 Deja' Jendro, photographer and Creative Director with On Display Productions (left), and Kiera Faye, videographer and Creative Director of Faye & Voelker (right) IntroductionsToday I’m introducing a new blog series, People Who Make It Possible! For each blog, I’ll interview practitioner experts from justice-oriented, Twin Cities-based businesses. They will share their expertise about photography, accounting, legal issues—anything you may need to know to run your small business. And because I know you value DE&I, most interviewees will be LGBTQ, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), and/or FTW (femme, trans, and women) or from LGBT-, BIPOC-, or FTW-owned businesses. To get us started, I interviewed Deja' Jendro (she/her), photographer and Creative Director with On Display Productions, and Kiera Faye (she/her), videographer and Creative Director of Faye & Voelker. The three of us got to know each other at The Coven, a Twin Cities co-working space that's "a vibrant, welcoming community of women, non-binary, and trans individuals." We settled into some comfy seats at their St. Paul location to discuss photography and videography for small businesses. The importance of quality photos and video This image is an example of a pretty good free stock photo from Pexels that gets the idea across but doesn't build relationships with the viewer the way quality personalized photography and videography can. Shannon: Business owners know photos are an important part of any website, but I know I don’t have a full understanding of why it's so important, and I don’t know much about video at all. Let's start by telling us a bit about why photography and videography are so important for small businesses and solopreneurs. Deja': Photography is such an important part of driving sales. It’s about connecting with future and past clients. It’s an opportunity to really dig in and show them what you’re about. Kiera: Exactly. photos and videos are all about building relationships. Video is uniquely powerful because visitors to your website get the impression they’ve met you before they even send that first email or make that first contact. Having yourself or your staff in a video begins to develop that trust. Get your personality out there, make a connection. Deja': And for younger clients, it’s all about seeing. Seeing something and imagining it for yourself is critical for any business. If someone can see themselves using your products they’re more likely to purchase it from you because it's familiar and they’ve already made a connection to whatever you're selling. Shannon: That really makes sense to me. My teenager just told me all about an hour-long infomercial for vitamins. It was about how modern farming practices have reduced the nutritional value of produce. He talked about it endlessly at dinner! The video drew him in, but he never would have taken the time to read about it. Kiera: Exactly! Even if someone isn’t ready to be your client, if your video really connects them to your story, your brand, your mission—it can create fans for you. They have an emotional connection so they’ll talk approvingly of you even if they’re not a customer yet. Tips for going it aloneShannon: Ok, I was already convinced I needed photos, now I’m persuaded that video can be really important too, but what if I’m not ready to hire a professional? What can I do to create my own quality photos and video? Deja': Well a phone is a great source, if you’re on a smaller budget, to make your own photos and videos. There’s different apps you can use to create decent video. I know Canva is a design tool that you can use to boost the quality of your photos a bit. Shannon: Can you give us some tips for folks who want to DIY? Setting Kiera: For video, really pay attention to the sound around you. Don’t do it on a busy street or where there’s music playing. You want to control your environment. In photography too, pay attention to what’s in the background.
You can really play with the backgrounds in a lot of ways. For photos, I’ve used contact paper, scrapbooking paper, scarves, rugs, even bedsheets. I think a lot of it is just noticing what you like.
Lighting Deja': I'm glad you mentioned lighting. Lighting is key to phone photography. You can play with the contrast and coloring and have a little bit of filter, but I have to say it’s really about what light is actually present in the space. Kiera: Exactly. Be sure there’s enough light. Smartphone cameras are good but they do best with plenty of light. But pay attention to the direction of light and shadows. Deja': If you're inside get as close to your windows as possible so you can utilize the light coming in, but don’t shoot directly into the sun or have a window behind you. Natural light is huge but every day is different. You might have bad weather or an overcast of clouds. You want to go with natural light when the sun is at its brightest or at golden hour or “magic hour” which is shortly after sunrise or before sunset when the light is redder and softer than when the sun is higher in the sky. It creates a soft golden look to your images, it's like a real-life filter that looks good on everyone. What to avoid Shannon: So as pros I am sure you see some things and you just cringe. What mistakes do you see people making? Deja': Over editing is the biggest thing. Changing skin tones. Kiera: Absolutely, too much skin smoothing. But more than that the biggest mistake I see in video is not giving people a reason to watch. Everyone’s going to ask, what’s in it for me. Open with that right away. Deja': That’s so true, if you’re not interested you scroll in seconds. Kiera: Don’t be like those recipe blogs where you’re scrolling and scrolling just to get to what you’re looking for! Shannon: What about using stock photography? Deja': For some purposes stock photography can be the way to go. It’s inexpensive and you have a variety of images to choose from. But stock photography is mostly filler. It doesn’t offer personalization to your vision or brand message Hiring a ProShannon: Ok so now I have some ideas of how to wing it on my own, but how do I know when it’s time to hire a professional? Deja': When you’re feeling overwhelmed. Staying on any social platform is a lot. I don’t think people understand how much time and work it is to come up with content that’s on point with your brand. When you find yourself on Pinterest 2-3 hours a day trying to come up with ideas, hire someone to help you make content for your message Kiera: I’d say go ahead and start where you are, utilizing your own skills and talents. There are some great tools to DIY, but I think comfort is huge. You have to ask yourself, if I make my own video for my website will it look professional or will it look like TikTok? When you’re ready to elevate your message, when you look at your media and it doesn’t match the quality of your brand, then it’s time to hire a professional. Whenever you're considering what to DIY, I’d say do what you’re good at. Don’t feel like you have to learn a whole craft. There are folks out there with years of experience who will be more efficient with a better product. How to choose a pro Shannon: That makes a lot of sense. When you’re ready to take it up a notch, don’t keep trying to up your DIY game. In the end, you’ll save time and money working with a professional who will do it right the first time. Ok, so if I’ve decided I’m ready to hire, how do I choose the right person for the job? Deja' and Kiera in unison: Look at portfolios! Deja': When you’re choosing a professional here’s what I’d do:
Kiera: And don’t just go with the flashiest, or most “high end” but pay attention to what’s memorable. What do you feel a connection to? All the fancy gear is not so important. What matters is finding work you can’t stop thinking about. Deja': And not every photographer is for every person or business. Find someone that does the style that you need them to do. If you have product photography, you don’t want someone who just does food or portraits. Do they have a color scheme that represents your brand? Price and Value Shannon: So now I want to get to the part that is sometimes most uncomfortable for folks. How do I know how much I should be paying for photography and videography services? Kiera: On the video side, pricing has so much to do with scale. How long will your final video be? Is it a single shot? Or multiple shots edited together. Start with knowing what you want to achieve. It’s essential to have a reason for the viewer to watch! Whatever you want to accomplish, a videographer could approach that goal in different ways. With a smaller budget, it might be a one-minute interview video or with a bigger budget, the same mission could be accomplished in a weeklong shoot. Deja': For photography, it’s also a lot about scale. The amount of time it takes determines the amount of money. What do you want to incorporate: models, props, one location, or many? Like Kiera said, it’s about knowing what you want to do. A photographer should be able to help you create what you need on a smaller or larger scale. Kiera: But when you’re thinking about how much you’re willing to spend, keep in mind this is an investment that should make you a return. I’ve had clients who think of the video like a product. How much does this video cost? But no, the question should be, what is the connection to your audience worth to you. Deja': The value to the client is one thing, but it’s also the value of the person that’s doing the work—their time, expertise, experience, equipment. The price for services all depends on the quality that you want. It depends on what you want the end result to be. Do your homework Shannon: Ok so, I’m ready to hire a professional, what should I do as the client to make the most out of our time together? Deja': Before your photographer actually shows up with a camera, you should do your homework to get a sense of your own aesthetic and be ready to communicate that to your photographer. Different brands, like Target, are bright, fun, colorful. Or Nike which is sometimes dark etc. You should be ready to say to your photographer, I saw these photos and I really like the look. As a photographer I’ll do my own homework too, looking at the existing social media presence for cues. Then I know, this is the aesthetic they’re going for, this is what I need to bring to the photos. Kiera: For video, any marketing really, you want to be thinking about your brand identity, Who are you? Who are you serving? What is your mission for this video? What problem are you solving for your clients? What do you want them to remember? In my work, I walk clients through that whole process. We work together to define the personality of the video. But if I have someone approach me with that business identity already set to go, we can take off right away. Some videographers are less interested in doing that creative background work with you. It’s all about clarifying expectations before you begin. Deja': Exactly. Some folks want you to know upfront and some folks will do that journey with you. So for sure, part of the homework is to know which creatives offer certain services. In these covid times, it's also important to ask about safety procedures. You want to feel comfortable throughout the shoot. For me, staying transparent is huge, I let clients know I'm fully vaccinated and will keep my mask on the entire shoot. I'm happy to meet folks wherever they’re at in terms of masking. If I'm photographing two people or more, I do have a Covid waiver to offer full transparency to clients because things are so uncertain. Two professionals to consider!Shannon: Thanks so much for all the tips. Now tell me about your own work!
Thanks to our guests!
Bonus tips from our guests!
Hello readers! As you know, Entirely Possible! focuses on clients who are committed to social justice, so I’m excited to introduce you to one such client: Twin Cities Diversity in Practice (TCDIP).  TCDIP is a nonprofit association of more than 60 law firms and corporate legal departments who share a vision to create a vibrant and inclusive legal community and a mission to strengthen the efforts of Member Organizations to attract, recruit, advance, and retain attorneys of color. Last summer I worked with Executive Director and President, Summra Shariff, and Programs and Communications Coordinator, Liz Niemer to do a complete content overhaul of the TCDIP website. Since then we’ve worked together on two annual reports and a few other writing projects. About one year after we completed the website project, I decided to check in with Summra and Liz to ask about their experience.
 Shannon Puechner, Writing Consultant, Entirely Possible! Catching UpShannon: Hello! I’m so glad to be chatting with you two again! Before we start talking about your experience with Entirely Possible! tell me what TCDIP has been up to lately. Liz: The first season of TCDIP Connect, a reimagined group mentorship program, had a successful rollout and completion! And now we’re looking forward to another summer of hosting the TCDIP 1L Clerkship program, helping to launch the careers of law students of color. Summra: And we have been hard at work formalizing the Wanton Injustice Legal Detail (WILD), our 501(c)3 foundation with a mission to harness the collective power of TCDIP’s membership to remedy systemic anti-Black racism and all forms of racism in the Twin Cities by partnering with and amplifying the work of existing community organizations. Shannon: Fantastic! It was really exciting to learn about WILD when we were working together on the annual report this year and I can’t wait to see what happens with WILD in the future. Getting Started Shannon: Ok, so looking back, tell me about the TCDIP website refresh project. What were your goals? Liz: TCDIP hired Entirely Possible! to re-develop and re-organize our website. Our goal was to streamline and more effectively communicate our organization's mission and work through our website. Summra: We needed someone capable of not only helping us communicate our goals and mission but also someone with the capacity to see the "big picture" and organize the material so that our audience can access it. Phase 1: Research Shannon: I remember the first phase of our work together was all about getting to know TCDIP. I really didn’t know anything about TCDIP in the beginning, so I started by reviewing the website and other content and surfing the web to see what other folks had to say about the organization. I was asking myself, what does TCDIP do? Who is it for? What am I being asked to do as a person visiting the website? What words were used most often? What did these terms mean to me as an outsider? What language was confusing? Once I’d learned all I could, I sent you two a report laying out all my findings and we met together to discuss what I had learned and what questions I had. Summra: Yes! And we’re glad you did! When you reflected back to us our messaging, we knew we had some work to do to refine our communications. And as our conversations continued, we realized that we needed to clarify a few things. Who are our stakeholders? What are our key messages? Your questions really helped us get focused and clearly communicate with our audience. Liz: Shannon, your interest in fully understanding TCDIP's mission wasn't necessarily a surprise, but nonetheless I truly appreciated the depth of your dedication. You spent time joining our meetings and getting to know our Membership so that you could deliver writing that truly connected with our audience. Phase 2: Collaborative Writing Shannon: The next phase was my favorite part. For each section of the website, I got to interview you two and learn more about the organization. I used those interviews along with old copy to draft new content for your website. Summra: And those interviews didn’t just help you learn about our organization, they really helped us to get clear about our stakeholders and what we offer them. We hired Entirely Possible! to do a refresh of our website but in the process, we were given the opportunity to be reflective about our organization more broadly. Shannon: Absolutely. The process of creating great writing is so connected to knowing what you want to say, who you are as an organization, and what work you want to actually be doing in the world. Maybe that’s why it was my favorite part! I wasn’t just writing, I really was coaching and collaborating with you to help you focus on your own values and goals. Liz: And it wasn’t just content, you went above and beyond, helping TCDIP organize our content in a way that would be easy to navigate by our audience, including first-time visitors. You helped us to develop a plan for organizing the content in a way that met the needs of our audience and this content map was sent to our web designers to set up the website. Phase 3: The Website Goes Live Shannon: So, when the website went live, how were you feeling about the product? Summra: With your help, we were able to untangle our previous messaging and clearly communicate our mission and programs to our audience. At the end of the project, we refreshed or created over 10,000 words for dozens of pages of content! And most of that was copy that we could reuse for our annual report and other collateral. After the website went live, we kept working with Entirely Possible! for two annual reviews, several reports, and public statements - the work is ongoing. Liz: Not only did Entirely Possible! provide great copy that reflected our goals and values, but you also helped us develop a distinct “voice” for TCDIP. We are now writing and speaking about our mission and programs in a consistent way, and Entirely Possible! created a style guide to help us keep consistent with our voice in all our future writing. Shannon: Now that you’re a year in, have you noticed any differences in your work or in your relationships with your stakeholders? What were we able to “make possible” together? Liz: Our website has helped us engage with more potential members interested in our work. We’ve onboarded five new Member Organizations since our website launched, and requests to meet with our Executive Director keep coming in. Entirely Possible! helped us showcase that TCDIP is committed to our mission to attract, recruit, advance, and retain attorneys of color. Before, we as staff members knew that TCDIP was doing the work, but it wasn’t clear on our website. Summra: Entirely Possible! helped shine a light on the wealth that TCDIP has to offer to the legal community. Our Members also have a greater understanding of TCDIP from pages that clearly explain our committees, ongoing programs, and ways they can get involved with our work. As we launch WILD, we’re looking forward to showing our Members even more of what TCDIP can do. Final thoughts?Shannon: When you think about all the work that we have done together so far, what has been the best part about working with Entirely Possible!? Liz: Shannon is a consummate professional writer and editor. We really appreciated the transparent and accurate estimates and billing. Her work was delivered on time and it was easy to communicate with her about project deadlines and needs. And when deadlines approached and unexpected changes or challenges emerged, Shannon didn’t get flustered or overwhelmed. She helps her clients feel at ease and helps us to figure out solutions. Summra: I really valued that Shannon was competent and passionate about racial justice, antiracism, and the intricacies of how to talk about these issues both from within active justice-oriented audiences and reaching out to interested but not yet immersed audiences. Liz: Her academic background also clearly informed how she thought about and coached us as we created our messages - but she could translate all that theory into web copy for a general audience. Summra: Entirely Possible! helped TCDIP realize our dream of a website with clear, organized writing that communicates our mission and the details of our programming to our members. We're so glad that Shannon was available to take the time needed to work with us to revitalize our website. Shannon: I just have to thank you both so much for the opportunity to be a coach and copywriter with TCDIP! And thanks so much for your time and for sharing your experience with Entirely Possible! What Can Entirely Possible Do For You?
Wow! It’s already May, and if you have a junior in high school you know it’s the dawn of college essay season. And if you don’t know, now you know!  Many colleges and universities require at least one essay as a part of their application process, and special programs often require essays of their own. The whole process can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many schools rely upon the Common App or Coalition Application, which allows seniors to write just one essay for hundreds of schools
I feel like a lot of the college application process is a tedious hoop-jumping exercise and all that paperwork doesn’t do a great job of conveying who a student is or whether they are likely to be “successful” in college. But I actually love college essays. In fact, if I was in charge of the world, I’d have everyone write a college-essay-type-thing, whether they go to college or not. And actually, it would be pretty neat if we all wrote one every few years or so! Why? Because the college essay genre (if you can set aside for a moment that it’s a weird form of high-stakes test) is an opportunity to reflect on our experiences and understand how we have grown into the superheroes we have become.  The trick and the beauty of college essays is that the readers (ok, "evaluators") want to see vulnerability, humility, transformation, and resilience. Most of us are uncomfortable talking about ourselves, and we’re even LESS comfortable talking about our challenges. At the same time though, we love telling these stories in the right context. These are the juicy bits of our lives, the stories we tell among friends when we’re all grown up. For me though, the best part of writing these essays is the potential for transformation. There's real POWER in this kind of storytelling - you are not just relaying a series of facts - you are giving them meaning. We all can think of stories we’ve told about ourselves where we are the victim, the villain, a failure, or just a weak person. But hopefully, we’ve also had the experience of learning to re-tell those same stories in a new way, where we know ourselves to be a victor, a hero, a survivor, a person who grew, or even just a person who is no more flawed than anyone else.
Of course, I am also aware that college essays and college essay coaching are all wrapped up in power, privilege, and gatekeeping. College essays have an ambiguous role in reinforcing and challenging entrenched patterns of under-representation of students based on their race, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, sexuality, and so on.
On the other hand . . . discrimination against some dialects and certain kinds of stories can disadvantage some candidates and the college essay coaching industry can give the most privileged kids an extra leg up. So how does a justice-oriented writing coach manage the tensions here? First and foremost, I have made discounts and scholarships for underrepresented groups a core part of my college essay service and tuition structure. I hope to continue to develop ways to bring college essay coaching to kids who might otherwise have trouble accessing it. (If you'd be interested in partnering with me to offer these services let's connect!) Second, I bring my justice-oriented writing philosophy to the college essay writing journey, helping student writers think about how their own words have the capacity to promote justice or cause harm. I help writers see how their own stories are interwoven with larger stories and conversations about race, economics, gender, the environment, colonialism (hello mission trip essays), and so on. Developing and demonstrating this awareness is a part of “acing” the evaluative aspects of the college essay but it is also an important personal exercise that is developmentally just-in-time for teens who are about to leave the small world of their homes and neighborhoods to become a part of much larger communities.  Of course, while college essay season is MY favorite time of the year, I understand that they can be very difficult to write. Why?
 The essay writing experience CAN be fun or at least rewarding for teenagers though if they understand what’s expected and know how to approach the task.
If you’d like your young person to get the most of the college essay writing process, I’d love to help them craft an essay that showcases their character, resilience, and strengths while helping them to reflect on their own burgeoning transformation to adulthood. Check out my College Essay Coaching page for more information about my services and rates. Questions? If you have college essay questions share them in the comments (right under the title of the blog) and I'll answer them in a future blog! Writing can be hard for a lot of reasons - outside factors like a lack of time, but also inside factors like writer’s block, procrastination, and anxiety. One reason we get anxious is that we’re worried our voice won’t sound credible
But think about what you like to read. When you’re zooming around on the internet, when you get dozens of emails, when you're scrolling through your feeds, is your attention drawn to anything that would have gotten you an A on a high school research paper?
We want to get information we can understand that connects with what we already know and how we understand the world. We want to connect with a familiar voice that makes us feel good about ourselves, not one that makes us feel stupid or alienated. Having a warm, welcoming, authentic, and trustworthy voice is like a magic key unlocking access to an audience. That’s why huge corporations concoct fictional characters like Flo or the Geico Gecko, or they hire spokespersons like Samuel L. Jackson. They want to stir the emotions of their audience. They want to draw on the human desire to connect to others.
 In other words, you don't want to sound like them, they want to sound like you! Your voice conveys so much more than the literal meaning of the words. For people in your community, your region, your profession, your niche, it feels like friendship, home, and community. Your voice is trustworthy, welcoming, caring, and authentic. It just sounds “right.”  We don't have just one way of talking though. We all have many voices for different people, places, and purposes. I have a goofy ridiculous voice that’s only for the members of my household with its own idioms and pronunciations and made-up words. This voice is perfect for communicating with my family and wholly inappropriate for anyone else! I talk one way at church, and one way at work, and another way here on this blog.
When we talk, we all intuitively choose from among our many voices, choosing our words and tone and the rhythm and length of our verbal “paragraphs” based on who we are talking to and what we want to convey. We can do the same when we write content. Consider, for example, the various ways someone might talk about science: a weather forecaster on the nightly news, a pop radio DJ sharing the latest nutrition headlines, a parent explaining why the sky is blue, an elementary school teacher introducing the field of chemistry, a group of researchers in a lab, a doctor explaining a diagnosis. 
So when we think about writing for our own blog, our websites, a social media post (whether personal or professional), a cover letter for a job application, or an email - we shouldn’t ask ourselves whether our writing is “correct” in some abstract way. We should ask whether our way of writing will be understood as legitimate, credible, trustworthy, friendly, and so on in that particular context. When you sit down at your keyboard ask yourself these questions.
Of course, a new layer of complexity is added when we talk about “voice” in writing, particularly when writing online. You may have an intended audience, but your audience isn't’ standing there in front of you. You literally don’t know who you’re talking to. You don't know how they’re feeling, or what they already know or believe about the topic at hand. You don’t know if they are busy or have time to really read carefully. You don’t know how interested they are, if they’re understanding you, or if you’re making them angry. You can’t tailor your message or your voice to the specific person ‘hearing’ you and you can’t adjust your message to their needs, and yours, as you go. So…. what should you do? Well for starters just relax and talk the way you would if your audience was in the room. Don’t try to sound like a professor or a newscaster or whatever evil English teacher hobgoblin you may have in your imagination. First and foremost, think about who you most hope to reach and just imagine that there are likely some other folks listening in. It can help to literally imagine a room with various types of people in it. It can also help to write an imaginary email to an actual human you know who fits in your target audience. If you aren’t a fast typer, the speed of getting words to the page can make capturing your voice difficult so you might experiment with using voice-to-text. (Almost any program that allows typing has a voice-to-text option. Check the accessibility settings). Then revise, revise, revise. Read it out loud to make sure it sounds like you. Have someone in your ideal audience read what you’ve written to give you feedback. You know what else can make writing easier? Hiring a writing coach - specifically me!  My specialty is helping my clients put their voice to paper in a way that is clear, effective, and reflects their values. Wait though, why have a writing coach if my voice is my superpower? Most of us know what we’re talking about with a real audience in a conversation or maybe even giving a pitch. We know what we're thinking, but in our heads, it's a fuzzy cloud of ideas not an organized piece of writing. Here's how I get your voice down on paper.
When we’re done, you get to double-check to be sure that I’ve captured what’s most important and that it still sounds like you. Remember, you are the voice that is most credible, persuasive, trustworthy for your audience! You don't want to sound like me! You want to sound like you. If you want to know more about my process, reach out on my contact page! We can set up a free consultation to find out what I can do to help you generate content that makes the most of your superpowers - with your voice and your values! Content Notice*: Exercise (not weight loss) Like a lot of people, my pandemic life has been a rollercoaster of routines being disrupted, rebuilt, turbocharged, and atrophied. My fitness and wellness routines have certainly been on a wild ride. Riiiight before the pandemic me and my spouse had finally gotten ourselves into one of those coveted routines, going to the gym three times a week. I know! I am also very impressed! Up until that point, hitting the gym had not been part of our usual lifestyle. The trick was doing some Tetris with the budget to join a ridiculously fancy gym. It is bright and clean and feels like a resort. I think they pump in dopamine along with the music. And they have a hot tub. It was basically like this:  (This is obviously not us but accurately reflects how we felt). Anyway. Once COVID hit, gyms became terrifying horrorscapes crawling with invisible spiky death balls. Fortunately, spring 2020 was GORGEOUS! We started walking 3-5 miles a day like rockstars. We observed the magnificent transformation of the seasons. Stick, to bud, to leaf. Mud, to green shoots, to big fat blossoms. And we got a dog! On weekends we did 5-7 mile hikes in the woods!
But then winter hit. And it didn't feel like this.  It felt like this.  This was not good. I know some folks joined Peloton or took advantage of a fitness app but it just wasn't doing it for me. It wouldn’t feel fancy and glamorous and spa-like. It wouldn’t feel like deepening my relationship with nature. It would feel like being alone and sweaty on my salt and grit-covered wooden floor between the coats and the boots. So... we watched a lot of TV. Like, a LOT of TV. Then, one day last week, (now that it’s spring anyway and the glorious transition of seasons is beginning, but whatever) I came across this little nugget of wisdom in some social media feed. (Ok it was Facebook. I’m old and I use Facebook.)  And I thought to myself, ok, what could I do about this total and complete lack of movement - something that wouldn’t be great but would at least be something? I had already downloaded the Down Dog apps** on my phone in that COVID phase where everything was weirdly free. I actually had been using their yoga app because it creates a pleasantly unpredictable routine with various adjustments to my gradually increasing abilities. I’d tried the workout app a couple of times for 7-minute workouts and HIIT but it was sweaty and not very interesting and I kept “forgetting.” Meanwhile.... I've been listening to a couple books and podcasts about building new habits and whatnot. One thing that stuck in my memory is that new habits need a few key things to work:
I had already made this quartet work for me to FINALLY remember to take my vitamins and all-important allergy meds. (Did I mention we also got two quarantine cats!) I got these** ridiculous dark chocolate caramel nut candy multivitamins and put them in a mason jar right next to my coffee maker. And I stashed all the nasty horse pill vitamins and allergy meds in a 7-day pill case thing in a drawer nearby. Every day I’d make my coffee and see the delicious-looking chocolate vitamins (Trigger) but FIRST I had to take my horse pill vitamins which were right there already portioned out into an easy handful (Easy and fit right into my routine. No extra steps). Then I’d get to eat my delicious chocolate vitamin (Reward!) Tip: Chocolate vitamins melt by the stove so I switched to gummies.  So… what do I do every day that is also associated with a stretch of dead time? I make tea every morning! (Yes I drink coffee AND tea every morning. Two cups of tea and one cup of coffee to be specific. Yeah I know it’s weird.) You might not know this, but with boiling and steeping, tea-making takes about 7 minutes! You may see where I’m going with this, but the typical 7-minute workout, which I’d tried at various times in the winter, had all kinds of rolling out a mat and laying down and finding things to step up on and whatever. I can’t be rolling out a mat on the kitchen floor every morning. So, I figured let me check out this app and see if I can find a way to make it work. The app is super customizable so I set upper body, lower body, and core level to 1 (even though I’m probably actually a 2 - keep it easy at first). You can choose typical stuff like arm day, leg day, whatever. But they have really handy stuff for my needs, like no jumps (My kid sleeps downstairs and probably wouldn’t appreciate me doing jumping jacks over his head while he’s sleeping). It also has "no wrists" and "bad knees" accommodations that I don’t need right now but have at times. What REALLY is making this work for me though is The Floor is Lava (all standing, no mat work). What?? A helpful setting with a cool name? I love it. And while it technically didn’t have me standing the whole time (lots of kneeling and exercises in the tabletop position) it didn’t require a mat and generally had my head up.  Folks - IT’S WORKING! Every morning I put the kettle on, start my workout, and just pause it whenever the tea needs something. My blood gets pumping and I’m just a little bit sore which makes me want to move my body more. Plus I get to start the day feeling proud of myself and maybe a little morally superior, which is ironically morally wrong but also motivating. Lowering the bar waaaaay down really did get me started. I might take it up a notch next week, but maybe not. The key is to do something every day until it’s just part of life. I’m not exactly buff or anything, but something is better than nothing and it should tide me over until I can get back in the gym again. 'Till then I'll be using tea time to wiggle it. Just a little bit. 🙄 If you like this post, consider liking and sharing! Maybe someone you know would like to learn more about me and my work at Entirely Possible! And if you would like help creating great content like this, let's connect on my contact page for more information about what Entirely Possible! can do for you. * While exercise and talk about how to start an exercise habit can be helpful and healthy for many, some folks have unhealthy or traumatic connections with exercise. Content warnings allow readers to prepare themselves for challenging content and to decide whether or not they want to keep reading. ** In case you're curious, my recommendations in this post are not affiliate links (I'm not that cool yet) just stuff I actually like and think you might like too.
 A few weeks ago my family was taking a walk across a frozen lake. It was my mother-in-law’s first time walking on water and it was pretty great to be reminded what magic this is. The sun sparkled on the fresh snow. People were ice skating along a frozen path where snow had been swept off the lake. These were wonderful but not unexpected pleasures. Then we came across a square of open water surrounded by a caution fence. A tattooed long-haired, hipster-looking guy (not pictured) was getting ready to go in the water! I suppose I had vaguely heard of such a thing in some back corner of my mind -- but to see it! My spouse was immediately intrigued, asking all kinds of practical questions about how one would accomplish such a feat safely. As we left the lake he said, “We’re coming back tomorrow. And we’re bringing the kid. We’re going to jump in the lake!” I was not interested. It seemed scary. It seemed like something beyond my capabilities. It seemed like something for tattooed hipster men demonstrating their fortitude. I refused this adventure but offered to take photos, hold towels, and holler un-helpful advice from the sidelines. The next day we came back with our teenage kiddo and a brave friend. The three of them actually did it! They stripped down to swimsuits, socks, gloves, and hats -- and got in the freezing lake! When it was over, spouse and kiddo said it was great. It was shocking! Invigorating! Adventurous! I was kinda jealous. So I just decided to do it. I can do anything for 60 seconds, right? I made the commitment, despite my misgivings, and told my spouse to hold me to it. The next time the sun was shining we were going to jump in the lake! We invited another friend and her teenage kiddo and an hour before sunset we arrived again at the hole in the ice. No turning back now. The first step was to strip down to a swimsuit! In winter! It wasn’t so bad actually. (You should maybe try it even if you don’t have a lake to jump into). My confidence was boosted! My adrenaline was kicking in! It was adventure time!  I don’t think I would have had the guts to do it alone, but together we all sat on the edge of the ice on a yoga mat. (We’d picked up that tip from tattoo man). We held our legs out straight over the water, ready to slide in all at once. (Don’t just dip your toes in, he’d said, you have to commit!).  And in we went. HOLY COW IT WAS COLD! But honestly, I didn’t hate it. Except for my toes. My toes hated it.  Our goal was to stay in for 60 seconds, but I didn’t make it that long. Because toes.  When I got out I felt like a million bucks! I was a little bummed I hadn’t stayed in the 60 seconds. I realized when it was over that I had the capacity and I just hadn’t given myself the chance. But, I’d faced my fears! I’d tried a new thing! I was living life to the fullest! And I had a serious glow from the ice-cold water.
It might sound cheesy, but it also got me thinking about other aspects of my life. What else was I intrigued about but avoiding? What other invigorating opportunity was I missing because I thought it was only for stronger, edgier, cooler people? Lessons from jumping in a lake:
In other words, sometimes even if you’re not “ready,” even if you’re not “sure,” you have to just jump in! And so with this post, I jump into my Spark Possible! Blog. This will be an opportunity for you to get to know me as a person, as a writer, and as a justice-oriented writing consultant. Let the adventure begin. |
