First off, I hope you are able to stay safe during this planet-wide quarantine!
Thank you for subscribing to my ramblings ~ I’ll slowly be transitioning this outlet to the announcement arm of my digital presence; as I’ve found a way to create the blog structure I seek.
If you’d like to unsubscribe, my apologies for the trouble; please, scroll to the bottom of the email, and there’s a link for ya!
So without any further adieu … today’s story.
An idea is conceived …
The original idea emanated from a pitch I sent to Outco.io hoping to help them promote their incredible Software Engineer Accelerator program!
Though due to current circumstances, most everyone is having to scale back their expenditures. And they are no exception; while this project was one of items left on the cutting room floor.
Though with the right mindset, can I turn this obstacle into a blessing?
I think so.
Why not continue building the idea?! Could I find other sponsors?
How to make money online ~
This has always been the dream! Right?
First things first, you need to have an idea that has value; which is no easy task. Even then, once you have the idea you need to execute the idea with consistency. A concept I have struggled with, like few others.
So if I ever wanted to make this whole digital nomad, location-independent lifestyle work; I needed to fix that first.
What could I do consistently, while maintaining the requisite enthusiasm to continue for the long-term??
I love talking to people and learning from them ~ so a podcast seems like an excellent opportunity.
But now I needed to figure out a direction, niche, or some other method of cohesion. There are more than enough people creating content just to hear the sound of their own voice; and while I can’t dismiss the sentiment, I want to know that I’m providing value!
OutcoSF was an incredible program for me; it was my first time being in an educative setting, consistently interacting with diverse individuals, and learning from a cultural myriad of instructors.
Whenever I have experiences such as that, I immediately want to help them expand and let others know that there is a safe place for us.
So I had an idea, and I shared it with them ~
The 5Qi Podcast is born:
Five questions and an introduction.
Easy. Each week I ask a few folks the same five questions, document their responses — and huzzah, instant content.
For Outco, the idea was to interview recent alumni. The content would be a promotional tool for their program; as well as tasty displays of aptitude and sociability for recent alum.
Welp, why not transition those same questions to non-alumni?
Boom; that’s it exactly!
So what are the five question:
What was one of your favorite problems to solve?
What is your biggest difficulty when solving problems?
How do you relax from the task of solving problems?
What are your primary skills & interests?
What are you hoping to learn over the next year?
A sixth question provides the introduction: who are you?
One of the ideas that was impressed upon us as Outco-ers was that, as developers and coders, we are problem solvers.
Though aren’t we all problem solvers in manner of speaking; to be human is to be forced to attempt solving the problem(/anxiety) of our existence.
I want to learn how others solve their problems!
Not just technical obstacles, but life obstacles.
So, back to you.
Wanna chat?
A few examples
Now I couldn’t expect you to jump into a conversation without some type of precedence for my own capacity to hold a safe space for you.
I’ve tried the ol’ podcast format a few times. My latest approach resulted in a few episodes for a concept called TalkBrownNow!
Though, to be forthright, while diversity is important to me, I prefer not to rely on the theme of race as a cornerstone for conversation.
Nonetheless, what follows are a few examples of my conversational style:
Parisian doctoral student Samantha Joecke was my neighbor for a time here in Colombia, studying the creation of gender in public spaces. We discussed her studies and reflections for over an hour.
G-Rock was a former landscaping co-worker of mine. We worked in an affluent suburb; and talked about the experience from both sides of the racial lens. Sad to say, it’s not a pretty picture we paint.
My aspiration to pursue more uplifting conversations with 5Qi.
Both of these episodes have since been deleted from my anchor.fm account, to clean the slate. Though if you’d like to listen to them, they are still available for Patreon supporters.
And for those interested in listening to the ideas that instigated the concept for TalkBrownNow! ~ here’s the introductory episode:
It would be an incredible honor to learn about some of the problems you’ve solved in your life.
How do you take a break from the task of solving problems?
And what are you hoping to learn over the next solar cycle?
Thank you so much for taking the time to investigate thus far!
Feel free to send me an email if you’re open to the conversation.
I hope y’all are able to stay safe, now and forevermore.
Peaces,
c.
Culture Clap is a trans-racial adoptee creating community tech-tools and resources to help others learn how to code. You can support their work through Patreon; or join their community on Discord.