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Week 22
Jordyn Dunseath
July 16, 2024
TIP OF THE WEEK
For all those perfectionists out there…is it 70% of the way there? Great, call it done. Don’t hate me for this tip, haha. But seriously, it’s okay to share something that doesn’t feel like your best work. I bet you the majority of people won’t notice. I am not saying don’t ever produce at 100% - I am saying you don’t always have to. You know when you’re stuck. You know when 70% is okay if you’re honest with yourself. Don’t be afraid to let loose and just move on to the next thing. :)
JORDYN UPDATES
I film myself in the middle of roads way too often. I was honestly so scared of a car coming in this moment haha 🫣
Highs of the week: | Reality of the week: |
Here’s a question to explore this week: what makes your creative work valuable? What metrics do you let decide its value? Is it the amount of likes you get on social media? Is it the amount of money you were paid to complete the job? Is it the affirmation you received after showing it to someone?
Can I challenge you with a thought? How much do you agree with the concept that your work is valuable simply because you created it? Your unique mind, talent, and perspective brought something new into this world through the form of “art, photo, video, word, etc”. What if that was enough to enjoy and be proud of yourself?
From observing the culture nowadays, I feel like many creatives are under this arbitrary immense pressure. “My next video should be the best one I’ve ever created.” “I’m obviously doing something wrong if my work isn’t performing well on socials.” “I will never be as good as I want to be.” [insert your thoughts here].
It rips the joy out of the creative process when you’re always wishing you were one step ahead. What if the work you created today at your exact level of skill and experience was considered “great” simply because it just is. It’s part of your journey. You are learning. That’s beautiful. You’re creating. That’s amazing.
Wouldn’t it be nice to just actually enjoy the process of creating? Not creating for the sake of external variables determining it’s worth. You could have created the best thing you’ve ever made and it gets two likes on Instagram and then you all of a sudden feel like “it’s bad”. That’s just simply not true.
This week, I just need you to know… you are valuable. Your creativity is a treasure. You can make great things. Be kind to yourself. You’re just learning. If you want to measure your work against anything, measure it against your past self. I guarantee, the more you just create and enjoy the process, the more you’ll actually end up where you want to be. Chasing where you want to be without enjoying the process is a lose lose. You might get “there” (whatever the “there” is for you) one day…but if you didn’t enjoy it, it will feel empty when you do.
Gratitude really helps. Every time I walk into my creative process with a heart of gratitude - I enjoy it so much more. When I think about the blessing it is to get to pursue something I’m so passionate about - it makes me not want to miss out on the joy that is available for me in the process. I hope you can feel the same.
I hope you have a blessed week! Thanks for reading my newsletter. You’re awesome! Go have some fun creating!
If you read last week’s newsletter, you knew I had a goal to film a YouTube video. I did it! I am going to try to get in the rhythm of creating again to get my channel back up and running. I made this entire video in one day. It was 100 degrees and so hot, but so worth it!
This week’s creative challenge:
This week, do something creative that you’ve never done before. Here are some options to choose from: stop motion, astro photography, animation, recording a voiceover, making a silent film, FPV drone training, etc. Again, go have fun!
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AN EXTRA FOR THOSE WHO MAKE IT TO THE BOTTOM OF MY EMAILS :)
Here’s a little behind the scenes look at the sound design in the YouTube video I just put together. Every noise you hear in that video is all sound effects. I didn’t use any native camera audio because it was quite windy.
These are the kinds of things that make me love this craft. Even if everyone else overlooks the sound design and doesn’t recognize the detail I put into an edit - I know it and I get to enjoy it. The process is just so fun!
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Have a great day!
Best, Jordyn
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