Leave Something to be Desired

Hey honeys and hustlers,

The desire to keep listening is the desire to keep trying to understand. Resonate Podcast Festival has once again left me with the desire to keep telling the world what a podcast can be. What a film can be. What a newsletter can be. What creativity can be. This year was my second time attending Resonate Podcast Festival and it was a great way to end my conference and festival run of the year. Last year, I didn’t really know anyone, but I learned so much. One session even helped me land my first brand partner for this newsletter. So I returned with the anticipation of learning more and feeling inspired creatively – and I got so much more than that. I was surprised to see so many people I knew this time around! (More on them later.) There was more diversity in the audience and I felt right at home. The podcast and creative industry have had a rough year or two, but in the words of :

Here are questions I’m sitting with, things I learned, a community spotlight of all my podcast friends, and a gear recommendation.

Questions on podcasting and creativity

• Can you make it feel relevant without making it feel like homework?

• What atmosphere do I want the audience to live in while they watch, read, or listen to your work?

• How do you put the elements of a story together? (Hint: Accidentally.)

• Should you let ads dictate editorial content?

• Is satisfaction the end of hunger or a love story?

• What do you do when you hit rock bottom? (Hint: Improv.)

• Do you ever walk up to a photo and think, “Where’s the audio?”

• How is it tape if it's not sticky?

Statements I’m sitting with

• Rejection is necessary for growth, and better creativity.

• Grants are an opportunity to be clear about what you're up to and align them with your current creative projects.

• Creativity should feel like capturing the moment of discovery over and over again.

• Ira Glass on the gap between taste and skill. (highly recommend watching this video)

• Audiences like to be surprised not tricked.

• Fiction is the lie that tells the truth.

🚀 Community Spotlight

• Saleem Reshamwala, also known as KidEthnic

• Lynn Casper and Keisha Salmon of AIR Media

• Corey Gumbs of and

• Dane Cardiel of GoodTape

• Michael Bickett and Marz Marcello of Certified Crucial (podcast merch!)

• of

• of

• of and Tink Media

• of Earbuds Podcast Collective

• Lisa Woolfork of Stitch Please and Black Women Stitch

• of the Qube App

• of

• Marc Maximov, an audio creator based in Durham, NC

• Davy Gardner of Tribeca Audio

• Ronald Young Jr. of Weight For It

Gear Recommendation

If you’re looking to elevate your desktop or laptop audio recording setup, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 might be a great fit. I got the opportunity to test it out and really enjoyed using it. This is not an affiliate link, just a genuine recommendation for anyone who might want to record themselves or have a 2 person recording setup for their computer. I remember being very intimidated by podcast gear early on, and this seems very beginner-friendly.

You don’t have to take my word for how awesome this event was, you can read more from of :

Many words later and I’m off to contemplate what my 2025 slate of creative conferences and festivals will look like. I hear Third Coast is a good time? I would love to see you guys in real life so let me know what creative events you’re planning to attend next year!

Please Hustle Responsibly,

🤙🏾✨

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