From Print Design to Podcasting, the Scenic Route to Creativity

BobWP:
Hey this is BobWP and moving over to Open Makers by myself, I wanted to share with you something I’ve made a bit of rebranding on BobWP, a new blog and a new podcast. So I figure after 35 years plus of doing things like print design, web design, teaching, coaching, building podcasts, messing up, quitting things, coming back to square one. My experiments, my mistakes, even the embarrassing ones, I wanted a place that felt honest, light, a bit sarcastic. Because that’s me and Brill. The site is called Bob’s Wild Pathways and it really fits well under the domain bobwp.com it’s my digital home. It’s where I’ll share things I’ve learned, you know, the detours I’ve taken and what’s next. A lot of people know me from all my pivots. I’m not going to do any filler, no fluff, just good stories, insights for people who like to wander off the straight path and see what that gets you.

So first, a podcast, which is ironically called Bob’s Wild Pathways. What can you expect from that? Short stories in 10 minutes or less. Likely the majority will be less than five minutes. These will be actual experiences. I’ll share moments that shape me, change my thinking, broke my ideas, rebuilt them again, on and on and on. It’s just going to be me. I’m not going to have co hosts, I’m not going to have guests, but not going to have music. Just me. Hopefully I’ll add a little bit of humor, some sarcasm. And yes, probably you will get some lessons. Maybe useful, maybe only mildly so, but hope it’s a little bit entertaining. So if you’ve ever wondered what the heck happened between that design job Bob did, that blog, that failed idea, that podcast. Like you to check out my new podcast, Bob’s Wild Pathways.

And then there’s a blog. I’m calling it the Scenic Route. I’m doing that basically to kind of follow the branding of the name of the site but also think of it this way. You’re traveling along, you have certain destinations in mind, but then you decide to take the scenic route. So with that in mind and using your imagination, these posts will be my thoughts, observations, opinions, just reflections from the scene crowd. You know, pull over and think about things. So if you think about it, the podcast is about the big moments, the stories. The blog is about the daily wanderings, small ideas that popped up at midnight, thoughts I’ve had that will sometimes land, sometimes don’t. But always candid.

So maybe you’re curious about what it’s like to run a business. A mashup of design, web tech, teaching, podcasting, all together decisions that sometimes work, sometimes don’t. Maybe you’ll like the stories and listens without the sugar coating. What I hope you get from this is a sense that you’re not alone. If you made those mistakes, pivoted, changed paths, done things out of order, maybe a few laughs, some face palms and oh yeah, I’ve done that moment too. Maybe even ideas you can take into your own business or creative work.

Now the fact is, this particular episode is under Open Makers, so I guess I need to divulge a little bit about the site build. You might be curious about it, you might not. Now, for someone who hasn’t really built a site for, I’m thinking a few years, literally, as most people in my position are, what I really wanted is little hassle and little pain as possible. The site’s been on WordPress.com for a while and continues to be. I notched it up to the business plan and it just keeps flowing. So no changes there. I’m using the theme Blocksy and although I tried to build something from scratch, I thought, well, let me see if I can do that. But in the end I realized creating sites for me these days are not on the top of my list. I just wanted to start creating the content more than the side. So I used one of the starter sites. It comes with Blocksy. I tweaked it a bit to my needs and after some work it works perfectly. Now I’m not saying everything went perfect as the little needs came along or I had to figure something out. Touching more on blocks, patterns, digging in a little bit. Part of it is stuff I’ve learned with tweaking this side here, but you know, it was a good experience. I’m still using Castos for podcast hosting and their plugin Seriously Simple Podcasting. Because for now I need something seriously simple. What are some of the other parts of course I’m using Jetpack, which for me has just become a natural part of most of my sites over the years. There’s a handful of plugins that were installed with the business plan. I got a WordPress.com and really not much more than that. Guess you could call it lean and wild, but not really.

All I know is that I’m glad the site is done running smoothly for now and now it’s time for all the content. Oh, by the way, I do have a donation page. I decided, you know, nobody really does donation pages. Yeah, right. Anyway, because keeping the site going, even though I enjoy it, takes time. Coffee, maybe an occasional cocktail. If you enjoy what I share there or even here and you want to help feel it. It’s a simple way to say thanks. No pressure, but always appreciated. So if you haven’t, go check out bobwp.com have a look around. I. I think I’m on episode three of the podcast, coming out the same day as this podcast. And yeah, listen, read about the journey, subscribe to the site or to the podcast on your favorite app. Always appreciate you coming in, listening here. And if you go to omnisend.com open channels and use open channels, the code, you’ll get 30% off your first three months of any paid plan. So that’s a heck of a deal. So again, thanks for dropping in and until the next time.