Ep 9

[00:00:00] Life is much more than just what you see on social media. Life is much more than just what is being portrayed. And in the end, uh, do things that you're passionate about, do things that you love and, and portray a life that is, uh, that is worth living and live a life that is worth living. Welcome to the clueless creative.

[00:00:18] I'm your host, Mike Kvick. And I believe you deserve to thrive in your creative journey and that you don't have to settle and be another Clueless Creative doing this all alone. And that's what the clues creatives is all about. It's a community banding together eager to learn, to listen and to live out their creative dream.

[00:00:36] We'll pull back the curtain on my personal creative journey, which at business mindset, motivation have some laughs and together, well, we'll figure this whole thing out. I'm so glad you're listening. Let's get started.

[00:00:52] Welcome everybody to another episode of the clueless creatives podcast. This time we are coming out of. Uh, this is loud tuner [00:01:00] studio blowout, blowout, tuna studio, Austria, Vienna, Austria. So some, some exciting things about the podcast that's going to be shifting in the next little while, the way that I'm going to kind of be doing things I love.

[00:01:11] And I appreciate, you know, solo episodes. And I love being able to share like my thoughts and all that stuff, but I also realize that people do enjoy conversations and jokes and do enjoy hearing other people's perspectives. And so for the munch munch month of March, uh, for the month of March, I am going to try to focus primarily on, um, oh, sorry.

[00:01:34] Month of February month of February. Yeah. We're in February, February or March. I'm going to be trying to focus a little bit more on having interviews with people and just talking with people and, um, and having slightly longer form content, um, where we talk about a specific topic, but we also talk about that individual, their creative journey, their creative hustle, their creative, you know, whatever it is that they're doing.

[00:01:54] Um, and how they can help inspire you, the listener and other people listening. Um, [00:02:00] yeah. It's, it's gonna be interesting. It's gonna be a lot of fun and, and, and I hope you guys like it. Let me know, let me know what you guys like and let me know, uh, what you guys want to hear. Uh, this is a very special one.

[00:02:09] It's it's our next guest and it's none other than Josh Antonio. Uh, Josh is cinematographer, videographer, musician, editor, creative. Uh, how did you describe it before, until I got a creative concept or? Yeah, exactly, exactly. Um, like the same thing. Yeah, pretty much. That's. That's how it goes. Cheers, man.

[00:02:32] Welcome to the podcast things for the Glenfiddich. Yeah. This, this podcast episode is brought to you by Glenfiddich single malt, scotch whiskey. I wish, I wish I wish I was at the point where I could actually have like sponsors for the stuff to get there, man. You're going to get that Squarespace money.

[00:02:47] The better health money. Oh yeah, absolutely.

[00:02:54] No, so really smooth. It is good. Isn't it it's really good. I usually, I usually drink it with just a [00:03:00] little bit of a, like a nice big ice cube or something like that. And then by the end, it's a little bit too watered down, but at the beginning, it's just a nice and chill and like, just, just right. But as far as whiskey is concerned, it's good.

[00:03:11] Very good. Yeah. I'm not like a big whiskey guy, but I told you on the text, like, um, whiskey makes me feel smart. Yeah. I asked Josh I'm like, okay. Cause I went over to a, I went over to a place it's called, uh, lets us make, it's like a, it's a small brewery here in Vienna. And um, and so I picked up some, some heart Bhutan I bought, I picked up some beers and some special stuff for the guests.

[00:03:33] Cause I like, I like to treat my guests. I like to make sure that they know that they're special to me in that I appreciate what it is that they're doing for me. And. And so I texted him, uh, last night when I was preparing, I was like, oh, so w what would you prefer? Like harken, Boucher. Beer is like, or whiskey or whiskey.

[00:03:51] And he's like, man, whiskey whiskey makes me smart. And then beer just makes me think, or just speak out everything that I'm thinking about it. And it's probably better that we don't, we didn't go for beer [00:04:00] and it's going to air out all my demons. Yeah. That, and like the, the, the burping that happens when you, when you drink something carbonated, it's, it's, it's not good.

[00:04:09] What talking? Yeah. I did a couple episodes, um, with, with a different mic. And, uh, I had like, on my desk, I had like my bubbly water just sitting there and the entire time in the background, you'd just hear this of the bubbles. And I'm like, okay, that, that irritates me at least. Um, and you know, I only have to listen to myself a couple of times, but anyways, um, yeah, Josh, tell us all about yourself.

[00:04:32] Tell us, uh, tell us how you became, who you are now. What, what you've been up to and. Yeah. Yeah. First of all, thanks for having me, like, I listened to like a couple of episodes already, and I really enjoyed the one with the one you did with Danielle. Yeah. That was like some really airing out stuff. Oh, this is like a really honest podcast then.

[00:04:54] Absolutely. We're, we're, we're a all out full honesty now. And it's [00:05:00] like, I think, um, I feel like it's almost like therapy, like, is it, is it like that? Do you feel like that sometimes? Yeah. Yeah. For personal therapy for myself, my podcast, instead of sort of paying a therapist, I just have a podcast. I mean, like, I mean, we don't, we don't want to lose the better help sponsorship at some point, but like, you know, it's, it's an alternative.

[00:05:20] Yeah. So yeah, about me, like, I've been doing video for a thing, like, uh, professionally for like five to yeah. Four to five years now. Uh, I used to be a. Um, you know, no, not really went into that very deep Mo mostly the weddings and stuff like that. The classic group, the class group. Yeah. I mean, that's where the money is and yeah, for some reason to realize, okay, I want to do more of a narrow, not narrative, but more video stuff.

[00:05:52] So I went to drop out of school. Like I went to photography school in, uh, I went to graft Fisher. [00:06:00] That's like, I think that's one of the, I think that is the oldest photography school in the world. And you just chose to drop out of it and pursue something else. Yeah. I wasn't feeling it that much. I was so bad at school, man.

[00:06:12] Damn. Uh, ha had like fours, like, like for anybody that doesn't know what that means. That's the equivalent of what these, I think these, yeah. I mean, you still went through what it was for. So I was like almost an F. Yeah. Yeah. But, uh, I realized, uh, I wanted to do something more with, uh, videography. So I went to SAE SAE Institute as like, um, you know, like a private university.

[00:06:41] Basically basically like you're paying for your bachelor's degree. Yeah. So it's a crazy thing, like who would go and do and pay for pay, like out of pocket for a bachelor's degree? Like

[00:06:55] I'm speaking from experience. Yeah. I was $40,000 in debt after after [00:07:00] 40 K man. I thought we had a bad here. Like we were out in the end. It was like 12 K all honey 12 K yeah. Crimea river. Yeah, I did. So I did a, I did a BA in, so it was a bachelor of arts and religious studies with a major in youth leadership.

[00:07:18] So like working with teenagers and young people in communities, in church settings and what, whatever it looked like, it just gave kinda gave me like a starting platform to be able to work in community type. And, uh, for anybody that knows anything about, you know, community worker, youth work, it's not a moneymaker, it's not where you actually like end up having a decent income.

[00:07:39] So to pay 40 K for, for, for an education where you might be guaranteed and you, where your starting salary might be like 25 K that's cool. Yes. It's a bossy move to go in that direction. Yeah. But how, like personally, for me, SAE, wasn't really about, [00:08:00] um, the education I got because mostly the educational goal was like, was, uh, stuff you can learn yourself or like, you know, rent out equipment and then figure out them.

[00:08:12] And a lot of it is also like OGT, like on the job stuff, like the most, um, most of my skills are learned like well-working on set or working with clients, but the biggest thing. This plus from the SAE was getting the connections, like yeah. Getting your food somewhere. Yeah. So yeah, I think that I'm not going to, I don't know if that, if that was where 12 K but yeah, the moment is good.

[00:08:42] Yeah. I guess it's, it's, it's always a struggle when it comes to like, you know, going, going to school for something specific and, you know, you can see so many different, like so many different YouTubers or people that are like online celebrities, whatever, whatever that looks like. Um, they are, a lot of people say is that go, you know, you don't have to go to school [00:09:00] to do those kinds of things.

[00:09:01] And I remember even talked about this a couple of weeks ago, too. Um, the reality of it though, is that it actually provides you with a lot, a lot of connections that you wouldn't get otherwise. And unless you're very lucky, you actually have to work very hard at getting those kinds of connections. Yeah, definitely.

[00:09:18] Did you find for yourself, like when you got out of, because it was like a film film. Education like program, right? Yeah, because it was, it, was it four years or how many years? It was only two years. Two years of like intense. Uh, they have, it's more like a, it's more they call us. Yeah. It was two years of, uh, different kinds of courses.

[00:09:39] So they go through the spectrum of, you know, um, onset camera, onset, lighting, editing, and the point of it is the point of it is like to know where you want to go. Okay. So, uh, for me, I found out, okay, I actually like all of these things, so I kind of to kind of want to find something where I can do all these things.[00:10:00] 

[00:10:00] So would you say that because of your, your time in that school and the connections that you did have, like you just talked about, would you say that that has actually helped you when it comes to like launching into your, your creative journey and your, your creative, passionate? Yeah. Th the thing is like right after SAE, I didn't, I didn't, I wasn't doing a lot of, um, onset stuff.

[00:10:20] I was doing mostly. Uh, concentration, uh, the, uh, contemplation for this one company for a year for an NGO, but like, I think like two years or three years after that, I started connecting with the people from DSE, like, oh, okay. Oh, I have this like bigger project now. Now do you want to work on this? Or, you know, kinda like, um, God, I, for some reason I got in someone's, um, contact list and then, you know, you just snowballed from there.

[00:10:49] Okay. Yeah. That's, that's the thing that I find the most difficult is actually just getting those connections. Cause I mean, like, this is what I've been struggling with over the past, [00:11:00] like month and a half or so of launching into this, like full-time freelance. Like I have a number of clients, but I was never actually able to spend any time like networking or like getting connections and stuff like that.

[00:11:11] And so I've just spent the past month. Writing emails, like cold emails to random like creative agencies so that they at least know that I exist. That's true. And it's difficult because there's no, there's no other connections. There's no. So it's like they have to trust you based off of your worker, the way that you communicate things.

[00:11:30] And so like when it comes to having connections preexisting, or like at least, you know, if, if somebody that you went to school with is the one that is leading the project or something like that, or is that, you know, is the, is, is the director for it or whatever else it looks like, then they can, they can kind of essentially vouch for you.

[00:11:48] But if you don't have any sort of connections, it's like a, it's a, it's a tough uphill battle of just trying to get into the commercial sphere of things. Yeah, that's true. Like for me, like, like the first few years [00:12:00] of like building the freelance thing, it was mostly, uh, um, contacting people, hitting delete.

[00:12:07] Um, you know, if you have a budget, you know, uh, if not know, figure something out. Like I have so many projects where Indiana for the day I was getting like a hundred euros or working, you know, two days straight. Yeah. And there was a lot of that because like, you, you get, you get a budget for the company, but you want to do something, you know, where you can show off with, um, uh, you'll you'll end up like, okay, I'll rent this like camera or lenses and all my budget goes into that.

[00:12:35] So a lot of it was like investing in the beginning. Yeah. Investing, you know, uh, since we were going to a set, since we have, you know, I'm going to have all these people, I'll go all out, like use my money, I'll earn to like, get more people or get more women. So there was a lot of like working for free for awhile.

[00:12:54] Yeah. It's a lot of give and take, especially when you're trying to like, develop your portfolio and establish [00:13:00] yourself in that spirit. It's like, you have to be willing to, you know, to do what's best for yourself. I remember we were talking about this too, before, and you had said when, when somebody approaches, you say for like a music video or for something, and they say that, oh, like I don't have a budget to be able to cover like the cost for hiring you and all that kind of stuff.

[00:13:21] Um, then you, you said more or less, like you approach them then with saying, okay, like if you don't have a budget, um, we can still make something happen. If it is something that you're interested in, but then you essentially come across with, uh, okay. Then, then we got to do this in a way that benefits me from a, from a visual standpoint.

[00:13:38] So it's like you get to create something that you are happy to be known for. Yeah. Uh, um, usually when someone comes to me and they asked me, Hey, I want to do a video. I don't have a budget. Um, my number, the number, anything I asked for is, uh, can I make the cost of myself and, you know, can I have creative freedom because it's going to be.[00:14:00] 

[00:14:00] It's going to be more like a collaboration instead of like you hiring me. Yeah. So, um, it's a compromise in a different kind of sense. Have you ever had anybody that would be like, oh yeah, like, sure. Like we can totally do that. And then when it comes down to like, when you're actually like making the concept or like you're, you're, you're finishing it, you're producing it or you're already in post-production and they come back and they're like, oh, I don't know if I really liked that.

[00:14:23] Can we do it this way instead? Like have you ever had that happen? I've had that happened for like buddy was, it was not that bad, honestly. Cause like, for me, um, the most important thing for the music videos or for the music videos are the music is the music. Yeah. And I mean, the person who knows the music the most will be the artist.

[00:14:42] And if the, if the video doesn't vibe with it, then I'll be happy to like, to, you know, kind of swallow my ego and yeah. But, um, like I'm, I'm kind of happy that it never really happens that much. Usually they are. Uh, [00:15:00] what I got to give them and yeah. Yeah. So I guess that's a, that's a nice little segue into, uh, your music and your, your creative outlet of music on the meet.

[00:15:10] As I said, in the introduction that Josh is an opera singer, but he's not, he's just a, well, have you heard me do all prayer before? And actually haven't like, I was, I was just speaking out of, out of ignorance, I guess. Like, no, I would love to be able to offer, but now I'm saying, what do you do? What do you want to know about it?

[00:15:28] Like, so like what, what, what do you do with music? Oh, uh, um, right at the moment, I'm like actually concentrating more on a video or music production. Yeah. So the last, the past, you know, the past few months I've been delving deep in just, um, I'm actually at the moment I'm having the video thing on hold for a bit.

[00:15:48] I only have money jobs, like, you know, jobs where, okay, I'll go to the location, they have the equipment there, then go home. Okay. Those kinds of jobs and mostly concentrating on. You [00:16:00] know, music theory and stuff like that. So I do productions. I've been producing for almost two years now. I think it started off with palsy on, um, started with the song criminals.

[00:16:14] It's a great time. Thanks a lot, man. I remember we wrote that song in his apartment with like Bluetooth speakers and like a simple mic. And it was like, that's the moment where I realized, okay, this is like, this is something else. There's something real about it. Like capturing the moment. Yeah. And then recording and yeah, since then I've been so hooked with.

[00:16:36] Yeah. And I've been, I'm looking into working with more artists now, like, uh, I'm in talks with some of the, you know, some of, some of those artists and just jamming around, you know, figuring out how I want to produce. And yeah. So do you find that, like, do, what do you actually, like when it comes to music, what do you prefer?

[00:16:58] Do you prefer the production side [00:17:00] of things? So like being like the producer, the guy that, that is helping it come together and like kind of fine tuning it, or do you prefer being the person that's actually like helping make the music and performing the yeah. Though way I make music is, or the way I produce is, uh, usually we just jam out and, you know, have a long recording afterwards and they say, oh, this is part it's really cool.

[00:17:24] You know, just playing around with the drums or the artists could be playing with the guitar or the keyboard. And it's just finding, you know, what we like playing what, how we feel like, or, you know, it's like very momentary stick. Like it's actually exactly how I feel my music. So it's like very organic, very organic the way I feel my music videos is, uh, I usually I look for location and okay.

[00:17:49] I find, okay, we can do an action here or there. This is a dislocation is something that artists can react to. So you put them in this [00:18:00] kind of space. Like my biggest thing is like putting them on the head space of, okay, you're in this location now, how would you react to it? Same thing with music. Okay.

[00:18:09] We're in this moment, what will you play? Or, uh, you know, what kind of chords are you playing or whatever you did this day? Like maybe you're sad. You're happy. Like, you know, just play off that. Yeah. So it's more like a momentary, like capturing the moment kind of thing. Cool. So, so like in photography, you've got lifestyle photography, so it's like, you know, very, like usually it's a more organic style than, and it's kind of like you give prompts or you give, you give cues.

[00:18:35] So you would say that you are. Lifestyle musician, maybe that's the, maybe that's my label. Now. There you go. Lifestyle musician, creating a niche just for Josh lifestyle music. I think I'll actually steal that, but I'll give you credit. Yeah. It's uh, I expected, so we were just talking about this before and I was trying to figure out, okay.

[00:18:54] Like at the end of the episode, what can we kind of like point people to, to like, get connected with Josh and stuff like that. I'm like, Josh, [00:19:00] have you finished your website yet? So now, now like the big, bold font on the, on the header or something like that would be like lifestyle musician. And there you go.

[00:19:11] And it can be like, it can, it can fade between it's like lifestyle musician, a content creator. It can be all these different things. Can I, can I actually hire you to the PR? Yes. Yeah, no, definitely. Man, like, yeah, like you said, like the website thing is I've been planning it for two years. Oh man. That's like, it's, it's always thinking about it.

[00:19:36] Like 3:00 AM. Yeah. Can sleep like filling pops out in your head. Oh yeah. Have you ever gotten up in the middle of the night then to like, try to work on it? No. Okay. So it's not that, that much of a distraction, it's just just enough to annoy you to not sleep right away. Exactly. Yeah. I find with stuff like that, like, I mean, I've, I've redone my website like a million [00:20:00] times and every time that I, I just kind of come back to it, I'm like, okay, like, you know, done is better than perfect.

[00:20:06] I'm always going to find some flaw with that. I'm just, yeah. You eventually have to kind of come to grips with the fact that, okay, it's not going to be perfect. You have to update it once in a while, but it's better to at least have something that you can show people that were showcased, even if it's just a picture of yourself and being like unloved available for hire, hire me, boot me.

[00:20:26] And like, and this kind of goes back to that. I think this also helps like separate people that are on this creative journey for the purpose of, of, uh, of just passion or of business. And like, I never understand this, but you can go on like Instagram, you can go into like, photographers, like my IgE pages and stuff like that.

[00:20:45] And they'll have their, their website or they'll have like their email address, but it's just like a Google address. And I always find it. So like[00:21:00] 

[00:21:00] I find it strange. Oh, it's surreal. Yeah. I find it strange that they just have a Google account because I mean, for, um, it's a couple of bucks a month or something like that, you can have your own domain name. And to me, if you're trying to convince a business to hire you for, for work. Don't you think that it would be better to be like, you know, have a website?

[00:21:23] Definitely like having a web presence and stuff like that is like very important. Yeah. But I do like the moment I do have like a pool of the clients where they okay. They know my work and it's like constant. Yeah. But the thing, yeah. I'm definitely working on my web presence at the moment and yeah. It's just like, you know, me, I'm like professional overthinker.

[00:21:44] Like that's, that's like, actually that should be my, if I make business cards. Perfect. Oh, there you go. At some point I'm just going to be okay. You know, don't overthink it. Yeah. Just release it. It's like my thing now [00:22:00] this year is like, I've been like the past few years I've been, I've been super, super insecure about my work, like being, okay, this is enough.

[00:22:10] Is this like, is this current? Is this gonna touch something? The end of the day, it shouldn't be about, I'm just concentrating on the passion for doing the video stuff and the music stuff. And I dunno, it's, for some reason I got like this, like a switch since like January where don't over, think stuff, just do it.

[00:22:33] It's live in the moment. Yeah. Well, cause you find so much more joy and so much passion, so much more life than that. Yeah. The show is like, uh, I've been I've I've been stuck in this rut, like during 20 18, 20, 21. I was like, why, why am I even doing this? Like, is there a point to doing this? If no, one's going to notice it or stuff like that.

[00:22:53] But in the end of the day, I'm not even really doing this for anyone else, but me. Yeah. And yeah. [00:23:00] Yeah. I think there was this, I think this, this year there was like a huge like catharsis catharsis moment for me. Yeah. Yeah. No, it's, it's, it's a huge thing. And I think like every single creative, whenever it is that.

[00:23:14] W whatever it is that you're creating, whatever it is that you're doing. I always think that there's a point in time when a shift happens and where you start realizing that. And this is like, I've been trying to like, uh, I have like this, this, um, this mentee is like for like story coaching and stuff like that for their brand.

[00:23:33] And one of the things that I told her is that in the end, like, no matter what stage it is at your, at your quality of work, somebody will always want to hire you. Someone will always think that all what you create is fantastic. There will always be like, in your case, like there's another, like videographer that looks at your work and be like, wow, I want to create like him.

[00:23:53] And then there's always going to be people that are above what you're currently at and that's based off of experience or skill [00:24:00] or, you know, whatever that they were able to bring to that. And yeah, there's this like, there's little switch that happens then when you become actually content with just creating.

[00:24:12] The work and you find so much more passionate and when you let go of this perfectionistic, like mentality of like, okay, I have to, this has to look a certain way, or this has to like, oh, I messed up here. I messed up there. Like in the end, people are usually like quite happy with, with final product. Yeah.

[00:24:30] And in the end of the day, it's like, um, I think people hire you for what you are, you know, what you're releasing and stuff like that. And in, um, I think like being too perfectionist or comparing your work to others is like the bane of creativities. It's like, okay, I'm going to be like this. I'm going to copy this guy or not copy, but I'm going to get this guy is like, he's doing this kind of stuff.

[00:24:58] So I might do that because [00:25:00] it's current. But, you know, you're just going with the flow kind of thing. And I think, I think doing like just what you want to do is where you find your, you know, your style, where you find your. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. My wife always says comparison is the thief of joy, which is, oh, a hundred percent true.

[00:25:18] Yeah. And like, she always tells me, cause like, she'll, she'll catch me out. Look, I'll be like scrolling on Instagram or something like that. And I'll be like staring at a picture for too long or a video too long or something like that. And then she'll just kind of like chime in my ear. She's like comparison is that the puff giant and the kid can't get her to record that and send it to me.

[00:25:37] There you go. I'll have an alarm at least well done, but like, it's, it's so true because in the end, if you were always comparing your work to, to the other people or to like other people that are doing stuff, like you will never amount to the point where you become the person that is the trendsetter or is as being deemed as the person that's pushing the benchmark for whatever it is.

[00:25:59] [00:26:00] And once you get to a point where you're like, okay, like I'm, I'm, I'm happy with. Just making things that I'm passionate about, things that I'm proud of and, and trying to, just for yourself, raise the bar in whatever way that it is that you want to, whether that's production quality or image quality or whatever in the end, then you, you find so much more passionate in that.

[00:26:20] And when you like, yeah, you're playing this comparison game, not with yourself, but, or like not with other people, but with yourself. So like, compared to Josh of last year, what's the quality that I'm producing now and is it better? And if it's not then, okay, like, am I actually still passionate enough about this to continue to do this longterm?

[00:26:38] Or am I just content with being like, okay, like, I'm just going to take a break now or I'm just going to leave this or whatever else. Yeah. And definitely man, like sometimes I do like the, you know, the Monday morning football watching your footage. Yeah. You know that like sometimes I watch my own work and then, oh, this actually not bad, what I do there, or, you know, like you can see, [00:27:00] okay.

[00:27:00] I can do, I think you can cut that better. Or this is the part where I kind of struggled now. I'm doing pretty good at that. So, yeah. Um, I think like knowing your own work as well as for you yeah. Compare comparing yourself to your own work, I think is, is probably like the most beneficial thing that you can do.

[00:27:18] If, if you feel like you have to compare, like compare it to, to yourself and to what you have created in the past. And like, cause you, you know, like, I mean, like I can look back at projects. I'm like, okay, like for this project, I had more of a budget or for that project, I had no budget. And, and to know that for those different things, like the quality will change as well.

[00:27:37] And then also your passion behind it. And like you, you know exactly what's behind those things that you've created and like the. But if you compare it to some other, like creator, some other person that's making some content, you don't know what the background story is to that necessarily. And so you're comparing yourself to something that's maybe to your current state of like your [00:28:00] professional ability is in impossible or, you know, like maybe, maybe they had this extra help or whatever, whatever it is.

[00:28:06] Like, you know, in the end, it's still like this, this comparison to something that's actually not fully known. This is really interesting. Yeah. But yeah, all that being said, like, if you're listening to this and you're, you're a creative person and you're comparing yourself, just stop doing it. Like, I mean, like, um, I, I'm not saying like, looking for inspiration is bad.

[00:28:28] I think I do think that that, but that shouldn't be, you know, that should be something where you're Widing widening your spectrum. Yeah. Like watching other people should be okay. Ah, that's like the way they put a motion picture. Yeah. I want to have that, like, don't copy, don't copy someone aesthetic, like have your own aesthetic, like have your work, like have your life, you know, have people feel what you've been through in your aesthetic kind of thing.

[00:28:59] So, yeah, I think [00:29:00] it's, it's, it's, it's also important to look at other people's, you know, you know where you can go, but don't compare your, like, don't compare yourself because you're not, you're never in the same situation. Yeah. Yeah. I have this rule for myself that if I'm on like, say the same on like Instagram or something like that, and if I'm spending too much time scrolling through and like staring at these images or like over-analyzing them and stuff like that, like I have to force myself to like turn off the app and like to shut it down because, uh, I, I find it so easy to just get stuck in this, this comparison, but when, when you realize.

[00:29:35] All of those different things, all those different people that you follow online on social media and stuff like that, you, you, you can still have an appreciation for the work that they produce. Yeah. But if you get to a point where you're comparing your work to their work, that's when you start having an issue and that's where you need to start.

[00:29:52] Re-evaluating okay. How are you handling this? How are you kind of going about actually like managing your, your, your, I guess your [00:30:00] comparison to them. Yeah. But do you think that's your fault there or is that the I'll go to this full? It's always the algorithms that it's always showing me the stuff that's that I don't need to see now.

[00:30:14] But actually, this is like, this is a perfect segue. I thought about that. See, see my content brain's working. Exactly. I like one of the funny things between like me and Josh, I F I feel like we think very similarly when it comes to like the, the structure of things. Cause like, we're, we're, we're fairly, I feel like we're like very similarly minded.

[00:30:31] Like we're very structured, seem welcoming, but then also like at certain points, we're also very like, go with the flow. Yeah. And it's just like, it's, it's nice because it's like somebody that I can, like, I can feel like I can relate to. And somebody that like, you know, that's awesome, man. Like he seemed to same thing with me.

[00:30:47] Like you. I feel like we can just riff for like hours. There you go. That's awesome. Well, we'll try not to make this and turn this into a two and a half hour episode, but we'll try to, Jonathan [00:31:00] episode was crazy. Oh man. I looked, I looked at the analytics for it and like, I, like, I mean, with this podcast, I'm trying not to like look at the analytics.

[00:31:07] I'm just trying to do it as a way of like, it's a passion project through and through. And like, I want to try to help inspire other people. I want to try and encourage them. And I just want to like show them that. Okay. Like other people are in a similar boat. Yeah. But I looked at the analytics for those two episodes and the first episode went really, really well.

[00:31:23] It like it had this it's the second most listened to episode and it's like, it's not even that old. Um, but then I looked episode. And like, not as many people tuned in for that one. Okay. And I'm like, okay. I think like, if I'm doing episodes and if I do a two-parter, they need to be a lot shorter in the content, if I'm doing a two-parter.

[00:31:42] But even that, like it's, it was two and a half hours of us chatting back and forth about business and entrepreneurship. And I'm like, okay. As much as I love this, as much as I thrive in this, I think for the listener, that's listening to this, like on the Uber or like in the car, stuck in traffic or something like that.

[00:31:58] I feel like I need to, I need to condense it just a [00:32:00] little bit more. Yeah. I think it's more like, I think it's not really, like, it's more like a platform thing. Cause that kind of content who I think worked for Twitch, like long, longer form Quentin content and cause he would tweet, she had like the, you know, the audience interaction with the thing.

[00:32:15] So it can be as strong as possible. Like do Twitch streamers stream for like eight hours. That's true. And then it's all, it's all based off of like when people can tune into it. And I guess that's the benefit of like long form podcasts. Long-form content on stuff like Quitch it's yeah. You know, you're, you all, you'll have people coming and going, but they'll, they'll watch as soon as they can.

[00:32:38] Whereas with podcasts, it's like, as soon as you like lose them, they're like their, their attention somewhere else. Or they have to get to work or whatever else, and they will forget about it. But, uh, yeah. So all that being said, let's get to social media social, because this is something that we talked about the other day too.

[00:32:54] And it's like social media and the a creative's responsibility [00:33:00] when it comes to producing content and showing content on social media. And this is something that I find really interesting and because both of us don't have a huge social presence. Um, just the disclaimer, like we are going to talk about social media, but my own social media is like, I don't even like bother bro.

[00:33:21] It's embarrassing. I think the last, like the last post you had was like the blackout image for like black lives matter bathroom. Yeah. It was last, last year in this last year or so. And yeah, I mean, I feel, I feel for our fee, I feel for that cost. Um, but, uh, I might do like a hard reset on that. Like, uh, I've been doing, I've been doing some planning on, you know, like I've been lately, I've been only doing con uh, mostly doing, uh, content for companies and stuff like that.

[00:33:50] So I kind of know where like, just working with social media managers, like. No way you should pivot your, your brand, you know, because I'm going [00:34:00] to this year. And my thing was to okay. Work on your branding, big thing, just gonna, you know, don't over think it. Yeah. Kind of stuff. Yeah. And for, for me the biggest thing that like, I mean, I all, for all of 20, 21, I think I posted two.

[00:34:17] And it was because like, by the end of 2020, I was just so burnt out by it. Like, I tried so hard to like, grow like some sort of following and some sort of like, you know, and like post images every single day and like, you know, comment on other people's stuff and interact. And I mean now with like, and that's, that's permanently like on Instagram.

[00:34:33] Um, and now like with the algorithm and how everything is shifted, and like now it's more focused on video content and like, you know, the IgE of the old of just photos and curated photo walls and stuff like that. Like, it's really not the standards anymore. Yeah. And then like big trends, like so fast, so, so fast.

[00:34:50] That's why like momentary content, like stories and like tech talk is like, where is that usually? Yeah. But Snapchat was going to pop off, but they've kind of like, [00:35:00] since the Instagram stories, they were, it kind of rolled off. Yeah. Yeah. I think like, yeah, Snapchat is definitely something that speaks to a very specific audience.

[00:35:09] I mean, like, I know at least from what I saw, at least last year, they, they had a major. Whereas like Facebook, Facebook, and Instagram or Metta metaverse they, they, they had a major loss. And so their stocks dropped drastically since last week. Like some big 200 million or something like that mean that is painful.

[00:35:31] It was in the billions billions, billions, but like, it it's, I mean, it's at the end, like Facebook and Instagram has had their heyday. Like unless they, they continue to morph themselves into something new and something different and not always just copying what a new emerging content is doing. So like Snapchat or Tik TOK or anything.

[00:35:54] I think as long as they were able to do start doing that better, then they'll be along around for a lot longer. But [00:36:00] at the same time, like there's all these talks now of like places in Europe, banning Facebook and like Metta and stuff like that. Or like, you know, re-evaluating their, their, their presence.

[00:36:11] Yeah. The school thing with like Europe, like some, some cities in Europe, especially in Ghana, like the privacy, like the, the way on privacy is so heavy. Like they really appreciate privacy here. So I think it kind of rubbed into me. So I'm, I'm happy I'm here. Like that's why I've done like overshare and stuff like that.

[00:36:33] Yeah. Like, but yeah, it's the thing with like, like, um, the thing with like Facebook and, you know, this is like huge companies. We have so much money for R and D now. Yeah. They can just, I think they can. Keep the ball rolling forward a wheel all the time. Yeah. I was talking to a couple of friends about this a little while ago when it comes to [00:37:00] like meta and like, you know, the social media of the future.

[00:37:02] And I a hundred percent can see social media. So like the idea of like, okay, you go onto like Facebook, you like other people's comments or stuff like that. All kinds of stuff. It shifting to a point where you meet virtually in a VR type state where you interact with your friends. You like, so instead of just, okay, like maybe you can't go out, maybe there's another global pandemic in a couple of years and you can't, you can't go outside, you know, you're not supposed to or whatever.

[00:37:28] And then you're like, okay, you want to hang out with friends. But instead of going to like a Facebook page or an Instagram page, or like having a zoom call, you hop into like the metaverse, like I can a hundred percent see that being a very real thing. But at the same time, there's still. Like right now, there's still this responsibility that we have as, as creators when it comes to social media and helping.

[00:37:53] I know that sounds very weird, but like helping humanity and like protecting humanity from just this, this [00:38:00] addictive nature of, of social media and like feeling like they always have to like prepare themselves or comparing people to like comparing themselves to the highlight, reel all these different things.

[00:38:10] And I think it's a, I think it's a very interesting topic because for like, for myself, for example, for social media, what I've decided is that I'm, I'm not necessarily showing the content that, that it is that I'm producing on social media. So like the, the, the day-to-day or the, the project project type work, but what I'm trying to sell myself as online is a brand.

[00:38:34] And so what I'm trying to show myself as my personality and like who it is that I am, what it is that I value, what I stand for, all that. And all of that being said, like it's very heavily focused on people and joy and life and enjoyment. And I mean, that's why like, with everything with the podcast and with like that past two episodes, like the was the episode before the last one was all about thankfulness.

[00:38:57] The last one is about finding joy and [00:39:00] passion and purpose in life. Like all of it is just focused on this idea of, uh, of pursuing those things and having those things as, as the forefront. And I think as like, as creators, we, we need to be very, very thoughtful and tactful when it comes to what it is that we're portraying, like even our lives to be like true.

[00:39:23] Like, um, do you notice, uh, like you have, um, you pretty much have like a, like a wide spectrum of friends, right? Like friends from Vienna, friends from Canada. Yeah. Like, do you realize like the kind of content they post is like, so, so it's very. Yeah, like on the, on tone wise, like for example, for me like friends from the Philippines or from America, they, there were thing they'd post a lot less depressing compared to ours.

[00:39:54] You know, there's this thing in nausea where, um, they have this thing called, um, like to translate it [00:40:00] in, in English, it's called the luxury depression, luxury depression. That's a, that's a great way to describe Western culture. It's like, you know, it's, um, having this, uh, what do you call that? What's the word again for that, like a more, not a pessimist, but man, I need to, I need to know what sport, so do you know the book, the dust from the dust, from the, um, from the dust of this planet?

[00:40:26] Nope. It's all about this. I don't read books. I listen to books. I have, I have a very, very difficult time paying attention to, to just reading something. Yeah. And like I probably within about two or three minutes, like. I can hear my neck cracking as I'm reading the pages. And like, I have a very, very difficult time reading.

[00:40:46] And so for me, I, I listen a lot better than I do to just reading. So if I can do both at the same time, like it's optimal. Yeah. But yeah, only nihilist is the word now. So yeah. And yeah, [00:41:00] I think that's, uh, compared to like, you know, in American, all the Americans that know it's like, oh, the hustle, the hustle culture is real soccer and it's very real.

[00:41:10] The Philippines is all about, you know, not a lot of people, this, but Filipino Filipinos are really into flexing. Like we seem humble, but you know, we flex on, we flex on haters. Yeah. Yeah. So like, yeah, you see those like different kind of like waves of people, the way they pose. And then you kind of see where the culture is, you know?

[00:41:32] Yeah. And I think, uh, I mean we, Austrians are very realistic people. Like they, they look at what's logic. And for, you know, for Filipinos is more about living life kind of thing, you know, happy, you can find happiness everywhere. Yeah. Do you find it's easier to like follow content from people that like Filipinos, like you just described that are showing the, like the real life and enjoyment in life and stuff [00:42:00] like that?

[00:42:00] I w I like following everyone, like, I, I don't mind, like seeing the, you know, how people live their lives or, I mean, what you post on Instagram is nothing near what you, how you live your life, but it's, you know, how people want to see how people lived alone. It's really interesting to me. Yeah. I find with myself, like, like I said before, it's the, it's the, the, the goal of what I want out of my, out of my life.

[00:42:28] So it's like the. The, the joy and passion in life and not accepting just this mundane repetition of life and the weeks going by and stuff like that. And I even found myself like in, in January, like falling into this, like I'm not working for an employer anymore, but I still found myself getting stuck in this whole thing of, okay.

[00:42:48] Like I have to wake up, I, I will go get my coffee and go sit on the couch. I'll go get a shower and then I'll go to work. And then I'm working until, you know, five o'clock in the evening or something like that. [00:43:00] And then it's time to like cook and enjoy and hanging out with friends or, you know, do something or like, just watch, like right now we're watching the Olympics a lot.

[00:43:09] Oh. But in the end it's like, it's still this, this repetitive behavior of life. And. I was like, okay, I don't want to fall into that. Rut, even, even as a freelancer, even as somebody that gets to like, determine their own schedule and health kind of things go, like, I want to be able to enjoy life properly and without, without restraints, that's true.

[00:43:31] You like, for me, I personally, I don't mind having routines, but my routines are usually very loose. Like, okay. I have like a routine plan for the whole week and it depends on where my mood is. Okay. I'll do, okay. Monday, I'll do this. I have a shoot on Thursday and I'll edit that shoot whenever, like it's always very loose.

[00:43:56] Like having, like, I, I personally have to have [00:44:00] a routine. This is my mind is it's a it's chaos. It's like, it's like amaze. Yeah. I I'm, I'm very similar when it comes to that kind of stuff. Like I need to, I need to at least have some sort of structure to what it is that I'm trying to work towards. Um, and as you, it's very, very loose.

[00:44:16] That way, like, I keep myself accountable to actually doing stuff rather than just, you know, like, I mean, I could sit on the couch and play video games all day long. Um, if I really wanted to, but like, I actually have like a very difficult time doing that. Like, I feel like I want to, I need to set certain goals for myself and like, they're very like relaxed and they're very easy, but it's nothing, nothing over the top.

[00:44:42] Like having that sort of structure, I think definitely helps people. Definitely. Yeah. Um, so back to this whole topic of like social media, like growing up, what was your like social media, like growing up? Yeah. I mean, uh, we, like, we grew up in like the [00:45:00] preset day, day of the emerging social media. Yeah. The thing is, I think my personal map.

[00:45:08] I, I wasn't, I was never really into social media personally. Like, uh, I, you know, I, I look at pictures, I like looking at pictures and, you know, knowing how my family in the Philippines are doing. Yeah. Generally I never had this urge of, um, sharing what I do and stuff like that. But yeah, it's, it's, it's very interesting.

[00:45:29] Like just looking at my, like seeing my, you know, younger lip, younger relatives, or hanging out with younger people, it's like, they grew up being filmed and they grew up in photograph, you know, it's a different world, it's a different room. They used to it, you know, I'm not used to being photographed every, you know, every, every time I heat, I mean, I'm not judging anyone who's doing that, but, um, you know, it's, it's, it's very interesting.

[00:45:56] It's a very different, like it's a different [00:46:00] world. It is. I think this is where. You know, when they say, when they say, oh, AI is going to take over and stuff like that. I don't think they meant like actual robots. I think it's the algorithm, you know, social algorithms or social algorithm. I mean, dude, like social media has such a huge effect in culture at the moment.

[00:46:21] Absolutely. Just the way a tech talk is setting the trends for everything like for movies and I'm on the Siri movies, but you know, counting content creation. Yeah. I mean anything from business to like even movies, like I caught on to this, like, so the, the new Spider-Man movie, instead of it being about like them sharing images on Facebook or Instagram, they actually showed tick-tock.

[00:46:47] And that was like the, you know, the Spiderman videos or whatever were going viral on Tik TOK. And I was like, it's such a, it's such an interesting, like swing in how things consistently changed. Yeah, [00:47:00] that was unintentional. Yeah. So happy when things like that work out of this office. And it's so interesting because like the, like the social media trends swing so much and like from, from different thing to different thing.

[00:47:12] And, uh, so like growing up, did you have like a MySpace page? I had had a Netlog plate page. I didn't have a lot of, yeah. That long. I don't think anyone knows that in the Austrian thing. Yeah. All my friends at school had that. Yeah. Uh, it was the Asian club. I never got him. It was almost like my space. Okay.

[00:47:32] But yeah, I dunno. I had Austrian friends in here as well, so. Okay. Did you have MSN? I had MSN had Friendster. Yeah. But wasn't really, I, you know, I wasn't really into it that much. What about like Bebo tagged any of those? No. No, I didn't know what that is for anybody that doesn't know, like Bebo and tagged their.

[00:47:54] I mean social platforms tagged was all about the, um, if I remember correctly, it was like about [00:48:00] like finding friends. Oh. And then like Bebo was the, you guys can correct me if I'm wrong, but it's like the social media trend of the UK. That's at least what I knew it as. And it's all, like I said, he's probably structured.

[00:48:17] MySpace as well. Right? Very, very similar. Yeah. Like you have your own page. Yeah. Whereas like kind of like, uh, you can theme it, you can style it, you can put all the different things. So I was like, it's a themed Facebook page or Facebook policy in the media. I'm going to tell you this though. Like, I'm so glad I never do that because that was so cringy so hard.

[00:48:38] If I look at that, I used to be, you really asking them, Danielle, my wife, she, uh, she will get her Facebook memories from her, like from her early two thousands, stuff like that. And she like showed like read it. She was like, I'm so glad we didn't know each other because I don't know if you would actually like, love me anymore.

[00:48:57] And because it's so it's like so [00:49:00] cringy and it would be like stuff like, um, like the only thing on the post would be like, I just can't even today or I'm just so done with boys, all my different stuff like that. Yeah, that's probably, um, the coats quotes and stuff like that, but like a really, really good quote.

[00:49:20] Yeah, exactly. I'm just glad, like, I'm glad, uh, it's all in, in my head and you know, not out in the public, there you go. Like, I feel like I I'm really interested in what, like the kids today will feel in like, you know, 20 years cause they, their lives are pretty well-documented. Yeah. I wonder if that will have like psychological effect on them.

[00:49:42] Oh, absolutely. I think so. Absolutely. Do you think so, but yeah. Yeah, even on that topic, it was just thinking about this, you know, how like celebrities are like getting in trouble for stuff that they posted like 20 years ago. Yeah. And like, or not 20 years ago, maybe like 15, 20 years ago on like on Twitter and stuff like that.[00:50:00] 

[00:50:00] How much more drastic do you think that that's going to be now? For, so for people that are celebrities 20 years from now, that's true. Cause like, I mean, you know, rewind like 15 years ago and like there wasn't that much social media interaction there wasn't that much like yeah. You know, it's in the scale that it is tonight, do your own thing.

[00:50:20] Yeah, exactly. And so now you have this whole thing of, okay, like people that become celebrities 20 years from now, they'll have all their Tik, TOK dancing videos or their, their rants or their tweets or whatever else, like whatever else comes, be public knowledge. That's truly, I think at some point we will all get the sense that's about it.

[00:50:46] Yeah. And there's going to be a new thing, you know? Oh, uh, you uploaded your brain, your neck, that kind of stuff. But I think it would be a scary place. I don't want to say, man, I was telling you about I'm like, you don't want to be in my [00:51:00] brain. You don't get low if you want to, you know, like have anxiety and stuff like that.

[00:51:05] Yeah. Be my guest. Nobody, I think. Yeah. I think at some point it's going to be desensitized and we're going to have a new thing to worry about. Yeah. It's like, yeah, you, you will say like 20 years from now. If you aren't online in the metaverse at four o'clock sharp after you get home from school. So you can play ping pong with friends or something like that.

[00:51:31] I dunno. Yeah. You're going to be like ridiculed the next day that you go to school and who knows school might be in the metaverse in 20, 30 years. Like, I really, I really hope that that's not the reality. I think that that's like a major stretch, but like, I mean, there's, there's always possibility. Yeah. I mean, if you look at like, uh, dating, dating sites, like Tinder and stuff like that, like five or eight years ago, they were like, oh, you find someone in.

[00:51:59] [00:52:00] Yeah. Or even like, I hear stories about people finding their, you know, their loved ones and, you know, chat, chatting rooms or, you know, uh, gaming while gaming and stuff like that. Yeah. Like back then it was, oh, that's, that's kind of interesting, but now it's very, it's very, it's very normal. It's like, oh, what was that movie called?

[00:52:20] It was, it was sometime in like the two thousands. Uh, you've got mail. You've got, yeah, it was all, it was about like the, the dating through emails and stuff like that. Yeah. And I like the fact that that was a movie that was like, okay, like, you know, you're, you're breaking stereotypes by, by showing or by creating a movie like that.

[00:52:38] And now all of a sudden it's like, you've got like Tinder and other like dating platforms. Yeah. Encino. And right now it's like, it's very normal. It's not even something you can buy an island. Yeah. It's, it's going to be interesting to see like the trend of the next, you know, 20, 30 years, how things kind of go.

[00:52:58] You know, with, with the, like, [00:53:00] with the reality of say, like the metaphors, and this is something that I like, it comes up in conversation a lot when I'm talking with people about like social media of the future, because like, it's something that I find that now there is an economy for virtual reality because people can, I mean, between NFTs and, and properties and land and stuff like that, like buying that in a virtual world is a very real reality.

[00:53:28] And you have virtual currency and stuff like that. Now businesses will see it as a, as a possibility, as a place to be able to, you know, dead to get a leg up or something like that. Now that businesses actually see it as a reality. And, and that's something that is profitable for them. They will invest money into that.

[00:53:45] And inadvertently then people will flock to it because businesses are pouring money into it. Yeah. The thing gets the thing with a thesis like. I think businesses, I think personally for myself, I think businesses jumped [00:54:00] in it too early. Yeah. It's now it's becoming okay. It's now it's becoming a cash grab kind of thing.

[00:54:04] Yeah. More like, yeah. Um, businesses kind of jumped into old, too early. It's not really well established at the moment. Like everyone knows what NFTs are, but they don't really have a lot of customers. Yeah. Like fun fact, like there were more transactions and second life, you know, that, you know, that game, I think 20 2005.

[00:54:27] Yeah. It's the game that, that white troop was playing. Exactly. It's like, it's like the metaverse but yeah, 2007, there were, there are more transactions, like a lot more transactions in second life than NFTs right now. And NFD surgery. Interesting. It seems huge, you know? Cause everyone talks about it. It's it's, it's the, it's the thing to talk about if you think, if you want to be on the up and coming, you're talking about it.

[00:54:50] Yeah. And now, I mean, yeah, it's just, it's having trouble. I think just people just haven't found like the exact, you know, what it's really made [00:55:00] for, but it's a really intense yeah. Yeah. It's going to be interesting to see like how, how the trend kind of goes and then how with like stuff like the metaverse or like a virtual social media type platform, how, when it comes to like creators and like people who run creative businesses like you and I like how we will actually functionally be able to utilize stuff like that and like how we will be able to, to create a business off of it or like in it and stuff like that.

[00:55:32] It's like, I mean, there's so many different layers to it and in the end it's still like, it still comes back to people. People have a social responsibility too, to make sure that they're not just doing stuff just for the sake of, uh, trying to make money or, or stuff like that. And like, I mean, not everybody agrees with that or not everybody sees that, but I think as, as creators, as creative people, like we have a responsibility to make sure that what it is that [00:56:00] we're doing is helping the people that will follow us.

[00:56:04] Yeah. To, to a better life, not just a, like a life of comparison, but a life that will help them in general. Like that will, that will lead them to a better life is actually a really, really interesting topic too. Like, um, do you think as creators, like how much responsibility do we have for no, for our audience, if you have like each audience or something like that, do you think you.

[00:56:32] We should be conscious of what we're creating or just create what we want to do. Yeah. Yeah. That's tough because I mean, I think in some way, shape or form, we also have like a moral responsibility. Um, I mean, in the end, and this is something like a buddy of mine said too, is like the, the artists are the ones that change the trajectory of like culture.

[00:56:57] Yeah. And so, as, you know, as creative as [00:57:00] artists, we have a responsibility to alter culture in a benefiting way to culture, not just to ourselves. And I mean, there's, there's, there's easy ways to be able to make money off of, uh, off of social media. There's easy ways to be able to get recognition recognition off of social media.

[00:57:21] And in the end, I think we have a responsibility as creative people to, to be able to benefit the future, like the future generation. And I mean, like, that sounds like very like dramatic and very like intense. But I think I, in the end, I think that's, that's part of what it is that like, if we want to be artists, if we want to be creative people, that's something that we have to consider.

[00:57:44] And it's like, is what we're doing is what we're creating is what we're posting is what we're sharing actually benefiting individuals, or are we just doing it for the sake of sake of our own hype and for sake of recognition, all that kind of stuff. Like, are we [00:58:00] actually over like, you know, over everything, are we actually benefiting other people?

[00:58:07] And we're like providing benefits, other people. It's really interesting. Like, I I'd love to think that I'm benefit. I mean, my social media again, disclaimer, my social media is kind of dead. If you want. If anyone was helped me, like, you know, follow me on Instagram, Josh pop, Josh dot pump. But I think if I, if I, if I put myself in the shoes of like someone who has okay, like a million followers, it's, I mean, those people are usually, um, posting, like thinkable stuff, you know, just thinking their audiences and like, but I do think people get a false sense of, I mean, this is what we're wearing is already a well-known fact that people get a false sense of, um, people post what they want to, you know, what do you want them?

[00:58:56] How do you want to be seen? So, yeah, it's [00:59:00] cute. Uh, I think it's just really important for people to know that, okay, this is not a representation of someone's of someone's healthy lifestyle. It's how they want to see you as long as you have that. That's nice. Anyway, everyone knows that. I think it's, yeah. I think the responsibility is a little bit less.

[00:59:19] Yeah. Do think, I do still think like the stuff you post it should be, you know, it can be. Like, if you want, you can be beneficial to, to, to your friends and stuff like that. Yeah. I think that maybe that that's the separation between, you know, social media as a business and then social media as like a individual personal brand, as a creative.

[00:59:42] And I think as like, you know, every, every creative more or less tries to establish themselves as a personal brand. So it's like, it's based off of your name kind of video. I think in that we have a responsibility to, to more or less, not just show a highlight [01:00:00] reel of, of our lives and what it is that we're doing.

[01:00:02] And like making this like fake idea of like, everything is perfect and everything is wonderful. Yeah. But I think we have a, uh, and this is something that's growing and growing. It's like it's an emerging social responsibility to communicate in a way that helps people understand, okay. The reality of what live action.

[01:00:24] And because everything from, so like, you know, digital addiction, so like social media, addictions, like that, it's a very, very real thing that a lot of people like struggle with. A lot of people have a hard time with. And I think in that we have a responsibility too, to be wise about it and to be tactful, uh, what people don't realize where social media is kind of like dangerous too, because a lot of minorities like myself, we tend to gravitate towards social media is because like, you know, it's our [01:01:00] connection to our hometown or home place.

[01:01:03] And I do see some people, like they are like hooked, hooked, and yeah, I think that's where it gets for me. Like a little bit of, um, cause, uh, I mean, if you've seen that movie, what is it called? Like a social dilemmas. Okay. Have you seen that movie? Actually? No, I really recommend it. It's like they interviewed the people who, for example, the guy who worked, who invented the like button or something like that.

[01:01:27] Okay. You know, like a lot of these apps are designed to be addicting. Yeah. Like, you know, the scroll down to reload, uh, based off, um, what do you call that thing? Like casino where you heard the slot machine? The slot machine. Yeah. It was based on that. It's like you pull down something or something random pops song.

[01:01:49] Interesting. And a lot of these apps are actually designed, like, you know, these, these companies have a lot of money, so they spend so much time on designing these like [01:02:00] no little, the little things that they know will spark the dopamine in your brain. So in the end it's still a business. It's still a business.

[01:02:10] You know, they, they need there. They need eyes on there. They need to sell ads. You know, just, just the red bash on the thing or the notifications, stuff like that, you know, it's all like part of this like huge sign of how do we keep people on this, on our website or on our app. And I think people just really need to be aware of that.

[01:02:33] Yeah. And I think, I mean, use social media as much as you want, in my opinion, but you know, know that these companies are working on their bottom line in the end. Yeah. And yeah, it's still a business. It's still a, it's still something that is turned to make an income. So they're going to in some way, shape or form, you know, utilize you as a form of, yeah.

[01:02:56] I mean social media and not even just social media, [01:03:00] Google, you know, any companies that sells ad. Yeah. Their main ad revenue is not really, or their main source of income is you you're you're the product at the end of the day. No. That's true. Do you think, like at any point in time, and this is like an interesting topic too, cause like, do you think social media should be restricted to the average person in any way?

[01:03:28] Um, I don't know. I'm not really sure if we should be restricting people from, you know, this kind of stuff, but I do think, um, he needs to be on a, you know, you know, you need to have a healthy, you need to be in a healthy mental state to be, you know, cause I, I can see it being can be toxic sometimes. Like, um, the thing is I'm also in Reddit a lot.

[01:03:54] Right. It's something you don't want to be stuck on for a long time and yeah, no, I just think [01:04:00] as long as you have your checks and balances, I think you're good. Like me do whatever you want. But um, once in a while, you know, just scope it out. Like I've have like. Like a wide angle answering your life. Yeah, for sure.

[01:04:14] Get, get that bird's eye view on exactly how it is that you're spending it, because this is something interesting. And like, this is something that, I mean, different places in the world managed differently. And I think in some way, yeah, knowing the addictive possibilities of social media, like at times we, it wouldn't be unhealthy for society to have more control over limitations over social media.

[01:04:42] But with that being said, you know, you still have your rights and freedoms and stuff like that. So like one of the places that really restricts social media stuff is China because they have the capability to restrict people. Yeah. And I mean, society and culture and stuff like that is structured in a way [01:05:00] where it allows for it.

[01:05:01] Um, and as a way that it's actually like, okay, you can, it can actually happen. Yeah. Do you think that? Cause, I mean, like I, I looked this up too, cause I, cause I was interested and like there's a lot of different, like interesting things that they do. So yeah. So for example, for like for China's social media, so, uh, they don't have Tik TOK over there, like as formal tech doc, but they have it's called like like that they have I think so.

[01:05:31] Yeah. But they have restrictions on for youth. Yeah. And for, and for like a couple of other things. So like for youth, for example, like if you are under the age of 18, this is like something that they set up then is that you are restricted to 40 minutes at a time of use and you can't you're you're functionally not able to use it between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM.

[01:05:56] Think of like how much more, like how much [01:06:00] more work on a day-to-day basis you would get done. It was like social media was like, was not accessible to you. Between 10 and 6:00 AM. And you could only use it for 40 minutes at a time. That's crazy. Like, I, I personally like don't want to like, get too deep into like Chinese politics because it's a deep topic, but like, you know, like they see like this government sees like, China's huge, like a huge government and they see what social media can, can do, can affect how it can affect people.

[01:06:32] I mean, they also ban like pictures of Winnie the Pooh, you know, that where they ban pictures of Winnie the Pooh because, um, people were comparing, uh, Xi Jinping there, um, to, we need to, I mean, that's, that's the stuff like that, but they also see, okay. They know like, um, how the, um, how social media can affect you mentally.

[01:06:57] Yeah. And they are doing something about it, [01:07:00] but it isn't, it is in a very, like in. Like seen from a Western culture, this very like hard. Yeah. Um, very what they call this. It's a word for that. I'm very like strict as hereon. Like, I mean, we keep seeing those in China if you're listening to this. Um, but I, but I think like, I mean, people in Western culture have an illusion that we have complete freedom, which you don't, you, you will never have complete freedom you'll you will always fall under the thumb of some reigning power over the land that you have or over whatever it is.

[01:07:41] But when we come, when we compare like our, our culture to like where our government to governments like this, where in China have these different things or like, um, I mean, they even implemented like, uh, gaming is restricted for young gamers for one hour, between 8:00 PM and [01:08:00] 9:00 PM, uh, on Friday, Saturdays and Sundays and on official.

[01:08:05] And so it was one of those things as like they, they see it as that much more important to restrict that than it is to, to give their people that freedom. But it's like, it's a touchy subject because I mean, if you're, if you're a parent yeah. It's like, don't you do that as a parent. And I mean, if you're a parent in China, uh, and your kids are really into tech talk, you know, the government is like, you can't use stickers.

[01:08:32] It's an easy out for trying to like, cause like I know my brother-in-law, for example, like he was, he was, he was full on addicted to video games. And so, you know, my in-laws, they made a rule for him that he was only allowed to play like on the weekends or something like that, or there's this specific time.

[01:08:47] Wow. But I mean, it's, it's re at the end, it's no different, it's like that thing. So social media, in the sense or video games in other senses is restricting your growth or your [01:09:00] success in life because it is taking so much attention away from what it is that you're capable. That's true, but also you have to, like, the thing is the, um, uh, twitches, a big thing, a thing right now.

[01:09:11] And people are earning a lot of money, but you know, that's like a small, small fraction of gamers. Yeah. All these like restrictions and stuff like that. It's like a collective kind of choice. And I think in China, like, like I'm not I'm, I'm, I I'm just a disclaimer again, I'm not a professional in Chinese politics and stuff like that, but I do think people are, they see the value in it and what they're doing.

[01:09:41] So, you know, if, if everyone's in on it, then why not? It's just, it's just a different culture. Yeah. But like, all that being said, it's like in, in Western culture, we have this idea that the government's not allowed to interfere in our day-to-day [01:10:00] life or in our, like our private lives and stuff like that.

[01:10:03] But like sometimes. I like it just looking at stuff, like, I almost wish that there was more intervention because you have things like full on like social media addiction or video game addictions, like that, that is incapacitating an individual to be able to help themselves and to give themselves the best opportunity in life.

[01:10:24] And like people that use social media or video games as a way to like create income and to have livelihood and stuff like that. That's obviously not what I'm talking about, but it's this idea that something can become. So over-powering when it's unrestricted. Yeah. And I mean like you, yeah. It's, it's, it's just, it's just one of those things.

[01:10:45] It's like, it's an interesting thing to talk about because then again, coming back to the whole, like, as creators, we have a responsibility too, to make sure that what it is that is being consumed by people is not just, you know, uh, [01:11:00] Things that lead to addictions or things that will, um, that will like create this illusion of, okay.

[01:11:06] Like, you know, you become a, you become a fancy videographer and you have this high life where you get all these big paying clients and you, you barely have to work and all that kind of stuff, but like helping show them the reality of life and like helping project a good positive message. Yeah. Because I think so many times people have this.

[01:11:26] Yeah. I just like, they, they want to, they want to compare themselves to these celebrities or to these, you know, successful people. And in the end, it's still, you, you, if you, if you ever get to that same stage or that same point that they're at, you'll realize very quickly that you're going to be unhappy.

[01:11:42] If you, if all of the, that it is for is to chase after that status of that individual, that you're comparing yourself to. Here's a fun little conspiracy theory for you. This was, this goes back to. I saw that I have a let's call it a developing [01:12:00] tick-tock addiction. Do, do you have it? Oh yeah, I have, I have like a huge, I mean, it's almost the same as sick dog.

[01:12:06] I have a huge YouTube shorts addiction right now. Yeah. Because I find myself scrolling through, you know what I like 2:00 AM in the morning. Why am I watching this go make ice cream? And it's so it's so captivating. Like the way he talks to the camera and the way the angle is, it's like, you look like you're making ice cream.

[01:12:25] Yeah. I, I, you know, I, I like even me, I, I kind of, when I want to wait, I want to make ice cream as well. It's, it's one of those interesting things, but like, so the conspiracy theory is this is that. So this, this is, I tried to look this up to see if there's any like validity to it or anything like that. I couldn't find anything, but I saw this video on Tik that goes from this comedian.

[01:12:50] This was, uh, Andrew Schultz. Oh yeah. And, uh, and this is the theory that the algorithm, so the tick-tock algorithm in Western culture [01:13:00] is different than it is in China. So like in the equivalent, so like Dalian in China. So Tik TOK in Western culture, purposefully skews, content, and the algorithm towards entertainment and stupid videos.

[01:13:14] So like, you know, whatever that looks like, um, in order to perpetuate the idea for, for the up and coming generation that, oh, I can make money just doing dance videos or doing something that doesn't necessarily provide any immediate benefit or like benefit to society or to culture, something like that.

[01:13:33] But then. Diane in China. So the Chinese equivalent of Tik TOK skews towards engineering and academic type videos, so that it helps teach their young people to pursue those things. And those things are the things that are worth being pursued. I think I can't even, I can't even say that. I mean, it sounds plausible.

[01:13:56] It doesn't sound like two off cop. Yeah. Uh, [01:14:00] yeah. I mean, they will never admit it if it was real, but how can you, they can say is like, oh yeah, the algorithm is, you know yeah. It's doing what it's being fed. Yeah. But what's interesting. Is that like, do you think that in Western culture that there should be for companies that create social platforms, should there be a mandate to provide this kind of.

[01:14:26] Academic, almost a benefit to, to younger audiences. This is the thing like, um, it's really tough. Like, I can't really tell because I think, I mean, at some points books were in that position. Oh yeah. People are spending too much time reading, like in the 18 hundreds are, they're not spending enough time with their family.

[01:14:46] Like, I think it's a, it's just a natural progression of, you know, culture and stuff like that. Like we can't, like, I personally won't tell anyone. Okay, you should stop [01:15:00] doing social media. Maybe that's their thing. That's just how they find kind of find bliss. But I do think there should be more education in, you know, this is actually a thing and I think it's for more and more, more, I think it's, uh, it should be like companies like Facebook and tech talk should be even.

[01:15:21] To not making their apps too addicting, you know, the way it's formed. Yeah. And for example, when you should shorts, like after I think 15 shorts, it stops, it doesn't look, it doesn't like no stuff like that. I think like Google is like doing something, okay. This shouldn't be too addicting. Like after 15, it's going to stop.

[01:15:43] Yeah. That's a really interesting thing. Yeah. I think it's more, it's not really the content creators job. Cause you know, we just make content at the end of the day, but I think it's more like companies should be held responsible and you know, looking after their [01:16:00] users, uh, wellbeing and not being too profit centered.

[01:16:04] No, because in the end of the day, everyone's still at the moment we're still all profit centered. Yeah. Because companies are not that old yet. It's this funny thing, because I mean, in the end, like social media platforms are still a business. And so here you are now, like, from like a government perspective, you are dictating the functionality of a business based off of its impact on, on society and culture.

[01:16:30] Yeah. But I think social media is something that has a drastically different impact than say, like your average storefront, like brick and mortar business. And so I think with that comes this inherent responsibility from that side of that business, to be able to, to navigate that in a way, or to help benefit culture and society in a way when, you know, full well, the impact that you were having in the day-to-day lives of people.

[01:16:59] Yeah. [01:17:00] So. What is your social media presence look like for this next year? What are you going to do different? Um, after, after our chat, after our right after this, I'm going to post about our thing. Hey, Hey guys, you know what, I'm gonna film something right now. There you go. Yeah. Now, um, the thing is, I'm just, you know, you know, the, the usual social media thing is just consistency.

[01:17:24] Yeah. That's probably what I'm going to do, but the thing is, the content is just, I'm always overthinking about oh, of course. Yeah. But you know, I think once I got through the hurdle of over things, stuff, I think it's, it's easy for me to be consistent about stuff. Yeah. Yeah. I want to be, I dunno, I, I have this like content thing planned for 2022, but it's more, more my not very client-based but more on the projects I want to do.

[01:17:55] Like, you know, like short or, uh, livestreaming, some [01:18:00] jam sessions with that. So do you think that stuff like that shows your personality a little bit more like who you are as an individual? Yeah, I think, I think it's just, uh, it's definitely more in my interest. Like I don't want to use it too much about, you know, like, uh, not, not, not, not seeing against people who do this, but I'm not going to be, it's not going to be more of a, you know, I'm advertising myself stuff, but you know, stuff that I'm really interested about.

[01:18:26] So, you know, photography that I like and yeah. You know, what makes, what inspires me as a creator? Yeah. Yeah, no, that's good. And in the end, I think, like we all have an individual responsibility to try to better culture and society as, as just individuals. And so like for myself, One of those things is, is portraying my creative journey, not in a way of just showing the highlight reels and all these awesome epic things, but actually showing the reality of, you know, the, the grind that goes into it.

[01:18:59] And like [01:19:00] the, you know, like I said on this podcast talking about like disappointments talking about different things that didn't go well. And like the way that businesses business kind of like shifts and goes. And you know, when, if, you know, if I hit a hard time or if I had to hit a difficult time where like work on a project that all of a sudden just flops or something like that, like being very open and honest, because I think we need to get away from this idea that we need to portray ourselves in this perfect light.

[01:19:28] And I think in the end, that's as creatives, that's what we are. That's what we are called to do as an, as an, as artists, that impact culture. I think that's something that is very, very important, very vital that we actually like have that in mind when it comes to. The impact that we create and what it is that we, what it is that we post, but also what it is that we produce.

[01:19:50] And in the end, like, can we, at the end of the day say that we are proud of ourselves for the work that we've produced? Are we proud of ourselves for the way that we've helped benefit society? Whether that's, you know, [01:20:00] musically in a way in portraying the music that was produced in a very, you know, in a way that varied, like that speaks to people, um, you know, or as in photography and the way that you portraying an individual or the story of an individual, all these different things, all these layers, I think, as, as people, as creatives, as artists, we're, we're called to that.

[01:20:20] Yeah. And in culture, um, as, as uncomfortable as that can be, and as much as we sometimes would probably prefer not to have to do that. Yeah. I think it's a, I think it's an inevitable thing that we are more or less called to do that. And, and in the end we will see the benefit, the benefit of it long-term and the benefit to.

[01:20:42] To the next generations that come when we have people and we have artists, we have creatives that are actually portraying this in a very real way, in a way that is actually healthy and in the way that is helping change lives, you know, in the grand scheme of things. Yeah. I mean, I hope like people think like [01:21:00] that, but yeah.

[01:21:03] Yeah. I mean, I mean the world would be a better place. Yeah. Everyone thought like that, but yeah, I think generally, like people are just so gravitated towards a very different stuff. Like the stuff we find, um, that are important. I, for example, like not even anyone else's sweeter, but yeah. I think, yeah, when you say is like, this is very important.

[01:21:29] Definitely like having that, like thinking responsibly what you're putting out there. And so like yeah. Yeah. So if you're creative out there, that is, that is looking into doing something new or trying something new or is stuck in this route of comparison or anything like that. Um, just have this perspective that, you know, life is much more than just what you see on social media.

[01:21:52] Life is much more than just what is being portrayed. And in the end, uh, do things that you're passionate about, do things that you love and [01:22:00] portray a life that is, uh, that is worth living and live a life that is worth living. And that's the, that's the biggest takeaway from, for myself when I was in preparation for this whole episode, um, is, you know, am I actually living what it is that I want to be portraying?

[01:22:14] And if it's not, then first change the way that you're living and then portray that way accurately. So Josh, how can people get connected with you if they're interested to work with you or just to see what it is that you're doing now? Not just like I'm calling me on Instagram, let me know if you want to work on something your Instagram is.

[01:22:36] How does it go? Josh pop? Yeah. It's like J-pop Josh, Josh pop dot. Yeah. You see triple I, yeah, exactly. It's like, should've been an eight. Josh, Bob aid is already taken, so it needs, I needed to go. Roman numerals, you went real cool. So Josh pop that, the triple I exactly. And yeah, that [01:23:00] Missy, like I'm really motivated at the moment to like do stuff then.

[01:23:04] I mean, no, Josh has always done to party. All right. That's going to be all all from us today on the clueless creatives podcast. Thanks again for listening and thanks Josh for hopping on and for having and sharing your insights and your, your passion behind everything and your perspective. And, uh, thanks again, everyone for listening and we'll catch you in the next one.

[01:23:26] You sat eight town.

[01:23:33] Wait a minute. Thanks a lot for having me. Well, that's all from us today on the clueless creatives podcast. I'm your host, Mike Kvick, and I believe you deserve to thrive in your creative journey and that you don't have to settle and be another clueless creative doing this all alone. Let me know that you've listened to this episodes by heading over to Instagram and shooting me a message at Mike quick, I would be thrilled to get to know you and hear about your creative journey.

[01:23:58] If you enjoyed listening, [01:24:00] consider leaving me a review. It makes a huge difference. I hope you feel encouraged and empowered to take the next step in your personal creative journey. You're amazing. And you deserve to have a thriving, creative journey. So go be creative. Inspiring. And have fun

[01:24:25] and utilize you if you're, if you do drywall tiling, let me know. Okay. It's an art form in and of itself. Have you seen that through this insane? It's insane, man. I love watching like, Dude, like, like people who are just really good at what they doing, like tiling, tiling, videos, you know, power washing stuff, do those.

[01:24:49] Okay. Power washing videos is a guilty pleasure of mine. It's just like seeing, seeing that before and after, and just like the way that it PS, oh, recently the biggest thing was a [01:25:00] car detailing and there's this guy, he, he like, he uses a microphone, so it's almost like SMR, like, oh man, it is so satisfying.

[01:25:08] And just like the car detailing and, uh, car restorations. It's like, like I just, I can watch like three hours of that.