The Smoke Clears
It’s difficult to do the work, when you have work to do.
Writing is my passion, but design work puts bread on my table, and the largest slice disappeared during the first two years of the epidemic. But this summer, the interactive event machine rumbled back to life. The projects were fun and well-spaced. But a call in late September changed that.
eBay’s agency of record hired a company to design and fabricate a pop-up store for three days in NYC’s Diamond District. Not a location known for luxury. The project was all-consuming. It put a dent in my writing schedule and slowed my podcast recording schedule, but manageable. Then, in mid-October, the phone rang again.
A massive one-day event in Austin landed in our laps and we couldn’t say no. Since then, I’ve done everything I can to maintain a positive work and home life. Managing two huge design projects comes with unexpected costs, so I placed my writing and the podcast on hold until the Austin project is under control. Something had to give.
The eBay project turned out well. The event was a real eyeopener for those that attended, and it wouldn’t surprise me if my store design slowly changes the look of the Diamond District. Feedback from the store owners and their competition was unexpectedly positive and came with many specific questions regarding the design. That feels like the greatest win in the end.
Now for some housecleaning.
Good news. The Austin project seems to be in-hand and the podcast will resume on Tuesday with artist/writer, Phil Hester. I’ve missed the weekly conversations and there will be new episodes before the year ends.
Weird news. My fantasy was to winnow my digital world down to Substack newsletter, audio version of the podcast (published through Substack), special Layer by Layer process videos on Substack, and Twitter posts. No Instagram, no Facebook, and no YouTube. Now, with Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter and the sheer level of insecurity on that platform, I don’t know what my digital future looks like. Hive, Mastodon, Substack’s own version—all of them. Stay tuned.
Better news. Tomorrow I will resume my novel writing duties. For all my bravado and foolhardy leaps of faith, I’m anxious. Writing is a perishable skill, and like a distance runner, I don’t want to pull anything that may sideline me longer. Is it a coincidence that I ordered new running shoes yesterday?
