True Life... I'm a Content Hoarder

“Hey MTV!”

*Takes a long dramatic walk to the camera while scrolling through my google photos album*

“My name is Frances, I’m from the DMV and I’m a….

*long dramatic sigh*

…content hoarder!!!”

And if you’re reading this, you may be one too or you may have a friend or family member suffering from this same condition. This has got to be a silent pandemic! What is it about posting your own personal creative content that just seems so daunting? Y’all, I’m talking event organization and creative content from 2015. Two more years and it will be a whole decade. I don’t know what’s wrong with meeee!!! I think I may hoard content for a couple reasons; the first thing coming to mind is perfectionism and aesthetics.

I’m an aesthetics girly. Through and true. I am a card-carrying member of the “Is it giving?” collective (IIGC is a real thing, we have a coat of arms, get non-profit tax deductions, have a group motto “IS IT GIVINGGG?!” and everything. hahaa!). On a serious note, for me it’s just gotta look a certain way. It’s gotta feel a certain way and jump off the page ever so elegantly - it’s gotta have that jay-nay-say-crocs. I think the French call it “je nais se quois”…but who really knows if the French really meant to say what I call it instead :). And it’s them “Janae Monae Crocs” type of pressure that particularly keeps me stuck. And hesitant. And stubbornly resistant to posting the content I should have posted years ago. For me, it’s just gotta be perfect. Not only the content itself has to be perfect but also the way it appears on the social media feed.

““I think the French call it “je nais se quois”…but who really knows if the French really meant to say what I call it instead.””

— Quote Source

I find that this expectation of mine is so paramount to me that it becomes an arresting force. And quite frankly, a blocking force to my growth and expansion of my customer base. Let’s face it, the algorithms expect content and lots of it. So of what use is my perfection if it costs me progress in the end?

That’s deep. And as I’m typing this, I can think about other reasons outside of perfection that I think I will touch on in posts to come. But right now, I’m fixated on breaking the mold that has kept me stuck for so long. *Cue Shackles by Mary Mary* So I’m going to end this blog entry here and BREAK FREE BABY! I’m going to time myself in getting this published. I’m not going to take more than 5 minutes on proofreading this. And I’m not going to take more than 5 minutes choosing the perfect picture header for this post. So if there are a couple wrong verb tenses in this thang, or if the picture thumbnail of this post ends up being the fingernails of a donkey - you’ll know why.

We breaking free baby! And we gonna make sure it’s still “giving” while we’re at it.

Following my own advice

Well hello everyone,

Welcome to my first blog entry on ADEWorks. This is a place I hope to share my honest feelings, hopes, frustrations, excitements, wins or “L’s” as an emerging business owner. I hope this blog let’s others know they’re not alone as they navigate this space of entrepreneurship. And I hope this blog inspires seasoned business owners to mentor other young owners like myself.

As someone breaking ground on a self-titled “creative consulting industry”, I gotta admit: I’m scared. I mean, what the heck is a creative consultant, and why do they need a platform? That’s what I thought to myself when I finally arrived at what I was going to tailor this business to. Since founding and launching ADEWorks in 2015, I found myself in a whirlwind of emotions. I felt great because I finally did what I said what I was going to do - and what everyone had been telling me to do (LOL). But after I launched, I honestly felt lost. I had so many great ideas, so many campaigns in my mind, and so many different types of businesses reaching out to me - man, it was a lot. I was busy - but just busy doing a lot of everything. I found myself overwhelmed without focus and a clear vision. So I took a break. A long one. I felt bad at first. But as time went on, I felt confident that I had made the right decision. This break showed me what I truly love doing while showing me that I don’t have to drown myself in that love 24/7. It showed me how powerful silence is. And it showed me that “I don’t know” is an answer in itself. I listened more, journaled more, spoke to other business owners - and I got my vision back on track.

That sounds all good and enlightening - but here’s the problem…I didn’t know how to end the break. I got super comfortable in my break. I mean, I didn’t have to keep myself to deadlines, I didn’t have to worry about making content, and I didn’t have to do all the boring business paperwork stuff. But it got to the point where I was just using this break as a crutch and a distraction from the real work. And ever so often, I would feel a bubble welling up inside me to get back to business. But chiiile, I brushed it off and allowed myself to get so buried in other work that I couldn’t see I was also burying myself.

But thank goodness for a distraction that turned out to be my unlikely awakening. TikTok. The sheer amount of creatives just doing their thing and pushing out content sparked something in me. It reminded me of the reason I started AdeWorks in the first place - to be a platform and service that can help encourage even the wackiest ideas. All over TikTok, young business owners are “winging it” and winning. I saw myself in so many places and I saw that I was also leaving an important piece of AdeWorks - creating beautiful items with my own hands. TikTok popped that welling bubble and rang a liberty bell in me - Instead of trying to split myself into well-outlined boxes, I can be everything at once.

So here I am again, ready to take on my business and mantra to help creatives like me get their vision off the ground while also breaking forth into new territory. And honestly, who else better to help other creatives than someone like me who found a way to beat the never ending break? I’m taking another chance and another go at this thing. And I feel good about being everything at once. Instead of letting my fears and outside ideas overwhelm me, I’m going to use them to propel me. I hope this will encourage someone to take the next step in their business, project, idea, goal, or whatever. If you’re overwhelmed, you’re not alone. If you just need a break, take it. Having a hard time breaking your break like me? Find something encouraging that reminds you of your passions.

We can wing it, and still win.

In the spirit of breaking breaks, I am happy to announce that I’m breaking ground on the first of hopefully many specially crafted goods. My featured goods will all be intricately hand-made by me and follow a particular theme or be in tandem with the current season. This first crafted good is super special to me because it kicks off my favorite (and in my opinion, most fabulous) time of year. To my friends that I’ve been promising this craft to, the wait is over y’all!

It’s giving frosty, fierce, and fabulous :)

I can’t wait to share it with you all. Keep an eye on this space.