Please enjoy my new Lyric video/ original worship song: "In His Name!"
RADIO SILENT
No, your spam box hasn't spirited away all your EVEX blog post notifications; I've not been writing. Does such a thing as online absence require explanation? I’ve been told inconsistency leads to mistrust, which leads to apathy, and eventually departure. This is often true with face to face relationships, but does it hold true in the virtual world?
I have not been posting on social media either. Social media "experts" say this will kill your channel, and in fact Instagram's vindictive sociopath algorithm actually punishes (yes they use this word) you for neglecting your feed; there are actual methods for reviving your "dead account" which all sound like that compromised position of crawling back to an abuser who holds your next meal.
Upping the ante, they also tell you not to post "just anything", but to make sure your posts have substance, focus, and - if you're really smart - contain a CTA: Call To Action. You can also be punished for not being “on brand” enough with your audience and tags, so make sure you post frequently...but it better be freaking good! So, Zuckerberg, go ahead and punish me. I’ve been a bad bad avatar: I have nothing to say.
Pish Posh. I always have something to say. I still have a long list of blog post ideas, there are stories that need to be told, and most importantly: people that need to hear the Gospel. But I've been re-examining the approach - a thought-process that has rendered me introspectively mum.
I have been busy though! - writing and producing songs like the one I shared above, I lead worship for two church services each week, I’m in a legit band (first time in 13 years!), I did a mission trip to Esperanza last month, I've been working on a considerable commissioned project (see below!) and I've still got that single mom gig...
The boy, and Esperanza (with Dogs and Diane the Director)
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO GOOGLE
But in regards to blogging, I came to the conclusion that I want to do more audio/visual presentations, so I started to compile snippets, compose soundtracks, and construct storyboards. I researched vlogging and video editing. I have been waiting to post a video so I could be all like, "TADA!"
Then it hit me this won't be any time soon. Organizing all my assets - not to mention my thoughts - takes crazy time. And I'm OK with that. I realized something else was the main reason I wasn't compelled to post:
Coming off a year of business branding and coaching, I felt guilty for committing this cardinal sin of inconsistency. There are professional charts on how often and even when during the day a person MUST roll out the Instagram prayer rug and bow. When I first started neglecting this schedule, I felt naughty, like I was sleeping in on a Sunday and skipping church...
And that's when it began to sink in: I was done with the religiosity of social media. While I don't believe it entirely controlled my life, it did have a foothold, and I was feeling the pressure of its pharisitical boot.
I recently heard a different take on posting, particularly pertaining to YouTube, which is where I plan to post my vlogs, while also trying out a few alternative video platforms. This take states that consistency doesn’t matter as much as quality - quality being defined as what the audience is interested in watching, more so than referring to technical skill. If people enjoy your content, they will watch it whenever you put it out.
I’m glad I took business coaching. I’m appreciative of informative videos with “tips and tricks” and how-to’s, and the click-baity “Mistakes I made and how to avoid them” tutorials. But I refuse to have my productivity dictated by AI. I am willing to accept the title Content Creator, but I don't want to be a social media influencer making people spend more time on digital platforms; I want to be a John the Baptist, encouraging people to spend more time with the Lord. If a digital platform and the Lord intersect with a blog post, a music video, a podcast…alrighty then!
In terms of a posting schedule, I defer to Ecclesiastes 3:7:
[There is] a time to be silent and a time to speak.
What a relief.
While I am speaking...one more thing to mention:
IN HIS NAME: THE PROMISE BIBLE STUDY PROJECT
Another reason I’ve been MIA is due to a project I’ve been undertaking called Promise Bible Study. I am honored to be the Creative Director, which means I design the website, collect all the data to edit and upload, create promotional materials such as newsletters and videos, etc. PBS has blessed me for 6 years now, each year growing in depth of involvement and number of participants.
We officially launch this season called In His Name, on March 15th. For 40 Consecutive days, a different video devotional will be sent to those signed up - each day focused on a different name of God as given in scripture, presented by different church leaders from around the world. My creative juices have been flowing in this direction for a number of months and will continue to do so for the next couple.
I would be honored and delighted by your participation with Promise Bible Study. I’ve been prepping everything for the launch, growing more excited by the day to share the devotionals and this time of united prayer and Biblical focus with you all (there are a few Misfit Church members presenting as well)!
Here’s the introduction/invitational video I created for the project:
And here’s where you can sign up!
AhHA! There's my CTA ;)
In the coming months, look forward with me to what’s currently in the works:
Original fully produced worship songs on Spotify!
More Livestream events!
Music videos!
Vlogs! (Visual storytelling with my own musical soundtracks, prosaic voiceovers, vanlife progress, the Gospel message)
Thanks for listening when it’s time to speak. It feels really good to be writing again.
Gratefully and Humbly Yours,
Liz aka The Other Mary
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