Podcast appearances and mentions of aaron dowd

Hey friend! Thank you so much for joining me today. I hope you're having a good day wherever you are.If this is your first time hearing or seeing me, welcome! I'm glad you're here! My name is Aaron Dowd and I'm here to help you learn about podcasting and connect you with other great podcasters in the podcasting community.If it's been awhile since you heard from me, I'm sorry I've been absent for so long, but thanks for giving me another chance!If you've been following for more than a couple years, you know I used to host a podcast and YouTube channel called The Podcast Dude. I'm renaming and relaunching that show and calling it Podcasting With Aaron.My Two Goals for This ShowFirst, to share everything I've learned about podcasting so far.I've been making podcasts and helping people make podcasts for about 8 years now. I don't know everything, but I'd like to share what I have learned, and hopefully it will be helpful to you. Let's learn together!Second, I want to introduce you to other podcast producers and people working in the podcasting.I know that it's hard to do things alone, and finding other people who share your enthusiasm for podcasting can be challenging.Fortunately there's an amazing community of people who are passionate about podcasting, and I think we should all be friends. I want to help facilitate those friendships and make introductions through this show.New Episodes Every SaturdayThat's right: New episodes every Saturday! I know how important it is to have something to look forward to, and a weekly cadence is what I'm committing to.The format for the show will be simple, to prevent me from overthinking it and procrastinating.I'm going to record a video for YouTube first, and export the audio from the video to publish in my podcast RSS feed.I think you'll enjoy the video version the most, but I understand if you like listening in your podcast app better.I'll try to make sure the audio-only version is just as good as the video version, and include links to anything I show in the video in the podcast show notes.I'll have a few different segments that I'll be doing regularly:Q&A, where I answer your questionsTips & tricks, where I talk about a specific topic related to podcastingInterviews, where I talk to podcasters and people making useful things for podcastersRecommendations, where I talk about things I think you should know about or check out (news, videos, blog posts, gear, etc)Personal updates, just to give you a peek into my life and what I've been up toI'll aim for 15 minute episodes, and try to keep them under 30 minutes unless I'm doing an interview (sometimes it's nice to let those go a little longer). I'll bring an outline and notes, but I'll try not to script it too much.I'll make sure to have the next week's topic ready and share it at the end of every episode.What I Need From You:I do have a favor to ask: Please leave a comment in YouTube or a review in Apple Podcasts and tell me about yourself and your show.I'd like to know how you found me, how long you've been listening or watching, and what your podcast is about, and if you have any questions or things you're currently struggling with related to podcasting.This helps me get to know you a little better which will help me make this show better, but it will also help other people connect with you as well.And if you have any feedback, suggestions, or encouragement you'd like to share, I'd love to hear those too.The website for this show is podcastingwithaaron.com, that's where you can find links to my social media accounts and other resources and stuff related to me and this show.If you have a question you'd like me to answer on the show, record a voice memo and email it to aaron@thepodcastdude.com.DedicationsI'd like to dedicate this show to a few people.To Sofia, for always inspiring me to get better, and to my nephew Silas: I hope this show inspires you to start your own helpful YouTube channel or podcast someday.And finally, I dedicate this show to you (you reading, watching, or listening). Thank you for joining me and following along. Podcasting is definitely more fun with friends, so I'm thankful you're here.RecommendationsThere's a YouTube channel and a podcast that both inspired me to get back into making videos and podcasts. The YouTube channel is Yoga with Adriene, and the podcast is Deep Questions with Cal Newport.I'm not exaggerating when I say they changed my life this year. They're both made by incredible people and absolutely worth your time.Next Week on Podcasting with Aaron:Next week's topic will be How to Stop Procrastinating and Make a Podcast. This was a question from Chris B. on Twitter, and a topic I have YEARS of experience with. If you've been procrastinating on starting a podcast or making new episodes, leave me a comment or send me a message and tell me about it so I can talk about it in next week's episode.Happy podcasting, and I'll see you next week!Aaron Dowd Granbury, Texas December 5, 2020

Welcome to the Dear Lovely Universe podcast where I help you live your best life possible by transforming into the best version of yourself.  As you probably know, I love everything about podcasts. From producing them, connecting with new people, learning new things, helping people, and building my team. I am so in love with [...]Read More...

I talk to Luke Martin from Sydney West Martial Arts. Luke is an instructor I have personally trained with, and for the last few years, he has been pursuing ways of bringing the world-class Danaher grappling system into his gym. Despite being based on the other side of the world, for years he has taken weekly online private lessons with Jason Rau and gives many practical tips on how he has been able to pass along these teachings to his students. He also has a podcast called the Heat locker where he has interviews with Jason Rau and other students of Danaher's from his most recent trip to the Blue Basement in New York City.   Show Notes Template This template was created by me, Aaron Dowd, to help Simplecast podcasters made great episode notes. Please share, but leave this link here if you do so that people can read the blog post that linked to this file in the first place. Feel free to customize this template to your liking! Episode Summary What is this episode about? Why should people listen or care? Show Notes: Copy the summary from above and then write some more about the episode. In this episode, we talked about TOPIC 1, TOPIC 2, TOPIC 3. Links Mentioned: Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 Follow Us: Include links to where listeners can find you online: Our Website Twitter Medium Facebook  

There are a lot of different ways you can make money with podcasting. But today, Aaron Dowd will be giving us some insight on not only what you can do, but also how Podcorn can help. We explore the entire process: ·     How to make a great show and grow your audience ·     What your monetization options are ·     How to find and successfully work with the right sponsor for your show ·     What the process is like working with Podcorn Try Podcorn: https://podcorn.com/ (https://podcorn.com/) Find Aaron at:  https://twitter.com/thepodcastdude?lang=en (@thepodcastdude on Twitter ) thepodcastdude.com  Have questions: Email Aaron at aaron@thepodcastdude.com

Este capítulo, una vez más, nos reafirma en esta extraña y casi absurda labor para con Nosotros, pero como es así, se hace con un inmenso placer, es como estar haciendo realidad como cada instante de cada día, el Cuento del Niño que soñó, con ello se dice todo. A parte y para poder ser justos, debo de hacer otro agradecimiento técnico, en este caso a Aaron Dowd, que en su canal de youtube viene una información muy interesante sobre los valores de configuración para locutar, a pesar de estar en inglés, y gracias sean dadas a la intuición y sobre todo a la observación, y además, la antigüedad del vídeo (sí, 2015 para Logic es como algo descomunal), en estos últimos capítulos la verdad es que la calidad sonora desde nuestro punto de oído ha subido y encima con un consumo de recursos menor, sin necesidad de archivos pesados, una maravilla vaya: https://youtu.be/z_Wm5VwRMtQ

That Love is a 2016 infectious song written and performed by our featured guest today, GRAMMY winner and Marine Veteran, Shaggy. It’s worth visiting the music video for this song, that paints a picture of our armed forces missing their loved ones while overseas. It does the job in giving the nod to all of our servicemen and women who keep love and connection alive… while fighting for our country.Shaggy was born Orville Richard Burrell in Jamaica, and after moving to New York at 18, he would soon enlist in the Marines. Two years into service he deployed with the 10th Marine Regiment to the Persian Gulf, and he looks back at that time as one of the building blocks of discipline that helped launch him into superstardom into the world of Dancehall and Reggae music.Shaggy is a 7-time nominated and 2-time GRAMMY winner including his 2019 album 44/876 with Sting. In studio and on tour, Sting and Shaggy became bonded brothers, immigrants of different forms not unlike military mates. Except their mission is unity through song that we all experience just by listening or visiting them at their “office,“ on stage together.For Shaggy, music has been a vehicle to bring different kinds of people to the same experience. But after meeting him, it’s not just the music that does this, its his spirit and grit that undoubtably were shaped by a Marine background.Semper Fi … or in English, “Always Loyal,” sums up a true motto for our guest as a Marine who served overseas and as a faithful artist who continues to serve all of his fans across the globe.To get to know Shaggy a little more, check out the New 2019 album Wah Gwaan, and you can find him at www.shaggyonline.comThank you Shaggy for joining the Home Base Nation crew, for your service as a US Marine and for what you bring to unity through music.Episode songsThat Love (Shaggy)Soldier's Story (Shaggy, Pizzonia, Roston, Truhn, Ducent)Dreaming in the U.S.A. (Sting, Shaggy)BILLBOARD MAGAZINE STORYWCVB BOSTON STORY - VETERANS DAY DINNER AT THE JFK LIBRARY To learn more and connect with us:www.homebase.org/homebasenationTwitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedInHome Base Nation Production Team:Cassandra Falone, Charlotte Luckey, Steve Monaco, Warrant Officer One Armand Hunter, Sergeant Major Bill DavidsonHome Base Media Lab Chairman:Peter Smyth Many thanks to Shaggy for joining the Home Base Nation line-up, for your service as a US Marine and for what you bring to unity through music. Special thanks to Tracy Bufferd at team Shaggy and Sting for all your collaboration and support.Thank you Joe Wallace for your never ending photographic-eye for our guests, Chuck Clough at Above The Basement Podcast for on-location sound and support,.and Aaron Dowd at Simplecast for your support. The views expressed by guests to the Home Base Nation podcast are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Home Base, the Red Sox Foundation or any of its officials. 

Retired Army SSG Travis Mills is simply a leader. On the football or baseball field in his home town of Vassar, Michigan, on patrol with his squad in Afghanistan, or on the floors of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Travis is “that guy” no matter the situation. He’ll pull you up and show you what is possible, while at the same time will tell you the road is not without bumps and turns. He’s that guy who’ll make you laugh, and will also teach you to take yourself a little less seriously. And his “Never give up - Never quit” mantra isn’t just something he came up with after an IED took away his four limbs while on his combat mission overseas, it seems to have followed him around his whole life.That day was April 10, 2012, on deployment for his third tour in Afghanistan when he was critically injured upon placing his back pack on the ground, triggering the blast. The Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient would become one of only five surviving quadruple amputees to date during the post-9/11 conflcts.After reading his New York Times Bestseller Tough As They Come, and watching the award winning documentary Travis – A Soldier’s Story,you won’t give up and you won’t quit whatever you are doing or struggling with. Travis has a magnetism about him, and has recruited a staff for a thriving foundation that has become more like a family than an organization. The Travis Mills Foundation hosts all-inclusive and all-expenses paid veteran family retreats in Maine for servicemembers who have sustained injury on or off the battlefield. This is the place to bond with brothers, sisters and families, do some yoga, take out an adaptive kayak, navigate the ropes course, fish, cook, cross-country ski, cycle and hike. Visit up Maine in person or surf the Foundation’s site and you’ll see it is no surprise it’s been made possible through the leadership of SSG Mills, and the hard work and support from his wife Kelsey and family. Glossary of terms and acronyms:82nd Airborne Division - Airborne infantry division of the United States Army, specializing in parachute assault operations into denied areas with a U.S. Department of Defense requirement to "respond to crisis contingencies anywhere in the world within 18 hours.E6 - U.S. Army Staff Sergeant: just above sergeant and below sergeant first class, and is a non-commissioned officer*. Staff sergeants are generally placed in charge of squads, but can also act as platoon sergeants in the absence of a sergeant first class.*NCO - Non-Commissioned OfficerPSD - A protective team assigned to protect the security of an individual or group. PSD's are typically made up of military personnel, private security contractors, or law enforcement agents.Pop smoke – this is a military term that, which means to leave or retract from an area quickly.240 - The nickname for a medium machine gun- either an M240B or M240L depending on the configuration.To learn more and connect with us:www.homebase.org/homebasenationTwitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedInHome Base Nation Production Team:Cassandra Falone, Charlotte Luckey, Steve Monaco, Armand Hunter, Bill DavidsonHome Base Media Lab Chairman:Peter Smyth Thank you Joe Wallace for photography on location, and Aaron Dowd at Simplecast for your support.Bookend theme music from colleague and founder of Songwriting with: Soldiers, Darden Smith, with contributions from the David Shaw's Documentary Second Century Stewardship soundtrack co-written by Kevin Oates and Ron Hirschberg, finishing Warrior, but James House and Air Force Veteran Blair Morin The views expressed by guests to the Home Base Nation podcastare their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Home Base, the Red Sox Foundation or any of its officials. 

Giving back to servicemembers and families comes in many ways, and for Lee and Bob Woodruff the opportunity surfaced in early 2006. Just weeks after his new job as co-anchor of ABC World News Tonight, Bob was critically injured by a roadside bomb outside of Taji, Iraq.The blast caused severe traumatic brain injury with need for craniectomy (emergent removal of the left side of his skull), and weeks in the intensive care unit. After 36 days in coma he awoke - and the re-learning process began – To move, speak and reintegrate back to life with his wife Lee and their four kids.An author, media consultant and mother of four, Lee began writing. Her therapeutic journaling would transform into the NY Times Bestseller, In an Instant, which she coauthored with Bob to tell the story of resilience and reentry from the caregiver and the patient perspective.While Bob emerged from the ICU to rehabilitation, Lee and Bob’s brothers immediately saw the need for helping not only the wounded servicemember, but the entire family – And thus the Bob Woodruff Foundation was born.To date, their Foundation has raised and invested over $70M through more than 400 grants, serving more than 2.5 million servicemembers and families. This year marked the 13th year of Stand Up For Heroes, the annual comedy and entertainment event held at Madison Square Garden.It’s been 10 years since Home Base was born, and it is fitting to sit with the Woodruffs on this milestone year, and it makes even more sense that Bob threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park that year (which you’ll hear was apparently a strike), and the start of a meaningful collaboration for years to come.Over this period of time, Bob has continued to report and educate all of us from all over the world.Along with four Emmy's for his work in overseas conflict and cultural coverage, Bob has recieved both the Alfred I. duPont Award and the George Foster Peabody Award, the two highest honors in broadcast journalism. Lee has been a contributor for Good Morning America and CBS This Morning, and contiues to inspire, educate and entertain with her best selling work.We would like to thank the Woodruffs for their hospitality and warm welcome to the Home Base Nation team. To learn more and connect with us:www.homebase.org/homebasenationTwitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn Home Base Nation Production Team:Cassandra Falone, Charlotte Luckey, Steve Monaco, Armand Hunter, Bill DavidsonHome Base Media Lab Chairman:Peter SmythSpecial thanks to Chuck Clough of Above The Basement for Engineering and assistance, and Joe Wallace for photography on location, and Aaron Dowd at Simplecast for your support.Music selections Love Will Win The War, Home, from colleague and founder of Songwriting with: Soldiers, Darden Smith The views expressed by guests to the Home Base Nation podcast are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Home Base, the Red Sox Foundation or any of its officials.

Welcome! My name is Aaron Dowd. This is a show about how to make a great podcast.If you're interested in learning how to start a podcast, grow an audience, or improve at all the various skills that are a part of being a podcaster, this show is for you.In this trailer episode, I'm going to share my backstory, and talk about why I decided to start this podcast, who this show is for, and what topics I’ll be covering in future episodes.2020 update: I've decided to change the title of this show from The Podcast Dude to Podcasting with Aaron. The main goal is the same, but I felt it was time to move on from The Podcast Dude title.Little bit about me:I'm a podcast producer and editor from Fort Worth, Texas. I started helping people make podcasts back in 2013. I was a full-time editor, producer, and consultant for a small podcast network and a bunch of independent shows for several years before joining Simplecast in late 2017 to be their customer success lead.My job for the past 6 years has basically been to answer questions and help people make great podcasts.I started this podcast in 2015 to share everything I'd learned about podcasting. After producing 75 episodes, I took a break to finish a couple of online courses about podcasting called Successful Podcasting, Logic Pro X for Podcasters, and GarageBand for Podcasters.Topics I'll Be Covering in This ShowAs I'm recording this trailer episode in September of 2019, I've actually already published 80 episodes about a wide range of topics related to podcasting, including:How to Start a PodcastThe Best Affordable Gear for PodcastingHow to Grow Your AudienceHow to Outline a Podcast EpisodeHow to Record Audio That Sounds GoodHow to Write Great Show NotesHow To Sound Natural When Reading a ScriptHow to Make Money with a PodcastHow to Streamline Your Podcast Production WorkflowHow to Get a Job Producing Podcastsand moreMost of these episodes were recorded between 2015 and 2017, when I was working as a podcast editor and producer for my friend Sean McCabe.While a lot of the advice and tips I shared in these episodes are still helpful, a lot has changed in podcasting since I recorded them, and I've improved as a podcaster as well, so I'm going to re-write and re-record a lot of these episodes.I hope you find my podcasting journey helpful and inspiring (remember, you don't have get everything perfect the first time).My Story (How I Ended Up a Professional Podcast Editor and Producer)My story really starts with music. My mom is a classically trainer singer who also plays guitar and piano, she taught me (and my siblings) how to sing and gave us piano lessons when we were very young, and I started learning how to play drums when I was 12. Pretty soon after that I decided I wanted to be a professional drummer, but I wasn’t sure how to make that happen or if I could even make any money with it.As I got into my late teens and into my college years, I didn't really have a plan for how to achieve my dreams, so I ended up just kinda drifting for awhile, working lame jobs and wasting a lot of time and money.I woke up one day when I was 21 and realized I hated the life I had, so I decided I'd make a big change, set some goals, and start pursuing my dreams. I wanted to be in a band and tour, but I knew that most musicians don’t make much money, and I didn't have much money, so I wasn't sure what to do.I had started working in an automotive parts factory around that time, but the work sucked and didn't pay much, and I didn’t want to be broke my whole life. I got the idea in my head that I could find a job I could do on a laptop so that I could make money while traveling with a band.Hey Google, How Do I Make Money From a Laptop?So in my early twenties, I googled "how to make money from a laptop". I found some articles about how it was possible to start a web design business and work from anywhere, so I started trying to learn how to be a web and graphic designer. I discovered podcasts around this same time too, and started listening to shows like Radiolab and This American Life, but also independent shows about business and marketing and web design and audio engineering, all kinds of interesting shows. This was all between about 2009 and 2012.How I Got Into Podcasts and Podcast Production and EditingPodcasts played a huge role in my self-education because I could listen to shows while working, driving, or doing chores. I was learning valuable things constantly and being introduced to ideas and potential opportunities I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.Around this same time, I also started studying audio engineering. Being a musician, I was interested in recording, mixing and mastering because I wanted to make demos for my bands.I started a podcast with some friends I met on a now defunct social network called App.net (the show was called Social Converse). I knew the most about working with audio, so I volunteered to be the editor, and that’s where I learned how to record audio, get audio from all the co-hosts, edit it together, and get it published in an RSS feed and out into the podcast apps/directories.Around that same time, I noticed that a lot of my favorite independent podcasts didn't have terribly great audio quality. There was a show I really liked called the Shoptalk Show. Back then, they were recording their Skype conversations and using the raw audio from that for their podcast. This was a pretty common practice back in 2012, and is actually still pretty common.There would occasionally be problems with their audio (levels all over the place, dropped calls, stuff that could have been edited out). I really liked the show and thought I could help, so I sent them an email and said, “I'm a big fan, and I’d like to help you by taking over the editing for the show. If you can get everyone on the call to record a track on their computer and send the files to me afterwards, I’ll put them all together, so some editing and mixing, and make it sound good.”They agreed and even offered to pay me a little bit of money for each episode (which was super exciting for me). So that was really the start of my career as a podcast editor and producer.Around the same time I started working with the Shoptalk Show guys, I saw a job posting on Authentic Jobs from Dan Benjamin (founder of the 5by5 network) who was looking for an audio engineer for his podcast network. That planted a seed in my mind: Maybe podcast editing could be a full-time, remote job for me. (I didn't get the job then, but I did end up editing shows for 5by5 for awhile in 2014.)I had also joined a band around that same time, so I was traveling around, playing shows, working weird hours and filling all my free time either listening to podcasts or editing them.The guys from the Shoptalk Show kept referring people interested in starting podcasts to me, so I had a few more weekly clients and I was answering a lot of questions about podcasting and helping people start shows.I really enjoyed helping people make podcasts and answering questions, but I got tired of writing responses to the same questions over and over, so I put up a page on my personal website offering podcast editing services and also wrote a few blog posts to answer some of the most frequently asked questions. After a few months, my site showed up in the #1 on Google if you searched for “Podcast Editor”. That brought more questions, but also more clients.I started getting more and more podcast editing clients, and eventually I had enough to quit the day job I'd landed a few months before as a junior front-end web developer.All this happened between about 2010 and early 2014. Around that time, I met a hand lettering artist from San Antonio who wanted to start a podcast network and online community for artists and entrepreneurs. I ended up helping him start a show and a small podcast network, and that was around the time I started this show too. A few years later, I joined my favorite podcast hosting company, Simplecast, to help them with customer support, education, and more.You'll be able to hear the original episodes of this show until I re-record them and replace them with new versions, but the original versions of all the episodes are available at https://seanwes.com/podcastdude-archive/.If you want, you can go listen and hear what I sounded like when I was first getting started with podcasting. You can also check out all the original show notes I made as well.Anyways, that's a not so quick introduction to me. Thanks for listening!You can check out thepodcastdude.com/episodes to see a full list of the available episodes for this show.If you have a question that I haven't answered in one of those episodes (or if you just want to say hi and introduce yourself), you can reach me via email at aaron@thepodcastdude.com, leave a voicemail at 8173818219, or drop a comment on my YouTube channel.I hope you enjoy the rest of the show, and happy podcasting.Aaron DowdSeptember 2, 2019Cool Stuff to Check Out:Recommended Podcasting GearThe Podcast Dude WebsiteSubscribe On YouTubeSuccessful Podcasting CourseSimplecast Blog (Helpful Articles About Podcasting)

The Podcast Dude TrailerHi. My name is Aaron Dowd. In case it's not obvious yet, this show is for anyone who wants to make a great podcast. If you're interested in learning how to start a podcast, grow an audience, or improve at all the various skills that are a part of being a podcaster, this show is for you.In this trailer episode, I'm going to share my back-story and talk about why I decided to start this podcast, who this show is for, and what topics I’ll be covering in future episodes.I'm a podcast producer and editor from Fort Worth, Texas. I started helping people make podcasts back in 2013, I was a full-time editor, producer, and consultant for a small podcast network and a bunch of independant shows for several years before joining Simplecast in late 2017 to be their customer success lead. My job for the past 6 years has basically been to answer questions and help people make great podcasts.sI started this podcast in 2015 to share everything I'd learned about podcasting. After producing 75 episodes, I took a break to produce a couple of online courses about podcasting called Successful Podcasting, Logic Pro X for Podcasters, and GarageBand for Podcasters.Topics I'll Be Covering in This ShowSo as I'm recording this trailer episode on September 1st, 2019, I've actually already published 80 episodes about a wide range of topics related to podcasting, including:How to Start a PodcastThe Best Affordable Gear for PodcastingHow to Grow Your AudienceHow to Outline a Podcast EpisodeHow to Record Audio That Sounds GoodHow to Write Great Show NotesHow To Sound Natural When Reading a ScriptHow to Make Money with a PodcastHow to Streamline Your Podcast Production WorkflowHow to Get a Job Producing Podcastsand moreMost of these episodes were recorded between 2015 and 2017, when I was working as a podcast editor and producer for my friend Sean McCabe.While a lot of the advice and tips I shared are still helpful, a lot has changed in podcasting since I recorded my first 75 episodes and I've improved as a podcaster as well, so I'm going to re-write and re-record a lot of these episodes.I hope you find my podcasting journey helpful and inspiring (remember, you don't have get everything perfect the first time).My Story (How I Ended Up a Professional Podcast Editor and Producer)My story really starts with music. My mom is a classically trainer singer who also plays guitar and piano, she taught me (and my siblings) how to sing and gave us piano lessons when we were very young, and I started learning how to play drums when I was 12. Pretty soon after that I decided I wanted to be a professional drummer, but I wasn’t sure how to make that happen or if I could even make any money with it.As I got into my late teens and into my college years, I didn't really have a plan for how to achieve my dreams, so I ended up just kinda drifting for awhile, working lame jobs and wasting a lot of time and money.I woke up one day when I was 21 and realized I hated the life I had, so I decided I'd make a big change, set some goals, and start pursuing my dreams. I wanted to be in a band and tour, but I knew that most musicians don’t make much money, and I didn't have much money, so I wasn't sure what to do.I had started working in an automotive parts factory around that time, but the work sucked and didn't pay much, and I didn’t want to be broke my whole life. I got the idea in my head that I could find a job I could do on a laptop so that I could make money while traveling with a band.Hey Google, How Do I Make Money From a Laptop?So in my early twenties, I googled "how to make money from a laptop". I found some articles about how it was possible to start a web design business and work from anywhere, so I started trying to learn how to be a web and graphic designer. I discovered podcasts around this same time too, and started listening to shows like Radiolab and This American Life, but also independant shows about business and marketing and web design and audio engineering, all kinds of interesting shows. This was all between about 2009 and 2012.How I Got Into Podcasts and Podcast Production and EditingPodcasts played a huge role in my self-education because I could listen to shows while working, driving, or doing chores. I was learning valuable things constantly and being introduced to ideas and potential opportunities I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.Around this same time, I also started studying audio engineering. Being a musician, I was interested in recording, mixing and mastering because I wanted to make demos for my bands.I started a podcast with some friends I met on a now defunct social network called App.net (the show was called Social Converse). I knew the most about working with audio, so I voluteered to be the editor, and that’s where I learned how to record audio, get audio from all the co-hosts, edit it together, and get it published in an RSS feed and out into iTunes (now called Apple Podcasts) and the other podcast apps / directories.Around that same time, I noticed that a lot of my favorite independent podcasts didn't have terribly great audio quality. There was a show I really liked called the Shoptalk Show. Back then, they were recording their Skype conversations and using the raw audio from that for their podcast. This was a pretty common practice back in 2012, and is actually still pretty common.There would occasionally be problems with their audio (levels all over the place, dropped calls, stuff that could have been edited out). I really liked the show and thought I could help, so I sent them an email and said, “I'm a big fan, and I’d like to help you by taking over the editing for the show. If you can get everyone on the call to record a track on their computer and send the files to me afterwards, I’ll put them all together, so some editing and mixing, and make it sound good.”They agreed and even offered to pay me a little bit of money for each episode (which was super exciting for me). So that was really the start of my career as a podcast editor and producer.Around the same time I started working with the Shoptalk Show guys, I saw a job posting on Authentic Jobs from Dan Benjamin (founder of the 5by5 network) who was looking for an audio engineer for his podcast network. That planted a seed in my mind: Maybe podcast editing could be a full-time, remote job for me.I had also joined a band around that same time, so I was traveling around, playing shows, working weird hours and filling all my free time either listening to podcasts or editing them.The guys from the Shoptalk Show kept referring people interested in starting podcasts to me, so I had a few more weekly clients and I was answering a lot of questions about podcasting and helping people start shows.I really enjoyed helping people make podcasts and answering questions, but I got tired of writing responses to the same questions over and over, so I put up a page on my personal website offering podcast editing services and also wrote a few blog posts to answer some of the most frequestly asked questions. After a few months, my site showed up in the #1 on Google if you searched for “Podcast Editor”. That brought more questions, but also more clients.I started getting more and more podcast editing clients, and eventually I had enough to quit the day job I'd landed a few months before as a junior front-end web developer.All this happened between about 2010 and early 2014. Around that time, I met a hand lettering artist from San Antonio who wanted to start a podcast network and online community for artists and entrepreneurs. I ended up helping him start a show and a small podcast network, and that was around the time I started this show too. A few years later, I joined my favorite podcast hosting company, Simplecast, to help them with customer support, education, and more.You'll be able to hear the original episodes of this show until I re-record them and replace them with new versions, but the original versions of all the episodes are available at https://seanwes.com/podcastdude-archive/.If you want, you can go listen and hear what I sounded like when I was first getting started with podcasting. You can also check out all the original show notes I made as well.Anyways, that's a not so quick introduction to me. Thanks for listening!You can check out thepodcastdude.com/episodes to see a full list of the available episodes for this show, and if you have a question that I haven't answered in one of those episodes (or if you just want to say hi and introduce yourself), you can reach me via email at aaron@thepodcastdude.com, or leave a voicemail at 8173818219, or drop a comment on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thepodcastdude.I hope you enjoy the show, and happy podcasting.Aaron DowdSeptember 2, 2019

I am interviewing Aaron Dowd, a professional podcast producer, editor, and ambassador for Simplecast, based in Fort Worth, TX Clients including: Dribbble, the 5by5 network, the Shoptalk Show, CodePen Radio, Changelog, seanwes, The Businessology Show thepodcastdude.simplecast.com twitter.com/thepodcastdude

Aaron Dowd is THE Podcast Dude (of the Podcast Dude podcast)! He got started in his creative journey through music, learned how to record music, and made his way into podcast editing and producing, first by freelancing, then for seanwes.com. Now he works for Simplecast, an easy platform for hosting and distributing podcasts. Aaron's love for content creation comes from his desire to help people and to make the world a better place. In this interview, Aaron and I talk about: How by following his passions and interests he created his own job How helping one of his favorite podcasts led him into business as a podcast editor and eventually to two full-time jobs Why you should help other people if you want to be more creative and create amazing content Follow Aaron Aaron's Twitter Aaron's website The Podcast Dude Next: I'd love to hear your feedback, what was a specific time that you were able to help someone? How were they stuck, and what did you do to help? Send a voice message to livelifecreativepodcast@gmail.com Just open any voice memo app, record what you want to say, and hit the share button to bring it into your email Subscribe to the Live Live Creative podcast Subscribe to Live Life Creative in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app Recommend this show to your friends if you've found it helpful, and you'll help them get better at what they do too Find the full show notes at: https://llcpodcast.dkphoto.xyz/index.php/2018/09/17/llc003-helping-others-boosts-your-creativity-with-aaron-dowd-the-podcast-dude/

Episode 10: Critiques Critiques can be the wind beneath your wings that help you grow in incredible ways; or they can be the source of many tears, hurt feelings, and stomps out of classrooms. In this episode we will cover why you need critiques and critique groups, where to get them, how to prepare for a critique and what to avoid. [00:00:49] What have you been working on? We used to do this but got out of the habit and wanted to bring it back! What projects are each of us working on? Lee: Currently working on writing two books, and is trying to create a dummy book for both books, and trying to sell a two book deal, or at least have two options for publishers to choose from. Will: Working with four other teachers to create classes for SVS, working on character designs for a board games and a sequel to Bonaparte Falls Apart. Jake: Working on a figure drawing class for SVS that will be pulling the best from all of the figure drawing books to make the best class possible, on a sequel to “The Little Snowplow”, Jake and an author he worked with earlier wanted to do a sequel together and their agents were able to create a deal (stay tuned, we’re not able to announce it yet!). and sent the files for Skyheart to the printer in China. Wahoo! [00:06:10] Why art might not be right for your job? We wanted to briefly touch on this subject because of a letter that we received from an artist named, Mike, in response to Episode 03: Ship Happens. Mike brought up the fact that maybe for a lot of artists out there, art is better as a hobby than a career. Mike went through all the steps and got his first art job… and he hated it. After he finished a couple of art jobs he was wondering why he didn’t want to apply for any other art jobs and didn’t know why he had such little drive and motivation. He realized that for him, and he imagines a lot of other artists making art their job isn’t the best option for them. He is does a weekly webcomic, does art for a board game company, and engages with his audience and is super happy with his art. He thought it would be nice to share with the followers of this podcast that to kill yourself to flounder in the shallow end of the professional artist career isn’t always going to pay off and doesn’t equate to success or happiness. Mike realized that he needed to have his own personal goals and stick to them. Also, that he wouldn’t be happy working on other people’s stuff. He realized that his dream was to have a stable income outside of the art industry and then have the freedom to do whatever he wanted to do with his art. Mike brings up some good points, and essentially hit on the plight on an illustrator; that is, we spend a lot of time working for other people and helping them accomplish their dreams, while sometimes letting our own dreams stagnate. Super successful illustrators do one or both of these things well: Stop advertising for, stop looking for, or stop accepting work from clients that take them in the wrong direction. Or they start doing their own projects, or a combination of the two. To help see the perspective you can compare this to becoming a professional tennis player. With each level of progression there are nuances and changes that need to be made, and it sometimes becomes less about the fun, sometimes you just have to practice because you need to improve. You need to find art jobs that match who you are. Think about your skill level and what makes you happy. That’s a side note that we wanted to hit, now time to jump into today’s episode! [00:15:15] What are the benefits to a critique? You need to see things from the perspective of another and that’s what critiques help us do. Critiques are for students and professionals, alike. We all need feedback and critique. That’s how we grow. Jake was working on Skyheart and decided to redo the cover and when he posted it online he got a lot of feedback telling him that the original was better. [00:17:17] Why you might not get an honest critique? Sometimes we don’t get honest critiques because we don’t create the right atmosphere for the critiquer to feel comfortable giving us feedback. If they think that you want validation and not a real critique then often they’ll just tell you what you want to hear. [00:18:29] How to find a good critique? There are many people you can reach out to for good critiques such as previous teachers, professional artists, critique groups, small social media groups or pods, and artists at art conventional or art shows. Art students have their previous teachers as a resource but this relationship needs to be set up when they were in school. Have you created a positive relationship for them to want to critique you later? Be a good student and be involved, it will pay dividends. Like it or not we live in a transactional society. It helps if there is an exchange of time i.e. buying a print, helping to update their website, handle their social media posts, etc. Time is precious, see if there is something you can do for them. Maybe you only have a critique group of your peers: be the person that gives critiques and set the foundation of a give and take relationship with your peers. On the SVS forum it is great to ask for a critique but people will be a lot more willing to give you a critique if you are also spending time to give others critiques. You can also ask artists at conventions and art shows for feedback. Be courteous, and respectful of their time. It always helps to buy a print or something to compensate them for their time;) [Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators] (https://www.scbwi.org/) [00:28:22] Are you personally ready for a good critique? How can you prepare for a good critique? You can approach critiques with a vision and a direction. Think about what your purpose for the piece is, and that will help your critiquer point you in the right direction. Provide a frame a references. [00:30:31] Know what you need Understand what you are asking for. Maybe you just want to be validated or maybe you really need to level up the piece you are working on. Know what you need and ask for it. [00:31:15] Mel Milton's critique method Mel Milton has a critique method where he only praises people when they ask for a critique, unless they really push him to give a critique and really ask for it. If they really want a critique then the flowery praise won’t be enough and they’ll push for more feedback. Showing that you really want feedback allows the critiquer to take you seriously and tell you what they really think. Mel Milton [00:32:30] You never know how people will react to your critique. People sometimes cry, get angry or defensive and this is a sign that they are not ready for a critique. [00:34:08] What not to do during a critique Critique Repellent: Talking too much: cutting off their comments or not letting the critiquer actually critique. Getting upset Being distracted and unplugged from the critiques Arguing [00:36:00] What to do before and during a critique Know what you want the piece to accomplish- set a vision for where you want your piece to go Be specific- you can ask them, “what did I nail?”, “what did I get wrong?”, etc. Have more than one option open for critique- this helps provide a point of reference for critique and is extremely helpful Set limitations: "What are three things I could do to improve this?" This really helps the critiquer feel open to give you three things you can improve. Open the door for a total critique by saying “I’m willing to start this piece over” In contrast to the “repellant” above, these things really create a positive atmosphere for receiving a critique. [00:41:46] Break your critique into components Lee liked to use a rubric to help provide specific critique to his students. Maybe they nailed it with the rendering and perspective but the concept was weak, or maybe they had a great concept but the values could use some work, etc. Some fundamental things Jake looks at when giving a critique: Gesture Composition Design Volumes Rendering Understand your objective. [00:46:11] How to prepare for a hard critique When Jake worked at Blue Sky, his entire job was critiques. You would constantly draw and receive critiques. Sometimes character designs would have to go through 50 iterations before they ever settled on a final. Come into the critique being malleable and bendable. It will free you from feeling too attached to your work. Recognize that if you are making this a career there will be good drawings and bad drawings. Sometimes we are too invested in the time that we spent creating a single piece. Realize that one peace is a drop in the bucket of your lifetime of work. They say everyone has 10,000 bad drawings in them and so if you do a bad one, you’re like, “Sweet, I got one of those out of the way.” Then you can move onto the next drawing. Don’t spend so much time worrying about the one brick rather than the entire wall. Go into it knowing that this isn’t the last thing you are going to create. Don't rely on feedback from one single person, but if multiple people tell you the same thing, pay attention. You can start to understand the trends of your critique. [00:53:23] How to participate in or find a critique group Try to find in your area 3-5 people with the same goals as you do. As a group you will help each other achieve your goals. They could be in person or online and be composed of different creatives. Within your critique group find people who are at your level or higher, (preferably, you’re the least skilled in the group). Be accountable to this group. Warning: if the group gets too big they become more of a cheerleading group and people will feel less impelled or comfortable to give honest critique. Professionals need critique groups to level up and receive the feedback necessary to make work on that higher level. Try to find a local group with people who have similar goals. [01:00:08] 5 Things to Avoid Doing In a Critique Group Don’t show with work, but dish out critique Take without giving Being disrespectful Being late: it shows selfishness Not be overly negative [01:03:47] Quick note about posting online Your posts online can also be a source of critique. Based on what people commenting and also what is getting a lack of comments. If your art doesn't get any responses that is a form of a critique. It means that you can keep at it and make something remarkable (worthy of remark). [01:04:55] Giving a critique Knowing your biases in your artistic tastes. For example, Lee doesn’t really love symmetrical work or anime, so he has to take that into account when he is giving a critique. These things influence your critique and how objective it will be. Also, reach out to certain people for different types of critique. Any critique from anyone is helpful, and a fellow artist can give you a good general critique. However, if you want a critique on your watercolor techniques then you should talk to someone else who does watercolors and they will be able to give you a more specific critique. You can get more general and more specific critiques, and both are valuable. [01:08:17] Trust you gut. Sometimes, you will get critiques that don’t sit right, and ultimately you need to trust your gut. Don’t change your whole style based on someone’s critique if it doesn’t feel right. However, if you want work from someone and they are asking you to change something then you probably should if you want work from that person. Knowing what you want out of the critique will influence what you take away from it, and also the number of people giving you similar critiques. Get critiques and be wise, what can we say more? LINKS svslearn.com Jake Parker, http://mrjakeparker.com. Instagram: @jakeparker, Youtube: JakeParker44 Will Terry, http://willterry.com. Instagram: @willterryart, Youtube: WillTerryArt Lee White, http://leewhiteillustration.com. Instagram: @leewhiteillo forum.svslearn.com Podcast production and editing by Aaron Dowd. Show notes by Tanner Garlick.

In episode 7 of Macpreneur, Aaron Dowd explains how he's helping folks tell important stories through the podcasting medium using his 2016 MacBook Pro, his iPhone 7 and his 6th generation iPad . In addition to that, he's working as Podcaster Success Lead at Simplecast and producing shows like those for Dribbble and Svslearn. Around the 17 minutes mark, Aaron shares a tip about how to easily share Wi-Fi passwords with friends & relatives, which is useful for bands or any group of people visiting a new place together.

Every time we get an offer to do a book we feel super grateful and flattered that someone would want one of us to illustrate a book for them, but for many reasons we can’t say yes. In this episode we get into the details of book publishing, including the economic, social, and career-building reasons we take on certain book projects, and why we say no to others. Here are Will’s 10 Reasons for "Why I Can’t Illustrate Your Children’s Book.” Some of them deal more with submitting a book jointly with an author to a publisher, or self publishing a book; they are all things to consider and reasons for why you may want to second-guess saying yes to that person you sorta know who wants you to illustrate their self-published book. Bad Protocol [5:40] This question, about how to deal with people asking you to do their children’s book, is talked about often at SCBWI. The Most Asked Question: how do I find an illustrator? Editors at publishing companies will tell writers, "You don’t need to find the illustrator, that’s our job." They take pride in this. One of the publisher’s major roles is to find the right illustrator and match them to the right manuscript. They have resources and lots of connections to find the best match. Some people jump to conclusions and think that just because someone can draw and someone has a children’s book idea that they should be paired to work together, without doing research beforehand to see if they would be a good match. You wouldn’t go around prescribing medication to people before learning what their symptoms are and it's the same with writing and illustrating children’s books. Publishers don’t want to be in an awkward situation where they love the manuscript but they hate the art, then they have to tell you and it can be something they just would rather avoid. They have more art and manuscripts than they can publish. They oftentimes will dismiss you, just because you are filing jointly, and the art is already done. As with everything, there are exceptions. There are many other reasons as to why publishers prefer to pair the artists and illustrators. One marketing strategy they often use is to match a more veteran author or illustrator with a newer author or illustrator. A new author with a new illustrator, or vice versa, is too much of a financial gamble. As you have more experience and become more well-known, you may have more power and influence over who you are paired up with. Little Snowplow Industry Perception [13:35] Another reason Will would be hesitant to file jointly with an amateur or work on a self-published book is that it may affect publishers’ perception of him. Even doing lots of projects on Kickstarter can look amateur. This is something that may be frowned upon merely because it’s a little more new. But sometimes books that started on Kickstarter can get picked up by publishers. Even your online followers on social media has an influence on how much of an advance you are allotted. One book that may be an exception to this : Rick Walton Frankenstein book They filed their book jointly and then 3 different publishers got into a bidding war over it. However, this is different, because they were two pros working together. So it’s not really an exception. We can’t think of an example of two amateurs who got a book published together that did super well. I Don’t Know You [19:10] When a publisher contacts an illustrator to do a book, the manuscript has already gone through a lot of rewrites. This is hard work and takes a thick skin. However, if you contact Will to do your self-published book, he doesn’t know who you are and what you are like. Manuscripts always have rewrites and edits. It can take a very long time to complete the project. He doesn't know if you are in it for the long haul. Award Submissions [22:32] This is not super well known: Publishers, at their own cost, often submit books for awards, such as the Caldecott, the Dr. Suess award, state awards, etc. It is a lot of work, they have to fill out all of the paper work and ship a couple hundred books to the right person at the right time. Getting these awards is what helps the book take off. It gets more publicity, and starts to get bought and recommended by librarians. This is more for self publishing but is another reason that Will wouldn’t want to illustrate a book with an amateur. Will has received 5-6 state awards. Jake has received a state reward. Lee received an ALA Award for a book: see link. And it made a huge difference. I Lived On Butterfly Hill, Lee White Reviews [27:06] Publishers have connections to get books reviewed. Which gets it on people’s radar. This is why I wouldn’t want to illustrate someone’s self published book. This doesn’t mean that a self published book can’t Opportunity Cost [28:13] If you say yes to this children’s book is saying no to something else. It takes months to finish a children’s book and in the end there might not be much Average time to complete a children’s book: 6 Months. Jake, Lee, and Will can get a book done in less time but this is a good place to start. If You’re Going to Partner or Work With Anyone, Be Clear About Who Owns the Rights to the Work. [33:16] You need to go in with your eyes wide open. Lee had an idea for a book that he brought an author on to help him write the story. He knew what the story was and was struggling with the words. So he brought this very very well known artist on. His assumption was that they would co-write the book and he would do the artwork. Her assumption, however, was that she was now the author and owned all the content, and that he was someone now illustrating her story. Long story short, It didn’t work out. For any joint venture: have a clear expectation and maybe even a conference maybe even for a critique group. To protect yourself and them as well. Ideas are not “copyright able.” Be careful and go in with your eyes wide open. Professional Production [38:24] Honestly, if it’s the authors first time doing this, they don’t know what they are doing. And that can be another red flag as to why you shouldn’t do their children’s book. Authors usually don’t know how to art direct and don’t have the skills to give art direction. Lee’s Story: Lee decided to help illustrate a self published book and he did some character sketches and showed them to the author. One of them was a anthropomorphic cow, and the lady said, “My mom would never wear that.” And then got into how the cow represented her mom and how it needed to look like her. Lee saw that there was all sorts of subtle things things like this and took it as a warning to get out of there and not do the book. Because it would be very hard to work with this author as an art director when they didn’t know what was important or how to art direct. Then there are a whole bunch of things in the production side of things. Margins and type, etc. Will will get these short emails from people telling him that they like his work and asking him if he will illustrate their book for them. And he wonders where their business proposal is. Royalties [43:13] In creating all the art for the book, the author and illustrator are creating intellectual property (IP). And if the book takes off and becomes a big selling book, or a TV show, or a cartoon, or a movie, then the illustrator wants to go along for the ride and make money off of all of the things their IP is used for. It’s hard to have a long career as an illustrator living off of just the advances received, you want to be getting royalties as well. You want to see books stick and generate royalties and income for the long term. God Gave Us Christmas, David Hone Lee was complaining about his small royalty check ($13), hoping to have company in misery. Then David Hone told him how much his check was (4-5 figures) and Lee was blown away by how much he had made. Then there are the Brett Helquists who have funded their own retirement and their kids retirement off of all he royalties he’s made through Series of Unfortunate Events. With self publishing there is a trust issue as to, how are you going to track sales and royalties. The publishers now have an online portal where you can login and monitor your book’s sales. Distribution [46:53] This is a lot of work and for Will, Lee, and Jake something they have all dealt with doing their Kickstarters. Thousands of books take up space. They have had their basements and garages filled with books. Lee’s shipment of books was 2500 pounds, he literally had a ton of books. Now Lee and Jake have storage units to keep all their books. And 2-3 thousand books isn’t even a huge amount. Jeff Smith, while self publishing “Bone”, ended up buying the house next door to house all of his book inventory. Distribution is a ton of work! (no pun intended.) Self Publishing authors are not distributors. They don’t have relationships with distributors. And so that’s one more downside. One other side note: Foreign rights. Lee has had books go into Korean, Japanese, and Chinese. Publishers know how to distribute in those markets. Money [49:50] People may think, “oh it’s just $500,” and don’t realize how much an illustrator needs to make from illustrating a book. Will asks Lee and Jake to name their price, to do a self published book with a terrible manuscript. Lee often gets 30K+ advances, Will is a little under that, and Jake has gotten both under and higher than that. An advance is money publishers pay you in advance against the royalties. So you get money when you sign the contract, and then when you turn in sketches, and then when you submit the final work (1/3, 1/3, 1/3; or 1/2, 1/2). Then you don’t get money on royalties until that amount is reached, on what you would have got?from royalties if there wasn’t an advance, then once you reach that point, you start to make money off of royalties. And Lee said he would do a self published book for $50,000 (and that is if he liked he book). Lee would charge this much because of opportunity costs, where If he didn’t like it, they would have to pay up in the 6-figures range. This conversation could be misconstrued to be three ar Part of the problem is perpetuated with the publisher. Because there are some books like “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” that are super successful with very simple drawings, and so people think that anyone could do something like that and it would be easy. What about for a family friend? Jake might help illustrate a book for a family friend, but it wouldn’t be as detailed or Will and Lee are against illustrating for a family member or friend. You should love the project, and really like it. When you set up your agreement, because you will set up a contract of course, make sure you don’t They probably won’t pay you a ton. Go ahead and set up a big royalty. Do How to answer this question, “Can you recommend someone?” [1:00:06] That’s a hard question because you might not know what they want, or what they Lee has a new technique for saying no to these offers. And one of the things he has learned is that you don’t always have to respond to every email. Maybe for a high school student it could work out. Graduation Commencement Neil Gayman He sees his goals and aspirations as a mountain in the distance, and as long as your going there then you are doing something good. Make great art. It might be different if you are in college or based on your circumstances. Honestly, it comes down to: does it fit your needs, or does it point you in the right direction. Another thing is if you really feel that this will be something that will help someone, you can. The reason creating art you don’t want to make is because your mind can’t escape it. LINKS svslearn.com Jake Parker, http://mrjakeparker.com. Instagram: @jakeparker, Youtube: JakeParker44 Will Terry, http://willterry.com. Instagram: @willterryart, Youtube: WillTerryArt Lee White, http://leewhiteillustration.com. Instagram: @leewhiteillo forum.svslearn.com Podcast production and editing by Aaron Dowd. Show notes by Tanner Garlick.

Our first mailbag episode! Lee, Will, and Jake will be answering questions that people in the forums have been asking; there are lots of great questions, some fun questions, tons of insightful answers, and even some differing opinions. Link SVS Forum Check out the SVS forums. You do not have to be a subscriber to participate in the forums. It’s a safe space with a super helpful community, where you can post questions or your work (anywhere from sketches to finished painting) and get feedback from the SVS community. Q: Where do we (Will Jake and Lee) see themselves in ten years? 4:00 Having a 10 year plan is advantageous. It allows you to have direction. You can even have a 1, 2, 5, and 10 year plan (Jake likes to do this). It’s best to make your plans project focused. Make sure that in those plans you are planning big projects. Maybe it is a project every year, or every two years. Some people get so involved with just one big project and they noodle at it and go back and forth and keep going back and fixing things as they improve and they can end up spending 10 years on a single project with no finished product to show for it. Try to apply the concept “finished not perfect”. Jake’s Finished Not Perfect YouTube Making an actual plan helps you get the things done as you work to advance your career. Jakes 10 Year Plan: 10 children’s books finished and 5 more graphic novels drawn. He also wants to see where he can take some of those projects and see if they can advance to another form whether it’s a movie, video game, or TV show. Will’s 10 Year Plan: Has matured to the point where he really values the projects he is working on, more than just pumping them out. Has gotten Bonnepart Falls Apart out and he wants to get the next book out and see if they can keep this series going. Will Terry Bonnepart Falls Apart WIll loves teaching and organizing concrete information to help students, where sometimes in college you get bits and pieces of the content. Over the next 10 years he’s going to be trying to create provide a solid curriculum and sees himself doing this within the next couple years. He also wants to start writing and illustrating and getting his own books out. Lee’s 10 Year Plan: Wants to start focusing on the quality and the meaning behind the work and slow down. He enjoys writing books and creating content for the illustrations. He wants to be writing in 10 years and writing his own books, maybe 1 book per year. Also, loves the freedom that comes with online teaching and wants to try to teach 2 classes a year and recruit other teachers. SVS allows Lee to create the classes he thinks will be valuable. SVS Learn Website While Jake, Will, and Lee, matured in their career they came to realize what work became fulfilling to them. Focus on meaning and quality. Consider the questions: what does your ideal day look like and what brings value to you? Q: How to do get ready for a Comic Cons or Art Fair? 14:03 Big question! We are thinking of creating a class to go over this, because all three have done these events and gone through mistakes and have a lot to share. There are a lot of principles to learn. Here is one: Start small- go to a convention. Start observing and go into research and development mode. You want to reverse engineer the convention. Ask yourself: Which tables are you afraid to walk up to, and why? Which tables do have no problem approaching, and why? What made you attracted to a booth? what made you stop in your tracks? Why did you buy from this person? These are the things to consider. You can approach people and ask questions. I.e. Where did you get this banner printed? Find out where you can start. Be respectful of artist’s time. Understand the difference between Comic Cons and Art fairs. Art Fairs have a different crowd. It is much more fine art based. Where people are looking to buy more original art to decorate their house. Whereas Comic Cons are indoor and you sell a lot more work at a cheaper price. You should ask yourself why you want to do this: is it to receive validation? To make money? To build a more personal fan base? You can measure success with you own personal answers to these questions. Q: What are your methods and approaches for time efficiency and consistency for a long project? 22:15 This has been address in a Third Thursday. 3rd Thursday Find short-cuts. I.e. If Will needs to do a lot of grass for a project he will do a whole page of grass and then copy and paste it, and use it throughout the project rather than hand paint each strand on each page. Also, for character consistency he will do head studies for characters you’ll see a lot and then throw them in the right place. I.e. high angle, low angle, straight on, etc. Q: How do you get motivated when you lose steam halfway through and don’t feel motivated? Lee: starts with his favorite spread and then prints it out nice and hangs it up, it acts like a beacon for the rest of the project. He then will do the page he dreads the most because he still has energy. He also mixes his projects in a day and tries to have some other fun projects or paintings. Every painting in the book doesn’t have to have equal value, some pages are just necessary and get you through the book. All spreads don’t bring the same enjoyment. Jake: Create visual checklist/boxes. I.e. layouts, rough sketches, line work, ink, color, for each page. Finds satisfaction in the bubbles being filled. Time yourself, see how long you spend on a page, etc. And then you can budget your time and plan some other projects for the middle so you don’t get bored. Jake like Lee also likes to pick a fun spread to start off with that he is looking forward to, and this also helps the publisher get a feel for the art and makes sure it’s inline with their vision. Ask for more time if you need it but when setting the deadline anticipate more than you really need. Often the client is willing to give you some extra time. Q: What are the differences to being an illustrator or content creator? 32:18 Writing is hard, it takes time. There is a lot of hard work that goes into the writing process. You’re creating a world, and the characters, and there is a lot of nuance to it. If you are a content creator, you are ensuring your own longevity. You aren’t dependent on others always giving you work, and you aren’t sitting around. If you don’t have work you are still moving creating content. This often leads to more paid work. There is a difference between creating the entire visual world vs. just visualizing the world. Contents creators are able to move forward. The writer illustrator understands what needs to be in the text and what can be only illustrations. Success comes easier with these artist/writers that understand the process of perspective, creation, and building of the story. Be apart of the creation and make your own thing. Comes down to failure. Failure is a part of the process get use to it! Q: What is your process in doing master copies? 41:35 Start by studying the image. Start from the ground up. Learn the gesture, structure, shadow, light, and color. Studying process books that break down the steps. I.e. Art of … books. Understand the pattern of what is going on in the master copy. Lee: Understand why you want to do a master copy of this art? Ideal portfolio assignment:Choose 10-20 pieces of work that you wish you did. Look for the consistency and theme. What medium pops up the most. Find approach. Find similarities and difference. Find Go in more informed before actually starting the master copy. Master coping is a great artistic exercise. Understanding the artist and their thought process. Consider: why did they make certain discussion in their art? How did the solve certain problems? How did they figure things out? Don’t just draw a lot but draw with a purpose and be deliberate. Master the basics/ foundations of art. Q: If you can illustrate a small story based off a favorite song what would it be? 50:10 Music is inspiring and provide really great creative inspiration. Challenged to illustrate how a song feels. This could be a artistic challenge. Lee: Tom York without Radiohead. New Order is a classic. David Hone and Lee have an assignment- pick a song a illustrate the song, then the class gets to listen to the song and guess which art fits. Will and Jake are hipsters and listen to London Grammar, Florence and the Machine, Foster the People. Jake: Help by the Beatles would be a great children's book. Will: Permission to love. Will’s Peguin’s Dancing to Permission to Love Beatles YAY or NAY?!?! Q: What is the biggest mistake that amateur artists and students make? 57:38 With the art: Artists need to do the groundwork, previsualization work, character studies, scene studies, color studies, and little tests. Create drafts and sketches, work out all the problems, think about what the image is trying to say, is the image working are a narrative? Amateur artists and students don’t do this will or enough. With the career: Fail to do... Artists need to do the groundwork of understand the field that they want to get into or think they want to get into. Know where you want to be and what it takes to be there. Understand the job whether that is illustration, animation, freelance, and etc. Consider what illustrators do you like, what is the job like day to day, what are some nuances of the job, and what is the job market like. Amateur artists and students don’t do this will or enough. Q: How can I do better in contest? 1:04:20 Enter contest and be comfortable putting your work out there. As a content creator you need to get use to this. With contest- yes, enter them but read the fine print. If you enter and lose learn from the experience. Deconstruct your work and the top art pieces. Be humble enough to look at the winners and think about what they did better and implement those principles into your own work. Q: Do you recommend going to college for illustration? 1:05:50 There are so many factors and this is a complex questions. Jake: If money not a problem do it but if you don’t take what you do have and make a self learning program. Be smart, self motivated and get you can receive the same or better education for much cheaper. Lee: With technology now you can custom build your education from the whole world. There are a lot of choices now. The school is not guarantee to work. Build your portfolio. LINKS svslearn.com Jake Parker, http://mrjakeparker.com. Instagram: @jakeparker, Youtube: JakeParker44 Will Terry, http://willterry.com. Instagram: @willterryart, Youtube: WillTerryArt Lee White, http://leewhiteillustration.com. Instagram: @leewhiteillo forum.svslearn.com Podcast production and editing by Aaron Dowd. Show notes by Tanner Garlick.

Today we tackle the subject of fan art. We discuss what it is, what it isn't, whether or not you should do it, and the legality of it. We definitely are of three minds on this one so get ready for some arguing! Legal statement: Will, Jake, and Lee are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. However, they have experience, thoughts and options on the topic of fan art. If you are looking for real legal counsel, speak to a lawyer that specializes with Intellectual Property (IP). What is fan art? [3:00] Jake’s definition: Any drawing or illustration by a fan of a character or IP that is owned by another company or person. What if someone did fan art and it become successful and gets traction on a social media platform i.e. Reddit? Give credit where credit towards that artist or to whoever owns the IP. In reality the fan art topic is more directed towards taking IPs that have great popularity already. There are these massive IPs like Marvel, DC Comics, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc. There are lots of people at conventions and online who are selling prints and merchandise using these IPs. So the question is, “should you do fan art of these IPs?” and “should you sell it?” Fan art comes in 4 Categories: [10:50] Derivative Work: something that you draw which is pretty much based on the character, your version of the character. The character in your style. Parody: focused on the humor aspect, doing something funny with the character, needs Plagiarism: creating a copy, or using actual artwork and reprinting it (reprint on paper or a t-shirt) Transformative Work: take something that was created and transforming it into something new. i.e. A book review, a drawing of something that hasn't been visualized What is the actual legality of it? Where is the line? [13:28] Hard Line: if you don’t own the character, you need to be careful with the IP. It is illegal. Grey Line: If the company or person who owns the character will care, prosecute, or send a cease and desist. Jake’s thoughts [14:00] If you have a piece of original art, that you created, on a physical piece of paper, you can sell it. That piece is a one-off the original. However, prints and t-shirts become more grey area. You have created a derivative that the company hasn’t created. Ultimately, using another IP but if it became a parody in some way than it is in a “safer” zone i.e. SNL, parody, t-shirt or print. If it has a strong point of view or a strong stylistic design, that couldn’t be mistaken for a licensed work then it’s a better situation to be in BUT best practice is to contact the copyright owner and ask for permission or to buy a license for the IP you want to use. Sometimes larger companies are hard to get ahold of and request legal use of the IP. It is not in the companies economic interest to pursue legal action such as Jake Parker’s Iron Giant prints. Jake Parker Iron Giant Print It is hard to say what is going to happen if you do fan art. There are instances that artist received cease and desist and there are also instances where the owner of the IP likes the fan art and wants to purchase the IP for it. Lee’s thoughts: [18:03] It is very clear who owns the IP of certain art. The grey line starts to work against you once dollars start to get involved- if you start to actually make money off of the art that could go against you. If you just gave away your art it wouldn't be an issue. Lee clarifies Transformative art- There was a case where a photograph was used to created a sculpture (that was very close) and this case was not deemed illegal for the photography. Fan art opens up problems and developing the mindset “I can grab what I want to”. Limits the artist and builds false notoriety and is illegal. The question is whether you will be prosecuted or not. And ultimately, if it’s not a parody it is illegal. Another point to look at is: how much of the project or work is under a copyright? If you take out the copyright work, how much of your project is left over? Does the art still stand if the copied images are taken out. Example: Jake's sketchbooks. Jake Parker’s art books WIll’s thoughts: [22:58] There are forms of fan art that art legal and it depends on the degree in which you recreate the IP. Some fan art is definitely not original and  pure plagiarism but there are IPs that have been exaggerated and are protected under law. Dominic Glover (started illegitimate and became legitimate) Totally Legal Fanart video Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.- Parody in a court of law recreating “Pretty woman walking down the street”. Campbell won because they were appealing to different audiences. Wills 5 degrees of fanart [32:00] (From bad to good) A pure copy Copy reference but they change the style i.e. watercolor- Rendering has changed Come up with New original pose, and in your own Your own pose, style, and add a concept or something completely different i.e. Will creates known characters into children Completely original pose, style, environment, and genre. Every single thing has changed. Why not create you own thing? [36:00] Will- It’s rewarding aspect to recreated two ideas but there are pitfalls if not careful. Sometimes artist become reliant on fan art. Do it for the right reasons. You can ask- Do i do it for the love or doing it for financial gain? Jed Henry is an example of creating “level 5” fanart. It is original and merges the IP and Henry’s style and vision. Jed Henry’s Ukiyo-e Heroes Could someone young make fanart and avoid these pitfalls? [45:30] Often times fan art is done for economical reasons and to gain tractions. However, young artists need to be mindful. Don’t lean on fanart. Doing fanart allows for great exposure but shouldn’t be that bulk of your work. Fanart can also be an interesting exercise as an artist to grow and learn. Consider WIll’s 5 step evaluations. How much did you change it? Are you selling it? How close to the line are you? The closer you get to the line, the more you are going across the ethical and legal boundary. Do the fanart to learn, get exposure and sometimes to get work but don’t let it be you main thing. Maybe for every fanart piece you do, do 5 original personal pieces. Don’t sell you soul to fan art. Jake found another artist’s list that puts your fanart at risk [51:00] Kirawara Fan Art Risk List: Used original logo Makes it tasteless, sexual, or slanderous Little or no difference Does not have a parody or influence of parody If you sell a high number of prints or commission If it caters to the same market as the copyright owner i.e. Marvel prints don’t exist As an official (career) Marvel artist, you can sell prints and consider them official Marvel art prints. It helps to supplement those artists income. Other artist eat into this market- a thing to consider. Another “pro” fan art point [55:00] In the end, it’s still illegal, but it help keeps the popularity of the IP alive. Whether or not you get in trouble for it is entirely up to the IP owner. LINKS svslearn.com Jake Parker, http://mrjakeparker.com. Instagram: @jakeparker, Youtube: JakeParker44 Will Terry, http://willterry.com. Instagram: @willterryart, Youtube: WillTerryArt Lee White, http://leewhiteillustration.com. Instagram: @leewhiteillo forum.svslearn.com Podcast production and editing by Aaron Dowd. Show notes by Tanner Garlick.

In this episode we swallow some pride and take a look at some of our less stellar moments. These are the times we wish we had a rewind button for life and could do things over. We have take away points from each story so you don’t have to make our mistakes again. Hopefully, none of you are as dumb as us! Story 1: Will’s Phallic Tortoise [01:31] Take away: When you’re learning how to draw it’s a lot like a golf swing. To do a golf swing right there’s 50 things you’ve got to know how to do and you can’t be thinking about them all at the same time. They have to flow naturally. And so you can concentrate on 5 of them at the same time. As an illustrator there’s 50 things you’ve got to know how to do to make an illustration, and one of them is composition. Make sure you’re composition isn’t set up in a way that it compromises the entire piece. Story 2: Lee’s Name Critique [7:45] Take away: Do your homework on who you’re meeting with. Take some time to understand what they are about, what they do, and why they want to meet with you. Don’t advise them to change the name of their company! Story 3: Jake’s Edgy Style vs All-Ages Style [11:43] Take away: Take a long look at your work and see how it might influence others around you. If you’re not happy with what your work is doing for the world see how you can change it for the better. Story 4: Will’s Feminine Hygiene Job [16:14] Take away: Just...don’t be a Will. Be happy you don’t have to be tied to a phone any more to get work. Also, you don’t have to take every job that comes your way. Story 5: Lee’s Alphabet Book Debacle [21:14] Take away: If you’re hired to do a job specifically for your style, maybe don’t subcontract someone else to do it for you. Before you commit to do a job, take a good look at how much work needs to be done and see if your schedule can handle the workload. You want to avoid opting out of the job after contracts have been signed and money’s been paid. Ask questions up front about what exactly is needed for the job. Get all the facts and cross check them with other professionals to make sure you’re not getting into something that you won’t be able to finish on time. Be willing to say no to a high paying job if you don’t think it benefit your career. There are more important things than a paycheck if the job you take doesn’t really further your career. Story 6: Will’s Fax Machine [29:00] Take away: Get all the information BEFORE the fax comes in :P Make sure you get all the information on the job that you need in order to finish your job. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and take good notes on your calls. Story 7: Lee Unknowingly Rips on the Boss’s Daughter [36:15] Take away: Remember names! Do your homework and know who you’re talking to. Story 8: Jake’s Big Meeting [40:20] Take away: Don’t waste an important meeting. If you’re in the position to meet with an important editor or client do whatever you need to to have a killer pitch, presentation, or idea to share with them. Be prepared! Story 9: Will Zones Out [46:16] Take away: Be present and paying attention when you’re talking to a client or editor Story 10: Lee’s bike ride [49:00] Take away: Plan your day. Make sure you have time to do everything you’ve set out to do. You don’t have to do everything. Look at ways that you’re making you job harder than it actually has to be. LINKS svslearn.com Jake Parker, http://mrjakeparker.com. Instagram: @jakeparker, Youtube: JakeParker44 Will Terry, http://willterry.com. Instagram: @willterryart, Youtube: WillTerryArt Lee White, http://leewhiteillustration.com. Instagram: @leewhiteillo forum.svslearn.com Podcast production and editing by Aaron Dowd.

Ship Happens Today it is all about shipping something and getting it out into the world. Often we talk about what the difference is between a professional and an amateur, the art is one difference, but another difference is professionals "ship." Link: Merlin Man Podcast When people are successful, one big hallmark of that success is that they actually ship things, which means that they finish things. They don't just finish things and keep it in their house but they share it with others, they ship it. Also, Seth Goddin, Linchpin Make sure you don’t just start a project and let it fizzle, don’t start one after another and let them fizzle.  Look at all of your artistic heroes under the lens of finishing things and shipping things, what you find is a constant project based mentality. Where their projects go further than they do, they have to figure out how to publish it, and look at who it is going to go to. Lee’s Story: After school, Lee needed to try and get work, so he did the postcard thing. His idea was to create and send out 6 postcards a year, to 600 clients. He sent the first card out, and nothing happened, then he sent the second, and the third... and he was getting no responses. However, his goal was just to get those cards sent out, they had to get out into the world. He decided that he was going to go on a trip to New York and he felt that he needed to have have something more substantial than a postcard to give to publishers so he made these really nice custom build books and custom mailers and sent them to 21 dream clients. 13 of them had him in for an interview. Earlier he felt like he was just sending his postcards out into the void and was seeing no results, however, as he went around to meet with different publishers he noticed that a lot of the publishers had his postcard on their wall.  Some of those publishers, he is just now starting to work with. There was lots of stuff happening behind the scenes that he didn't know about. All of it came from him shipping things out.. Lee finished college where I was drawing and painting all the time. Then felt that after he was now just creating stuff to ship out. The shipping paid off. The Power of a physical object Jake been to every publisher and to Chronicle, he's been to all their meetings, and he can attest that their walls are full of postcards. One of the art directors told him, speaking of the postcards on the walls, “I don’t know if I’ll work with them, but I want to remember them, and I hope that our paths will cross.” Sometimes we think we need a broad audience and that we need to get our work out there onto the inter web, but sometimes something tangible for a small audience can be just as powerful as something digital to a huge audience. This was evidence to him of the power of physical objects. There is no guarantee of anything. It almost always costs more than what you might have anticipated. It’s terrifying putting yourself out there, you might be scared of failure. You might have thoughts or hear people say, “who do you think you are?” Will's Story: after finishing school he was planning on doing the postcard thing. His dad was doubtful and said “What are you gonna do? Send postcards to people? Without a cover letter? How will they know what it is for?" Despite his Dad's skepticism, he sent out postcards. It worked! He came home one day and his Dad was excited because there was a fax from Psychology Today wanting him to do work for him. It's very powerful when you ship something out into the world. If you haven't sent anything out, you might be wondering if it will pay off, and you don't know. But once it is out there it is moving and there is this serendipity that Lee has faith in now that good things will happen when you put your work out there. While there is not guarantee that you'll get work or that it will pay off the way you want it to, there is a guarantee, that if you get your work shipped out, you will learn things from doing this! Sometimes the value you want isn't going to be the value you get. Sometimes the value is the failure. Value in learning. Even putting your work out there digitally in a finished way i.e. creating a website, is valuable. Personal Takeaways Jake- never sent out postcards. Was going into animation and had an agent pounding the pavement to get him comic and illustration work. However, he had his first Missile Mouse Comic book. He made it at the copy center. And had to fold all of the 8.5 x 11 sheets, and get them all in the right order. It was a pain. He made a bunch of these "ashcan" booklets, and took a bunch of them to San Diego Comic Con in 2001 and started to hand them out to his art heroes. He gave one to Jeff Smith, the creator of Bone who was really excited and introduced Jake to Bob Shrek, the editor in chief at DC Comics. None of that panned out into anything but it gave him tons of confidence in his abilities, and led him to find other comic book artists at his same level, and they ended up making their own  Beginning of this Journey, and really the first step for me realizing my potential as a creator. It never would have happened if I didn’t finish that first book and have something tangible that I could hand to another person that they can handle and pass it along. Link: Finished Not Perfect Link: Jake's Traveler’s Print Jake's Goal for each piece: give it 3 lives.  For example, you could create a process video, there's the finished piece, it could be scanned into book, made into a print, or into a postcard. All this artwork has mini lives, you can even sell the original. Don’t just let a piece of art live and die in one version, it should live on in many version. Lee, has been entering into art fairs for about 5 years now. Then did his first one and all of his work sold really well, and he was doing prints, Lee then decided to find a way to sell the originals. Now when I make an image, I make it with a standardized frame size.  Another important thing he learned from comic and moving forward.  Jake, learned the value of letting something be finished, rather than trail off forever. Never being finished, always trying to find a perfection to it, rather have something tangible, that can be held, downloaded or a finished website, or in other words: Whatever finished is you need to get it to that point. Another word for finished is shipped. You can't ship something if you haven't finished it. You’ve got to get it to a finished state, what things to let go of, what things to hold on to to make it seem finished. Lee always finishes things: has a way of working that applies well with his personality and is fairly fast. Jake has a number of Projects not finished: i.e. Lord Balderben and the Infinicorn of Destiny. Started adding comic pages in between. So he put it on the back burner to work on another. It’s okay to not finish a project as long as you don’t make that what you do with all projects.  You learn from things, even things like typography, and shipping. You learn about practical concerns. Lee realized that his books that were printed in China were coming to him on a boat and weighed 3000 pounds and he realized he didn't have anywhere for them. You really learn a process outside of the illustration process. Obstacles Not having an end product in mind. Jake did the Draw 100 Somethings Challenge, which pushes you to do something you aren’t familiar with, and pushes your creativity. He ended up drawing 200 somethings and then... that was it. Jake Realized, since that project, what’s the point of doing a project, besides getting better, if you don't have anything for the project to do, it isn’t helping you or another. Begin with some sort of physical object in mind, so you know you aren’t done until that thing exists. Want to maximize time, and get the most use and benefit from art. Fine Artist- The creator makes something and it doesn’t matter if anyone gets anything out of it.As long as you appreciate your work, that’s good enough. Illustrator- need to express something to someone else, a story or an idea, not as satisfied if you don’t get to express it something for someone else. You need to train yourself to “ship”, need to start small. If you have an idea, try it out, don’t just talk, walk the walk. You have to decide to do it and start. One key element: get used to the idea of “clumsy beginnings.” It all looks clear in hindsight. When you start it out, it’s really clumsy, you don’t know what the details are. It starts as a big clumsy mess, then you start figuring out problems, 1 by 1 by 1. They start with grabbing this thing, and this thing, you just go through and answer quetions. Will starts to do something and then realize what he should have done. The more you age, the more creating, the more shipping you do, the more thoughtful, careful, and methodical. Be a doer, a starter, a finisher. Little book, wasn’t anticipating such a People get paralyzed, Didn’t start with the small stuff, caught up in the “I can’t” Thinking mindset. Finished Project: Jake starts with the end in mind, starts on making the thing, and the little things. 2-3 days making the logo. What makes me excited about the shop  Link: Shoe Dog- wants to make a really good shoe and make it as good as it can be, forgot to figure out name and logo. People lose way by focusing on things that don’t matter too much and forget to focus on the meat, the important things. Lee likes to do thumbnails, then a finished piece. If lots of people are expecting to see it, then you will produce a lot more. Positive Pure Pressure. Good technique: have other people expecting it, develop Accountability. Kickstarter is great- accountability, timeline, parameters. One of the best things is Will’s Kickstarter failing. Hit self on the head with a new hammer, learn that way.  People will click “LIKE” all day, if you can’t get 1000 likes, then you won’t get 1000 people to give you a dollar. Then on second try, really did homework, asked questions,  You’ve got to start small, and have failures, you learn the lessons along the way. We have amazing projects within us, and we don’t even know what they are yet. Do what you need to do to coax those projects out of you. 10 Item List: How to take a project from start to finish: Choose Wisely: you have got to have an interest in it, a motivition. Is it something that people want? Do research in it, is there interest in it? You and Others? Resource Planning: Figure out how much time it’s going to to take to make it? Figure out how much money you’ll have to put into it? Figure out supplies, physical resources? Plan out key tasks: creation, design, putting it together, figure out who you need to work with. Plan it out, how long it will take, how long you can spend each day, how long timeline will be. Then put schedule on calendar. Create a Progress Sheet or Schedule. Announce it! Tell friends, social media, etc. “This is the thing I’m working on” Finished Not Perfect: at every step, how do I get this to a finished thing, not too hung up on perfecting everything, you’ll learn more by getting it out of your system than perpetually perfecting. Share progress, how did you have idea, what you’re working on now, show work, what you did this week, what inspired you to do that? You’ll build an audience. Stay on Target: Always keep a vision of the finished product. Why you started? Keep in mind what that thing is, so you don’t waste time in the weeds. Unlock Achievements: reward self for accomplishments. Have Fun! If you aren’t finding fun in it, and it’s just drudgery you are doing something wrong, doesn’t  You can hit eject at any time. Give yourself option to be able to pivot and do something else. Lee wishes he had 10 things told to him, when he was in school. Nobody will pay you more than yourself. Own your own IP, Business, Something, is so valuable. CURRENT PROJECTS Jake: Skyheart Update: still working on the coloring. Learning to attack a scene all at the same time. Speeds up working time, 10 pages an afternoon. 36 pages left to color. Will: Textbook project complete. Will is working with a Hero Illustrator on a class for SVS, it’s amazing to be able to work with somebody whose work he was looking up to for so long. Really excited to announce it.  Lee: Still working on Children’s Book, rough sketches are done, big aha moments are not as frequent for illustration, but they happen whenever someone tells him something about writing, he had a big aha moment with writing. Show not tell, make them feel it, not just tell. “Nico was nervous.” Tell. “Nico got a knot in his stomach, and his breathing tensed.” Show.  Now trying to go through manuscript and make it. You can also show things in pictures that aren’t even mentioned in words that complement text. LINKS svslearn.com Jake Parker, http://mrjakeparker.com. Instagram: @jakeparker, Youtube: JakeParker44 Will Terry, http://willterry.com. Instagram: @willterryart, Youtube: WillTerryArt Lee White, http://leewhiteillustration.com. Instagram: @leewhiteillo forum.svslearn.com Podcast production and editing by Aaron Dowd. Show notes by Tanner Garlick.

Many people wonder, is it too late? Or, am I too old to start? Will, Lee, and Jake talk about this age old question and discuss how it isn’t too late. There are many successful creatives that didn’t start until they were older. Lee shares his story and how he didn’t start art until later on in life. We talk about ways you can amp up and make the most of your early years if you are starting for the first time, or looking to accelerate your growth later in life. We discuss some of the benefits of age and the need for sacrifice and prioritizing to create a thriving career in art. Links: Svslearn.com, schoolism, CGMA Sang Jun, https://www.sangjunart.com/ Lee White, https://www.leewhiteillustration.com/ Zombies video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngZ0K3lWKRc Jon Klassen, http://jonklassen.tumblr.com/ Craig Mullins, http://www.goodbrush.com/ Design 100 Somethings, Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxa01j9Ns7o Uncovering Your Style, SVS, https://courses.svslearn.com/courses/uncovering-your-style Yuko Shimizu, http://yukoart.com/ Jake Parker, http://mrjakeparker.com. Instagram: @jakeparker, Youtube: JakeParker44 Will Terry, http://willterry.com. Instagram: @willterryart, Youtube: WillTerryArt Lee White, http://leewhiteillustration.com. Instagram: @leewhiteillo http://forum.svslearn.com Podcast production and editing by Aaron Dowd. Show notes by Tanner Garlick. Am I Too Old to Get Started? Am I too old to shift careers? Am I too old to start as an artist? Am I too old to start this big project I’ve always wanted to start working on? What’s the average age to start working? If you grew up with an interest in art, drew all the time, and went to art school then most people start their art career maybe in their mid-twenties. Often people who get to art a little later in the game wonder, “Am I too old to do this?” Young people think, “When am I going to get that job?” Regardless of your age, you are probably comparing yourself to people older and younger than you, and wishing you had done something different when you were younger or feeling like you are so far behind. Examples of Successful Late Starters Sang Jun. https://www.sangjunart.com/ Didn’t start drawing until he was well into his twenties. Realized he loved drawing, and started practicing, went to art school, ended up getting a job at Lucas Film doing character design for Episode 3, and then became a lead character designer at Blue Sky. You don’t have to start in your late teens to make it. Lee White. https://www.leewhiteillustration.com/ Didn’t draw in twenties, or teens. Wasn’t interested until he was in his thirties and started drawing. Applied to Art Center of Design and got accepted with a scholarship, moved to LA, and graduated when he was 33. Then started getting his first books when he was in his mid-thirties, and that’s not the end, it’s just an on going thing. Miyazaki, the Walt Disney of Japan, in animation all throughout career until 40. That’s when he decided to start his own animation studio. He did a graphic novel at age 40 for Nausica that he wanted to make into a feature film, all of his great movies were done in his post 40’s. At age 40, you still have 25 years till most people retire, that’s a long time! You really don’t ever have to retire. Art isn’t like playing football, it’s not hard on your bones. Zombies video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngZ0K3lWKRc As You Mature, Your Art Matures Greg Manchess was winning awards and competitions for years, and he came out to do a lecture, he had just done the cover for “Above the Timberline.“ Speaking of that painting he said, “10 years ago I could not have painted this” even though 10 years ago he was winning awards for the Society of Illustrators, etc. If you really are serious about being an artist and creating the best art you are capable of creating, you have to make it a lifelong goal. It’s not a sprint. You need a schedule for yourself. You need to have an actual goal, something to look forward to. Without it, nothing happens. Don’t judge results by if you are right on target. Say, you’re 35. 5 years will pass whether you like it or not. You’re gonna be 40 at some point. Wouldn’t you rather have done something interesting with those 5 years between 35 and 40, or and tried to do this thing? If time passes anyways, you might as well do it. If you are starting later, you won’t be creating the same work that you would if you had started younger. You have had so many life experiences: losing jobs, family, work, etc. Beauty of age, experience, which leads to more informed art. If you’re older, you’ve figured out how to work and developed a good work ethic. You don’t quit until the job is done. Broader perspective, more interested in learning than instant gratification. Gina Jane was a student going back to school. She turned in some of the best projects in the class, she had done a lot of graphic design stuff but hadn’t been drawing for a while. However, she had the work ethic, and she worked so hard at applying what she was being taught. She easily turned in some of the best pieces in the class. You can accelerate your learning with your experiences. Older students are more okay learning something without instant gratification. i.e. learning perspective, having a more broad perspective and being more willing to learn. Battle Plan For someone starting at, let’s say, 35-36.. Phase 1 or Year 1: Get good at it Draw for 2 hours a day. Enroll in an online school, SVSlearn, schoolism, CGMA. Learn the Fundamentals: Perspective,  Light and Shadow, Figure Drawing, Composition, Color, how to use Line/shape/tone Fill 6-7 100 page sketchbooks, during your 2 hours a day. Work on hands, head, the figure, landscape, perspective, shading, this is your your sandbox for practicing and applying what you are learning. Pick 5 of your favorite artist, do 20 copies from each of these 5 artists. Each copy, you will learn so much from trying to deconstruct what these artists have done. You want to learn how that artist did it. You’re gonna fail with some of them, but you try and learn from the masters by copying their work. Depending on what your goal is, it might change your approach. Jon Klassen. Does a lot more simple graphic design type work. http://jonklassen.tumblr.com/ Craig Mullins. Studied industrial design. He didn’t like the industrial design look. Then he went back to school and did illustration. http://www.goodbrush.com/ Seek advice from a professional: "these are my goals, what should I do?" Sometimes students want to become a children’s book illustrator but don’t really know any illustrators. During this first year, you need to educate yourself on this field. If it’s children’s books, every week maybe read 5 a week. If it’s comics, know what’s in comics, not just 20 years ago, but what is happening now. Fill your creative bank account with what people in the industry are doing. State your goal publicly: and then share your progress on the social media platform. That’s your Phase 1/ Year 1, it might take 2-3 years. Phase 2: Build Your Portfolio Draw 4 hours a day Intermediate classes, these online schools, and svs have more advanced classes. More one on one with teachers. 4 sketchbooks this year, not studies, concept art for portfolio. Illustrator: ideas for illustrations or childrens books Comic artist: ideas for characters, your take on Wolverine, etc. Complete the Draw 100 Somethings Challenge: boats, trees, flowers, gummy robots, dinosaurs, robots, etc. Teaches you to not be satisfied with first 2-3, or 20 designs. Teaches you that true creativity comes after you have drained all the low hanging fruit. Jake did 200. Just to prove that there is no end to the ideas you can do. 100 Somethings, Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxa01j9Ns7o Continue Studying. If you’re aspiring to do childrens books- keep studying children’s books. concept artist or animator-reading every word in the “Art Of” books. Comics, keep studying comic books. Social Media- post your 100 somethings. Post your sketchbook studies. Can start growing a following, cause you aren’t just practicing but sharing your own unique ideas and what you are bringing to this field you are entering. Choose your heroes. Educate yourself on what you want to do. i.e. children’s books, comics, animation. Post regularly, share your work, journal chart progress, share what you’re learning. Keep Studying Start to pay attention to stories. At the end of the day this is what will separate you. See what the story is about, not just the details, separate that. Eventually everyone will be able to draw and paint, and story is what will separate you. Ultimately, Star Wars is all about a family. It’s a family drama, that’s what it is about. Be able to see the broader view, what’s the story about, and how did they tell that story. You can really get some great insights to storytelling, story building, and how to tell your own stories. You don’t want to just be a vapid artist who isn’t saying anything. Key: Ultimately, it is your stories that you tell that will separate you from the others.  Be observant of stories in your life and all around you. What the story is all about, what is the broader view? How did they tell the story. Look at it separate from the details. They’re not saying anything, or they’re saying the same thing that has always been said. Be conscious of the style that you are developing. See "Uncovering your Style", https://courses.svslearn.com/courses/uncovering-your-style Phase 3: Make a Product. Kickstart and Create your comic, illustrate your book, concept out your idea. Create something that works for you. Reasons: Teaches you to Start and Finish a project.An actual product, suggests a finality to the project. Not just a project. Finished not perfect. Learn Marketing Learn Production Learn Salesmanship. Learn who prints things, and how to get things printed. Learn about how when things get screwed up how to fix it? You’ll be more educated and understand what’s happening behind the scenes. Year 3 is all about taking everything you are learning and create something with it. Enter contests, put yourself out there, step up to the plate, try it, and get work out there. This is the best that I have got, this is what I have to share. Helps propel you to a new step. Do your best, and then move forward. You need moments of finality and stair stepping, then you can ask, “Where to go next?” Keep finishing things, then you go on to the next thing, and keep doing your best, then you can decide where to go next. Don’t just keep a bunch of unfinished things in the drawer. Ultimately, we want you to teach yourself how to finish and present something. This will also help you flesh out a network. If you want to be successful, you need to build a network. People above, next to, and below you.You’d be surprised at what jobs and opportunities will come. Someone above may like your work and throw you a bone. Someone next to you may recommend you for a job.  Someone below you has opportunities too. Start building that network by building things and putting them out into the world. Get into the network/world that you hope to enter. Project creates a connection with people in that world, starts a network. Study a film a week, a graphic novel a week, etc. Will used to have though that “If I look at other people’s work I would be copying.” Originality comes from taking and combining, and studying. Will wishes someone would have grabbed him and told him that. Keep feeding yourself. All creativity is, is connecting dots. Connecting dots that other people wouldn’t haven’t thought to connect. In order to connect dots, you have to have dots in the first place if you’re not filling your brain, then you have no creative capital to work with, you have no thoughts. How Can I do This? You have 4 hours in a day. You work for 9-10 hours. You have 14 hours. Maybe you shave off an hour of sleep, maybe you stop watching a TV series. It really comes down to what you want to sacrifice. You shouldn’t sacrifice family, or your job. But there are some things you need to sacrifice to go down this path. Need to discuss this with your spouse or significant other.  I.e. “This is something I feel really passionate about, let’s work out a plan, maybe Thursday Friday nights are spent doing this, and you get me Saturday and Sunday.” Maybe it’s not 4 hours a day, and it’s 2. You can get a lot done in 2 hours. If you don’t prioritize it, it will never happen. Come up with a schedule. Maybe it is Thursday or Saturday. Early to Rise. Jake gets up at 4am to work on Skyheart. Lee wakes up at 5, works from 5:30-9:30 or 10AM. During that grouping of hours, stuff happens. You can get a ton of work done in that group of time. Pursuit of Happiness. The main character would drink less water, so that he didn’t have to use the restroom as often and could therefore make more calls. You’ve got to ask yourself, how bad do you want something? It comes down to that. I really want to play the guitar, but I didn’t sacrifice for it, I didn’t prioritize it. I said that I really wanted to play the guitar, but if you don’t sacrifice and prioritize it, then you don’t really want it. You can’t have good things without some sort of sacrifice or some sort of skin in the game. Yuko Shimizu, http://yukoart.com/ She had a full time corporate job, and kept her job until eventually she hit the tipping point and she quit her corporate job, and now is an incredible illustrator. Current Projects Jake: Skyheart, 60 Pages left to color, it’s coming along well! Lee: Working on illustrating some different subject matter. Do rough sketches, then Find 3 key beats or difficult passages, and does an illustration of those passages, cause that will set tone for the rest of the book. Not just page 1, 2, etc. and does those pages and then it influences all the rest of the pages. Will: Wrapping up Texture Painting class, Finished up the Alice in Wonderland series for Comic Con, and just finished a children’s book. http://svslearn.com Jake Parker, http://mrjakeparker.com. Instagram: @jakeparker, Youtube: JakeParker44 Will Terry, http://willterry.com. Instagram: @willterryart, Youtube: WillTerryArt Lee White, http://leewhiteillustration.com. Instagram: @leewhiteillo forum.svslearn.com Podcast production and editing by Aaron Dowd. Show notes by Tanner Garlick.

MY ART IS GREAT, WHY WON’T ANYONE HIRE ME? Will got a really long letter from an artist who felt that they had done everything they were supposed to, they felt that their work was great, and they were frustrated that they still weren’t getting work. Jake and Will looked over this artist’s work and felt that the work was pretty good but not great. It was missing the style that fit the market that the artist wanted to go into. The style didn’t match the genre. You can’t do characters that look like they belong in World of Warcraft for a children's book. Often, it’s not that you can’t draw or paint, but that you are missing the mark on where you need to go. Your style isn’t hitting the mark with what you want to go into. Your style needs to match the intended audience. WORK ON YOUR CRAFT Sometimes we feel that when we can render something nice, we have arrived, and we feel really good about ourselves. While that’s a great start, and an important step, this is really “fool’s gold.” There is a lot more to good illustration than just drawing well, and making things look 3-dimensional. You never “arrive.” There is always an area to further grow or to better master. Never convince yourself that there is nowhere else to grow. There is a difference between drawing well, and creating a very engaging product. The first step in getting professional work is to work on your craft, develop good drawing skills, good perspective, shadows, and light and color. After mastering your craft, the second step is discretion. To not over render things, to not add too many highlights. You need to learn what to leave out. You need to learn what to illustrate and add. The artistry is figuring out what to put down, and what to leave out. CONDUCT A SELF-AUDIT You need a combination of a self audit, and a professional audit. You need to conduct a Self-Audit, as outlined below: You need go through this honestly, it will take some time. Study the published things in the realm that you want to go in, and have the “right heroes” Pick 8 top illustrators, who are getting their work published, by the big publishers, i.e. Harper Collins, Random House, Scholastic, etc. Make a 9 Square grid. Put your best piece in the middle and surround it with a piece from those 8 illustrators that you admire Identify what you like about it. Don’t just say, “I love this!”, you need to verbalize specific things that you love about their work, create a specific list, and write it down. These are the things that you need to work on incorporating into your work. Hang the list by your desk in order to remember these principles and to try to incorporate them. See Bart Forbes. When you have an image that you really like, really analyze it, and dissect it. Don’t just say, “I like this image” and then move on. Really dissect it and look for specific things that are working well for you. Ask yourself, “What am I responding to?” COPY, COPY, COPY Many people have the attitude of: “I don’t want to look at other people’s work because I want to be original, I don’t want to copy.” There is a false idea about originality that says you shouldn’t look at others people’s work, or that you shouldn’t copy or take inspiration from them. Jake still looks at others work for inspiration. All great artists do. You really don’t need to make it as hard as you’re making it! You say it comes from within, but really it comes from without and you process it and make it your own thing. Find the right artists to look at and let them flow through you. There is no way you can perfectly copy all things all the time, at some point you’re gonna mix something with something else, and with a little bit of yourself and a little bit of this other person, and you’re gonna find your own style that fits into this world that you want to get into. When you are at the level that you want to be at, then find the right people for your work. I.e. Landscape painters will find the right gallery, not a children’s book publisher. Do you know anyone who is going through med school? What is their total work hours per week? Basically, if you are in med school and are doing well, you pretty much have zero life, and have tons of focus, attention to detail, etc. And if you do well in school, you pretty much have a good job waiting for you with a good salary. Illustration is every bit as hard, to develop a unique style and a product to beat out other artists for jobs, and there is not a guaranteed job waiting for you. You should be treating it like you’re in med school.   You won’t get paid to learn and do research. You need to find the motivation within. No one will tell you everything you need to do. You need to make a schedule yourself and be self motivated. After you develop the skills it becomes more and more about making an interesting image, something that people grab onto. Extra element of storytelling, interest. The idea behind it. Am I bringing something new to this subject matter, some new idea, some kind of unique viewpoint, or perspective? See Chris Applehans. ADD INTEREST TO YOUR LIFE There is nothing interesting there? It may be because you aren’t an interesting person. But you can become more interesting, you need to have a rich life outside of art. Art is just a way to express the interestingness that’s inherently inside of you. If your work’s not interesting: go out and do something, talk to somebody, travel, go to the other side of town. You need to fill your creative bank account. You have gotta have creative capital. If you’re dry and empty, your just gonna have dry and empty work. The lazy man doesn’t get too far, the perpetually busy man doesn’t get much farther. Some people are just drawing, drawing, drawing, without much thought. Stop, what kind of images am I making? Is there something better or more interesting that I should be creating. Don’t just draw and draw without any direction, you need to be more deliberate. You can’t just exhale, you need to inhale. To summarize: If you're not getting work: Audit yourself, audit your work, evaluate your work based on others. Work on craft, do master studies, copy. Add interest to your life. Find an outside source who can give you some honest critique and create a feedback loop (get feedback, improve it, then get more feedback again.) You have to work towards getting your skin thick enough to beg for a really honest critique. A pat on the back is not a critique. 4 Step Process to Evaluate If You are Really Good People naturally gravitate towards your work. People put up work, people naturally are drawn to it. Online, people naturally gather around it. Mom, or significant other doesn’t count. People start seeing work and recommending you for something or to others. You’re gonna start to win things: contests, scholarships, free classes, etc. People will start paying you. WHY SHOULD I COPY? Top art schools have there students create master copies. It’s a proven exercise. Steps: Create a master copy, the more exact the better. Then do a new original piece as if you were that artist. When you get stuck, look back at their work and try to figure out how they might solve the problem. What would ______ do? Keep a copy sketchbook, this is a sketchbook that you can just throw away when your done. That’s it, don’t need to show it to anyone. The most valuable thing from doing these master copies is what happens in your brain and your muscle memory. The most valuable thing is inside you. When kids start to learn to play piano, the teachers don’t say, “Alright, just make a piece of music, just write whatever you want!” The kids start by playing other peoples music and learning to sight read other people music. The same is with martial arts, and with sports. They teach you moves. They teach you what the greats before did. STORY TIME Jake was working on an illustration of Santa’s sleigh being pulled by a bunch of different animals. He got an honest critique from Skottie Young, and Skottie told him that it looked like the stock image version of what Jake was trying to do. So Jake went to Pinterest and started looking up cartoon animals, made a Pinterest board with cartoon animals and saw, “oh this is how you would do a killer whale… oh this is how you would do a llama… I wouldn’t have thought to do that..” Then took a little bit of this guy, and then took a little bit of what they did in this drawing, etc, and mashed it together and made it his own. But really it was from absorbing from all of those different artists. There are pinnacle and milestone pieces where you have breakthroughs. Eventually you get to where you can focus a lot more on the creative and imaginative side of things because you don’t have to worry so much about how to actually create it. Eventually you’ll get to where you don’t have so much hurt from something not working out. You need to learn to not take it personally, or take an emotional hit; to be able to I don’t mind looking at something and saying, “Ahh, that’s not working out” and then you go back without taking an emotional hit, and say, “you know I can make this better.” Sometimes you will ask, “Why am I not impressed with what I just did? If you yourself aren’t kind of impressed, then no one else will be. You should be stoked, not trying to convince yourself, “uh, it’s good, it’s good..” There are times where Jake has worked on a piece for a few hours and then had to scrap it because it just wasn’t up to par. You need to get to the point where if your dog chewed up your piece, that you don’t mind because you know you can create it again or maybe even do something better. A WORD TO THE PROS If there is a professional illustrator out there, or close to professional who has great work and you are saying, “I’ve done this guys.” Then maybe your problem isn’t your craft, but your network. If you don’t know people in the field you want to go in, then you need to find mentors, get your work out there online, and up your game. Current Projects (What are you working on?): Jake: Skyheart, finishing things up there. Will: Reading Book, about a bunny that out foxes a wolf. About to start the sequel to Bonnepart Falls Apart. Lee: Writing a children’s book about natural disasters, and just came up with a dummy, and is learning a lot. Important Links: svslearn.com Jake Parker, mrjakeparker.com | Instagram: @jakeparker Will Terry, willterry.com | Instagram: @willterryart Lee White, leewhiteillustration.com | Instagram: @leewhiteillo forum.svslearn.com If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, and we’d love it if you left a review! These podcasts live and die on reviews. If you want to join in on this discussion, log on to forum.svslearn.com, there is a forum for this episode you can comment on. Podcast production and editing by Aaron Dowd. Show notes by Tanner Garlick.

My guest is Aaron Dowd - Podcaster Success Lead at SimpleCast and host of The Podcast Dude.  Great conversation covering lots!: Shure Beta 87a microphone Scarlett solo - audio interface Logic Pro DAW RX Dialogue De-noiser and De-clip Loudness meter plugin aiming for -16LUFS Bussing all voices to a single channel and adding effects to that channel, which effects all the voices simultaneously -- dialogue de-noiser (light setting), some EQ, de-esser, an RMS Compressor, and adaptive limiter.  Editing in Logic Pro HD 600 headphones Using the Forecast app to convert to MP3 and add chapters. During production he marks where chapters will be, usually when the host asks a question, etc. Link to a tutorial on using Forecast and podcast chapters: https://medium.com/simplecast/forecast-by-marco-arment-what-it-is-how-it-works-and-why-podcasters-should-take-a-look-ba446ffa8a35 Thanks for hanging out with us, Aaron! DID YOU KNOW........We exist for the purpose of helping you, so please comment below with any questions or remarks. Thanks for listening! Want to Start a Business or Have a Career as a Podcast Producer/Engineer? Listen and Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, Android, RSS

We cover the power of quality relationships and some practical things we can all start doing now to build our business, skills and network. Guest: Aaron Dowd - http://aarondowd.com/ Bob Ewing - http://bob-ewing.com/ Join the Community: http://passionbehindtheart.com/ http://daroldpinnock.com/ https://www.instagram.com/dpcreates/ https://www.instagram.com/pbtapodcast/ https://twitter.com/PbtaPodcast https://www.facebook.com/groups/pbtapodcast/

In this episode our guest is Aaron Dowd known as “The Podcast Dude”. Aaron talks basic podcast recording 101 to help new podcasters consider their recording options. We also discuss recording levels to get the best audio quality output for your podcast.

Ever try to fit too much into your day? Do you feel like you should be doing more, but at at the same time you have absolutely no capacity? You get to the end of your day and there's still a mountain of things left to do. Meanwhile, you haven't dedicated any time to your mental or physical health. A new email just came in. Someone's knocking on the door. Your watch vibrates with a text message. Your computer displays a reminder of a meeting coming up in 15 minutes. We say yes to too many things, don't think carefully about what really matters, and try to fit too much into a day. Is it any wonder we feel overwhelmed? Aaron Dowd joins me on today's show to talk about overcoming mental overwhelm.

Learn more about Aaron: http://ThePodcastDude.com Learn more @ http://passionbehindtheart.com

Today, Aaron Dowd joins me to talk about habits. Aaron has three habits he says will 100% change your life if you implement them. But maybe more interesting is the first part of the show where we talk about where habits come from and how they form. Do you ever stop to think about the things you do automatically? When did you form the habits you have now? Why did they form? More importantly, what do you do if you don't like the habits you have? How can you intentionally form new habits? We talk about how to form new habits by paying attention to the trigger, routine, and reward (known as The Habit Loop).

Everyone wants to scale, whether it’s in profit, audience size, influence, skill, or some other type of gain. Scale prevents stagnation, so in order to remain relevant, you must grow or improve in some way. How you do business changes as you scale, and the details that were once easy to implement are now much more complicated. Because the nature of your business changes, the ways you interact with your customers and clients must also change. A lot of companies have had this experience: when they were smaller, they could give every order the care it deserved and treat each customer like they were their only one. However, as they scaled, and as twenty orders a month became a hundred orders a day, they simply couldn’t give the kind of attention to each order as they used to. It’s the same if you have a smaller audience. While it was once easy to respond with multiple paragraphs to every email that came in, your inbox sits cluttered and covered with cobwebs because it’s dozens if not hundreds every day. Aaron Dowd joins the show to discuss how to do the “unscalable”, how to make every customer feel like they’re the most important person to your company, and what the unscalable things do for your brand.

Today, I take you behind the scenes. Inside seanwes membership, Aaron Dowd and I host a weekly, members-only show called Fired Up Mondays. Our latest episode was so good, I decided to bring this exclusive clip to the seanwes podcast. I'm even more raw and real on Fired Up Mondays because I let the members in on the insider stuff and my plans for the future. Today's episode is no exception. You'll hear me lay out my plans to go all in on CommunityTalk.com—that's the SaaS company we're working on. We've built the best community messaging system in the world (we've been using it internally for years), and now we want to make it available to other community organizers. I also talk about my plans to build out a media agency by hiring members from our Community (the talent pool here is absolutely insane).

Your podcast description is one of the first things people see when they come across your podcast online or in a podcast app. This is your chance to catch their attention and sell them on your show. It's your opportunity to convince them to listen. The ideal podcast description answers two questions for your potential listener: Is this show for me? What am I going to get out of listening to this? When a potential audience member comes across your podcast and starts reading your description, they're wondering, “What's in it for me?” This is your chance to tell them why they should care about your show. Otherwise, they won't. Key Takeaways: Your podcast description is your chance to tell people what's in it for them. Refine the goal of your podcast down to a single sentence. Write your description in a way that brings agreement from your intended audience. Don't make your description all about you, make it about your listener. People will only care about you once you've proven you care about them. Your description is there to let people know you have what they're looking for. Write in a simple way that's tangible and clear for your audience. Try to deliver complex ideas simply. Your social media bio is a chance to communicate to people what they'll get if they follow you. I'm joined this week by Cory Miller. Cory is the co-host of the Invisible Details podcast and loves all things design and branding. Aaron: In this world where there's millions of pieces of content competing for our attention, your audience is looking to see if your content solves a specific need they have. You have to put thought not just into your podcast description, but into each of your episode descriptions as well. When a potential listener comes across your podcast for the first time, they're reading the description and wondering, “What's in this for me?” Your podcast description is your chance to tell people what's in it for them. You have to tell them why they should care about your show, otherwise they're not going to. What Should My Show Description Say? Aaron: When writing a description for your podcast or podcast episode, here are some questions to think about: What is your goal with this show? What are you going to teach or share with your listeners? Are you going to interview people? Are you going to bring people from that community in to share what they've learned, or is your show strictly about entertainment? The last two weeks I interviewed two guys who run a company called Dead Signals and produce two radio drama style podcasts (Related: e064 Creating a Radio Drama Podcast Part 1 (With Writer Marc Sollinger) & e065 Creating a Radio Drama Podcast Part 2 (With Producer/Engineer Dan Powell)). Their podcasts are very much just entertaining stories. They're not business related and they're not trying to change the world with their podcasts, they just want to tell stories in the audio medium and entertain people. The way I write a description for my podcast is going to be way different from the way they write theirs. They thought about that and asked, “What are people who would be interested in our show looking for?” They're trying to write a description that would catch the attention of someone looking for an entertaining story. I love the description for their Archive 81 show: “Three months ago Daniel Powell vanished. These are the tapes he sent to me. If you know anything, please contact me at archive81podcast@gmail.com.” They don't even tell you who the guy is, all you need to know is this guy vanished after he sent a friend some tapes. Try to Describe the Goal of Your Podcast in a Single Sentence Cory: Write your description in a way that brings agreement from your intended audience. Write it in a way that, while they're reading the description, they're thinking, “Oh yeah. Yes! This! Exactly that! Yes! I need to listen to this.” That's the reaction you're looking for. You want to write your description in a way that brings agreement from your intended audience. When they look at that description from Archive 81, people are like, “Whoa. That's creepy. I feel like I need to listen to this because I'm intrigued.” You're bringing intrigue and agreement. Whatever it is you write, you want it to resonate with your intended audience. The second thing is to write it in a way that if they're sitting with their phone on a bus heading to work and someone looks over and says, “I see you're listening to a podcast, what's that all about?” they can respond without looking up the description. That's what you're aiming for: you want something they can quickly tell their friend about without looking at the description. It's about clarity. It's not all about you, it's about what they're getting. If they said, “I'm listening to this show where this guy wants to help make me a better podcaster,” that's huge. Or, “I'm listening to this show where they teach me how to build a better brand.” That's very simplistic, but you can build off that and you can craft a description where people can pass that on. That's rooted in telling people what the mission of your company, your brand, or your life is. Being able to distill it in a way that allows people to be able to pass it back and forth is very powerful. Don't Make It All About You Share and talk about the experience you have and why you're qualified to teach on a certain subject. I can say, “I've been helping people make great podcasts for five years. I've worked for 5by5, the founder of Dribbble, Sean McCabe, and the Shop Talk show.” That shows authority and expertise, but if someone asks a listener about my show, they're not going to say, “Aaron Dowd is this great podcast editor and he's worked for all these people and he knows all this stuff about audio engineering.” The person asking about my show doesn't care about me, they only care about what the show will do for them if they listen to it. The words I should use instead could be, “If you want to learn how to make a great podcast, this is the show you should be listening to.” Cory: There's aspects of that you can include in your description. Instead of saying, “Hey, these are all of my accomplishments,” you can change that to something like, “Get knowledge from a guy who has years of experience in podcast editing.” You're putting the emphasis back on the listener and what they'll get from the show. You can do fill-in-the-blank stuff, like: “Learn how to (fill in the blank).” “Get knowledge from 10 years of experience in (fill in the blank).” “If you're an X, Y, or Z, you'll get tangible insights on (fill in the blank).” These are actionable steps. Your description should resonate with the listener, tell them what the benefit is for them, and give them a glimpse of the person they're going to become after listening. If you want, you can slide a little bit of your credentials in there. For instance, Aaron's podcast description says, “Professional podcast editor and producer shares everything he's learned about making great podcasts.” In the moment someone reads “professional podcast editor,” they're going to think, “This show is going to teach me how to become a professional podcast editor,” or, “I can learn something from this person who has this experience.” Ultimately, you have to remember that people will only care about you once you've proven you care about them. In regards to a value-exchange like this, you have to prove that you care about this person before they're going to start caring about you. If I find a new show, and look at it's podcast description, I don't know this person, I have no connection with them, I have no background on them, so I'm looking to see if this is worth my time. Once I listen to it, I can create a connection. That's exactly how it happened with seanwes. I started listening to the seanwes podcast out of the blue and I didn't know who Sean and Ben were, but after listening to so many of their shows, I started really connecting with these guys. That's why I joined the Community in the beginning, because they were talking about all these conversations people were having and I had total FOMO. I wanted to be in on the inside jokes because I felt connected to the podcast hosts. The connectedness happens after you've proven that you're here to deliver value. You deliver value first and the connectedness is all about, in a sense, selling yourself, your knowledge, and the benefit to the listener, and then they can continue to connect with you. Aaron: Make your podcast description about your listener. If you don't know who you're creating a podcast for, that's a problem. If you're just creating a show because you want it to be out there, you might get a few people listening, but you need to think about who you're making your show for. Podcast Description Review Aaron: One of my listeners (Stan) reached out to me, and I wanted to do a review for him to give him some practical steps to help him write a better podcast description. I feel like I can't pick apart his podcast description without looking at my own podcast description first, so let's pick apart my podcast description, then we'll do Cory's show (Invisible Details), then Stan's show. I feel like I need to rewrite my description anywys, so I'm hoping the things we talk about in this section will be helpful to someone else who has been listening who might want to rewrite theirs. Breakdown of The Podcast Dude's Podcast Description Here's the (current) description for The Podcast Dude: “Professional podcast editor and producer Aaron Dowd shares everything he's learned about making great podcasts. If you're interested in starting a podcast, growing your audience, and increasing your influence, this is the show for you. Get answers to all your questions about podcasting: gear, recording, content, editing, interviewing, mixing, mastering, and more. To stand out from thousands of other podcasts, you'll need to produce a high quality show. The Podcast Dude will help you get there. Don't just make a podcast—make an awesome podcast.” I don't know if I like that first sentence. It's making a claim that I'm a professional podcast editor and producer, but I don't have any evidence to back that up. I'm not saying, “Professional podcast editor and producer for these people.” I do have evidence to back that up, and the people that know me know I've worked with some fairly well-known podcasters, especially in the design realm, but I'm not backing it up with evidence. Also it puts me first—the first thing you see is my name, then I say I'm going to share everything I've learned. Another mistake I think I'm making there is talking about myself in the third person. I want to speak to a single person and I'm not speaking to a single person until the second line. Cutting out the first and the last sentences would be a good place to start, because that puts the focus back on the listener. "What do you want? Do you want to start a podcast? Do you want to grow an audience? This is the show for you." The next part, “Get answers to all your questions about podcasting: gear, recording, content, editing, interviewing, mixing, mastering, and more,” explains the kind of stuff I talk about. This is what I'm going to teach you. That's good, so I'll leave that as it is. Finally, I give my mission statement, “To stand out from thousands of other podcasts, you'll need to produce a high quality show. The Podcast Dude will help you get there.” Cory: I think you should remove the first sentence and the last sentence. I thought the last sentence was a mistake, honestly. I think you can add your name in the new last sentence, like, “To stand out from thousands of other podcasts, you'll need to produce a high quality show. The Podcast Dude, Aaron Dowd, will help you get there.” Aaron: I would say, “To stand out from thousands of other podcasts, you'll need to produce a high quality show. My name is Aaron Dowd and I want to help you make an awesome podcast.” Cory: “Make an awesome podcast,” is the last thing people will read and it's the last thing that's going to be on their mind. They'll read, “If you're interested in starting a podcast…” and they'll think, “Yes, I'm interested in starting a podcast.” Breakdown of the Invisible Details Podcast Description Cory: Invisible Details's description says, “A weekly show about building a successful brand through story and authenticity. A brand is so much more than a logo or what is visible on the surface. It's the heartbeat of a company. A brand is about values and the story you're telling. Join Cory Miller and Kyle Adams every Saturday for clear and practical advice on how to define your brand from the inside out. Connect with your audience and stand out from the competition.” I like it, but I think I could rework a little bit. There are a couple of things I'm trying to do with this. First, I'm setting expectations with “a weekly show.” There's no confusion about when it comes out, like bi-monthly, or a seasonal thing. It's a weekly show. Next, the description talks about building a successful brand. Most of the people I encounter who are starting this journey of building a better brand think branding is a out the visuals, logos, and all the things you see, but a brand is all about perception. It's all about how people think and feel about you and what they say about you when you're not in the room. I could rework that second sentence, but I also want it to be introductory, because the people we're trying to reach are people who have new and growing brands. They're just getting that first taste of redefining what brand means, and that's what that second sentence is for. Aaron: You have a solid first sentence and a solid last sentence. Let's say we cut all that stuff out in the middle; it would still be a good description—“A weekly show about building a successful brand through story and authenticity. Connect with your audience and stand out from the competition.” It explains what the show is about and what the listener will get out of it. Cory: It's very action-centered. I'm a very simplistic kind of person when it comes to design and writing. I adhere to this idea of, “How much can I remove but still have there be quality? Can we do less, but better?” That's my whole philosophy. I know people who write out their whole about pages in their description and no one will read that or remember it. You need to create something that is short and memorable. If someone asks if there's a podcast about podcasting I'd recommend, I'd say, “If you want to make a podcast, the Podcast Dude is all about helping you make an awesome podcast.” That's how I would describe it. Those are the ideas and key words you want to plant into people's heads through the description in a very simple way that's tangible and memorable. Aaron: You can't ask people to remember four paragraphs about you and what you do, because they're not going to. If you can't explain the point of your show in one or two sentences, you're going to have a bad time. Cory: People already know what they're looking for. You need to demonstrate that you have what they're looking for. People already know what they're looking for. Your description is there to let them know you have what they're looking for. Breakdown of Stan's Podcast Description Aaron: I didn't get Stan's permission to share the name of his podcast, but I do want to give him some direct feedback. Here's what's on his website when you first visit it, “I'm passionate about coaching leaders to help them reach maximum impact wherever they are currently leading.” “My heart beats faster when someone I spend time with takes a next step towards being more closely aligned with God's will for their life, enabling them to make an even greater impact. My goal is to provide leadership resources that are practical and can help anyone develop as a leader, including moms, dads, teachers, administrators, managers, volunteers, campus pastors, and lead pastors. Everyone leads someone.” The description for his podcast is, “This podcast focuses on ministry leaders to reach maximum impact where they currently lead. We also focus on brainstorming and idea creation for leaders.” Cory, what's your first reaction where you hear that? Cory: It sounds like something I would read in an about page, not a home page. On a home page, you need to speak to the pain of the person who's problem you're solving and it needs to speak with a benefit. I see his goals, but I don't see the benefit for myself. I want to know what I'm going to get out of going to this website. Condense that down to a single sentence—that's what people need to see on the home page. There's a lot of things there and I'm sure Stan is awesome. In fact, I'd love to talk with him about some of this stuff. The problem is I don't know Stan yet and all he's doing is introducing himself. If I'm a leader and I want to have maximum impact wherever I'm currently leading, I want to know that you're here to benefit me. That's ultimately what people are trying to figure out when they first go to your site. You can bring in yourself a little bit later. For the podcast description, I think that's a good start, but I would love to see more actionable sentences. Like, “Learn how to make a maximum impact in the industry you're currently leading.” Aaron: Stan, what do you mean by “maximum impact”? I think that's important, because those aren't very specific words. If you want people to make a change, what kind of change are you trying to get people to make? Go a little deeper on what those words mean. Also, what specifically about brainstorming and ideas? What's missing is a clear description of the problems you're trying to solve for people. Cory: The other aspect with that second sentence is, I see, “We focus on brainstorming and idea creation for leaders.” Does that mean you'll brainstorm for me and give me ideas? Or are you trying to teach me how to brainstorm? Are you trying to give me the tools to have better idea creation? Are you trying to make me into the kind of leader that is able to lead a team, brainstorm, create ideas, have successful meetings, make an impact in our community? Those are the things I want to see and hear about. You can expand on it without being too wordy with it. If I looked at this and someone asked me what the podcast is about, based on the description I'd say, “If you're a leader, they want to make you a better leader.” Another thing you can do is if you've had a podcast for a while, you can go look at the reviews and see what people are saying in your reviews. From there, you can rewrite and clarify your description based on what other people are saying. If you're a new podcast, you may not have that yet, but I would recommend talking with someone. Share everything about what your podcast is about and what your mission is and have them repeat it back to you in a sentence or two. That will give you some good ideas that you can include in your description. Have clarity in your podcast description. If you don't have clarity, you have nothing. Aaron: Talk to a couple of people you trust, or if you have an engaged online community, reach out to them and ask, “What do you think my podcast is about?” and see what people say. If you don't have a podcast, try it for yourself instead. Ask some of your friends, “How would you describe me to someone else? What do you think I'm about?” You'll get a lot of insight out of the answers to those questions. Cory: Stan, I hope this doesn't discourage you at all. The fact that you've shown up and have a grip on your mission and you know how you want to help people, that's good! That's more than a lot of people will ever have, but you just need to focus on clarity. Clarify some of the words and clarify who your target audience is based on this list you wrote. This is a great list, but try to condense it in a way that's repeatable for someone you've just shared it with. You have to write for stupid people. Is that a terrible thing to say? Aaron: It's not just stupid people. People are in a hurry, in a rush, people don't want to think. Cory: Let me rephrase: You have to write in a simple way that's tangible and clear for people. I often see people use inside slang, jargon, and terms that average people wouldn't understand. Don't give me the marketed, straight-from-a-thesaurus words. I don't care about that. If I'm your intended audience, I need it explained in a simple way. You can deliver complex ideas simply with clarity. Communicate in a simple but clear way. Aaron: Candice said, “A well-known author I know said he writes his books at a fifth grade level so that anyone can understand it.” Cory: I didn't mean that people are stupid. You just have to write in a clear way that anyone in your intended audience can understand. That's the most important thing. How to Write Better Social Media Descriptions Aaron: Jonathan asked, “Is there a formula or best structure for writing an effective bio for your social media descriptions?” Cory: First, what is the goal of your social media account? I don't know that there's necessarily a formula, but I know that a lot of social media descriptions have a cap, so you can't write past a certain amount of characters. Write something that's succinct and will help push you toward your goals. Especially now, try to make something that's memorable beyond “Father. Coffee lover. Hiker. Mountaineer.” Everyone is doing that, so if you're doing anything different, you're in good shape. Aaron: The formula I use for my Twitter bio is what I do and what I want to do for you, the person reading. My Twitter bio is simply, “Audio engineer/podcast editor for the seanwes network. I want to help you make an awesome podcast.” Cory: Mine is, “Director of Member Success at seanwes. Podcast host of Invisible Details. Author of Nice-to-Have, currently writing.” It depends on what your goals are. I want my Twitter to be a place where people can get access to me and the content is not in the description, the content is in the timeline. That's where I want people's eyes to look. I don't want to be clever, I want a bullet point credential. That's how I'm using it. Figure out what your goal is, what the goal of your social media account is, and what the goal of your description is. Then, condense that in a way that provides you some kind of credibility and people will continue going down the timeline. No one is going to care on Twitter unless they've gotten some kind of value on your timeline, whether it's entertainment, practical, etc. They're going to go to your timeline first and then they'll want to know about you. I use my bio as a tiny about page related to what it is I'm posting. Aaron: You'll get more followers if you include what you want to do for other people in your bio. Cory: Kyle Adams has a great one, “Icon designer intent on communicating in profound ways and helping others do the same.” Aaron: Jeremy Mura has a good one too, “Designer and illustrator. Teaching others what I know and helping people design a life of greatness.” When I look at someone's bio, I'm wondering, “Why should I follow this person?” Your bio is your chance to convince me to follow you. If I'm not already convinced, I don't know you, and you don't already have a huge audience advocating for you, and you don't tell me what you want to do for me, I probably won't follow you. Your bio is a chance to convince people they'll get something out of following you. Huge thanks to Cory Miller for joining me today. Follow him on Twitter and check out his show, Invisible Details. Links: How to Write Great Show Notes (free show notes template included) Podcast: https://podcastingwithaaron.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronpodcasting Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/aarondowd Blog: https://www.aarondowd.com Recommended Gear: https://kit.co/PodcastingwithAaron

Your podcast description is one of the first things people see when they come across your podcast online or in a podcast app. This is your chance to catch their attention and sell them on your show. It’s your opportunity to convince them to listen.The ideal podcast description answers two questions for your potential listener:Is this show for me?What am I going to get out of listening to this?When a potential audience member comes across your podcast and starts reading your description, they’re wondering, “What’s in it for me?” This is your chance to tell them why they should care about your show. Otherwise, they won’t.Key Takeaways:Your podcast description is your chance to tell people what’s in it for them.Refine the goal of your podcast down to a single sentence.Write your description in a way that brings agreement from your intended audience.Don’t make your description all about you, make it about your listener.People will only care about you once you’ve proven you care about them.Your description is there to let people know you have what they’re looking for.Write in a simple way that’s tangible and clear for your audience. Try to deliver complex ideas simply.Your social media bio is a chance to communicate to people what they'll get if they follow you.I’m joined this week by Cory Miller. Cory is the co-host of the Invisible Details podcast and loves all things design and branding.Aaron: In this world where there’s millions of pieces of content competing for our attention, your audience is looking to see if your content solves a specific need they have. You have to put thought not just into your podcast description, but into each of your episode descriptions as well.When a potential listener comes across your podcast for the first time, they’re reading the description and wondering, “What’s in this for me?”Your podcast description is your chance to tell people what’s in it for them. You have to tell them why they should care about your show, otherwise they’re not going to.What Should My Show Description Say?Aaron: When writing a description for your podcast or podcast episode, here are some questions to think about:What is your goal with this show?What are you going to teach or share with your listeners?Are you going to interview people? Are you going to bring people from that community in to share what they’ve learned, or is your show strictly about entertainment?The last two weeks I interviewed two guys who run a company called Dead Signals and produce two radio drama style podcasts (Related: e064 Creating a Radio Drama Podcast Part 1 (With Writer Marc Sollinger) & e065 Creating a Radio Drama Podcast Part 2 (With Producer/Engineer Dan Powell)).Their podcasts are very much just entertaining stories. They’re not business related and they’re not trying to change the world with their podcasts, they just want to tell stories in the audio medium and entertain people.The way I write a description for my podcast is going to be way different from the way they write theirs. They thought about that and asked, “What are people who would be interested in our show looking for?” They’re trying to write a description that would catch the attention of someone looking for an entertaining story.I love the description for their Archive 81 show: “Three months ago Daniel Powell vanished. These are the tapes he sent to me. If you know anything, please contact me at archive81podcast@gmail.com.”They don’t even tell you who the guy is, all you need to know is this guy vanished after he sent a friend some tapes.Try to Describe the Goal of Your Podcast in a Single SentenceCory: Write your description in a way that brings agreement from your intended audience. Write it in a way that, while they’re reading the description, they’re thinking, “Oh yeah. Yes! This! Exactly that! Yes! I need to listen to this.” That’s the reaction you’re looking for.You want to write your description in a way that brings agreement from your intended audience. When they look at that description from Archive 81, people are like, “Whoa. That’s creepy. I feel like I need to listen to this because I’m intrigued.” You’re bringing intrigue and agreement.Whatever it is you write, you want it to resonate with your intended audience. The second thing is to write it in a way that if they’re sitting with their phone on a bus heading to work and someone looks over and says, “I see you’re listening to a podcast, what’s that all about?” they can respond without looking up the description.That’s what you’re aiming for: you want something they can quickly tell their friend about without looking at the description. It’s about clarity. It’s not all about you, it’s about what they’re getting. If they said, “I’m listening to this show where this guy wants to help make me a better podcaster,” that’s huge.Or, “I’m listening to this show where they teach me how to build a better brand.” That’s very simplistic, but you can build off that and you can craft a description where people can pass that on. That’s rooted in telling people what the mission of your company, your brand, or your life is. Being able to distill it in a way that allows people to be able to pass it back and forth is very powerful.Don’t Make It All About YouShare and talk about the experience you have and why you’re qualified to teach on a certain subject.I can say, “I’ve been helping people make great podcasts for five years. I’ve worked for 5by5, the founder of Dribbble, Sean McCabe, and the Shop Talk show.” That shows authority and expertise, but if someone asks a listener about my show, they’re not going to say, “Aaron Dowd is this great podcast editor and he’s worked for all these people and he knows all this stuff about audio engineering.”The person asking about my show doesn’t care about me, they only care about what the show will do for them if they listen to it.The words I should use instead could be, “If you want to learn how to make a great podcast, this is the show you should be listening to.”Cory: There’s aspects of that you can include in your description. Instead of saying, “Hey, these are all of my accomplishments,” you can change that to something like, “Get knowledge from a guy who has years of experience in podcast editing.” You’re putting the emphasis back on the listener and what they’ll get from the show.You can do fill-in-the-blank stuff, like:“Learn how to (fill in the blank).”“Get knowledge from 10 years of experience in (fill in the blank).”“If you’re an X, Y, or Z, you’ll get tangible insights on (fill in the blank).”These are actionable steps. Your description should resonate with the listener, tell them what the benefit is for them, and give them a glimpse of the person they’re going to become after listening.If you want, you can slide a little bit of your credentials in there. For instance, Aaron’s podcast description says, “Professional podcast editor and producer shares everything he’s learned about making great podcasts.”In the moment someone reads “professional podcast editor,” they’re going to think, “This show is going to teach me how to become a professional podcast editor,” or, “I can learn something from this person who has this experience.”Ultimately, you have to remember that people will only care about you once you’ve proven you care about them.In regards to a value-exchange like this, you have to prove that you care about this person before they’re going to start caring about you.If I find a new show, and look at it's podcast description, I don’t know this person, I have no connection with them, I have no background on them, so I’m looking to see if this is worth my time.Once I listen to it, I can create a connection. That’s exactly how it happened with seanwes. I started listening to the seanwes podcast out of the blue and I didn’t know who Sean and Ben were, but after listening to so many of their shows, I started really connecting with these guys.That’s why I joined the Community in the beginning, because they were talking about all these conversations people were having and I had total FOMO. I wanted to be in on the inside jokes because I felt connected to the podcast hosts.The connectedness happens after you’ve proven that you’re here to deliver value. You deliver value first and the connectedness is all about, in a sense, selling yourself, your knowledge, and the benefit to the listener, and then they can continue to connect with you.Aaron: Make your podcast description about your listener. If you don’t know who you’re creating a podcast for, that’s a problem. If you’re just creating a show because you want it to be out there, you might get a few people listening, but you need to think about who you’re making your show for.Podcast Description ReviewAaron: One of my listeners (Stan) reached out to me, and I wanted to do a review for him to give him some practical steps to help him write a better podcast description.I feel like I can’t pick apart his podcast description without looking at my own podcast description first, so let’s pick apart my podcast description, then we'll do Cory’s show (Invisible Details), then Stan’s show.I feel like I need to rewrite my description anywys, so I’m hoping the things we talk about in this section will be helpful to someone else who has been listening who might want to rewrite theirs.Breakdown of The Podcast Dude’s Podcast DescriptionHere’s the (current) description for The Podcast Dude:“Professional podcast editor and producer Aaron Dowd shares everything he’s learned about making great podcasts. If you’re interested in starting a podcast, growing your audience, and increasing your influence, this is the show for you.Get answers to all your questions about podcasting: gear, recording, content, editing, interviewing, mixing, mastering, and more. To stand out from thousands of other podcasts, you’ll need to produce a high quality show. The Podcast Dude will help you get there. Don’t just make a podcast—make an awesome podcast.”I don’t know if I like that first sentence. It’s making a claim that I’m a professional podcast editor and producer, but I don’t have any evidence to back that up. I’m not saying, “Professional podcast editor and producer for these people.”I do have evidence to back that up, and the people that know me know I’ve worked with some fairly well-known podcasters, especially in the design realm, but I’m not backing it up with evidence.Also it puts me first—the first thing you see is my name, then I say I’m going to share everything I’ve learned.Another mistake I think I'm making there is talking about myself in the third person. I want to speak to a single person and I’m not speaking to a single person until the second line.Cutting out the first and the last sentences would be a good place to start, because that puts the focus back on the listener. "What do you want? Do you want to start a podcast? Do you want to grow an audience? This is the show for you."The next part, “Get answers to all your questions about podcasting: gear, recording, content, editing, interviewing, mixing, mastering, and more,” explains the kind of stuff I talk about. This is what I’m going to teach you.That’s good, so I’ll leave that as it is.Finally, I give my mission statement, “To stand out from thousands of other podcasts, you’ll need to produce a high quality show. The Podcast Dude will help you get there.”Cory: I think you should remove the first sentence and the last sentence. I thought the last sentence was a mistake, honestly.I think you can add your name in the new last sentence, like, “To stand out from thousands of other podcasts, you’ll need to produce a high quality show. The Podcast Dude, Aaron Dowd, will help you get there.”Aaron: I would say, “To stand out from thousands of other podcasts, you’ll need to produce a high quality show. My name is Aaron Dowd and I want to help you make an awesome podcast.”Cory: “Make an awesome podcast,” is the last thing people will read and it’s the last thing that’s going to be on their mind. They’ll read, “If you’re interested in starting a podcast…” and they’ll think, “Yes, I’m interested in starting a podcast.”Breakdown of the Invisible Details Podcast DescriptionCory: Invisible Details’s description says, “A weekly show about building a successful brand through story and authenticity. A brand is so much more than a logo or what is visible on the surface. It’s the heartbeat of a company. A brand is about values and the story you’re telling. Join Cory Miller and Kyle Adams every Saturday for clear and practical advice on how to define your brand from the inside out. Connect with your audience and stand out from the competition.”I like it, but I think I could rework a little bit. There are a couple of things I’m trying to do with this.First, I’m setting expectations with “a weekly show.” There’s no confusion about when it comes out, like bi-monthly, or a seasonal thing. It’s a weekly show.Next, the description talks about building a successful brand. Most of the people I encounter who are starting this journey of building a better brand think branding is a out the visuals, logos, and all the things you see, but a brand is all about perception. It’s all about how people think and feel about you and what they say about you when you’re not in the room.I could rework that second sentence, but I also want it to be introductory, because the people we’re trying to reach are people who have new and growing brands. They’re just getting that first taste of redefining what brand means, and that’s what that second sentence is for.Aaron: You have a solid first sentence and a solid last sentence. Let’s say we cut all that stuff out in the middle; it would still be a good description—“A weekly show about building a successful brand through story and authenticity. Connect with your audience and stand out from the competition.” It explains what the show is about and what the listener will get out of it.Cory: It’s very action-centered. I’m a very simplistic kind of person when it comes to design and writing. I adhere to this idea of, “How much can I remove but still have there be quality? Can we do less, but better?” That’s my whole philosophy. I know people who write out their whole about pages in their description and no one will read that or remember it. You need to create something that is short and memorable.If someone asks if there’s a podcast about podcasting I’d recommend, I’d say, “If you want to make a podcast, the Podcast Dude is all about helping you make an awesome podcast.” That’s how I would describe it. Those are the ideas and key words you want to plant into people’s heads through the description in a very simple way that’s tangible and memorable.Aaron: You can’t ask people to remember four paragraphs about you and what you do, because they’re not going to. If you can’t explain the point of your show in one or two sentences, you’re going to have a bad time.Cory: People already know what they’re looking for. You need to demonstrate that you have what they’re looking for.People already know what they’re looking for. Your description is there to let them know you have what they’re looking for.Breakdown of Stan’s Podcast DescriptionAaron: I didn’t get Stan’s permission to share the name of his podcast, but I do want to give him some direct feedback. Here’s what’s on his website when you first visit it, “I’m passionate about coaching leaders to help them reach maximum impact wherever they are currently leading.”“My heart beats faster when someone I spend time with takes a next step towards being more closely aligned with God’s will for their life, enabling them to make an even greater impact. My goal is to provide leadership resources that are practical and can help anyone develop as a leader, including moms, dads, teachers, administrators, managers, volunteers, campus pastors, and lead pastors. Everyone leads someone.”The description for his podcast is, “This podcast focuses on ministry leaders to reach maximum impact where they currently lead. We also focus on brainstorming and idea creation for leaders.”Cory, what’s your first reaction where you hear that?Cory: It sounds like something I would read in an about page, not a home page. On a home page, you need to speak to the pain of the person who’s problem you’re solving and it needs to speak with a benefit.I see his goals, but I don’t see the benefit for myself. I want to know what I’m going to get out of going to this website.Condense that down to a single sentence—that’s what people need to see on the home page.There’s a lot of things there and I’m sure Stan is awesome. In fact, I’d love to talk with him about some of this stuff. The problem is I don’t know Stan yet and all he’s doing is introducing himself. If I’m a leader and I want to have maximum impact wherever I’m currently leading, I want to know that you’re here to benefit me. That’s ultimately what people are trying to figure out when they first go to your site. You can bring in yourself a little bit later.For the podcast description, I think that’s a good start, but I would love to see more actionable sentences. Like, “Learn how to make a maximum impact in the industry you’re currently leading.”Aaron: Stan, what do you mean by “maximum impact”? I think that’s important, because those aren’t very specific words. If you want people to make a change, what kind of change are you trying to get people to make? Go a little deeper on what those words mean. Also, what specifically about brainstorming and ideas? What’s missing is a clear description of the problems you’re trying to solve for people.Cory: The other aspect with that second sentence is, I see, “We focus on brainstorming and idea creation for leaders.” Does that mean you’ll brainstorm for me and give me ideas? Or are you trying to teach me how to brainstorm? Are you trying to give me the tools to have better idea creation? Are you trying to make me into the kind of leader that is able to lead a team, brainstorm, create ideas, have successful meetings, make an impact in our community? Those are the things I want to see and hear about.You can expand on it without being too wordy with it. If I looked at this and someone asked me what the podcast is about, based on the description I’d say, “If you’re a leader, they want to make you a better leader.”Another thing you can do is if you’ve had a podcast for a while, you can go look at the reviews and see what people are saying in your reviews. From there, you can rewrite and clarify your description based on what other people are saying. If you’re a new podcast, you may not have that yet, but I would recommend talking with someone. Share everything about what your podcast is about and what your mission is and have them repeat it back to you in a sentence or two. That will give you some good ideas that you can include in your description.Have clarity in your podcast description. If you don’t have clarity, you have nothing.Aaron: Talk to a couple of people you trust, or if you have an engaged online community, reach out to them and ask, “What do you think my podcast is about?” and see what people say. If you don’t have a podcast, try it for yourself instead. Ask some of your friends, “How would you describe me to someone else? What do you think I’m about?” You’ll get a lot of insight out of the answers to those questions.Cory: Stan, I hope this doesn’t discourage you at all. The fact that you’ve shown up and have a grip on your mission and you know how you want to help people, that’s good! That’s more than a lot of people will ever have, but you just need to focus on clarity. Clarify some of the words and clarify who your target audience is based on this list you wrote. This is a great list, but try to condense it in a way that’s repeatable for someone you’ve just shared it with. You have to write for stupid people. Is that a terrible thing to say?Aaron: It’s not just stupid people. People are in a hurry, in a rush, people don’t want to think.Cory: Let me rephrase: You have to write in a simple way that’s tangible and clear for people. I often see people use inside slang, jargon, and terms that average people wouldn’t understand. Don’t give me the marketed, straight-from-a-thesaurus words. I don’t care about that. If I’m your intended audience, I need it explained in a simple way.You can deliver complex ideas simply with clarity. Communicate in a simple but clear way.Aaron: Candice said, “A well-known author I know said he writes his books at a fifth grade level so that anyone can understand it.”Cory: I didn’t mean that people are stupid. You just have to write in a clear way that anyone in your intended audience can understand. That’s the most important thing.How to Write Better Social Media DescriptionsAaron: Jonathan asked, “Is there a formula or best structure for writing an effective bio for your social media descriptions?”Cory: First, what is the goal of your social media account? I don’t know that there’s necessarily a formula, but I know that a lot of social media descriptions have a cap, so you can’t write past a certain amount of characters. Write something that’s succinct and will help push you toward your goals. Especially now, try to make something that’s memorable beyond “Father. Coffee lover. Hiker. Mountaineer.” Everyone is doing that, so if you’re doing anything different, you’re in good shape.Aaron: The formula I use for my Twitter bio is what I do and what I want to do for you, the person reading. My Twitter bio is simply, “Audio engineer/podcast editor for the seanwes network. I want to help you make an awesome podcast.”Cory: Mine is, “Director of Member Success at seanwes. Podcast host of Invisible Details. Author of Nice-to-Have, currently writing.” It depends on what your goals are. I want my Twitter to be a place where people can get access to me and the content is not in the description, the content is in the timeline.That’s where I want people’s eyes to look. I don’t want to be clever, I want a bullet point credential. That’s how I’m using it. Figure out what your goal is, what the goal of your social media account is, and what the goal of your description is. Then, condense that in a way that provides you some kind of credibility and people will continue going down the timeline.No one is going to care on Twitter unless they’ve gotten some kind of value on your timeline, whether it’s entertainment, practical, etc. They’re going to go to your timeline first and then they’ll want to know about you. I use my bio as a tiny about page related to what it is I’m posting.Aaron: You’ll get more followers if you include what you want to do for other people in your bio.Cory: Kyle Adams has a great one, “Icon designer intent on communicating in profound ways and helping others do the same.”Aaron: Jeremy Mura has a good one too, “Designer and illustrator. Teaching others what I know and helping people design a life of greatness.”When I look at someone’s bio, I’m wondering, “Why should I follow this person?” Your bio is your chance to convince me to follow you. If I’m not already convinced, I don’t know you, and you don’t already have a huge audience advocating for you, and you don’t tell me what you want to do for me, I probably won’t follow you.Your bio is a chance to convince people they’ll get something out of following you.Huge thanks to Cory Miller for joining me today. Follow him on Twitter and check out his show, Invisible Details.Links:How to Write Great Show Notes (free show notes template included)Podcast: https://podcastingwithaaron.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/aaronpodcastingYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/aarondowdBlog: https://www.aarondowd.comRecommended Gear: https://kit.co/PodcastingwithAaron

Aaron Dowd (The Podcast Dude) joins Brett to talk about his love of podcasting and the work he does to help everyone make better podcasts. Aaron also has a fascinating story, and there was so much to talk about that this episode ran long.

Aaron Dowd (The Podcast Dude) joins Brett to talk about his love of podcasting and the work he does to help everyone make better podcasts. Aaron also has a fascinating story, and there was so much to talk about that this episode ran long.

Today I’ve got a really special guest on the show. Aaron Dowd is a podcasting expert who has been editing podcasts for over 5 years now.  He edits all of the podcasts for the very popular Seanwes podcast, as well as several other shows in the Seanwes podcast network. Last year, he launched his own podcast called The Podcast Dude, where he shares everything he knows about podcasting. I’m a fan of his podcast and I’ve watched over the past year how Aaron has grown his audience and his reputation as an expert podcaster through his podcast. It’s an excellent example of how, through high quality content and excellent production values, you can rapidly build your reputation as an authority in your field. Of course, as a podcaster myself, podcasting is a topic I enjoy reading about, and, occasionally, I like to write about it. And I thought, given how much is changing--and changing fast--in this emerging industry, it’s worth a conversation on the topic. And who better to talk about podcasting than The Podcast Dude himself, Aaron Dowd. In addition to sharing 5 things he’s learned about growing an audience and making money with podcasting, Aaron shares a bunch of other tips and insights that I managed to squeeze out of him during our chat. Links The Podcast Dude podcast Successful Podcasting Course Aaron on Twitter Aaron on Youtube

If you don't have an interesting challenge, you can't create an interesting story. People enjoy stories where someone faces, and ultimately overcomes, a big challenge. Think of any TV show you're watching to right now. In any given episode, someone wants something, they can't get it because of some obstacle, and they spend the course of the show doing what it takes to try to get it. Every compelling story is comprised of several common elements and you can use these elements intentionally to craft a compelling story. Aaron Dowd joins me to talk about creating your interesting story to get people addicted to tuning in to your content.

Today Jim is out on assignment, and Aaron Dowd "the Podcast Dude" fills in this week. 1:30 How do I Get Started? Mentioned www.schoolofpodcasting.com/27steps 6:15 How Does Podcasting Work See Dave's Podcastng 101 Tutorial https://youtu.be/oRvSj7UWuvU 12:50 Blab as a podcasting tool 14:50 Podcast for yourself 16:00 The number of downloads you should be getting. Mentioned Book: Jab, Jab, Jab Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk 20:10 Doing a live show. Mentioned i-jingle pro - CamelWeb Creations and Soundboard Studio - Custom Soundboards for Professional Podcasting, Radio Shows and Musicians - Joe Allen Planning Your Podcast Course 23:20 Shawn Wes vs Shawn McCabe? 24:58 Meet Aaron Dowd Aaron uses a Sure SM7b Microphone 31:36 Recording at an event  from SP of the gonnageek.com network. Mentioned: Zoom H5 portable recorder  Audio Technica 2100 37:32 Does everything have to be upload at once? 39:38 Artwork Specs - yes they matter at this point 41:16 Making Money with your Podcast - from a Comedian Mentioned: Patreon to have people donate 47:54 How long does it take to build a following? 49:28 Quote of the week New and Noteworthy is such a F#!in Waste of Time 51:24 How important is show artwork?    

I have a special guest today. Aaron Dowd joins me to talk about his really interesting method of planning a successful day in advance. Aaron works at seanwes full time as podcast editor for the seanwes network. He also has his own show on the network, The Podcast Dude. Aaron regularly wakes up as early as 4 AM and even 3 AM! He creates a hand-written schedule every single day in a basic journal. He writes, he edits shows, he rides his bike, he's working on a book and a course called Successful Podcasting, he works out almost every day, and plays in a band. Tune in to hear Aaron share how he plans his day for success.

Joe is joined by our special guest, Aaron Dowd, known as ‘The Podcast Dude’ of the Seanwes Network. Aaron recently adopted the AeroPress, but it’s probably not what you're thinking. He uses a blender for mixing in butter and milk, 8 O'Clock coffee beans, and drinks 5+ cups a day. We debate low-cost beans, French press versus AeroPress, additives that can make you crash, the dangers of cold brew and much more.

This week we discuss the latest Mac App Store certificate Snafu and iTunes Connect issues and the effect on developers. Apple Pay arrives in Canada with caveats and Greg relates his experience with it. We discuss the A9X and A10 chip manufacturers and iPad Pro sales predictions. Tim gives a review of productivity on the iPad Pro after one week. Greg introduces Apple's move to subscriptions for some services and Castros move to patronage in their podcast app. Picks: Bus Driver and Ferrite Episode 66 Show Notes: Apple Responds to Developers Regarding Expired Mac App Store Security Certificates Receipt Validation Programing Guide Rich Turton Apple Pay Launches in Canada Today Apple Canada - Apple Pay KGI expects Apple to sell 2.5M iPad Pros in Q4, TSMC found to be sole provider of A9x chip AAPL has huge potential for more monthly revenue, says Goldman Sachs, estimating $7.6B/month Graphic - Illustration and design (formerly iDraw) Autodesk Sketchbook Pencil by 53 Adobe Photoshop Express Adobe Illustrator Draw Tim's Tweet to Craig Hockenberry Evan Dekhayser Tammy Coron Use iPad Pro Like a Wacom Cintiq MTJC on Patreon Castro is Now Free with Patronage Castro 1.5 Castro 1.5 and Patronage DISINGENUOUS Carbon Copy Cloner Pedometer++ Aaron Dowd ‏@thepodcastdude Editing podcasts on iOS with Ferrite Andrew S Castmate.fm Chris Eidhoff The First Swift Developer Conference in China Episode 66 Picks: Bus Driver Euro Truck Simulator Ferrite Recording Studio

After two years of podcasting twice a week, we are excited to share our 200th episode with you. Special guests Aaron Dowd and Matt Lopez join Ben and myself in person for this magical event. We talk about my "Show Up Every Day" mantra and our collective focus on the Long Game Mindset. With hundreds of episodes under our belt, we still feel as though this truly is the very beginning and look forward to many more hundreds in the future. We take a reflective look at how doing this show has changed our lives and what's in store for the future. This episode broadcasted publicly to a total of 1,058 live viewers who enjoyed full access to the Community chat during the event. We gave away over $2,000 in prizes to the group who attended live. Last but not least, what really set apart this magical evening was the live jam session we put on. We transformed the room into a studio right before the eyes of the viewers and put on an unscripted show. While the full live jam session was enjoyed exclusively by those who joined us live, I decided to include a single song at the end of the recorded podcast.

A lot of jobs want you to move to work there. They want you in the office. There are certainly a lot of benefits to being in person, but there are a lot of things you give up. Technologically, we're trending in a direction of remote working, but a lot of companies are still resistant to it. Can you really get work done when working remotely? We have a special guest today who's living proof that you can. Our very own Aaron Dowd joins us—The Podcast Dude! He edits the seanwes podcast as well as many other popular shows. He does all of his work from a laptop wherever he happens to be. He, Ben, and I talk about the beauty of flexibility when it comes to work. Whether it's the ability for Aaron to tour with his band, or the opportunity for Ben to spend time with his growing kids, or the chance for me to work from my home office and travel when I want to, having that freedom is something you just can't put a price on. People stereotype homeworkers: they say they sleep in, they don't wear pants, they never get work done, or they're unsocialized individuals who for some crazy reason are opposed to spending 2 hours of their lives commuting each day. It's certainly not all fun and games, but we think it's a very viable option and we discuss some of the challenges in this episode.

Aaron Dowd is a professional drummer, web designer, and self-taught audio editor for the ShopTalk Show, the ATX Web Show, Execute, and Happy Monday (and more to come). We talk about some suggestions for editing a podcast, tips for EQ'ing guests, and the plugins Aaron uses in Logic to produce a good sounding podcast.

Aaron Dowd is a professional drummer, web designer, and self-taught audio editor for the ShopTalk Show, the ATX Web Show, Execute, and Happy Monday (and more to come). We talk about some suggestions for editing a podcast, tips for EQ’ing guests, and the plugins Aaron uses in Logic to produce a good sounding podcast.

Aaron Dowd is a professional drummer, web designer, and self-taught audio editor for the ShopTalk Show, the ATX Web Show, Execute, and Happy Monday (and more to come). We talk about some suggestions for editing a podcast, tips for EQ’ing guests, and the plugins Aaron uses in Logic to produce a good sounding podcast.