It’s not all about the end product

In last weeks blog, I talked about some of the challenges that come about when finding a routine in your day to day life. Following on from last week, I would like to take you behind the scenes. What work, time and dedication go into having an online profile. Unfortunately, I don’t wake up one morning with the ideas and concepts of a blog or video that needs to be up that day. Instead, there is a lot of planning and forward-thinking that is required. Sometimes this can be challenging to fit in, especially when juggling work, the gym and social life. But that is why having a schedule is so important to be able to keep a balance that works for you.

Let’s start with behind the scenes of my blog/website. During the lockdown, I spent a large amount of time finding a website style that suited me, which consisted of a lot of trial and error. After several attempts and a lot of hours, I have found a website that works both with my personal blogs, and my blogs for Emerge. I do not doubt that this will change again in the future, but for now, it works perfectly. When I first started blogging, I brainstormed a lot of ideas that I thought would work well for my website. For me, I want my blog to be more personal than my vlogs, as I talk about challenges, struggles, and day to day things, that I feel like others can relate too. After brainstorming, I try to merge this into a timeline of when best to write about the specific things. If it is time-specific like ‘Farewell Liverpool’ blog, I will write about this as soon as possible as then the feelings are still raw. Otherwise, I try to ensure they flow between one blog to the next. Following on from creating a timeline, I then plan out each blog individually. I usually do this a week in advance, so that I can tweak and add things along the way. My blog post is then written on Monday, edited and formatted on Tuesday to then finally go live on Wednesday.

Moving on to my Emerge blog, this process is very similar. Again, I brainstormed ideas when they first offered me the gig. This process allowed me to come up with the idea of writing in a series. The first series consisted of four blogs based around the work I did when I was part of a theatre company in Liverpool. Following on from that, I have focused on the more lifestyle struggles that a job within the arts brings. Sometimes I find that my personal blogs tie in with my Emerge blogs, and so with a bit of editing to make them more art centred, I will send them on to Emerge Picturehouse for their website. The general process and timeframe for these blogs are very similar to the process listed above. In general, I will write my blog on Saturday, edit and format it no Sunday and then publish and send it to Emerge on Monday. And so there you have from Saturday up until Wednesday I am working on either one or two blogs let alone the work I put into my vlogs and videos.

Let’s delve into the work that I put in for my vlogs and videos for my Youtube Channel. I currently do a lot of research in the evenings for my videos. The research I do includes, looking into the analytics of youtube, finding styles of other creators that I like and in general, working and figuring out my own unique niche. I spend most of my free-time watching videos from different creators and analysing what it is I like or dislike about their videos. Then when it comes to my content, similarly at the beginning, I brainstormed a lot of different video concepts and then started creating. Since then, I have scheduled more of a timeline to follow, to ensure a bit more consistency between the videos. When creating videos, it comes down to trying new things and seeing what works and what doesn’t. Because of that, I have joined Facebook groups to put my videos out there, receive feedback and then work on any constructive criticism. Every day I am doing something that I believe will help my videos improve. Then, when it comes to creating my videos, similarly to my blogs, I plan them out, what my intro is going to include where I think I’ll film bits. This plan is usually done a week in advance, and then come Tuesday evening, I have started to put bits together if I already have things filmed. Wednesday, I carry on with putting bits together and editing, Thursday I spend the day filming any extras, putting together the final edits, making a thumbnail and getting the video scheduled on youtube and then Friday it goes live!

As you can see, finding a balance between work, exercise, hobbies and social life can sometimes be a challenge. There is a lot of work that goes into having a blog and a youtube channel, not just the end product. Unfortunately, sometimes things need to be sacrificed to ensure you get the things that are important to you complete. For me, consistency is key, and I will do everything in my power to ensure my videos and blogs are up on time. I am still at the very beginning of this process, over-time things may change, but for now, I am looking at the bigger picture and envisioning where this online presence may take me.

Have courage and be kind!