan to remain active until the day I die, regardless of the need to earn money).

So, I need to learn.

I'm a proficient writer, but nothing more.

I'm a dreadful cartoonist and illustrator.

My animation skills molecular level small.

Daily practice will help in all these areas.

The thing that doesn't fit here is the podcasting. That adds nothing to the skills I want to acquire.

Beyond skills

Building skills is only one side of the coin.

For what I have in mind, I shall also need an audience. Building it will take time. A lot of it. I'm going to give myself 12 and a bit years to do so. By the time I'm 60, I'd like to have an engaged audience of 10,000 people worldwide. People who love my cartoons, stories, illustrations and animations enough to each spend around €25 with me each year—to buy a book, a print, fund an animation... you get the idea.

That's where the podcast fits in.

And the planned daily YouTube videos.

These are audience builders.

None of this makes it easier

Don't, for a second, think that this is going to be easy or that I will enjoy every minute. Some days, I love the end result, the buzz of the cartoon, the amazing sensation of gratitude when someone says the podcast has helped or touched them. Other days, when nobody comments, or likes or provides encouragement, it's tough. Just me, staring into the abyss, needy of some kind of feedback, but receiving none. Then, it's hard.

But I have to accept that not everything will resonate with people. Not everything is good enough or useful enough to merit feedback. On those days, I have to remind myself of what this is: training and practice. I must tell myself to imagine how much better my writing and cartooning will be in a year from now. Or two years. Or more.

Keep your eye on the long game. All you need to do is today's work, every day, whether you feel like it or not. You have to earn your tomorrow.

Time published: 23:49