Everything goes right until it doesn't. The other day I filmed a few slightly-better-than-mediocre videos to be posted on my new YouTube channel (Julie Jeanne Art). I came up with a script, set up my lighting and even wore a shirt that had no paint on it. I even put on lipstick. Lights! Camera! Action!
After the three short clips were recorded I uploaded them on Canva as I do with all of my videos. I added a title page (yes, that's what I still call it even though it's probably something else) and an end page. It looked pretty good overall. I told my online community to keep an eye out for it — building hype and excitement — only to have the video stop uploading onto YouTube. More than a dozen times. I wish I was exaggerating but I'm not.
That's fine. I'll re-upload it. Start from scratch. Give it a nice description and tags. Again, it would not work. The clips weren't too long. The resolution was the same as all the other videos I had posted. Even my young tech-savvy son was perplexed. One thing was certain: I was increasingly frustrated.
I kept thinking about all the paintings I could have started, completed, photographed, and uploaded in the time I was spending with this upload. All the new merchandise I could have designed. The new pieces for the mail club I could have worked on. Hours wasted — all for a video that might get 12 views.
Maybe this video wasn't that great after all? Maybe I was meant to post something more captivating? Entertaining? Funny? Maybe all of this aggravation was for a reason. Was it to learn technology? Was it to teach me patience? Whatever the reason, this wasn't a good time to have to deal with it. I felt like I was disappointing those I had shared news of my "new" video with.
More than anything, it affected my mojo. I was on a roll posting at least one video a week for the last few weeks. I was getting the hang — albeit slowly — of the editing features. I was getting more comfortable staring at a camera. I got into the habit of just posting without watching it back, because then I would second-guess myself and decide it wasn't good enough. But then I remembered.
Progress isn't perfection. Perfection doesn't exist. It's about momentum. It's about showing up for yourself and others. It's about posting on the days you have a big juicy zit on your nose. It's about recording even when you're tired and don't feel like it. Why? Because progress isn't made overnight. A child doesn't learn how to walk the first time.
I reminded myself that showing up isn't just for the 12 people who might view it. It's about showing up for myself. If technology isn't cooperating, maybe it's time to try or learn something different. It doesn't mean I should quit. And neither should you.
Life is a process of learning through trials and tribulations. Sometimes we learn quickly, sometimes it takes longer. I think about how, if I had given up years ago after a few "failed" paintings, I wouldn't be where I am today — sharing my art with people around the world, offering them an alternative to mass-produced wall art. How now they can appreciate a Julie Jeanne Original or print! Yay!
So the video will get posted. Maybe not today, maybe not in the format I originally envisioned — but it will happen. Because every artist, creator, and entrepreneur knows that the path forward is rarely a straight line. It's painted in layers: some bold, some subtle, some that need to be painted over entirely. What matters is that you keep picking up the brush. Keep showing up. Keep creating. The world needs what you can offer - and only YOU can make it!
-Julie
"I often beg for treat and even though I am told no I keep trying. After some time I get what I want. I don't give up - and neither should you." - Moka
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