I saw this quote recently that had an impact on me. Someone said “Post your content. It doesn’t matter who is watching or how nervous you feel. It’s valuable.” So often, I get in my head over how other people will view the things I post, including this entire blog. For the longest, I didn’t post anything on my Instagram story because it didn’t seem that anyone cared for the content I created. Truthfully, it still doesn’t seem like many people care, but I’m pushing myself to not let that be a deterrent for me. 

Everytime I create something new, I try to disregard the whisper of “What if no one likes it? What if no one purchases it or supports it?” because those thoughts are unproductive and are more of a hindrance than a legit warning beacon. I believe that with effort, people will believe in me and what I’m doing. I also believe that what’s for me, is for me and there’s nothing that can stop what the Lord has destined for me during my lifetime.

So often I look at other content creators and I’m in awe at how easy content creation seems for them. But then I quickly remind myself that I don’t know what’s going on in the background for them to produce a funny Instagram video or even an hour long YouTube video. It’s easy to compare my journey to someone else’s but I’m determined to forge my own path, my own way. There’s a lot of unconventional nuances that make me Jessica Marie and it would be silly to try to remove those characteristics from my content. 

While I’m not the most popping or vocal on social media, writing these blogs with the idea that someone someday will stumble upon them brings me enough joy to keep persevering and perfecting my craft (whatever that is). My interests/skills are widely varied, which keeps things interesting but sometimes makes it hard to prioritize what I want to work on at any given moment. 

For example, I design and create planners for Mary Kay Consultants and Directors to use and for the past three years I’ve only offered a six month edition. Starting this summer, I want to offer quarterly editions as well so I’ve been hammering out the design of those to get them ready (as much as I can before the new Seminar Year kicks off of course). I also am debating on whether I want to offer personalization for the three different editions along with two additional dated and undated editions. In total, I’d be offering six different options so customers can really customize their planning tool for a better experience. 

Of course I could’ve left the designs for the daily and monthly pages the same, but I think people will appreciate the variation, especially those that have purchased previously. I’ve also branched into creating some meeting notebooks that are short but are cuter than just a plain spiral bound book. I also enjoy creating postcards, business cards, retractable banners, and other physical products. 

On the other hand, I have had some ideas of making educational videos on YouTube over the tools and strategies I teach my clients during our sessions. I’ve gone through the hassle of extensively planning out content, organizing topics, thinking through appropriate sequences so the content flows together, preemptively titling episodes, and I’ve even started writing a few scripts. But ask me if I’ve made any legit attempts at grabbing screenshots of the content and putting it together to form a video? Have I recorded a voice over yet? Nope. 

I hype myself up that it’s a great idea but if I don’t make actual progress during the moments when I feel most inspired and motivated, I end up thinking myself out of acting. The biggest hurdle to get over is often ourselves. I plan on actually making some educational YouTube videos and if nothing else, at least just selling them as a course or something that’s pretty low maintenance after production. 

I wouldn’t say that I’m insecure about the content, planners, or products that I design and create, but I would say that I definitely over analyze sometimes. Call it the perfectionist in me. I hate if I miss a date in my planner purely because I don’t want to put out a bad product for others to judge me off of. I have my own unique process that includes lists, many edits, scripts, and much planning but ultimately, I’m pretty happy with the results that process provides. 

All in all, taking the fear out of posting, creating, and selling is definitely still a work in progress for me. Everytime I do, it makes the next time a little bit easier. To get things done, I have to make up my mind and just do it. If I fail, at least I can say that I tried and I learned new lessons along the way. But if I succeed, hey, that’s a new chapter just waiting to be written. 

Signed, 

Jessica Marie