Podcasts about Publishing

Process of production and dissemination of literature, music, or information

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    Latest podcast episodes about Publishing

    Bulletproof Dental Practice
    Employers Market, Bank Rates, Twitter (X) and More!

    Bulletproof Dental Practice

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2023 49:44


    Bulletproof Dental Practice Episode 314 Hosts: Dr. Peter Boulden & Dr. Craig Spodak KEY TAKEAWAYS: Introduction Job Interview Employees Market IRS halts Processing claims for ERC Spam Calls How Banks love the dentist What Landlords love the most Real Estate and Healthcare Real Estate Why Twitter (X) is a more interesting site than Instagram and LinkedIn Intellectual conversation on Twitter (X) Difference remarkable and Amazon (kindle) Hardship of Dentistry Have alone time to get some realization How AI can help dentistry Prompt Engineering Marketing lectures College and First Job of Dr. Peter Boulden Rules in School and Rules in life Publishing a book Quantity has a Quality all of its own Everyone Scared in Dentistry Opening a 5th Branch Dental Spa Tips when you are building a building Dental Graphics Buying Bitcoin Putting Money in the Bank References: Bulletproof Mastermind  Bulletproof Summit  Mighty Networks: Bulletproof Dental Practice  

    Aviatrix Book Review
    Writers' Room conversation with former travel-writer-turned-author, Nell McShane Wulfhart, on non-fiction book proposals, agents, and publishing with the Big Five

    Aviatrix Book Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2023 19:00


    In this Writers' Room interview with Nell McShane Wulfhart, author of The Great Stewardess Rebellion, we talk about her journey as a travel writer and the transition from writing short form journalistic pieces to a full length narrative non-fiction history. She also shares the details of submitting a proposal, working through an agent, and the experience of working with a Big Five publisher.Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter. Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages. Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation. Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree. Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!-Liz Booker

    Your Best Writing Life
    Publishing Skills for the Indie Writer Part 2 with Sara Turnquist

    Your Best Writing Life

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2023 33:48


    Which formatting software works best for the self-published author? Today's guest and Linda cover free and for-purchase options.Welcome to Your Best Writing Life, an extension of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference held in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mts of NC. I'm your host, Linda Goldfarb. Each week, I bring tips and strategies from writing and publishing industry experts to help you excel in your craft. I'm so glad you're listening in. During this episode, you'll learn the Publishing Success Skills for the Indie Author part 2. My industry expert is…Sara Turnquist.  Sara is a coffee-loving, word-slinging, clean Historical Romance author of over 20 published books. She loves those odd little tidbits of history that are stranger than fiction. That's what inspires her. And a good love story. She lives happily with her Prince Charming and their gaggle of minions. Today, we cover both free and for-purchase formatting software options for Indie authors.D2D, Reedsy, Scrivener, Atticus, and Vellum software choices. Udemy CoursesLINKSSara TurnquistKentucky Christian Writers ConferenceSara Turnquist's Formatting Options Giveaway Kentucky Conference YouTubeChristian Editors NetworkA Convenient Risk99 Designs for Web DesignSara's Books, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, FacebookSara Turnquist on TwitterEnjoy our content? Support this podcast.About your host - Linda GoldfarbLinda is a multi-published, award-winning author, audiobook narrator, international speaker, and board-certified Christian life coach. Linda and her hubby, Sam, experience a new adventure every day with four adult children and many grandchildren. She loves sipping frothed coffee with friends and traveling with Sam.Visit Your Best Writing Life website.Join our Facebook group, Your Best Writing LifeAbout your host - Linda GoldfarbAwarded the Spark Media 2022 Most Bing-Worthy Podcast

    Aviatrix Book Review
    AN22: Thriller novelist Sandy Parks talks about her writing routine and how to infiltrate the writers' conference circuit as a volunteer

    Aviatrix Book Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2023 8:57


    In this excerpt from my  Writers Room interview with thriller novelist Sandy Parks about her book Under the Radar. In it she shares how and when she found the time to write the several novels she's published over the years, and talk about her strategy for getting in front of agents in an organic way as a volunteer at writers' conferences. Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter. Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages. Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation. Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree. Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!-Liz Booker

    Guitar Dads
    Is the day of the guitar store over? Publishing rights are a bad investment?

    Guitar Dads

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2023 41:42


    THIS week, the Dads answer a listener question about the future (or lack thereof) of guitar stores. Are they headed for extinction? Also, apparently music publishing rights aren't as good as an investment as some companies banked on, AND a cool new pedal from Keely hits the scream (I mean scene). 

    Talks with Dad Rod
    Is the goal of Christian education just learning the talking points and their answers?

    Talks with Dad Rod

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2023 19:21


    Ted asks about what the focus of Christian education should be. Rod talks about ‘thinking Christianly' or ‘thinking Biblically', the history of our Ivy universities, the teaching paradigms used by American churches as well as grade schools and colleges, and how the church can assist with solutions for the coming generations. Produced by: Rick Ritchie SHOW NOTES: ** WHAT'S NEW FROM 1517 ** New 1517 Podcast: Faith and Reason Exchange - https://www.1517.org/podcasts/faith-and-reason-exchange Tickets for HWSS NWA 2024 Now On Sale - http://www.1517.org/hwssnwa “All Charges Dropped, Vol. 2”, by Haroldo Camacho, available from 1517 Publishing - https://shop.1517.org/products/all-charges-dropped-devotional-narratives-from-earthly-courtrooms-to-the-throne-of-grace-volume-2 === Support 1517 - https://www.1517.org/donate https://www.1517.org/videos-playlist/talks-with-dad-rod Explore more 1517 podcasts - https://www.1517.org/podcasts/ === https://gab.com/talkswithdadrod https://tv.gab.com/channel/talkswithdadrod https://www.facebook.com/talkswithdadrod/ https://twitter.com/TalkswithDadRod https://www.instagram.com/talkswithdadrod/ Talks with Dad Rod playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJDWGbhcNf-kTljFKeMHg3j1qqDsV3LGR Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bNVs1B1SXUg

    Crooked Illness
    170: What Telling My Story Taught Me

    Crooked Illness

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2023 17:02


    I open up about why I published my book, Crooked Illness: Lessons From Inside & Outside Hospital Walls, and what vulnerability has done for my healing journey. There were a number of things I had to change in order to even get to a stable place before Live Well Bipolar ™ could be born. Part of these changes came with stripping away the stigma I attached to myself after receiving my diagnosis. Publishing my book allowed me the opportunity to share the numerous solutions I had discovered from so many guests on this podcast. I asked myself "where do I want to be? What do I want to feel like?" This equation of getting to where I wanted contained many pieces that I dive into inside my book. I share what it was like to survive a psychiatric hospitalization, misdiagnosis, sexual assault, abusive relationships and returning to work at the same hospital I was once a court-ordered patient at. To enter the giveaway to win a signed copy of my book, make sure to read my post and enter here. I am so grateful you are here and thank you for being part of my story. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/livewellbipolar/support

    The Wedding Biz - Behind the Scenes of the Wedding Business
    476 CHRIS J. EVANS/Photographer: Capturing Love Stories

    The Wedding Biz - Behind the Scenes of the Wedding Business

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2023 29:24


    Andy has known today's guest for a really long time so is very excited to have him on the show for the first time! Join him as he sits down with luxury wedding and destination photographer Chris J. Evans, who has photographed weddings all over the world such as in Italy, Santa Barbara, Laguna Beach, Hawaii, and Napa Valley! Chris discusses how lucky he feels to have been raised in a creative household where his mother was a couture wedding dress designer and his father was a sculptor, painter, and philosopher. He enthusiastically shares how these influences shaped his artistic sensibilities and love for photography. He and Andy also dive into Chris' journey into photography and how he found his way to wedding photography, and the conversation delves into various aspects of Chris's photography style such as his approach to lighting, composition, and the importance of dressing appropriately for events. Chris also discusses the significance of building relationships with clients, staying present in the moment, creating a memorable experience for wedding guests, the importance of creating a supportive community of like-minded professionals, and so much more! It was truly a pleasure for Andy to sit down with Chris and have this intimate conversation with him, and he is very appreciative of Chris and his time. He hopes that you enjoy listening to it, and if so, then he would really love it if you were to share it with colleagues and leave a top review wherever you listen because that really helps the show out! Be sure to also subscribe to the podcast so that you never miss a new episode, and we will catch you next week on The Wedding Biz!   Have you heard about Stop and Smell the Roses with Preston Bailey on The Wedding Biz Network? Listen as Preston shares the secrets, tools, and technologies behind his extraordinary ability to create a theatrical environment out of any space. Also, don't forget about Sean Low's podcast The Business of Being Creative, where Sean discusses the power of being niched, pricing strategies, metrics of success, and so much more. You can find both shows on The Wedding Biz Network.   SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ Become a patron and support Andy and the show! If you are so inspired, contribute!   Time Stamps [0:30] - We learn that today's guest is destination wedding photographer Chris J. Evans! [1:38] - Chris expresses his gratitude for having grown up with creative parents. [3:47] - Hear how Chris discovered his passion for photography via modeling in the early 2000s. [4:49] - How did Chris transition to full-time? [6:41] - Chris believes in the power of relationships, using authentic storytelling. [8:01] - Chris initiated the "monologue" to combat smartphone distractions during weddings. [11:26] – Learn how Chris builds profound connections during engagement sessions. [12:52] - Chris emphasizes entering the room with calm energy, gradually elevating vibes. [14:56] – What are some of the biggest challenges of doing destination weddings? [16:13] – Chris and Andy agree that it's important for a photographer to dress for success. [17:23] – How does Chris feel about film vs. digital? [18:17] – We hear Chris share his perspective on lighting, composition, and style. [20:20] - Chris stresses creating a memorable presence at weddings via guest interactions. [21:31] – Chris also argues that we should not fear putting ourselves out there. [22:38] – How is Chris maximizing PR to help him get the next high profile wedding? [24:24] - Publishing enhances social proof; shooting for magazines involves logistical planning. [25:55] – Chris discloses what gear he is currently using on film. [26:44] – Success involves supporting family, traveling, capturing love stories, and community. [28:35] – Andy shares Chris' contact information with us.   LINKS AND RESOURCES Books: Eckhart Tolle - The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment Eckhart Tolle - A New Earth: Awakening Your Life's Purpose   Videos: Vimeo - CJE Social Reel Tuscan Rose Ranch TikTok - The unplugged monologue. YouTube - Chris J. Evans Photography   Find Chris: Chris' WebsiteChris' Instagram PageChris' Facebook PageChris' Pinterest PageChris' Vimeo PageChris' TikTok Page Follow The Wedding Biz on Social: The Wedding Biz The Wedding Biz on Instagram: @theweddingbiz The Wedding Biz on Facebook: @theweddingbiz The Wedding Biz Network The Music Makers   Support The Wedding Biz by clicking here. Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment.

    Three Percent Podcast
    TMR 20.2: “THE ULTIMATE IN BIZARRE BEAUTY!!” [MULLIGAN STEW]

    Three Percent Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2023 39:28


    Loveletters galore! Lists without context! Repurposing life for fiction! More puzzles! Terrible book reviews! An insufferable, pretentious elementary school essay! This episode has it all—and more! (As Lamont would say.) This week's music is "All Your Fails" by Kevin Drew. You can find all previous seasons of TMR on our YouTube channel and you can support us at Patreon and get bonus content before anyone else, along with other rewards, the opportunity to easily communicate with the hosts, etc. And please rate us—wherever you get your podcasts! Tune in next week for "Drunken Condition of Both Teams," which will cover up to page 196 (new edition; 164 in the older ones). Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. The large image associated with this post ("sky puzzle blue") is copyrighted by Jared Tarbell.

    The Happy Writer with Marissa Meyer
    Kayvion Lewis - Thieves' Gambit

    The Happy Writer with Marissa Meyer

    Play Episode Play 15 sec Highlight Listen Later Sep 25, 2023 42:32 Transcription Available


    In this week's episode, Marissa chats with Kayvion Lewis about her new YA heist thriller, THIEVES' GAMBIT. Also discussed: books coming out of dreams, creating a cast of characters when being a plot-first type of writer, the importance of revision in layering characters and refining complicated details (heists!), letting the world around you influence the writing, no matter how random it may seem at first, the newly coined “Point and See” method, transitioning from one book to the next and how much to include to catch up readers without adding info-dumps, the circle of inspiration from one generation to the next, and more!The Happy Writer at Bookshop.org Purchasing your books through our webstore at Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

    The Dialogue Doctor Podcast
    Episode 165 - Becca Syme and Moving Into the Future with Strength

    The Dialogue Doctor Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2023 80:10


    In this episode, Jeff sits down with Becca Syme from Better Faster Academy and the Quit Cast. They talk about Becca's vast experience in the industry, writing aligned with your strengths, the current state of publishing, and where publishing might be headed. The conversation with Becca starts around minute 17. To find Becca's Strength Coaching, go to https://betterfasteracademy.com/ To find Becca's YouTube Channel, go to https://www.youtube.com/@BeccaSyme For more on writing dialogue, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

    The Thirteenth Hour Podcast
    The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #424: Making 30 Minutes Missions Robot Models with My Brother Part 2

    The Thirteenth Hour Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2023


    Faith & Family Fellowship Podcast
    Unwavering Hope: Strength in My Storm, Gratitude in My Grief, and Joy in My Journey

    Faith & Family Fellowship Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2023 31:29


    Unwavering Hope: How I Found Strength in My Storm, Gratitude in My Grief, and Joy in My JourneyInterview with Rhonda G. MinceyIn this Faith and Family Fellowship episode, Dallas interviews Rhonda G. Mincey, author of "Unwavering Hope".About The Guest:Rhonda G. Mincey, M.ED., is an accomplished author, educator, and mentor. She founded Great Youth, Inc., and advocates for success across diverse backgrounds. Rhonda has authored notable books, received prestigious awards, and enjoys traveling in her spare time.About The Book:"Unwavering Hope" by Rhonda G. Mincey is a transformative memoir and guidebook that emphasizes the power of hope in navigating life's challenges. Drawing from personal experiences and wisdom from everyday heroes, Rhonda provides practical strategies for personal growth.The book combines biblical wisdom, mindfulness techniques, and positive affirmations to empower readers. It explores topics like personal loss, grief, poverty, and addiction, highlighting the profound impact of hope on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Readers will learn how to embrace hope in difficult times, cultivate faith, cope with grief, practice gratitude, and develop resilience.Buy The Book: https://a.co/d/jjwqhoDThank you for listening and supporting the 'Faith and Family Fellowship PODCAST SHOW'. We are excited to connect with our listeners on our various platforms. Below are just some of the ways you can connect with us and support our various Christian Ministry projects worldwide.Support the Show (https://cash.app/$laymedownministry)Connect with us on Various Platforms (https://linktr.ee/faithandfamilyfellowship)Connect with Lay Me Down Ministries (https://www.facebook.com/LayMeDownMinistries)For Marketing and Publishing needs, Buscher's Social Media Marketing LLC (https://www.facebook.com/buscherssmm)

    THE AWESOME COMICS PODCAST
    Episode 430 - Terry Moore Talks Indie Comics Publishing!

    THE AWESOME COMICS PODCAST

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2023 136:18


    The ACP got a chance to talk to the one and only Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise) about comics and boy did they have fun chatting with him! From talk of the early days of Strangers to new series Parker Girls, playing with stereotypes, drawing beautiful women, self publishing and tons of process chat, its a chat not to be missed! Also, there's a special moment of pen talk for those out there who love their stationary. Mix all that with tons of indie comics to check out in the coming weeks and its an all-round classic episode! Great stuff to check out this week - Terry Moore, Abstract Comics, Strangers in Paradise, Parker Girls, Serial, Rachel Rising, Echo, Frank Cho, Jeff Smith,  NIA Podcast, DUI #3, The Lakes International Comics Festival, Blop!, Alex Hahn, London Comic Mart, Now Thats What I Call Turning Tricks Pin Up Special, Masters Volume 1, Reckless Hero, Monster Tag Team, American Mytho Comics,Hex Paw, Rumpus Room, Its a Horror Show, Lesser Known Comics,

    Semi-Sages of the Pages
    What Keeps Good Authors from Publishing?

    Semi-Sages of the Pages

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2023 15:55


    In this episode, we work with No Bad Books editor and owner Theresa Halvorsen to learn what keeps good authors from being publishedThank you for watching semi-sages of the pages. We believe that great writers support each other, which is why we have created a positive writing community where we can all build our dream books, one page at a time. We're here to support each other at every phase of our journey -- where you haven't even started writing or have published multiple times. Together, we birth our stories, celebrate the wonders of storytelling, and support those brave enough to put their passion projects into the world. Join us on discord — where you can compete in the Race to Rejection, get feedback and swap pages, or just commiserate with your fellow writers. www.semisagesofthepages.comwww.semisagesofthepages.com

    StoryADay
    Lurk Your Way To Success in Publishing

    StoryADay

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2023 31:05


    Are you looking to find success in the publishing world? Join me on The StoryADay Podcast as I discuss the importance of engagement in writing and publishing. In this episode titled "Lurk Your Way to Success in Publishing", I share strategies and insights that can help you achieve your goals as a writer. Here are 3 key takeaways from the episode: 1️⃣ Don't rush into building an author platform: While it's tempting to focus on social media presence and building a following, it's crucial to prioritize the writing itself. Spend time honing your craft and creating compelling content before diving into the world of author branding. 2️⃣ Engage with the publishing world: Stay updated by following authors on social media, reading industry publications, and educating yourself about the realities of being a writer. Become part of the conversation, learn from experienced authors, and stay informed about industry trends. 3️⃣ Define your own success: Don't let societal expectations or external pressure define your writing journey. Take the time to reflect on what success means to you personally and set realistic goals that align with your values. Remember, writing is a journey of personal growth and creativity, and your definition of success should reflect that.

    We're All Set
    We're All Set Podcast: “Love is Dead!” (Jeezy files for divorce ; Remy Ma cheating scandal ; Tyler Perry advice to black women; Value of Marriage Today ; Coach Prime Wins ; Diddy Publishing Backlash)

    We're All Set

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2023 133:45


    New Heater!! Uncle Free is back with Rich for Episode 138 and boy do we have a ton of topics to touch on. To get things started, Uncle Free gives a quick rundown of his vacation trip to Peru. He hiked, pet Llamas, tried the coca leaf and all that.  This week's topics were full of breakups and divorce talk.  Jeezy filed for divorce from Jeannie Mae after about a year or two of marriage.  Rich and Free discuss whether this was bound to happen from the start and why social media is saying Jeannie is getting the real black woman experience.  Next, the fellas discuss Teyana and Iman Shumpert separation and the tragic alleged cheating scandal of Remy Ma and Pappoose.  Can you ever trust a Bronx chick?  Rich and Free also get into Offset v. Nicki's husband and react to Gunna's success and sold out show at the Barclays arena.  Diddy publishing move backfiring? Does Tyler Perry have a point or hidden agenda?  Rich and Free touch on all of this plus a sports update with Deion, NFL recap, US loss at FIBA and more.  New Drip Report, Elite scumbaggery, and We're All Set segments as well.  Tap in for this goody of an episode. Like and comment!! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/weare-allset/message

    Ducks Unlimited Podcast
    Ep. 509 – Science of Ducks Unlimited Canada

    Ducks Unlimited Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2023 51:37


    Dr. Matt Dyson, DU Canada waterfowl research scientist, and Dr. Mike Brasher join forces to discuss the exciting growth and application of science in waterfowl and wetland conservation across Canada. Matt shares insights on the ecology of boreal forests, effects of wildfires on waterfowl, difficulties of studying ducks in this vast landscape, and new science by DUC colleagues. Matt also recalls stories from his upbringing and accepts the challenge of identifying his favorite fish. www.ducks.org/DUPodcastwww.ducks.ca

    Your Brand Amplified©
    Unleashing the Power of Nonfiction: A Deep Dive into Publishing with Nancy Erickson

    Your Brand Amplified©

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2023 32:18 Transcription Available


    Have you ever pondered over the power of nonfiction? Have you ever thought about how sharing your own story could potentially change lives, or even save them? World, meet Nancy Erickson - an award-winning publisher, book coach, and beacon of hope. She traded in her high-tech industry job to follow her passion and transform society through the profound power of nonfiction. Listen in as she takes us on a journey from the heart-wrenching time spent with her terminally ill father, to the establishment of her own publishing house, Stonebrook Publishing, and her adventures in Amsterdam for the release of their first book.Dive into the world of publishing with Nancy as your guide, as she sheds a brilliant light on the ins and outs of traditional publishing, self-publishing, and the hybrid approach. She breaks down the process of writing a book, right from answering the foundational questions to the significance of the book mapping process. If you've ever found yourself at a loss about the best way to share your story, you'll find Nancy's insights invaluable. She's been where you are, and she's used her experiences to help others navigate through their own writing journey.But that's not all. Nancy passionately advocates for the power of personal storytelling. She emphasizes how sharing one's experiences can offer hope and help to those grappling with similar situations. Have you ever wondered how writing a book can help you expand your business? Nancy provides a compelling answer to that question. Each story is unique, as is each journey of writing a book. To quote Henry Ford, 'Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.' So, if you're poised on the edge of sharing your story with the world, join us in this rich conversation with Nancy Erickson. Visit her website, Thebookprofessor.com, to learn more about expanding your business by writing a book.We're happy you're here! Like the pod? Follow us on all socials at @amplifywithanika and @yourbrandamplified Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Visit our website Connect with us at anika@yourbrandamplified.com Join me on PodMatch to start your own journey as a podcast guest!

    The Devolver Digital Forkcast
    Episode 147: Return of the Doinks

    The Devolver Digital Forkcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2023 55:28


    Cullen Dwyer and Joseph Bourgeois of doinksoft join JM and Jared in talking about the recent release of their gritty platformer, GUNBRELLA☔Join us on DiscordVisit DevolverDigital.com

    Speaking In Church
    113 - Progressive Christian Publishing with David Morris of Lake Drive Books

    Speaking In Church

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2023 60:41


    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Design Tribe Podcast
    Do These 6 Things BEFORE Jumping to a Full-Time Artist

    Design Tribe Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2023 18:32


    ART STYLE ACADEMY:  https://www.laurenlesley.com/asa-sales-page-35-spots DM me on Instagram:  @LaurenLesleyStudio   Do These 6 Things BEFORE Going Full-Time as an Artist Hey!  How are you?  If we haven't met before, I'm Lauren.. I'm your host of the Design Tribe podcast, and I'm an artist and textile designer.  In the last episode, I went into pretty great detail about what it was like working as a full-time artist and licensing surface pattern designs.  So if you missed that episode, be sure to check it out.   I know a lot of you are either trying to make it as a surface pattern designer OR you dream of one day being able to leave your day job to license your artwork to companies.   I spent 2 years as an independent artist, and although there were many things I loved about working independently, I ultimately went back to an in-house job as a Senior Textile Designer.     A lot of these tips I'm about to share with you are things I WISH I did before making the leap to being a full-time artist.  We'll talk about all the money stuff in the very last tip so be sure to stick around for that juicy topic.   Okay, so my first tip is to…   Publish a class to Skillshare. This might not be the advice you were expecting, haha! And to be honest, I'm a little annoyed with Skillshare, because last year they cut their teacher's income by almost half - with no warning. From a business perspective, I understand if they needed to do this, but they really should have been up front about it and approached the cut in a much more gradual way.  So, it felt really crappy.. Especially when a lot of teachers relied on this as a dependable stream of income. BUT! The reason my first tip is to upload a class to Skillshare is because when you go full-time as an artist, you will need some recurring revenue coming in on a regular basis.   When it comes to teaching, Skillshare is one of the easiest places to start, because they already have such a great built-in audience with lots of students who are creative.   Domestika is another popular teaching platform you could choose if Skillshare has lost your trust.  I haven't personally uploaded classes to Domestika so I can't comment on whether I like the platform or not, but other artists seem to really like it. Another reason to upload a class is to just get your feet wet and see if you enjoy teaching. A lot of full-time artists teach on a platform like Skillshare or sell a course as a way to supplement their licensing income, which if you've ever done any licensing, you know very well it can fluctuate a lot! Your first class doesn't even have to be related to what you WANT to do moving forward.  It's easy to think:  “Well, I can't teach about that, because I don't have enough experience yet.”  And you would be right! Instead, think about where you were 5-10 years ago.  What have you learned since then? Your course could be about learning how to use Photoshop or how to draw a Still Life.  What are some things you learned in school that you could teach?  What did you major in?  It doesn't even have to be art-related! It does help to keep your class topics related in the long term, but for your very first class - it could really be anything. The idea is for you to discover A.) if you enjoy teaching - e.i. Filming yourself, doing a little video editing, etc.  and B.) to start generating some recurring revenue. Develop your Art Style When you're working as an in-house designer, it can be really hard to find your own Art Style.   Often when we work an in-house job, you get really good at doing ANY style… depending on what the project needs. Companies often try to fill out the white space in their line by covering a range of styles from traditional to modern to boho, you name it.  That means, as the designer, you develop the skill of designing ANY style. The problem with that is… you start to lose a sense of your own style and who you are from the inside out. You might get excited by new trends or a new project that changes things up.  When you like soo many different things, it can be really hard to narrow down to just ONE look.  Especially, when you don't know what's going to sell or which style might be the most reasonable to pursue.When you can do any style, HOW do you pick?! This gets very tricky, because in LICENSING… companies are really only interested in licensing when your art brings something new to the table… something that they don't already have from their own in-house designers. Companies want to know what YOUR perspective is. Think of the Jungalow brand. Justina Blakeney brought a brand new perspective to home décor by covering her house in an explosion of plants and colorful textiles.  In a time where Minimalism and white sofas were extremely popular, she did the opposite thing… and by staying true to her own vision, this Boho Maximalism style exploded. Think of Rifle Paper Co. and the unique style of Anna Bond's florals.She brought a brand new look to florals that really highlights her own unique style that's painterly, colorful, and friendly. Oftentimes, companies want to license work that's the same, but different.  This means the subject matter is often the same… like the florals that are so famous from Rifle Paper Co.  But the WAY Anna Bond painted them was so different. Style is all about technique. If this is something you're struggling with, I do offer a self-paced online program called Art Style Academy.  When you go through my program and do the work, you will develop your own style by the end of the course.  If this sounds interesting to you, you can check out the link in the show notes or check out my website at LaurenLesley.com - and Lesley is spelled with an E-Y. Create a Portfolio with a Large Body of Work Once you've developed your Art Style, the next area of focus is to build out your portfolio.  It will be sooo much easier to get the ball rolling if you already have a full portfolio to sell. From there, you can decide if you want to work with an agent, upload to an on-demand site, or exhibit at a tradeshow. So, you might be wondering… “Okay, but how many pieces do I need to have in my portfolio?” Honestly, you probably need close to 100 pieces in your portfolio.  I know this sounds like a lot, but it's important to work in collections and some of these could be coordinates.  For each collection, you also need to work in a limited color palette and make sure your pieces are looking related to each other. If you are cold-emailing Art Directors, you don't necessarily need 100 pieces to start.  You can pitch collection-by-collection. But if you're investing a lot of time, money, and energy to exhibit at a tradeshow, I recommend going in prepared with A LOT of work.  You're more likely to gain contracts if you have a collection that really resonates with a client. Okay, so what else? Start uploading to ONE On-Demand Site Etsy Society 6 Spoonflower Creative Market Patternbank MintedUploading to On-Demand sites can be a bit tricky for a lot of reasons.  I feel like that might be another whole podcast episode. But I think a lot of artists try uploading to one site, find that they're not having success so then they switch and try a different site. A lot of time gets wasted posting and re-posting your designs on so many different sites. I think it's important to figure out WHICH site you like the best up front - before you quit your day job.  Figure out which site is converting to sales. For example, my Character Builders sold really well on Creative Market.  Customers on Creative Market are usually other designers and they understand how to use programs like Illustrator.  They buy these products to save themselves a little time. However, when I tried to sell the same designs as Clip Art on Etsy it didn't do very well.  I had too many customers sending me private messages wanting me to customize the clip art for them and I was trying to get away from hourly work. I ended up preferring Creative Market to sell digital products, because I made the most money and customers weren't asking me to customize the artwork for them. I also like Patternbank the best for uploading pattern designs to the internet.  But I'll admit I have a love-hate relationship with this platform.  When a design sells, the money is a lot better than other sites I've experienced.  However, I'm constantly agonizing over which patterns I want to remain in my Licensing Portfolio and which ones I want to sell on Patternbank.   If there's something I no longer love, or don't feel as strongly about, in my Licensing Portfolio, I sort of think about it like putting those patterns on clearance by posting them to Patternbank.  It doesn't make them bad, but it's something I am just kind of “over” and I want to get rid of it.   Because I spent time on it, I want the ability to earn some kind of ROI, but I don't love it enough to continue spending future-time on pitching it to clients. I think artists have a lot of different opinions on these ON-DEMAND sites.  Some feel that it devalues the industry and isn't worth the low pay.  But other artists sometimes “get found” on these sites and it can really boost their career. Other sites like Minted and Spoonflower offer design challenges that I think can really help you understand what types of designs sell and how to level up your artwork.  So, if your artwork skills need developing this is a great place to get an education! The main point I want to make here is to play around with this option and figure out if you like it BEFORE quitting your day job.  I'd recommend only choosing one or two On-Demand sites you like and stick with it.  If you try to post to all of them, you'll spread yourself too thin and you won't make any progress. Start Outsourcing Hire an Assistant DesignerBelieve it or not, when you become a Full-Time Artist you have also decided to become a Business Owner.  You'll need to set up an LLC (if you're in the U.S.) and save at least 30% of your income for paying taxes. When you go independent, you're no longer just an artist. You're also the CEO, head of Marketing, Sales, and Accounting.  You are the only person in the business which means you have to do everyyyything.  What's so frustrating about this is that it can leave very little time for making art. When you're still working a day job, it's kind of a similar boat - where the majority of your time is spent working on your day job… so you don't exactly have enough time to build up your side hustle. Unfortunately, this doesn't change when you go independent, because you suddenly have so many more responsibilities. That's why I suggest outsourcing as much as you can BEFORE leaving your day job. You need to get your systems in place so that the business can run smoothly when you are ready to take the leap.  You don't want to be scrambling. Your website should be in a finished state. I really recommend hiring an Assistant Designer who is a jack-of-all-trades.  My assistant designer is amazing, because he can work on all kinds of things that require proficiency in everything from Illustrator or Photoshop to video editing in Premiere Pro. You can find really great design help on places like Fiverr or Upwork.  They keep track of the contract and the hours which is a huge help. From there, I like to use Asana to organize my projects and give a due date.  My Assistant Designer can keep up with the projects in Asana and knows what he can work on next.  It's all in there. That frees me up to work on my artwork. Figure Out Your Money You really need to get a good handle on both your personal and business expenses BEFORE leaving your day job. I found that business expenses ended up being a lot more expensive than I ever would have guessed.  Everything from paying for a website, to an email list, to attending a trade show, to outsourcing a mountain of tasks… really adds up! Some of you may be able to move into your parents' house or you may have a partner who supports you in the beginning.  This is all helpful, but you'll still need a way to fund your business - especially to get it up and running.Using your day job's salary to fund your business in the early stages is a strategy I quite like. The more you focus on building up Passive Income Streams like classes or selling digital products BEFORE quitting your day job… the more you'll be able to focus on your licensing portfolio.  The only issue is it does take more time.  Try to be patient. It's good to layer on an Active Income stream as well - especially if your Passive Income streams are slow or sporadic.  What I don't like about Active Income streams is that it's trading hours for dollars.  But!  You can generally earn more money more quickly.   Put on your Accountant hat and make a spreadsheet.Get real familiar with what your expenses will be! Ignoring them does not make them go away. Try to reduce your living expenses as much as possible.For example, my husband and I share a car that's already paid for.  We don't have a car payment, and because the car is old, our insurance isn't too high either. Pay off your student loans!  If you still have student loans, you are not ready to quit your day job. Get rid of any credit card debt. Build up your resources.Think of any equipment you might need to start your business. BEFORE quitting your day job, go ahead and buy all of the fancy things.A new computer An iPad A good camera (can be used) A microphone A Pantone Book All of the art supplies you might want Any art books   Okay, so to recap the 6 things you should do BEFORE going full-time as an artist… we talked about:   Publishing a class to Skillshare or another platform like Domestika. Develop Your Art Style  Create a Portfolio with a Large Body of Work (100 pieces) Find ONE On-Demand site that you're liking  Start Outsourcing Business Tasks Figure Out Your Money   There's honestly so much more I could say on this topic, but that's a really good place to start!  Feel free to DM me over on Instagram @LaurenLesleyStudio  if you want to chat more.  I always love hearing from you all!   Have a wonderful day and good luck on all of your amazing art businesses!  Talk soon.

    Straight Outta Lo Cash and The Scenario
    I Only Listen To 90s Music: Sitting Between Diddy's Publishing and Silver Spoons

    Straight Outta Lo Cash and The Scenario

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2023 104:05


    I Only Listen to 90s Music is back once again. This episode they discuss: (0:00:01) - TV Show "Silver Spoons" and Its Impact (0:13:59) - The death of Iris Grimstead of 702 (The Legacy of 702) (0:26:40) - Micheal Bivin's documentary "The Hustle of @617MikeBiv (0:41:45) - Diddy gives Bad Boy artists their publishing back (0:53:08) - Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner says black artists and women weren't musically intellectual enough for his book of musical geniuses (1:10:45) - Did you watch the VMAs and Nicki Minaj husband (1:18:36) - Jeannie Mai and Jeezy divorcing Join the I Only Listen to 90s Music Facebook Group http://bit.ly/3k0UEDe Follow I Only Listen to 90s Music on IG https://bit.ly/3sbCphv      Follow SOLC Network online Instagram: https://bit.ly/39VL542                         Twitter: https://bit.ly/39aL395                         Facebook: https://bit.ly/3sQn7je               To Listen to the podcast Podbean https://bit.ly/3t7SDJH                     YouTube http://bit.ly/3ouZqJU                     Spotify http://spoti.fi/3pwZZnJ                    Apple http://apple.co/39rwjD1                     Stitcher http://bit.ly/3puGQ5P                  IHeartRadio http://ihr.fm/2L0A2y  

    AskAlli: Self-Publishing Advice Podcast
    Leveling Up Your Publishing and Taking a New Turn: Publishing for Profit with Orna Ross and Shanaya Wagh

    AskAlli: Self-Publishing Advice Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2023 34:15


    In this first episode of the new Publishing for Profit stream: Leveling up your publishing and taking a new turn. Orna Ross introduces Indian author Shanaya Wagh, aka Shana Frost, also an intern at the Alliance of Independent Authors. Both authors, at different stages in their publishing businesses, are leveling up. They discuss what led to their decision, how to know when a change is needed, and how to build a more profitable structure from what you've achieved already. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at allianceindependentauthors.org. Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's “100 top people in publishing”. She also publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and is greatly excited by the democratizing, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website. Shanaya Wagh writes mysteries based in Scotland under the pen name Shana Frost. Born and raised in India, she is currently completing her MLitt Creative Writing in Scotland and mining the country for new story ideas. Shanaya joined the ALLi team in 2023 as a volunteer intern. She works on editing ALLi's guidebooks and the blog. You can find Shanaya on her website.  

    SPA Girls Podcast
    SPA Girls Podcast – EP414 – Publishing Powerhouse, Kathryn Le Veque

    SPA Girls Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2023 62:49


    Kathryn shares her unique publishing insights and forecast, historical romance trends, why she doesn't have an author newsletter, and behind the scenes insight of running Dragonblade.

    Keen On Democracy
    Confronting Amazon, Google and his own powerful family: John Sargent on his adventures and misadventures as CEO of one of the world's largest publishing companies

    Keen On Democracy

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2023 55:30


    EPISODE 1729: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to John Sargent, author of TURNING PAGES, about his adventures and misadventures as CEO of MacMillan Publishers John Sargent was raised on a ranch in Wyoming. He worked at three different publishers before going to Simon and Schuster to run the children's book division at the age of twenty-nine. He spent six years there, followed by three years as the CEO of DK Publishing. In 1996, he went to work as the CEO of St Martin's Press. Three years later, he was put in charge of Holtzbrinck's US publishers and was responsible for forming the company that is today's Macmillan. He worked there as CEO until the end of 2020. He serves on three nonprofit boards. He's been married to Connie Sargent for thirty-seven years, and they have two children. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    All Things Book Marketing
    Online Reputation and Wikipedia for Authors with Josh Greene

    All Things Book Marketing

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2023 27:21


    Josh Greene, CEO of The Mather Group, a digital agency that solves online reputation management challenges for companies of all sizes, speaks on Wikipedia, Google, and online author branding in this episode of All Things Book Marketing. Tune in to learn about how to navigate your digital presence and build up your reputation and credibility virtually.Josh Greene is the CEO for The Mather Group, a digital agency that solves online reputation management challenges for companies of all sizes. With over twenty years of experience creating and implementing digital strategies, he empowers top brands and individuals to shape their online presence to support their bottom line. The Mather Group has worked with some of the largest Fortune 1000 companies, five of the largest nonprofits in the U.S., popular media channels, the third largest network provider in the U.S., two of the largest manufacturing companies in the U.S., and many software companies. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and industry events, including the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the AAF, ad:tech, SES, and the PR Summit.Before The Mather Group, Greene managed online marketing for industry leaders such as Discovery Channel, Time Warner Cable, 1-800-PACK-RAT, and Zippy Shell. Learn more about Josh and The Mather Group at themathergroupllc.com and follow them on Facebook and LinkedIn.Discover more about Smith Publicity at www.smithpublicity.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, & LinkedIn.

    On Air With Ryan Seacrest
    DFH- Diddy Returns Publishing Rights to Artists

    On Air With Ryan Seacrest

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2023 0:56 Transcription Available


    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Selling Sheet Music
    22. Kyle Pederson, Part 2: Deep Dive Into Traditional Print Publishing

    Selling Sheet Music

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2023 37:39


    For part two of my interview with Kyle Pederson we take a step back and look at the state of the industry as a whole, what goes into publishing, and what composers need to do to gain traction. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/garrett-breeze/support

    Across the Pond
    Sheena Patel, "I'm a Fan"

    Across the Pond

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2023 47:09


    Sam and Lori talk about the prescient, 1901 H.G. Wells short story, The New Accelerator, and our guest is Sheena Patel, who joins the podcast to discuss her very funny and very provocative new novel, I'm a Fan.

    Being Beautifully Honest Podcast
    Aubrey Says Diddy Required NDA For Publishing | Why He Did It & Mase Called Him Out Before Decision

    Being Beautifully Honest Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2023 17:16


    Aubrey O'Day speaks on the NDA that was required if she wanted her publishing. Also Mase called him out a few years ago but he's not speaking on that as to why he started making this decision. Thanks for joining me on the Being Beautifully Honest channel! Leave a comment, like & subscribe for more and check out my other videos.Your beautiful skin is waiting at www.inezelizabethbeauty.com and enter the code PERFECT10 for 10% off your first order! Get your long-lasting roses rose at Rose Forever shop: $20 off discount code: Honest20https://bit.ly/3CxENWXGet your Byte Aligners For a Discount of $100 off and 75% off an impression kit! http://fbuy.me/v/ewill_1Build your credit and earn reward points with your debit card! Check it out and you'll get 50,000 points ($50) if you sign up: https://extra.app/r/ELZABG2EGV...Your beautiful skin is waiting at www.inezelizabethbeauty.com and enter the code PERFECT10 for 10% off your first order! Get THE BEST EYELASH STRIPS here! https://temptinglashes.comJoin me on my other platforms!WEBSITE: WWW.BEINGBEAUTIFULLYHONEST.COMPODCAST: bit.ly/thebbhpcastSUBSCRIBE TO MY OTHER CHANNEL AT bit.ly/ytcmobeautyTHE BEING BEAUTIFULLY HONEST PODCAST DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this video and on the The Being Beautifully Honest Podcast Youtube Channel are just that, opinions and views. All topics are for entertainment purposes only! All commentary is Alleged.COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER UNDER SECTION 107 OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT 1976, ALLOWANCE IS MADE FOR "FAIR USE" FOR PURPOSES SUCH AS CRITICISM, COMMENT, NEWS REPORTING, TEACHING, SCHOLARSHIP, AND RESEARCH. FAIR USE IS A USE PERMITTED BY COPYRIGHT STATUTE THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE BE INFRINGING.#aubreyoday #danitykane #puffdaddy

    Of the Publishing Persuasion
    Of the Publishing Persuasion - with ALL THE FIGHTING PARTS Author Hannah V. Sawyerr

    Of the Publishing Persuasion

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2023 74:27


    STOP EVERYTHING!! Our interview with THE Hannah V. Sawyerr is here!!! And just in time for the release of her highly anticipated YA ⁠#MeToo⁠ novel in verse: ALL THE FIGHTING PARTS Hannah V. Sawyerr was recognized as the Youth Poet Laureate of Baltimore in 2016. Her spoken word has been featured on the BBC's World Have Your Say program, as well as the National Education Association's “Do You Hear Us?” campaign. Her written word has been included in Essence, gal-dem, and xoNecole. She holds a BA in English from Morgan State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. Sawyerr is an English professor at Loyola Marymount University and lives in Los Angeles, California. ALL THE FIGHTING PARTS is her debut novel. ⁠https://www.hannahsawyerr.com/ ⁠ (Book blurb from Goodreads) In the vein of Grown and The Poet X, (ALL THE FIGHTING PARTS is) a searing and defiant novel in verse about reclaiming agency after a sexual assault within the church community. Sixteen-year-old Amina Conteh has always believed in using her tongue as her weapon—even when it gets her into trouble. After cursing at a classmate, her father forces her to volunteer at their church with Pastor Johnson.    But Pastor Johnson isn't the holy man everyone thinks he is.  The same voice Amina uses to fight falls quiet the night she is sexually assaulted by Pastor Johnson. After that, her life starts to unravel: her father is frustrated that her grades are slipping, and her best friend and boyfriend don't understand why the once loud and proud girl is now quiet and distant. In a world that claims to support survivors, Amina wonders who will support her when her attacker is everyone's favorite community leader.  When Pastor Johnson is arrested for a different crime, the community is shaken and divided; some call him a monster and others defend him. But Amina is secretly relieved. She no longer has to speak because Pastor Johnson can't hurt her anymore–or so she believes.  To regain her voice and sense of self, Amina must find the power to confront her abuser—in the courtroom and her heart—and learn to use all the fighting parts within her. Get your copy here: ⁠https://linktr.ee/hannsawyerr⁠ Add it to Goodreads: ⁠https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/98652414⁠ #OfthePublishingPersuasion⁠ HOSTED BY: Angela Montoya: ⁠@angelamontoya_author⁠ & Melanie Schubert: ⁠@melanie_schubert_writer⁠   ⁠#podcast⁠ ⁠#ALLTHEFIGHTINGPARTS⁠ ⁠#hannahVSawyerr⁠ ⁠#poetry⁠ ⁠#novelinverse⁠ ⁠#writing⁠ ⁠#Publishing⁠ ⁠#books⁠ ⁠#Bookstagram⁠ ⁠#bookish⁠⁠#IReadYA⁠ ⁠#YABookstagram⁠ ⁠#YABooks⁠ ⁠#BookRecs⁠ ⁠#HannahSawyerr⁠ ⁠#metoo⁠ ⁠#yanovelinverse⁠ ⁠#yabooks⁠ ⁠#yabookstagram⁠ ⁠#youngadultbooks⁠ ⁠#yalit⁠ ⁠#amuletbooks⁠ ⁠#ireadya⁠ ⁠#poems⁠ ⁠#debutauthor⁠ ⁠#2023debut⁠ ⁠#pitchwars2020⁠ ⁠#pitchwars

    The End of Tourism
    S4 #5 | The Many Faces of Exile in Exarcheia w/ Penny Travlou (Athens)

    The End of Tourism

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2023 61:42


    On this episode of the pod, my guest is Penny Travlou, a Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Cultural Geography and Theory (Edinburgh School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture, Edinburgh College of Art/University of Edinburgh). Her research focuses on social justice, the commons, collaborative practices, intangible cultural heritage and ethnography. She has been involved in international research projects funded by the EU and UK Research Councils. For the past eight years, she has been working with independent art organisations in Colombia and most recently in the African continent to understand the commons from a decolonial perspective and to look at commoning practices within artistic forms while understanding the specificities of the commons rooted in various socio-cultural and geographical contexts. As an activist, she has been involved in a number of grassroots and self-organised initiatives on housing and refugees' rights in Greece.Show NotesGreek Elections and the Rise of the Ultra-RightExarcheia and the Student Uprisings of 1974An Olympic Tourism Plan for AthensMass Tourism Consumption in ExarcheiaGovernment Plans to Dismantle Local Social MovementsThe Greek Golden VisaAARG and Community Action Against GentrificationFortress EuropeWhen Will the Bubble Burst?Advice for Tourists; Advice for OrganizingHomeworkPenny Travlou University of Edinburgh WebsiteAARG! AthensPenny's TwitterTranscript[00:00:00] Chris: Good morning, Penny, from Oaxaca. How are you today? [00:00:04] Penny: Very good. Good afternoon from Athens, Chris. [00:00:07] Chris: So perhaps you could share with me and our listeners a little bit more about where you find yourself today in Athens and what life looks like for you there. You mentioned that you had local elections yesterday.[00:00:19] Penny: Yes, I am located in the neighborhood of Exarcheia but towards the borders of it to a hill, Lycabettus Hill. And I am originally from Athens, from Greece, but I've been away for about 20 years, studying and then working in the UK and more specifically in Scotland.So the last eight years, since 2015, I've been coming and going between the two places, which I consider both home. And yes, yesterday we had the elections for the government. So we basically got, again, reelected the conservatives, which are called New Democracy, which is a neoliberal party, but also government also with patriotic, let's say, crescendos and anti-immigration agenda.And at the same time, we have first time, a majority in parliament of the, not even the central, but the right wing, in the Parliament. So it's 40%, this party and another three which are considered basically different forms of ultra- right. And one of them is a new conglomeration, from the previous, maybe, you know, or your audience Golden Dawn, which is a neo- Nazi party, which was basically banned and it's members went to us to prison as members of a gang, basically.But now through, I don't want to go into much detail, managed to get a new party called the Spartans, which obviously you can think what that means, plus two more parties, smaller parties, which are inclined towards very fundamentally religiously and ethnic focus, meaning, you know, anti immigration.And then it's the almost like the complete collapse of the radical left that is represented by Syriza. The Communist Party is always stable. You know, it's the fourth party. So anyway, we, it's a bit of a shock right now. I haven't spoken with comrades. Not that we are supporters of Syriza, but definitely change the picture of what we're doing as social movements and what it means to be part of a social movement right now.So there will be lots of things happening for sure in the next four years with this new not government. The government is not new cause it's the current one, just being reelected, but the new situation in the Parliament. [00:03:02] Chris: Hmm. Wow. Wow. Well, perhaps it's a moment like in so many places, to begin anew, organizing on the grassroots level.You know, there's so many instances around the world and certainly in Southern Europe where we're constantly reminded of the context in which local governments and top-down decision makings simply no longer works.And that we need to organize on a grassroots level. And so I'm really grateful that you've been willing to speak with us today and speak with us to some of these social movements that have arisen in Athens and Greece, in Exarcheia around the notions of immigration as well as tourism.And so to begin, you mentioned that you've been traveling for the last half decade or so back and forth and I'd like to ask you first of all, what have your travels taught you about the world, taught you about how you find yourself in the world?[00:04:02] Penny: Very good question. Thank so much for raising it because I won't say about my personal history, but my father was, actually passed away a couple of years ago, was a captain in the merchant Navy. So for me, the idea of travel is very much within my family. So, the idea of having a parent travel, receiving letters before emails from far away places was always kind of the almost like the imagination of the other places, but also reality.So, when myself become an adult and moved to the UK specifically, to study and then work. This became my own work and my own life reality because I had dramatically to live between two places. So, it was almost this idea of not belonging and belonging. This concept from in both places, but also the specific type of research, because, I haven't mentioned that my day job is an academic. I am currently, equivalent in the United States will be associate professor in geography, but in the school of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. But the type of research I do request me to travel a lot. I'm looking on the idea of collaborative practices in emerging networks of artists, digital artists, specifically activists and trans-local migrants.So what it means actually to connect and to collaborate and to share knowledge and co-produce knowledges. Actually knowledge travels. So everything in my life, in the last two decades is around this, let alone that my own PhD was about tourism. I was looking on tourist images and myths, myths in metaphorically speaking of representations of Athens before the Olympic Games of 2004.So the journey and the travel and tourism is very much part of what I do in my day job, but also on other things I do personally. So what I learned through this is, first of all, maybe it's very common to say that without travel, knowledge doesn't travel.So, how we basically do things and flourish and develop ideas is through the sharing and sharing travels very much. So, movement is totally important. [00:06:37] Chris: I think that, for so many of us who have taken a critical eye and, and looked to the critical eyes around tourism and over tourism in the tourism industry, that there is this sense that things can be different and things must be different.To find a way to look towards, as you said, some sense of collaboration, some sense of interculturality, some sense of working together so that our earthly movements can produce honorable connections and meetings as opposed to just this kind of flippant and flacid kind of turns style travel.And so, I've invited you on the pod, in part, today, to speak about this neighborhood that you're in Exarcheia in Athens, in Greece. And you know, I imagine that many of our listeners have never heard of this, this neighborhood before, but many in Greece and many, many in Athens have, certainly. And I'm wondering if you could offer our listeners a little bit of background in regards to why Exarcheia is such a unique place and why it attracts so much attention politically in terms of social movements and also with tourists.Mm-hmm. [00:07:53] Penny: The history of Exarcheia is quite long in the sense with where it is in the very center of Athens. So if somebody basically get the Google map, you will see that the neighborhood is in walking distance from the Greek parliament. And Syntagma Square, which is another important square with regards to movements.It became very known in later years in the 2010s due to not only riots demonstrations that happened in what we now call the square movement. It started from Spain, to put it this way, and then to Greece, as well, in Athens. So Exarcheia is very central, but also it was since, postwar, it was a bohemic neighborhood.Lots of artists related to the left or at that point to communist party, et cetera, were living here, but also there were theaters, independent theaters, the printing houses. So we have a number still of Publishing houses that they are located in various parts of the Exarcheia neighborhood. So it has put its imprint into the Athenian urban history for quite a number of decades. And when I say Communist party, the communist Party was not legal at the time, when we say postwar. But, we had people inclined towards the left, like intellectuals, et cetera.Then with the dictatorship that happened in 1967-19 74, that's when first time really it gets, it's a real place in the political side of not only of the left, but also generally speaking of the political milieu and situation in Greece and abroad, and became very known due to the uprising, the student uprising against the dictatorship or otherwise, as we call it, junta in 1974, where here in Exarcheia is also the National Technical University of Athens, which is known also as a Polytechnic, where it was basically the uprising against the dictatorship with students basically rioting, but also died. So, it became an iconic part of the student movements since then in Greece. So, since the seventies.People can Google search or YouTube. They will see various documentaries dedicated specifically to that student uprising. And through that, after the dictatorship, one thing which was added in the Constitution and now has changed with this current government is that for a number of decades, it was what we call the asylum.That the police or the army cannot enter the university premises, and that's across Greece. So, students can occupy buildings. They can have, their own strikes, et cetera, without the police and or army entering. However, the Constitution changed a year ago. During the COVID period with the current government, the conservatives were basically they're not only say the police can enter if there is antisocial behavior happens within the university premises, but also that they will basically would like to have a police dedicated to university premises. Anyway, things are changing, but if we go back to Exarcheia and to your question, so since then the seventies, it became the neighborhood hub for the left and particularly for the radical left to congregate, to meet, to have social spaces.And also that a lot of demonstrations start from this neighborhood. And also since late eighties, became also the center of the anarchist and anti authoritarian movement. Since 2015, it was also a hub for those let's say groups, initiatives dedicated to offer solidarity to the newly arrived refugees in Greece and Athens due to the Syrian conflict. Yeah. So there is lots of facts related to why Exarchia has become iconic neighborhood with regards to social movements and definitely since 2015. The year of the election of the radical left as said, Syriza government at the time were attracted also more attention from abroad, from journalists and "solidarians," comrades, from international or transnational, social movements to come to Greece to see what was happening, to take part into the local movements and initiatives.But also it was the deep time of the austerity crisis. So, we have austerity crisis and refugee crisis at the time, ...and tourism! How did that happen?I was at that point here in 2015 is when I started coming in Athens and spending more time. And it was much more obvious that, first of all, before Athens, it was a completely different story with regards to tourism and specifically even before the Olympic games of 2004. People from abroad were coming, spending one or two days, nothing, just to visit the Acropolis and the other historical sites and museums and go to the islands. Was not basically considered as a beautiful city, as an interesting city. Or even as a modern city.So if somebody wants to see, let's say, "Rough Guides" of that period, the way the city was described was, I remember very well, I think it was a rough guide, "a cacophony." That it was extremely ugly. 2004 basically is the first time that there is a definitely dedicated clear plan from the top, from the government and local authorities to think of Athens as a tourist product.And they made some major plans. One is obviously that it's not about tourists, but it relates to tourism. It's the metro and it's the unification of the archeological sites and creating pedestrian zones, which makes it easier for people to walk through the different places. So slowly, we saw tourism getting, numbers like higher and higher.Interestingly, the austerity crisis that you expected there will be a "no" for tourism became actually an attraction for tourism, first, because things were getting cheaper. And the crisis created this, actually, this opportunity in that sense. And secondly, that even the radical left government, Syriza thought that tourism is an industry that can top up the economic issues related or the economic, the financial deficiencies of the country.So it created a series of possibilities for investment from people from abroad to invest in real estate that was matched with the beginnings of the short-let accommodation businesses, Airbnb and equivalent. So all these started slowly creating a fertile land of the right conditions for the tourist economy to flourish further. And to get tourist numbers up in such an extreme that in 2019, we reach full capacity in regards to accommodation. And I don't remember now that in numbers of millions of tourists who visited the country. So there's lots of factors which brought Athens to experience.And of course, Exarcheia, specifically mass touristification, because Exarcheia is in the center of Athens. Very easy to come. Secondly, attractive because it's a vibrant neighborhood, not only because of social movements, because the tourists who come are not all interested in the political scene of the area, but mostly it's about consuming this very vibrant nightlife economy.It's the art economy, which is related with the street art and basically night economy because it has a lot of cafes which have doubled. Nowadays is one of the most populated with Airbnb accommodation. Wow. [00:16:56] Chris: Wow, what a history. It seems, from what I've read, from what I've seen, that Exarcheia was, perhaps summarize it in a single word, a kind of sanctuary for many people over the decades.And and you mentioned the Olympics too, but certainly Barcelona as well had the Olympic Games in the last 30 years, and then you tend to see this similar result or effect or consequence after the Olympic Games in which the cities themselves in some cases are either abandoned in terms of infrastructure.And so all of the billions of dollars that went into them seems to have been only for that month of the Olympic Games or in the case of Athens or, or Barcelona, perhaps, that it's created this unbelievable kind of spiraling out of, of economic growth, if you wanna call it that.But certainly of gentrification, of exile and the increase in cost of living. Mm. And so in that regard, Penny, I'm curious, what have you seen in regards to the growth of tourism in Athens? How has it affected the people, the culture, and the cost of living there?Hmm. What have you seen on that kind of street level? Cause we can talk about it on an economic level, right? Where we're kind of removed from the daily lives of the people, but what do you see in regards to your neighbors, your family, your friends that live in that neighborhood with you?[00:18:18] Penny: Okay. I mean, first of all, I mean there is a lot of things that happen in Exarcheia and now it's clear there is also a strategy to completely dismantle the social movements. It's not like extreme to say that, but it's very clear and that's what the discussions now are focusing. And it's important to say that because in order to do that, one of the ways is to basically disrupt the spaces, disrupt the space that this happens. And Exarcheia is not metaphorically the location that the social movements and initiatives are and happen,but it is the first time that we see a plan, a strategy that if there is a future here, that through not anymore tactics, but strategies from the government and the local authorities, which also are conservative, in one sense.So, to give you an example, Exarcheia neighborhood is identified by its square. The square. When we talk about Exarcheia, we talk about the Exarcheia Square, specifically, when you want to talk about movements. Not the things were happening on the square, but it's identification of the movements.So, the government with the municipality decide that the new metro station in the Exarcheia neighborhood will happen on this square. So, through this, they block completely, they fence the square, so there's no activity in the square. So, this completely changes the landscape.To put it this way, the imaginary of this landscape for the local residents, but also visitors. So, if you check the images, you will see, which is a reality, is a five meter fence. So it's definitely changes. So, I'm saying that cause somebody from the audience say, but "yes, it's for the metro. It's for the benefit of the people."Of course it's for the benefit. But there were also Plan B and Plan C that was submitted by a group of architects and some of them academics from the university here to suggest that they are better locations in the area for the metro for various reasons. "No, the metro will def will happen in the Exarcheia Square."And there is now a number of initiatives that they were dedicated to solidarity to refugees now are moving towards struggles and resistance against the metro. Mm, wow. And how tourism comes in, because you have the blocking of a central square, for a neighborhood, which is its center and then you see slowly, more and more businesses opening, pushing out or closing down all the more traditional local businesses, for opening businesses more related to tourism, like restaurants that they have a particular clientele, you know, of the food they promote, et cetera, which definitely dedicated to this particular clientele, which is basically foreigners.The second thing that happens and has to do, of course, with gentrification. In the high rank of gentrification, we're experiencing aggressive gentrification, fast and changing the look and the everydayness of the neighborhood, is that since the Syriza, they make things much easier for foreign investors through what is called golden visa.Mm-hmm. The golden visa is that in order for a non-European, non-EU national to be in Europe. And you need a specific visa, otherwise you can be only with the tourist visa for three months. In order to obtain a longer term visa of five years, 10 years, is this we call Golden Visa, where you can invest in the local economy, like in London, I don't know, in Paris. Greece has the cheapest Golden Visa, which is until recently up to 250,000 euros. So imagine it's not a lot of money if you want to invest. So, people will start getting this visa by buying property, and obviously they want to make more money by converting these places into Airbnbs.Mm-hmm. They started with individuals like, let's say me that I decide to buy a property in Paris, but now we have international real estate developers, like from China, Israel, Russia, Turkey to say a few and Germany, where they buy whole buildings, right. And they convert them to Airbnbs, not only for tourists, but also for digital nomads. So, for your audience, for example, yesterday I was at an event and I was speaking to a young artist and the discussion moved, I don't know how to, "where do you live?" I said, "I live Exarcheia." He said, "I live in Exarcheia. I asked, "Where?" And he told me, "I live there. But I have big problems, because although I own the place through inheritance, I would like to move out to sell it, because the whole building, apart from my flat and another one has been bought by an international company and now my neighbors are digital nomads, which means I dunno who these people are, because every couple of weeks it changes. It's fully dirty. Huge problem with noise. Lots of parties. It's extremely difficult."So, imagine that this changed. There are stories of this, a lot. The other thing that has happened in Exarcheia is young people, in particular, are being pushed out because the rents, as you understand, if somebody who wants to rent it for Airbnb then thinks in this mindset and something that was until recently, 300 euros. A one bedroom flat. Now it ends up in 500, 600 euros, where still the minimum sa salary is less than 700 Euros. Wow. So people are being pushed out. I have lots of examples of people, and when I say young, not young in the sense of 20s, but also people in their forties that they are being pushed out. They cannot rent anymore, let alone to buy. To buy, it's almost impossible. Yeah. [00:25:04] Chris: Yeah. Almost everyone I talk to, doesn't matter where they live these days and not just for the podcast, but in my personal life, and of course with the people who I interview on the podcast, they say the same thing. This housing crisis, if you wanna call it that, because I don't know if it's an issue of housing, as such, but an issue of regulation, an issue of the lack of regulation around these things. And it's clear that so much of the issues around tourism have to do with hyper mobility and and housing. Yes. Or at least that's what it's become in part. Mm-hmm. And so I'd like to ask you, Penny, I know you're also part of an organization named AARG! (Action Against Regeneration and Gentrification) in Athens. Mm-hmm. And so participating in the resistance against these consequences.So I'd love it if you could explain a little bit about the organization, its principles and what it does to try to combat gentrification and of course the government and police tactics that you mentioned previously. [00:26:12] Penny: Well, now we are in a turning point because obviously what are we going to do? It's like "day zero."But we started in 2019. It's not an organization. It's an activist initiative. So, we don't have any legal status as an activist group, but came out of a then source of free space called Nosotros, which was located, and I explain why I use the past tense. It was located in the very center of Exarcheia, in Exarcheia Square, basically, in a neoclassic building since 2005, if I'm right. And it was really like taking part in all the different events since then with regards to, you know, things were happening in Athens in particular, and the square movement later on during the austerity crisis years.And it is also part of the anti-authoritarian movement. So, in 2019 a number of comrades from Nosotros and other initiatives in Exarcheia Square came together through recognizing that, definitely, since 2015 started slowly seeing a change in the neighborhood. On the one hand, we were seeing higher numbers of comrades coming from abroad to be with us in different projects with the refugees, but at the same time, as I said earlier, an attraction by tourism. And gentrification was definitely happening in the neighborhood; at that time, in slow pace. So it was easy for us to recognize it and to see it, and also to have discussions and assemblies to think how we can act against it.What kind of actions can we take, first of all, to make neighbors aware of what was happening in the neighborhood, and secondly, to act against Airbnbs, but not only, because the issue was not just the Airbnbs. So in 2019 we started, we had a series of assemblies. We had events. We invited comrades from abroad to, to share with us their own experiences of similar situation, like for instance, in Detroit, that at that time we thought that it was the extreme situation on what happened with the economic crisis in US and the collapse of the car industry, not only with the impact in Detroit and in Berlin, which again, at the time, still in 2019, we felt that Berlin was experiencing gentrification very far beyond what was happening in Athens and specifically in Exarcheia.So, that's in 2019. We had also actions that we start mapping the neighborhood to understand where Airbnbs were kind of mushrooming, where were the issues, but also in cases, because the other thing that was start becoming an issue was the eviction. At that time was still not as, for example, we were reading 2019 and before in Berlin, for example, or in Spain, like in Barcelona or Madrid...but there were cases, so we experienced the case of a elderly neighbor with her son who is a person with disabilities who were basically forced through eviction from the place they were renting, for almost two decades, by the new owners, who were real estate developer agency from abroad, who bought the whole building basically, and to convert it to Airbnb, basically. So we did this. Let's say this started in January 2019, where we just have elections and it's the first time we get this government, not first time, but it's the first time we have conservatives being elected and start saying dramatically and aggressively neighborhood with basically the eviction almost of all the housing spot for refugees in the area, apart from one, which still is here.All the others were basically evicted violently with the refugees, were taken by police vans to refugee camps. Those who had already got the papers were basically evicted and sent as homeless in the streets, not even in camps. So, we basically moved our actions towards this as well.And then Covid. So during Covid we created a new initiative were called Kropotkin-19, which was a mutual aid, offering assistance to people in need through the collection of food and things that they need, urgently, in the area, in the neighborhood, and the nearby neighborhood and refugee comes outside Athens.So, AARG! Has basically shifted their actions towards what was actually the urgency of the moment. So, and what happened in all this is that we lost the building through the exact example of gentrification, touristification. The owners took it because obviously it's next to the square where it's actually the metro and the think, they say future thinking, that they will sell it with very good money, to the millions, basically.So Nosotros and us as AARG! were basically now currently homeless. We don't have a real location because the building was basically taken back by the owners, and we were evicted right from the building. [00:32:14] Chris: Well, this context that you just provided for me, it kind of deeply roots together, these two notions of tourists and refugees of tourism and exile.In southern Europe, it's fairly common to see graffiti that says "migrants welcome, tourism go home." And in this context of that building, in that relative homelessness, it seems that, in a place that would house refugees, in a place that would house locals even, that this gentrification can produce this kind of exile that turns local people as well as, you know, the people who would be given refuge, given sanctuary also into refugees in their own places.And I'm wondering if there's anything else you'd like to unpack around this notion of the border crises in Greece and Southern Europe. I know that it's still very much in the news around this fishing vessel that collapsed with some seven to 800 people on it, off the coast of Greece.And certainly this is nothing new in that region. And I'm just wondering if there's anything more you'd like to unpack or to offer our listeners in regards to what's happening in Greece in regards to the border crises there. Mm. [00:33:36] Penny: Okay. I mean, the border crisis, is Greece and it's Europe. So when you speak about national policies or border policy, you need also to think of what we call fortress Europe, because this is it. So Greece is in the borders and it's actually policing the borders. And, there's lots of reports even recently that quite a lot of illegal pushbacks are happening from Greece back to Turkey or in the case of this current situation with a boat with more than 500 people.I think it's almost like to the 700. That's the case. So this current government it was for four years, we've seen that it has definitely an anti-immigration policy agenda, definitely backed up by European policies as well.But now being reelected is going to be harder and this is a big worry for, because still we have conflicts nearby. We need to consider environmental crisis that it creates in various parts for sure, like refugees, and we have conflicts.We have Ukraine, et cetera. Although also there is discussion of thinking of refugees in two ways: those that they come from, let's say, Ukraine, which they look like us and those who do not look like us. And this obviously brings questions of racism and discrimination as well.So borders and tourism also. It is really interesting because these two are interlinked. We cannot see them, but they're interlinked. And even we can think in the widest, let's say, metaphor of this, that at the same week, let's say 10 days that we had this major loss of lives in the Greek Sea.At the same time we have the submarine with the millionaires or billionaires, which almost is a kind of a more like upmarket tourism because also we need to think what the submarine represents symbolically to the life we are creating, worldwide.And I'm saying worldwide because I was currently, and I think I talked with you, Chris, about it, in Latin America and specifically in Medellin, which is a city known mostly abroad for not good reasons, basically for the drug trafficking. But one of the things, definitely post pandemic that the city's experiencing is massive gentrification and massive touristification due to economic policies that allow specific type of tourism to flourish through digital nomads having real opportunities there for very cheap lifestyles. Very good technology infrastructure, but other issues that bring mass tourism that in this case is also sex tourism and underage sex tourism, which is really, really problematic. But going back to Athens and Exarcheia in particular, the issue, it's very obvious. We are even now discussing that this thing is a bubble and sooner or later we will see that bursting because tourism is a product. Tourist locations are products and they have a lifespan.And it's particularly when there's no sustainable planning strategy. And an example in Greece, which is recently been heard a lot, is Mykonos Island. The Mykonos Island was known as this like hedonistic economy, up market, et cetera.But right now it is the first year that they've seen losses, economic losses, that it doesn't do well on the number of tourists coming. So, there are these things that we will see. Still, Athens is in its peak and they're expecting big numbers still because we are not even in July. I live now what most of us would say, we don't want to be in Exarcheia for going out because it doesn't anymore looks as a space we knew, for various reasons. But still there is movement. As I said the metro now is the center of the resistance. And also the other thing that I forgot to say that it's actually from the municipality coming in is that they are closing down and closed down basically green areas in the area, like Strefi Hill, and the nearby park for supposedly to regenerate it and to ensure that it's up in the level that it needs to be. But at the same time, they are leasing it into corporate private businesses to run. [00:38:43] Chris: Yeah. Yeah. And just for our listeners, whether this is the intention of local governments or not the closure or at least suspension of these places such as parks or local squares is the refusal to allow people to use public lands or to operate on what are traditionally understood as the commons, right? Mm-hmm. And these are traditionally places that people would use to organize. And so whether this is a part of the government's plans or not this is the consequence, right?And this tends to happen more and more and more as tourism and development reaches its apex in a place. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And Penny, I have a question that was actually written in by a friend of mine who lives there in Athens and his name is Alex who I had the pleasure of meeting last year there.And Alex talks about how everyone in Greece seems to be involved in tourism in some manner or another, that it's according to him "the country's biggest industry and how all of us are bound and tied to it," he said. Mm-hmm. And Alex wonders what alternatives and perhaps worthy alternatives do you think there might be to tourist economies?[00:39:59] Penny: Well, I mean, the issue is not, I mean, tourism is a type of model of tourism as well. I mean and it is also kind of percentages. So if we have more tourists than locals, then there is a question here, what exactly is happening when particular neighborhoods are turned to theme parks?Then again, it's an issue of what exactly offered locals, because okay, it could be good for businesses, but as I said, where is the sustainability in these projects and these models? Because if it's five year plan, then after the five year plan, all these people who are involved in tourism, what are they going to do?The other thing is what kinda tourism we're talking about and what kind services, because if we're all tangled or related with a tourist product, but what we do is servicing, meaning that even very few people will make money because most of us, we will be employees. And saying that is also about labor rights.So this is actually not regulated. There is no real regulation to various levels. Housing, for example, that you touched upon, earlier on in the conversation... In Greece doesn't have a dedicated law. So housing comes in various different parts of law, but it doesn't have a dedicated one.That's another reason why things are very unruly, unregulated. And the other thing is that in Greece, one thing that is unique, in comparison to all the countries, is that after the second World War, there was this idea of small ownership; that the dream is to own a small place, and to give it to your kids, et cetera.So it is very, very complex in that sense. And also as a tenant, it's very difficult to basically to have rights as well. Likewise, when we talk about labor, there's lots of things which are not regulated. So people who work in the tourist industry... it's almost like slavery.Quite a lot of people do not want to work right now in the tourism industry because they know that it's really unregulated and where that ends. So go back to what your friend asked, I'm not an economist and it's not an easy, and it's not, I'm not using it as an easy way to escape from giving a reply, but it's not about how to replace tourism, but it's actually what kind of a tourist model we bringing in because it's the same thing that I brought.So in Greece what exactly are we actually looking as a model to bring things that we saw in other places, didn't work?And they've seen the aftermaths of it. So this is something we need to be very, very serious about. Because at the moment, I think it's a five year plan with no future-thinking further because imagine a scenario that if tourism collapse, and we have all these businesses dedicated to tourism in one single neighborhood. We have urban Airbnb everywhere. What all these privately owned premises going to do? What kind of alternative you they're gonna have? [00:43:27] Chris: Yeah. Yeah. You used the word " replace," to replace tourism and I'm a big fan of etymology of the study of the roots of words and in English, the word replace in its deepest meaning could mean "to place, again." Right. And if we understood the word place as a verb, and not just as a noun, not just as a thing, but as something we do, what would it look like to place again, to consider our place not just as a thing, but as a process, as a process through time.And what would that mean to re-place ourselves. To re-place the time we're in. And it brings me to my next question, which is around solidarity and mm-hmm. I'm wondering in this regard, what kind of advice might you have both for tourists, for individuals, and also for people looking to organize their own communities in solidarity with, for example, the movements, the collectives, the residents of places like Exarcheia. What advice would you have for those people who wish to act and live in solidarity with the collectives that are undertaking these battles in places like Exarcheia?[00:44:51] Penny: Okay. If I remember well, the initiative against the Metro has created an open letter which will be for also address to tourists. So to make them aware, you know, you are here, you are welcome, but be aware that this is happening in this neighborhood, that the neighborhood is not just a product for consumption, but they are us, that we live here and we have been hugely affected by policies against us.It's not a blame to the tourists because we've been tourists and we are tourists ourselves. We go somewhere else. It's a matter to how you are respectful and understanding of what happens in local level and that there are people leaving not only the people who make money out of offering you services, but basically every people who have an everydayness in these areas and they need to be respected as well. And even understand where and what may happen to them. I mean, obviously we hear, and there are people who think, okay, we rather prefer to stay in hotels instead of AIrbnbs because this will basically support further this economy, which is platform capitalism because again, at the end, who makes more money, are the people who own those platforms.So it's about to be conscious and to be open and to see around you. And I'm saying that, and I can give you an example because for me, it definitely summarizes what I want to say. Okay, last summer, I was out with friends in Exarcheia, near Exarcheia Square to have a drink with friends who were visiting. No, no one visiting. One is from here. And in another table comes a seller, a migrant from East Asia to sell something and stop in my table. We discuss something with him and behind him, a couple of tourists with a dog passed by. The dog stops, probably afraid of something and kind of barks and bites the seller, the guy who was actually the vendor.So, the vendor gets really panicked and we say what happened to him? The two people with the dog, say, don't actually listen to him. He's lying. He's trying to get money out of us. And this is a story I mean, of understanding, of two people, you know, coming here not understanding at all and having completely this idea, but at the same time trying to consume what Exarcheia is offering. Is a story that to me can say a lot, actually. Mm, [00:47:23] Chris: yeah. Deep imposition. [00:47:25] Penny: Exactly. Exactly. I mean, as tourists, we need to be more conscious of the places we go. We need to understand and to listen and to hear.It is difficult to do otherwise because I mean, when you go back to solidarity, I mean, this is another thing because we don't expect people who come for couple of days to go to different, let's say, collectives, initiatives and take part.But at the same time, people who come and they want to spend time, in the sense of being part, again, one thing you do is not only you consume experiences, you take the experience and you look something abroad. You share the experience and we need that as well. Hmm. [00:48:16] Chris: Wow. And what would you say to people, for example, in places like Oaxaca, where there's been a tourist economy for the last 10, 20 years, steadily growing, and then after the lockdowns has become a destination like cities in Southern Europe, for digital nomads, for quote unquote expatriates, where now the consequences of the tourist economy are reaching a boiling point a kind of crisis moment, and where people are experiencing a great deal of resentment and backlash against the tourist, but who want to find some kind of way of organizing together in order to lessen or undermine or subvert the tourist economies.What advice would you have for those people maybe looking to places like Exarcheia, places like Southern Europe, where people have begun to organize for many years? What advice would you have for those people, for those collectives? [00:49:21] Penny: Well, the prosperity out of what you can get from this type of economy, it's going to be short term. So those who will make money or those who anyway will make money for those who have small businesses, it's going to be for few years. And particularly with digital nomads, is exactly what the word the term means: nomads. So this year or this couple of years, they will be in Oaxaca, they will be in Medellin.Previously they were in Lisbon. They were in Berlin. There is a product that is movable because their business, the work they do is movable. So for them, is what you offer like a package. And if it is cheap package, they will go there. If it has good weather, they will go there. And easier legislation.So it's a matter of recognizing because at the same time you cannot start pushing and throwing and beating up tourists. You're not gonna change anything. It's basically awareness.I'm not fond local authorities, but I've seen that in cases like Barcelona, the local authorities were more conscious and more aware, and obviously more on the left side. They were trying as well to create policies that has some limitation that at least this thing, it doesn't become beyond what you're able to sustain, basically, to create an equilibrium.But still, even in Barcelona, there are situations as in the neighborhood, which has became totally gentrified and people were pushed out. So they need some kind of legislation to limit the numbers of visitors for Airbnbs or things like that. But in the level of action, it's actually awareness and resistance and to continue.It's not easy because the political situation doesn't help. It has created a fruitful land for this to become even more and more and more. But the idea is not to give up and stop. I know that it's very like maybe generic and very abstract what I'm offering a solutions, because obviously here we're also trying to see what solutions we can have. Maybe you create a critical mass in an international level. Also, you make aware outside of what happens. So, so the tourists before even coming, they're aware of what's exactly happening and also with regards to solidarity between similar causes. Hmm. [00:52:00] Chris: Hmm. Thank you Penny. So we've spoken quite a bit about what's come to pass in Athens, in Greece, in Exarcheia in regards to tourism, gentrification, and the border crisis there in fortress Europe. And my final question for you is do you think there's anything about these movements of people and the way that we've come to understand them about the flight and plight of other people's, not just refugees, but also tourists as well, that can teach us about what it means to be at home in our places?[00:52:40] Penny: Oh, that's a big discussion. Cause it depends. I mean, when you talk about mobile population, like those, for instance, digital nomads, then we talk about something else, which is basically a more cosmopolitan understanding of the world, but also that the world is a product for consumption. So, it is two different layers of understanding also home.And basically when you see advertisements of houses specifically short-lets dedicated to let's say, digital nomads, the advertisements will say something like "home," that what we offer you like home. But when you go to those places and you stay in, what they mean like home, is that you have all the amenities to make your life easy as a digital normal.That you have a fast internet to make your work easy, et cetera, et cetera. So it is a very complex thing and definitely the way we live in, it's between the nomadic that has nothing to do with how we understood the nomadic in previous centuries or histories and to their, place as home, like you have a stable place.So, there are many questions and many questions about borders, that borders are easy to pass if you have the right profile, but then it is a block, and it's actually a "no" for those who leave home because they're forced to. So, it's a very unequal way of thinking of borders, home and place, worldwide.It's not just about Greece or Athens or Exarcheia, but maybe Exarcheia is a good example of giving us both sides who are welcome and who are not welcome. So yes, we say "welcome to refugees" and we see this kind of tagging and stencils and graffiti around because yes, this is what we want. We want them here to welcome them, but at the same time, we say " no to tourism," not because we have individual issues with specific people, but because of what has been the impact of this mobility into local lives.[00:54:59] Chris: Yeah. Yeah. Well, may we come to understand these complexities on a deeper level and in a way that that honors a way of being at home in which, in which all people can be rooted.Mm-hmm. So, I'd like to thank you, Penny, for joining me today, for your time, for your consideration, for your willingness to be able to speak in a language that is not your mother tongue is deeply, deeply appreciated. And finally, how might our listeners be able to read more about your work, about the social movements and collectives in Greece?How might they be able to get in touch? [00:55:41] Penny: Okay. We have on Facebook, on social media, we have AARG!. So if they, look at AARG! Action Against Regeneration & G entrification, but it's AARG! on Facebook and also Kropotkin-19, they will find their information. Now about my work specifically, they will look at my profile like Penny Travlou at the University of Edinburgh. So they will see what I do in Athens and in Latin America. So there is material, some things are in the form of academic text and other things are in videos, et cetera, which are more accessible to a wider audience.[00:56:22] Chris: Well, I'll make sure all those links and social media websites are available to our listeners when the episode launches. And once again, on behalf of our listeners, thank you so much for joining us today. [00:56:34] Penny: Thank you. Thank you very much. Have a good morning. Get full access to ⌘ Chris Christou ⌘ at chrischristou.substack.com/subscribe

    Kobo Writing Life Podcast
    #326 – Facing Your First Draft with Mary Adkins

    Kobo Writing Life Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2023 44:38


    In this episode, we are joined by author and book coach Mary Adkins, founder of The Book Incubator, a program for authors looking to write their best possible book. Mary spent six years writing and re-writing her first book before landing a book deal with HarperCollins, and as such, perfected her writing program! Now, she works to share this helpful information with other authors looking to reach their full potential. We had a great conversation with Mary and loved the many writing tips she had to offer. Be sure to check out what she can do for you over at The Book Incubator! We learn how Mary operates her book coaching business, how she can be a “wedding planner,” cheerleader, and helpful industry guide to authors, and what her own writing career looks like. She also offers some great advice on how to give yourself permission to write that novel, as well as (gasp) writing by hand, and much more! Learn more about Mary via her website.

    The Extraordinary Business Book Club
    Episode 381 - The Modern Maverick with Ed Haddon

    The Extraordinary Business Book Club

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2023 42:01


    'We need, at the moment, mavericks. We need people of independent thought, courageous, wanting to do things differently, but we need to do that in service of others.' Mavericks write their own rules. Modern mavericks write their own rules of success.  Ed Haddon, author of The Modern Maverick, helps people think more deeply and more courageously about what success means to them. What really matters - in their private lives and in the world around them, as well as in their professional lives? As an elite athlete, corporate rebel, and the founder of the first B Corp-certified coaching practice in the UK, he's walking the talk, and might just inspire you to change your own life...