After about a year of deliberating, I started a podcast. Well, I technically started it a few weeks ago with a trailer, but this week I uploaded my first episode.

It’s terrifying.

Making the leap from writing to speaking – on the cheap

I should point out that the podcast isn’t related to my art or design work, but it’s part of my personal finance blog. After years of blogging I’ve got hundreds of posts published and a good amount of those are what bloggers refer to as evergreen, so converting them into audio format is a good idea.

Besides being a way to expand my content (such a strange and unsettling word and concept, content) it felt like a way to reconnect with the blog. Since pouring more time into weekly blogging here, I’ve been pulling away from the money blog, and I don’t want that downward slide to continue.

Being able to talk about topics that are more concept-based than just the SEO-driven plain old answers to googlers’ questions is very appealing to me right now. Not that I really think anyone will be flocking to listen, but I just feel like varying my approach a bit. Getting the thing made, now, took a bit of time.

My tools for starting a podcast

In short, I chose Podcast.co, and used my old mic and M-Audio usb interface to record on my laptop. After fishing around for stock audio I decided against the entire idea and recorded a few seconds of noodling on my acoustic guitar.

Well, the age of the equipment showed, as the audio was hissy and terrible. I’d run the trailer through Auphonic but that wasn’t helping the episode I’d just recorded – it was a bit disheartening.

I hadn’t even downloaded Audacity yet, but when I did, I couldn’t work out how to use it. Blender all over again, it looked like. Still, it didn’t take as long to figure it out, thanks to memories of fiddling with GarageBand over a decade ago, and plenty of help from YouTube.

Oh, and my pop filter was made from an old odd sock pulled over a lampshade holder. It isn’t very good, to be fair.

This week’s portrait was a rushed affair, but that felt appropriate. The entire week has felt rushed – one side effect of taking on the school run as my husband couldn’t. The blogs, the artwork, the podcast, just day to day life itself – would all be so much harder without my husband’s help, so let it be known to all and sundry how much I appreciate him!

Last week

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