If you want to start a podcast, just do it
Do you really, really want to do a podcast? Have you thought about making a podcast? Okay, so what are you doing to make a podcast?
If you’re going to do one, you should just do it now! There’s literally nothing to stop you, except to make up your mind and get it done.
This is why I don’t get New Year’s Resolutions. Why wait? If you want to stop eating sugar, just stop today! To be fair, I know that it’s not that easy – but also, it kind of is. Because it’s your mind and it’s your determination fueling these things.
I’m not saying you’re going to succeed tomorrow. But if the thought is there, that’s your start. That’s the crack in the ice. You keep chipping away and then eventually it breaks, and you’ve gotten to something amazing.
Keep putting your work out there
We have to keep working, showing up, putting things out there. You never know what’s going to go viral. The intention can be there, everything you’ve considered and all the attention you’ve paid to detail – but until you actually put your work out there, you don’t know how it’s going to land.
It’s the same with music as it is with a podcast. It’s the same with anything creative, really. And I think what’s really important to remember is: the sooner you start it, the sooner you can bury it, so to speak. Because I guarantee the first edition of whatever you do will not be the best thing you ever do.
Drumcode is a great example of something that took a long time to come to fruition as a brand. Now they’ve got such a great reputation, their artists can go anywhere in the world and sell out. But it took a long time – it wasn’t an overnight success. Almost no one who’s an overnight success is successful in the long term.
Not giving up
How many gym memberships start in January and are done by March? Way too many. Just like going to the gym, for this kind of audio work, you need commitment and determination.
You need to turn up – and if it’s not something you really want, something you’re really determined to do, you’re not going to do it. You need that intrinsic motivation to keep going.
The importance of networking
Networking is also very important. These days, we might be rusty after COVID and working from home, but you’ve got to get out of your comfort zone. Going to events, meeting people you don’t know, having a conversation and seeing where it leads – though you’ve got to be prepared for some conversations to lead nowhere. Not everyone you meet is going to be the gateway to success.
That said, you are going to meet some amazing people on your journey who are equally driven. If you both have a strong desire to stay on that path, you can keep turning to each other for questions and support over the years, working together – and wherever you end up, that person will hopefully still be around in 10 or 15 years.
