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Week 21
Jordyn Dunseath
July 09, 2024
TIP OF THE WEEK
Go break the rules this week. Haha, by that I mean…what if you don’t film at double your shutter speed? What if you don’t use the rule of thirds? What if you do include super shaky footage in your final edit? I think you might get why I’m saying this. You can really stand out creatively if you intentionally use some of these unique techniques. Yes, they have to be placed well to be effective but that’s the fun part!
JORDYN UPDATES
I was enjoying the beautiful weather and sunset :)
Highs of the week: | Reality of the week: |
Hey! So little secret, I usually write these newsletters on either the Friday or Monday before it arrives in your inbox on Tuesday. This week, I’m writing it on Wednesday. That means I still have a bunch of the week ahead of me that won’t be reflected in this newsletter. However, you’re pretty much not missing out because I’m about to tell you why I’m writing it early. Well, tomorrow is a holiday here in America. To be honest, I forget about holidays ALL the time as a freelancer because my days all blend together. I often ignore them and work anyway…but I keep getting invited to so many wonderful things and it made me realize…”hey Jordyn, maybe you can take a break like everyone else and go enjoy a day off.” I’m sharing this because if you’re anything like me, maybe you need to hear that too. I really should take this advice considering I am filming a wedding this weekend as well. My Friday is already packed aside from prep for the wedding and then I'll be working it all day on Saturday. A day off is totally reasonable.
Here’s the thing: last newsletter I told you I wanted to get back into creating YouTube videos and hoped to have one out this week. Let me tell ya, I have tried so hard to make that happen, but so many other work things have taken priority. So many exciting things. Quick break from my main point to share those exciting things…the finance tracker that I worked so hard on is actually selling! I can’t even tell you how amazing that feels. I am so humbled, so blessed, and so encouraged to see people actually really liking it. I’ve also had more people express interest in and join the online community. I’m so thrilled to add new members to the family. For a minute there, I was getting discouraged to keep promoting these things just because I felt burnt out. However, it is so motivating to see that people actually expressed interest in it once I started sharing again. So my encouragement to you is to keep putting the work in. My finance tracker and online community are true examples that “Rome isn’t built in a day”. I’ve spent months and years prepping these things and I’m finally starting to see the work pay off. I’m so thankful for that.
Okay, back to my main point. The reason I don’t want to take tomorrow off is because I really want to accomplish my goal to create a YouTube video. However, I feel like decisions like these are actually pretty important to pay attention to. So many people ask: how do you find work/life balance? Well, second little secret: I don’t think work/life balance exists. I say that because balance is hard to measure. If I had to name what I think work/life balance actually is…I think it is found in taking the time to slow down enough to ask “what is healthiest for me to prioritize right now?” I have two great options in front of me: film a YouTube video and enjoy accomplishing my goal or make great memories with close friends and family for a holiday. It’s hard to choose when they both sound so great, but it’s much easier to make an informed decision when I consider what is healthiest for me at this current moment.
I’m sharing all of this in hope that it will help you become more aware of the decisions you’re making on a daily basis. Do you take the time to consider what you actually need? What is healthiest for you to prioritize?
Here’s what I’m going to do: regardless of what I choose - whether to work or rest tomorrow, I am going to be fully present in that choice. If I choose rest, I’m not going to criticize myself for not accomplishing the goal I created last week - I can just prioritize it next week. If I choose work, I’m not going to complain that I feel burnt out and never get any rest.
If you read all of that, thank you. I’m often surprised by how many of you tell me that these thoughts are actually really helpful for you. That’s always my hope. I genuinely want to serve you as best I can. Thanks for being a part of my newsletter. I hope you can make the decisions that are healthiest for you this week!
This week’s creative challenge:
I often try to make these challenges something that you can do by yourself so you actually do them…but maybe you need some accountability. So this week, I’m going to challenge you to think of a friend or a family member and go tell their story. Maybe you have an uncle that enjoys woodworking - go film him doing his hobby. Or you have a cousin who plays basketball - go film him shoot some hoops and ask him some questions. Just make something!
Whoah, changing up the format Jordyn.
Yeah…probably just for this week. There are a few new subscribers to the newsletter this week (Hi! I’m so glad you’re here)… so they won’t be able to tell the difference. I usually have some “middle of the newsletter elements” that stay consistent every time and I’m sure everyone just scrolls past them now, haha so I wanted to spontaneously change it up this week. I also usually recommend camera gear that I personally think is great - I’ll pick back up on that next week :).
FOR THOSE WHO MAKE IT TO THE BOTTOM OF MY EMAILS :)
This week’s newsletter is heavy on words so thank you if you chose to read everything - you’re amazing. I’m writing this bottom portion right before I send this newsletter out for the day. I wanted to give you an actual update on my week.
I did choose to rest on the holiday. That was a great choice because the wedding I filmed this weekend was beautiful but so extremely hot and really wiped me out, haha.
I’m honestly feeling quite exhausted already entering this week but I’ve made the conscious choice to be grateful for what’s ahead. I was tempted this morning to feel guilty for my lack of motivation to pursue my goals this week - but that guilt isn’t going to serve me well. It’s totally okay to be tired. What I choose to do and how I choose to think is the important thing. If you’re feeling tired this week too, let’s both be kind to ourselves but still choose healthy habits in the midst of our fatigue. We got this!
Have a great day!
Best, Jordyn
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