200th Episode of PaperTalk Podcast
We're kicking off Season 9 of Paper Talk Podcast and it also happens to be episode 200 and this is eight years in the making with Quynh from Pink and Posey and Jessie from Crafted to Bloom starting this podcast back in 2018. I only joined a little over two years ago after being a guest on the show a couple times. I believed in what they were building, a community for artists. A place for deeper conversations as artists, and now that I am a cohost, I learn more from this podcast than almost anything else I do. I love sitting down with guests and hearing their journeys, the lessons they've learned along the way. On our 200th episode I said “I hope our podcast would bring that coworker feeling in the background, talking through the logistics of business, sometimes a little venting, sometimes a little celebrating.”
Finding My People
I had creative industry friends but none who made paper flowers full-time. No one who understood this specific job the way Quynh and Jessie do and our paper flower community we are building. We're in three different cities from Seattle, Ontario Canada, and me in Riverside California but we get to meet up online, cheer each other on, ask for advice, run random ideas with each other. It's special when you find your people. The ones who get you, support you, and celebrate with you. And that is what I hope this podcast brings you. We hope you feel like real friends with us, even from cities or countries away.
That connection is also what led us to start the Paper Talk Mastermind, where we mentor artists building their own businesses. Really because artists need artists. Our first in person retreat was one of the most memorable weekends I can remember, flying in from different states just to talk art and now we do life together. It’s kind of magical when I think about it.
What this podcast means to me
Sometimes I wonder if anyone's even listening. I'm the worry type of the three of us and I'm a numbers person, so low views or low listens make me question everything. We've been re-evaluating this podcast lately and figure out where we want to take it long term. Even though I track numbers closely, I'm also someone who only really sees about a month ahead. I don't know if that combination is a good one. But even on the low-number days, I'm proud of the mastermind we've built and the conversations we've recorded, whether or not anyone's tuning in. I still listen to every episode and love them.
Funny enough about two years ago, I was at the Silhouette Summit in Hawaii and the very first person I met said, "I love listening to Paper Talk." Even if it's just her and me listening, I am so proud.
Because this podcast is where we get to be real. Instagram gives me 30 seconds, you bet it’s fully curated and strategic, built to market something. That's just the reality of social media. That's why I started blogging here and it's why I love this podcast and this mastermind. They give us more than 30 seconds. Whether someone listens through the whole episode or not, this is the most real version of us.
You know that feeling when you hear your own voice recorded and cringe? I feel that every time I listen to our podcast still but you know on Instagram, I totally fake my voice a little, skip the umms and give you fake giggles, it’s an act because I only have 30 seconds. On a podcast, it’s very much me. So if you want the real versions of us, running a business, doing art, needing a coworker or a friend who gets it, that's what you'll find here. Maybe that’s why I’m so proud of it even with low numbers and no long term goals. It’s not fake and strategic to market. It’s just the real us.
Come celebrate our 200th episode with us. We are having a special giveaway, linked HERE.
Be Part of Season 9
We are also on Youtube, please subscribe and like, I’ve attached the video above or linked here. To keep things real, we want you in it with us too. We decided to start a Q&A form to pull real questions straight from our community for a brand new rapid fire Q&A segment running all season so submit your own art or business question at papertalkpodcast.com
