044: Tiffany & Yu
Tiffany & Yu | Season Two Finale Mini-Episode & Reflections on Shiny Objects
In this final episode of Season Two, Tiffany shares brief reflections on season two, life as a creator, and thinking ahead to season three.
I discussed:
Creating a YouTube channel
Participating in a podcast production camp
Shiny objects
Participating in a storytelling workshop
Show notes:
Tiffany’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/tiffanyayu
Ossa Production Camp: https://ossacollective.com/meet-the-la-ossa-production-camp-group/
The Moth Storytelling Workshop: https://www.illgofirst.com/workshops
The Moth storymapping process: https://youtu.be/ngjGwh4EfWY
Transcript
I haven't even showered yet. And I just got really excited. So I felt like I needed to come back on here. So last week I launched my YouTube channel, or I guess I've always had this YouTube channel. I just decided I was going to post more frequently. And over the past week, a lot of things have happened. But the overarching theme is I'm starting to notice a pattern of what I call shiny object syndrome. Shiny object syndrome to me is I get really excited about doing something. And then as I start to realize how much work is involved, or I don't even know if it's that, or if it doesn't nourish my soul, which a lot of things about life, like maybe doing laundry or washing the dishes or making sure you stayed on top of opening the mail or even checking your mailbox. Sometimes we're going to have to do things we don't want to do. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to participate in a podcast production camp through this really great company called Ossa Collective, which is about creating community and supporting women and non-binary podcasters. Two years ago to this month actually, I started my podcast, Tiffany & Yu. And I had decided that I was going to make a podcast about things that matter. And that's pretty broad, but I wanted to touch on social issues. I wanted to talk about current events. I wanted to talk about intersectionality and advocacy and allyship, and that's what I did. And now we've got 43 episodes. I have one more episode left of season two. And there's a part of me that has been thinking that there likely won't be a season three. And after participating in that podcast production camp, the same time I was getting invited to really hone my podcasting skills, I was deciding I was going to wind that down and start this. So it really got me reflecting. I had a great conversation. My friend Jared was in town this week and we grabbed dinner last night. And he has been like a number one fan, listens to my podcast episodes. We've been friends for at least seven years. Seven years ago, we were both not only at a brunch together called a Brilliance Brunch, but then we were both getting ready to give these five minute Ignite talks. And my Ignite talk was about the launch of Diversability. That launch event was actually going to happen the day after our Ignite talks. So anyway, I digress, but he was asking me about if I was going to continue the podcast because he really enjoyed the conversations and I had just come from a podcast bootcamp. And what it made me realize is not only do I have shiny object syndrome, which is a get really excited about something. I put a lot of energy into it. Then almost like sprinting a marathon, I run out of steam and it ends up falling by the wayside. But it really got me thinking about how it's possible to outsource the things that we don't like doing or that aren't our strong suits. And one of the incredible things that I've been able to do at Diversability is we have an amazing team of nine people, including myself. Whitney, who is our Director of Operations, really manages the logistics of our monthly events and the rest of the team of seven people. I just started to reflect on if we can build such a robust team at Diversability, why is it that Tiffany can't have that level of support on the different creative projects that she is pursuing. I just thought I would share this on here in this spur of inspiration. Because it was so cool to get everyone on my podcast team to lean into their respective zone of genius on the team. So there were five of us on the team. Here are the different roles. And I actually think this breaks out how we think about podcasts as well. You have five different types of roles. You have producer, writer, host, editor, and marketing. And over the past two years of doing this podcast, I call it a labor of love because I've been doing everything. And a little while ago, I tried to hire a VA, a virtual assistant to see if they could help me with the podcast editing side. And I had some applicants, but then that ended up falling by the wayside because life happens. And so I think that's actually what I might end up committing myself to is I don't know how sustainable it is right now to have both a podcast and a YouTube channel. But I'm just going to commit. And I'm just using this as a space for me to really just reflect on if me not wanting to work on my podcast anymore is because I actually don't want to do it. But anyway, I just want it to come on here because what's coming up for me is something that I guess I want to keep an eye on is being a little bit more thoughtful about pursuing the current shiny object. And oftentimes, even if I look at how my different creator platforms have grown, it's because I've been on those platforms for years, for a really long time. And I have to remind myself that nothing happens overnight. There is a lot of room for improvement with my podcast, but the conversations speak for themselves. I've been so grateful for all of the guests who have come on. And I also know that my podcast both sits on this YouTube channel and you can listen to it wherever you listen to podcasts. So if I continue doing the podcast more regularly, it would actually mean I would have more content here on YouTube, which would help support my goal to be a more consistent YouTuber. But I just wanted to come on and do this little blog thing. Right now, I am in a Moth storytelling workshop, which is really cool. And I'm getting ready to prepare my five to six minute story that I'm going to be sharing tomorrow in our small group. I did have this pattern before the pandemic where, I would consider the shiny objects, the trip or the fellowship. And it got to a certain point where it's like, how many things am I going to apply to when I know that we're making an impact in the work that we're doing and every single time I go to one of these conferences or I speak at this other place, it's taking away my time and energy from really investing in this community. All of that to say, I've been trying to be a little bit more thoughtful about which of these programs I end up pursuing. And I decided to do the podcast bootcamp because my entire podcast is very DIY. I'm self-taught and wanted to learn from the best. And we had an editor on our team who was just incredible. And I really liked our whole team and what we ended up putting together. And I hope that I can end up sharing some part of it. And I'm doing the storytelling workshop because I have shared the same story of the car accident, over and over and over again. But so much has happened in my life in the last 25 years and I want to learn how we can tell better stories in all different aspects of our lives. The Moth actually has this really great story framework of how you tell stories that is really powerful that I'm following. And I can't wait to share a little bit more of how that experience goes telling a story that I haven't shared before. So thank you so much for being here. But if you like hearing about what's going on in my life, getting some behind the scenes, feel free to show some love in the comments and subscribe to this channel. And I really appreciate you taking the time to watch this.