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ifeelallwrite · 3 years

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Let’s talk about Hospital Playlist. (KDRAMA REVIEW)

note: does contain spoilers

When people ask me what is my favorite Korean drama of all time, with no doubt, IT’S HOSPITAL PLAYLIST. This drama has the comic relief, the emotional scenes, realistic characters-just to name a few. No toxic relationships and petty revenge fights. Nothing else will stop me for saying that this is the ultimate feel good drama.

SYNOPSIS: The drama shows insights into the daily lives of doctors and nurses working at Yulje Medical Hospital. It focuses on 5 doctors who have been friends since medical school, who also play together as a band.

This drama encompasses so many elements and characters so bear with me yo this might be real long

Hospital Playlist is produced/written by the Shin-Lee PD and writer pairing, whose previous works were the renowned Reply trilogy and Prison Playbook (which are *chef’s kiss*) I really like that all their dramas really highlight humanism, and puts emphasis on creating a heartwarming and realistic series. There isn’t always a major conflict to be resolved, but instead it showcases how different people-in this case mostly those in the medical field-go on about their daily lives. I also liked their reasoning to produce a medical drama which was that hospitals were where the most dramatic moments occurred, for example during births, deaths or sickness. And since we are still in the Covid-19 pandemic, it ties in greatly to be paying homage to all the medical personnel saving lives. Hence, props to those who were involved in this meaningful masterpiece <3

The drama is not the usual 16 episodes, but has 12 episodes for each season (SEASON 2 IS COMING SOON YAAS) Good thing is I felt that they were still able to weave a dynamic storyline in the first season even with lesser episodes. The writing was just top-notch with the witty humor bits. Additionally, the music is AMAZING. I love the concept of the main characters being a band and playing different songs every episode too.

Okay, now onto the characters. I thought that every character in this drama was well rounded. Starting of with the main five characters, also known as The 99ers, whose distinctive personalities and natural chemistry make all of them extremely likeable. All main characters are professors of different specialties, and I find the male OB-GYN (Seokhyeong) and female neurosurgeon (Songhwa) very refreshing. Also, I like Shin-Lee dramas always have characters that might be realistic yet hardly seen in other dramas or films. For example, Professor Ahn Jeongwon. Despite being a chaebol (inheritor/heir), he isn’t depicted as a spoilt brat or a cold character, instead as a warm Pediatric doctor who uses his wealth to secretly support patients in need. However it makes him stingy to his friends LOL

To be honest, I really thought I was gonna dislike Junwan due to his cold and tsundere nature. I pretty much believed that he was going to be the party pooper type of the bunch, but with the writer being a master of character development, he turned out to be really sincere and hilarious at times. Same for Ikjun, who apart from his enthusiastic and happy go lucky exterior, cares the most about the people around him. Although Seokhyeong seemed detached and introverted, he shows a emotional side to his friends as well as his mother. Songhwa is literally a girlboss though haha she’s smart, capable and gets along with everyone well. And she’s the most sane out of the bunch.

With all the main characters, we have the relationships. Junwan is the first to date seriously with Iksun (the dog or Micky? jkjk) who is Ikjun’s sister. When it first happened I was like not again Jung Kyung Ho (bc he dated his best friend’s sis in prison playbook too LMAO) I think their relationship was realistic and open. It also showed a more sensitive side to Junwan who would do anything for her. I especially liked how he said he didn’t need access to her phone because he trusted her. Yet as all couples do, they have their fair share of ups and downs. Like conflicts on getting married and a long distance relationship as Iksun moves overseas for graduate studies. I don’t really know how to take the ambiguous ending for these two, as Junwan receives the returned box (that has the ring he sent) I really hope nothing bad happens to these two though.

I’m sure we all love Wintergarden couple though, tbh they’re kinda my OTP at the moment 🤣 It was pretty much a ‘will they won’t they’ relationship with a relatively slow build. I think Gyeoul turned out to be one of my favourite characters. Shin Hyun Been did a good job at portraying her as a straightforward but innocent Resident, who is pretty much openly crushing on Jeongwon. The scenes they had together were adorably awkward (and the scene where he gives her chocopies omg) And when Jeongwon battles his inner conflict to become a priest, the final decision where they kiss was beautifully shot, with the actors both showcasing their emotions extremely well.

Then we have Chihong who pursues Songhwa, his professor. Midway through the drama, it is also shown that Ikjun and Songhwa might have had romantic feelings for each other. Songhwa ends up rejecting Chihong’s confession. In my opinion, Chihong was quite a interesting character but I didn’t really like him at the end. (I like the actor though) He did a real jerk move during drinking games, insisting on Ikjun to confess his feelings towards her even though he is already trying not to put Songhwa in an awkward spot. Although his character did end up making a cool exit and when I thought about his incredible story of soldier to doctor, I kinda regret disliking him that much. As for IkSong, In the final episode Ikjun confesses to her one last time, and we are left waiting for Songhwa’s reply. As much as I love this pairing, I don’t think that the ship will sail or maybe not as quickly as we think. I believe Songhwa would meticulously consider the sacrifices to their friendship or other aspects and might not be able to bring herself to it, but I hope it’s otherwise.

Lastly not forgetting Seokhyeong and Minha, another Professor+resident pairing. This one’s a bit ambiguous though, mainly because there hasn’t been much romantic development. To me, the most impactful scene came from Minha who had been irritated by continuous night shifts and was on the verge of a breakdown. She ended up remarkably saving a patient, starting off surgery on her own for the first time. Oh man Minha was such a lovable character, I remember feeling so bad for her but extremely proud of her for her accomplishment. Although Seokhyeong seemed a bit aloof and distant (which was intentional bc he’s an introvert) I think the backstory and all the hardships he faced with his family really made me feel for him. I hate to break it to you, but I’m not so sure if the ship will sail because of the phone call from his ex-wife and Minha’s somewhat rejected confession. But who knows, they might pull off a twist 👀

Apart from all these characters, there are more characters HHAHAH However, I think this is the killing point of ShinLee dramas. Unlike typical dramas which usually focuses on a main character and 2-3 side characters, they like to cast a diverse range of actors (especially those from theatre/musicals and lesser known drama/movie actors) while actually give their characters personality or a reason to be there. I’ve seen many dramas where extras or side characters were kind of irrelevant thus making me feel that they weren’t needed to build the storyline, yet ShinLee dramas hit different y’all. Every role, no matter how small, holds significance to the drama. It really seemed like a collaborative work that shows off every actors skills (and not forgetting staffs) and teamwork.

Anyways because there are way too many characters and too many scenes for me to mention them all, I’ll just talk about some honourable mentions heheh

1. Sunbin and Seokmin confession scene (ahh so cute)

I kinda sensed that they liked each other at the start but I didn’t know Seokmin would ask her out on a date at the end. Even though it’s kinda awkward that they are dating and working with each other though (both are in the same department) but hey the confession was cute and awkward and just warm and fuzzy 🥰

2. MAMA ROSA IS THE QUEENN

I think we all (would) love Mama Rosa because she’s a real one ☝️ (probably the coolest mother ever) She’s feisty, hilarious and kind to others. Plus her friendship with Ju Jong Su was just adorable and super wholesome. The scenes where they were supporting one another through tough times and hanging out with each other when they felt lonely always put a smile on my face. Oh and how Mama Rosa treated Gyeoul was extremely sweet. (as well as Seokhyeong’s mother) Despite her tough exterior, she’s a likeable character for being a strong but caring woman.

3. Just Do Jae Hak

I seriously love this guy so muchhh omg he’s so funny

Do Jae Hak has a funny amd clumsy personality, though it’s clear he’s been through a lot and is strong willed person. From admitting his indecisiveness to counselling Jun Wan on his love issues, there’s literally nothing to hate about him.

4. Uju and his dadd

The father and son chemistry between these two is so good omg. The scenes with these two are so adorable and heartwarming (not to mention hilarious) It’s amazing to see how Ikjun cares so much for Uju despite his hectic workdays while going through infidelity issues with his ex-wife. Uju is matured for his age and shows his love and appreciation for his dad too, making their interaction a great portrayal of a healthy family relationship💞

5. the food stealing the show🥘

Who doesn’t love food and when a show has great food scenes? Some of the best scenes are definitely when the 99s gather to eat. It really showcases each character’s personality with the tiniest details as well as highlight warm delicious meals. Just don’t watch this when you’re hungry at 2am in the morning guys you’ll be drooling all over your screens HAHAHA

Of course there are way more aspects, like Hongdo and Yoonbok, Ikjun and Iksun’s pigeon jokes and raps, or Jeongwon drunk crying in the chicken shop with his brother (who was his coach in Reply 1994 when he played Chilbong LOL)

Most importantly, I think it is the themes and messages that you get from the drama that really create such a lasting impression. Not only does it hit you in the feels with the hardships of hospital patients, or the hardworking doctors+nurses who are working long shifts saving lives, it also tackles topics of friendships through the possibilities of platonic and friends-to-lovers relationships. However I think the biggest lesson for me came from Seokhyeong, who learns to live his life doing what he want, with the people he treasures. Although the drama might seem slow at times (mainly because there isn’t really a main plot line/conflict occurring), but this drama would still bring you on a journey where you would laugh, cry and finish the series, begging for season 2 ✌🏻

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murasaki-murasame · 3 years

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Thoughts on Higurashi Gou Ep22

All of this ‘the culprit’s motives are super shallow and they’re just unhealthily obsessive’ discourse is giving me war flashbacks to . . . . basically every other part of the entire When They Cry franchise, lol.

Thoughts under the cut. [Plus spoilers for Umineko]

I feel like at the end of the day we’re all just gonna have to agree to disagree about how we feel about how Ryukishi is handling Satoko as the culprit here, since I don’t really think any amount of social media posts detailing our interpretations of her character are gonna change anyone’s minds, lol. But I’m still gonna give my thoughts on her anyway because it’s fun, even if I’m basically just preaching to the choir.

To be honest, this feels pretty much in line with how Ryukishi already wrote characters like Takano and Beatrice, in terms of them having unhealthy obsessions that lead them to mass-murder. The amount of violence Satoko has caused is arguably worse than either of them, but they’re all pretty awful if you think about the reality of what they all did as villains.

Sorta like with how a lot of the old-school Umineko discourse went, I think people are too focused on the whole idea of Satoko hating studying, and ignoring everything else about her character and her circumstances. Although even then I feel like people are being kinda unfair toward Satoko about how strongly she feels about academics, but maybe I’m just biased because of my own history with schooling and the intense levels of anxiety and self-hatred that can go along with it.

Plus the fact that Satoko already has a long history of sever abandonment issues, and has basically always had HS that amplified her feelings of paranoia and persecution. It’s pretty obvious at this point that she never really got ‘cured’ in the first place, though it’s less important to think about HS as an in-universe fictional disease with it’s own rules, and more important to just think about it as a representation of real-life mental illnesses which aren’t bound by the rules of made-up brain-worm parasites and aliens or whatever.

Also, the Satoko that started all this looping in the first place was one who never dealt with Teppei returning to the village, and thus never went through her whole character arc related to that. The series is kinda ambiguous about how it handles the idea of people’s character development carrying over between loops, but it explains a lot about Satoko’s attitude here if you go with the idea that she never really had to overcome any of her trauma or coping mechanisms in the “good ending timeline”, and this is the consequence of that taken to it’s logical extreme. The idea of her view of the world being skewed by the fact that she only remembers the “good ending timeline” is also kinda lamp-shaded by the part where she hears about Rika’s looping and is like “oh yeah, that’s the month where we had that cool action movie stand-off with the Mountain Dogs :)”. By the time she really got to understand exactly what was going on beyond the specific timeline she had experienced, she was already way over the edge.

I get why people don’t like the idea of Gou ‘tainting’ the VN’s happy ending, but I honestly like the idea that it’s examining the consequences of how Matsuribayashi was such an overly-specific timeline where basically nothing bad happened and everyone just banded together to beat Takano. It kinda glossed over a lot of the personal problems that the main cast had in the rest of the series, and this really goes to show the effects of some of that stuff not getting properly addressed. It also reminds me that Minagoroshi is a timeline that even in the VN, Rika completely lost her memories of, so I can see how even post-Matsuribayashi she might have never let Satoko know about the details of that one timeline where she overcome her abuse.

I also feel like it only really got to this point because of Featherine’s meddling. In the original Matsuribayashi timeline, Satoko just started drifting away from Rika and ended up wandering into the Saiguden and meeting Featherine before anything actually serious happened in that timeline. I think that if she had just been left to her own devices and that timeline had just kept going, Satoko probably would have either found a way to reconnect with Rika, or they would have just slowly drifted apart for good. But then Satoko got given the power to time travel, and only started going off the deep end after going through another five years of identical suffering.

And on that whole note, it reminds me of how in Umineko, Lambda had a whole conversation about the idea of an abused person becoming an abuser themself if they’re given the power to lash out. Which is basically what’s happening here. Satoko is being given the tools to completely detach herself from reality and try as many times as she likes to get what she wants.

Which also reminds me that this episode in particular REALLY lays the Umineko parallels on thick, lol. Particularly the whole ‘Satoko is turning into Lambda’ thing, which feels just about 100% confirmed now. They straight up have Featherine bring up the exact same ‘monkeys using a typewriter’ analogy to explain Rika’s situation that Lambda uses in Umineko to explain Bern’s situation.

I know a lot of people don’t like the increasingly blatant Umineko tie-ins, and that a lot of people still think it might just be misdirection, but considering how much stuff in Gou has been surprisingly straightforward and predictable, I think it’s pretty much exactly what it seems to be.

Though to be more specific, this is probably more about the start of Lambda and Bern’s relationship, and their appearances in Umineko, rather than the very first origins of them as individuals, if that makes sense. Obviously the concept of Bernkastel as an identity has been around since Higurashi itself, and we’ve known for a long time that Lambda was the one who originally gave Takano her blessing of certainty, but we’ve never known the full details of how those two started their relationship, and Featherine’s whole series of name-drops in the last episode makes it seem like Lambda as a meta individual more or less already exists, with Satoko being an iteration of her. So I think they both technically already exist, but this is how the two of them come into contact and start their whole unhealthily obsessive relationship.

I guess it’s still possible that, even if she’s already existed for a long time as a meta individual, she hasn’t actually come up with the name ‘Lambdadelta’ for herself yet, and this might be where she does so. Even with the list of names Featherine referenced, she didn’t technically bring up Lambda’s name directly. So in that sense this might be ‘Lambda’s’ origin story, even if she already exists.

Considering how basically the entire story at this point seems to be acting in service of setting up the whole LambdaBern relationship dynamic no matter what, I’m becoming increasingly convinced that this will end with Satoko and Rika fully embracing their codependency and mutually ascending to the meta plane so they can stay together once and for all. There might still be human versions of them that stay behind in the real world and continue living normal lives, though.

At the very least, it feels like that’s the logical outcome of the whole Chekov’s Sword Fragment plot device that’s been hanging in the background for ages now. I think it’ll just be the in-universe explanation they use to show the mechanics of how exactly that process works. It’ll probably be used to ‘sever’ Satoko and Rika’s meta consciousnesses from their physical bodies and allow them to basically become witches.

Mainly I just can’t really see this having a ‘happy ending’ at this point, aside from the whole idea that maybe the severing process leaves behind ‘normal’ versions of the two of them who stay in Hinamizawa and go back to their normal lives. I dunno if that’d make people happy, but it’d at least be a way for Ryukishi to have his cake and eat it too, lol.

I just don’t think that there’s any real chance of this ending with them just talking to each other and agreeing to put an end to all this, though. For one thing that’d just feel kinda anticlimactic and honestly make Gou’s story feel even MORE pointless, if it just ends with literally the exact same ending as the VN with nothing really being changed. But I also feel like Featherine wouldn’t be willing to just let Satoko ‘give up’ without having one of them definitively win their current game. In general I just feel like Ryukishi should just commit to the story he’s setting up at this point, instead of just backing out at the last minute and circling everything back to the same ending we already had like nothing in Gou ever happened. If we’re gonna have this whole new story to begin with, it should at least have some lasting consequences.

Anyway, I think in the next episode we’re finally going to loop back to the Damashi arcs and see how they played out. At this point I don’t care too much about getting answers to the ground-level mysteries of those arcs, and I doubt the story will spend much time on that, but I’m curious to see how it progresses Satoko’s whole development through these loops, since I think she goes through some changes with her motives and methods over the course of them.

Specifically I think that the actual experience of being physically present in her own set of loops and causing so much pain and suffering started to get to her, and she might have almost given up in her own way during Tataridamashi and wanted to just stay in that arc, but things went south anyway. Maybe, if that’s what happened, Featherine basically let her know that she won’t let her give up, and will force her to keep looping until one of them ‘wins’ no matter what. Either way, I think that arc was a turning point for her. Like how she asked Featherine to arrange things so that Satoko can make sure that she and Rika’s loops are synced up, she probably asked Featherine after that arc to change the rules again so that Rika will start remembering the details of her deaths. At this point it’s pretty obvious that the Hanyuu fragment Rika was talking to earlier in Gou was more or less just Featherine putting on an act and manipulating her, so the scene of Hanyuu giving her the power to remember her deaths was probably just Featherine telling her about the rule change.

And going by how the Nekodamashi arc went immediately afterward, I think that rule change was related to Satoko becoming increasingly desperate to put an end to the loops as soon as possible. And considering how she was willing to spend so much time reviewing Rika’s hundred years of looping just to prepare for this, it’d make sense to me if she becomes desperate because she basically gives up, but realizes that she isn’t actually allowed to give up, so she has to try and make Rika give in as fast as possible. Either way it’s pretty obvious that Satoko’s methods start becoming more violent in that arc, and she basically tries to brute-force Rika into submission, leading up to the loop where she just spawn-camps her and straight up starts screaming at her to just stay in the village while tearing out her guts. It’s still possible that her attitude in that loop was just one big act, but I think that was the result of her being genuinely desperate to just have Rika give up once and for all, and her starting to crack under the pressure of doing all of these things with her own hands across so many loops.

So now we’ll just have to see how the confrontation between them at the end of Nekodamashi plays out once we get back to it. In the long run I just think it’ll lead to the ending I talked about before, with them using the sword on each other. The exact nuances of how that sorta ending might play out are up in the air, though.

Either way, I think there’s probably enough time to wrap up all that in two more episodes, but there’s still reason to believe that there might be some kind of sequel in the works. I don’t really want to bet on it, though, so I’m just gonna assume that there’s two episodes left and base my theories on that. In which case I think the next episode will go over the Damashi arcs and end with Rika and Satoko’s confrontation at the end of Nekodamashi, and then the final episode will wrap everything up. Considering that they both more or less know exactly what’s going on with each other by that point, there isn’t really that much that needs to be wrapped up. I think that will be the final loop we get, so it’ll all just come down to how their confrontation plays out, and what decision they come to about how to handle each other.

I honestly don’t really know how I think a full sequel would go, if it’s at least one cour long. Assuming that it’s not just a new Umineko anime that more or less continues Rika and Satoko’s arc via Lambda and Bern, but is a straight up ‘Higurashi Gou Season 2′. It just feels like there isn’t really that much that needs to be done to wrap things up, now that everything’s being laid out in the open, and Rika and Satoko are both aware of each other’s looping. They might switch it up so that they both end up teaming up to take down Featherine, but I kinda doubt that’ll happen.

I’m still hoping this is leading into some kind of new Umineko anime though, lol. That feels like it’d be the main reason for putting so much effort into this whole elaborate LambdaBern origin story we’re getting here.

I’ve heard rumors that there’s been listings for a 25th episode of Gou, so it’s possible that rather than another full season, there’s just one extra episode at the end. I’m not exactly sure what the point of doing one extra unannounced episode at the end would be, though. It might end up being a bridge between Gou and a new Umineko anime.

At the very least, if it’s just ‘Satokowashi Part 8′, it makes me wonder why they haven’t announced it yet, and why they didn’t just split that arc into two BD volumes with four episodes each, instead of having it be one big volume with seven episodes, and one random episode at the end for some reason. But if it’s more of an epilogue or a bridge of sorts between Gou and something else, with Gou’s story concluding with episode 24, then I guess it’d make some sense to do it that way.

We also know there’s gonna be a panel for Gou at a convention around when ep24 comes out, so if anything gets announced it’ll probably happen there.

Anyway, this whole episode can be summed up as “Satoko does a gay little psychological torture that pisses Rika off”, in the most morbidly entertaining way possible, lmao.

#murasaki reblogs #higurashi #higurashi gou

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hyperfixationtimego · 3 years

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IDK IF YOU MEANT JUNKO IS HER GF AND BEST FRIEND BUT!!! Celeste/Kyoto friendship, they’re both man haters 💜 /j

I remember a game night thing back then, Clue reinvigorates Celeste’s interest in murder mysteries and she honestly impresses Kyoto when she tricks Togami into revealing his cards (mainly questioning his truthfulness/credibility)

After that, Kyoto and Celeste try to find videos, games, and books of murder mysteries to solve, but with Celeste able to figure out who’s lying and Kyoto’s detecting ability, they’re unstoppable. Junko likes to nitpick the murder mysteries too, even though she likely has no idea who the murderer is.

After a while of their regular things being too easy, one day they walk into the kitchen area to find Chihiro and Sonia (again no idea if this is in character but her cosplayers are always cute) putting some fake blood on Ibuki. Makoto is upsetting the area, like knocking over the knife holder and such. They’re super confused, until Makoto says (very unconvincingly) “:O someone killed Ibuki!!! you guys gotta figure it out”

That becomes the new regular thing, like every other week they make a new murder mystery for the two and they have to solve it (including the fact that some stuff will be inaccurate, and just how the group thinks it would happen). Peko isn’t that fond of it, but she’ll do it if Chihiro gives her the 🥺 look, and both Miu and Leon absolutely love the chance to play characters (I forgot her name but if Peko does it, Tsumugi/blue hair will do it too, she just prefers to be the victim) - queer eye anon

HDBSBSBS NO U WERE RIGHT I MEANT IT LIKE JUNKO’S HER GF AND KYOKO’S HER BEST FRIEND HDBSBSBD DON’T WORRY!!

and yes yes they are 😌

and also !! legit 👀 like. it pisses Togami off to no end (seriously, how did she do that?? how could he be tricked so easily???) but Kyoko’s like “,,,,,oh my god,,,,,,,,such manipulation,,,,,,,such incredible deductive skills,,,,,”

long story short kirigiri develops a squish (platonic equivalent of a crush) on this weird mean goth bitch and just starts hanging around her more often until eventually Celeste is like,,,,,,,,,fine, if I simply MUST adopt you as a best friend, I suppose I will, seeing as I have ABSOLUTELY NO CHOICE in the matter :)

so they start spending more time together, and Kyoko’s usually the one who’s like “hey I found another murder mystery thing we could try-” to which Celeste’s response tends to be more lighthearted “oh, very well, if I absolutely must-”

It’s incredible - no piece of mystery media stands a chance against them <3

also a little off topic and might be a bit ooc, but I think we should all consider buzzfeed unsolved!kyoko and Celeste because that just seems goddamn hilarious to me ndndbdbdbddbd

and BDBSB YEAH THEY’RE SO SWEET?? Makoto came up with the idea, but Sonia and Chihiro are absolutely essential to the operation as a whole.

Sonia’s interest in serial killers provides a necessary take for the psychological perspective of real life cases, so they know for certain it’ll be stimulating for the detective of the two, meanwhile Chihiro’s brainpower allows for both creative and logical placement of clues, red herrings, and more!

Plus, all three of them are absolute sweethearts that most people have trouble saying no to <3 (they’ve even gotten Byakuya to participate once or twice! Celeste and Kirigiri were both delighted and bewildered!)

THEY ALSO GET OUMA INVOLVED BECAUSE HE’S THE ONLY ONE THAT EVER GIVES CELESTE ANY TROUBLE IN DECIPHERING LIES FHSBSBDBSBS (she usually gets it right on account of her own luck, and if she gets it wrong, It tends to be either salvageable or ambiguous enough that she can pretend she was right and nobody can tell they were ever on the wrong track)

Miu pretends like she needs fujisaki, nevermind, and naegi to beg her for her participation, but she’s honestly more than willing because!!! She gets to yell and be loud and have fun and play weirdos!!!! And sometimes she even invents new things for practical effects, just ‘cause she can! And she knows it makes her friends happy!

Leon’s a pretty good actor until Celeste stares him down - then he immediately either loses his nerve or fucks something up ❤️

and dhsbsbdbsbdb Peko!!!! Peko and Fuyuhiko get involved because a) chihiro gave them both the 🥺 face, as you said, and b) fuyuhiko,,,,,,,thinks the concept,,,,,,,,is fun,,,,,,,👉👈 but shut up he’d never admit that!!!

Tsumugi makes costumes!!!! And totally loses herself in the roles!!! She gives the BEST performances, and Celeste and Kyoko are often left sitting there like “wow ok” because hdbdbdvdvdvdvdvddv????

They get Nagito involved a lot, both due to his luck and the fact that he’s very easy to convince (and often comes up with more cool ideas for the scene of the crime/evidence/general concepts!) though, if he’s involved, then Hajime needs to be as well, becauee everyone can only take maeda’s self-deprecating bullshit for so long until they need someone to shut him up hdbdbdbdb

Hiyoko acts like she thinks it’s dumb, but actually really wants to be included 🥺 👉👈 so mahiru takes it upon herself to “force” her into helping

Sakura and Hina love to help however they can! :D I don’t rlly have anything specific for them, I simply think they’re very cool and would be very eager to help because they love their friends <3

Sayaka is INCREDIBLE when it comes to thinking up “murder” plots! Motives, manipulation, the likelihood of certain actions being taken.....+ due to her high intuition, she’s able to discern what types of things kyoko and celeste prefer during their little games! She also provides insight into emotional response for the actors, which helps to make it a lot more immersive!

Mikan gets very very very nervous as a performer and is usually very unreliable in that aspect, but she gives pointers on whether or not certain wounds would be enough to kill a person! She also provides emphasis on vital organs and helps with anatomical accuracy!

Gundham adores being able to give monologues, and the three in charge of everything do their best to give him macabre, weird roles so he can speak and confuse the two girls to his heart’s content ❤️

if they ever need to talk to chiaki during an investigation, they usually need to wake her up, or get her to stop playing a video game (which she’s not supposed to be playing!!!!) in order to interrogate her (she also forgets a lot of the details and evidence she’s supposed to give them shdbsndbsnsb)

she also likes to give chihiro ideas for plots and things, though mostly uses her games as inspiration !

Shuichi and kyoko are friends so he’s like “yyyeah okay I’ll do it” and so by the same token, Kaede is automatically (and emphatically!) involved as well

Kirumi gets involved because if it’s a request, she’ll do it 💛 plus she kinda loves being involved with this stuff ngl jsnsbsn meanwhile ryoma is like this is dumb but if it’ll make u guys happy then I guess I have no choice

Maki’s pretty difficult to convince, ngl, but if kaito pesters her enough, she might drop by to give her two cents on some of the most plausible and effective methods of getting rid of evidence, as well as what she would do if she were in the position of the murderer (makoto and co. are like wow maki thank u very cool we are absolutely terrified)

shinguji makes it a point in the anthology to embarrass himself at the drop of a hat for his friends’ benefits regarding things like this, so they’re obviously in hbdbdbd plus they love being able to study kyoko and celeste’s behavior while working on each “case,” because without a doubt they are two of the most interesting specimens of human thought patterns and processes he’s ever SEEN <3

since it’s for the sake of two girls, Tenko’s very excited to do whatever Sonia or Chihiro asks of her (she’ll do things that Makoto asks, too, but it takes some convincing....) and Himiko.....isn’t a particularly convincing liar to begin with, but her experience with stage trickery comes in handy pretty often! (though they have to practically drag the information out of her shdbsndn)

Angie agrees to participate on the grounds that all of her characters get to bring up and endorse Atua. she gets picked for murder victim quite a lot bsbssbdb

also highkey 👀 the canon cases get re-enacted at some point (for the first game’s third case, they actually let Celeste be in on it as a little treat for Kyoko! it was absolutely bonkers and they both had literally so much fun!!!)

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tsaomengde · 5 years

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Difficulty vs. Accessibility: Sekiro and Dragon Age

[cross-posting to several media platforms, so I explain the terminology more than would be called for on the subreddit. unmarked spoilers below the cut]

Since From Software’s Sekiro was released a few weeks ago, there has been a great deal of online hullabaloo about its lack of difficulty settings – well, they actually are there, but only in the sense that there are in-game options to make things harder rather than easier. The centerpiece of the debate has been this article:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2019/03/28/sekiro-shadows-dies-twice-needs-to-respect-its-players-and-add-an-easy-mode/#362a8dc91639

Here’s the thing: in the past, I’ve said games should absolutely offer an easy mode, or ways to speed up progression, for those without the time/ability/inclination to play “as intended” – that is, to play the game the way the developers intended for it to be played. But I’ve mainly had this conversation as regards games like Dragon Age and the newer Deus Exes, which have in fact included these difficulty options.

The crux of the argument about Dragon Age was a developer’s assertion that she would like to see a mode included where combat is either removed or automatically resolved. She was, of course, sent the usual array of death threats and other excreta from the Twitter Brigade, mostly for the crime of being a woman on the Internet with an opinion, but those with an actual bone to pick said basically: “If you take the combat out of the game, there is no game left. There is only a visual novel.”

The reason why I think difficulty settings, and indeed even a way to remove combat altogether, work/would work in Dragon Age is simple. Visual novels are great! Choose-your-own-adventure stories are fun! The heart of the Dragon Age experience is interacting with your companions, exploring the world, learning the lore, making decisions that shape the way the story plays out, and so forth. Do you drink from the Well of Knowledge yourself, or let your morally-ambiguous and rather-too-eager mage advisor do it? Do you stand by while your friend’s mercenary company dies in pursuit of a larger political goal, or do you sacrifice the possibility of an alliance with a foreign power in deference to your friend’s well-being and feelings? Absent the combat, these choices have weight. They have consequences.

The combat, frankly, is the tax you pay to get to experience these things. I like Dragon Age combat just fine, particularly Inquisition’s, to the point where I’ve finished the game on Nightmare. But to my wife, it’s precisely what I said it is: a tax you pay to get to the good bits. On our joint playthroughs, she handles exploration and dialogue, I kill things. She’s 100% capable of killing things just as efficiently as I am, but she doesn’t get the same joy from it. If there were an option to remove the combat and just explore and hang out with your friends, she might be happy at the option to use it.

Here is why, in my estimation, the same argument doesn’t apply to Sekiro.

In Dragon Age, there are two kinds of entities: players, and enemies. Players have a ton of abilities, specializations, equipment, weapons, they have skill combos they can do with their allies, etc. Enemies are big walking chunks of hit points with the ability to make you die unless you use your abilities. Most of the rules you need to follow, like stamina/mana management, cooldowns, positioning AoEs, trying to make your potion supply last from point A to point B, don’t apply to them. They are there to get in your way and make you consume x% of your resources. The combat gameplay does not inform the world, the lore, or the characters, beyond each party member being assigned a specialization that supposedly relates to their character (like Cassandra being given the Templar spec, which is… not accurate). Your mages never have to worry about demonic possession, one of the main story elements driving class warfare in the setting, because that’s not the gameplay experience the devs are trying to sell you.

In Sekiro, you and your enemies are, by and large, the same. You both have health and a Posture meter that gets closer to a guard break as you block more attacks. You can both Deflect enemy attacks to inflict extra Posture damage and avoid taking it yourself. While you have a wide array of skills and techniques, enemies do too. Common enemies do not wander around with the goal of making you consume x% of your resources; they patrol specific routes, on the lookout, with the intent and capability of killing you stone dead if you screw up more than once or twice.

Combat gameplay absolutely informs the world, the lore, and the characters. Sekiro can learn a multitude of special combat techniques, but unlike in Dragon Age, where the different abilities are just buttons you press to do different things for different kinds of damage or effects, these techniques have a presence in the world. The Ashina-style Ichimonji, a powerful downward swing that restores your Posture, and the Ashina Cross, a sword-drawing technique, are both available to you and your enemies who practice Ashina swordsmanship. You can counter enemy thrust attacks with a shinobi technique called the Mikiri Counter, where you step on an enemy blade as it’s thrust at you. So when you fight your shinobi father Owl, who taught you everything you know, and you try a thrust attack on him… well, he hits you with his own Mikiri Counter. He also knows your Chasing Slice follow-up attack to a shuriken throw, the Shadowfall thrust technique you can learn… the list goes on.

If the game wasn’t difficult, wasn’t punishing, if you could just tap R1 through every fight and occasionally dodge the really dangerous attacks, you wouldn’t recognize these things. The difficulty of the game also encourages you to use stealth attacks, throw dirt in people’s eyes, kill from a distance with shuriken, use firecrackers to interrupt enemy attacks… In other words, you are forced by the exigency of your situation to really adopt a shinobi mindset. Once you really know the game, your moveset, and your tools, you can run into a crowd of three or four guys and come out on top, and it feels awesome, but not at first. And even at the very end of the game, normal enemies are still totally capable of murdering you, to say nothing of the bosses, so you can never let your guard down.

So much of the story, the lore, of Sekiro, is communicated in this way, through your learned experiences and your struggles to master the systems of the world. Watching someone play through the game is thrilling when they demonstrate skill, but it’s not the same as doing it yourself. So the question is: how do you make such a difficult, tailored experience accessible?

I’ve thought a lot about it, and the answer I keep coming to is that you don’t. You do everything you can to make it actually accessible – Sekiro already has completely remappable controls, multiple spoken language tracks for people who don’t want to or can’t deal with subtitles, adjustable gore levels – but at the end of the day, you can’t compromise the core of the experience. I’ve read accounts from multiple people with disabilities on the Sekiro subreddit who, in point of fact, decry the call for “accessibility” and the use of the disabled community as a talking point. They don’t want to be pandered to; they want to play the game as it was intended, same as everyone else, regardless of any additional complications. Speaking as a person on the spectrum, if someone handed me a visual novel that had been tweaked to be more “accessible” to me, and they had tweaked it by taking out characters’ emotional ambiguity because we Aspies sure are bad with those Feelings, I would feel… well. Not great, not at all! I would rather play the actual visual novel and take the risk of not 100% grokking what was happening on the first run.

Another argument: at this point, we can all agree that Games Can Be Art. Yes? Good. The purpose of art is to create emotion. So we have to ask: what is the vehicle the art uses to deliver that emotion? In Dragon Age, the vehicle is your interactions with the other characters, the choices you make, and the ways in which the story changes depending on those choices. These elements are present in Sekiro, but a fundamental part of its vehicle is the experience of being in the world.

Confronting Genichiro, the man who cut off your arm, in the middle of a lightning storm on top of a castle which you have spent the past hour scaling, fighting off enemy shinobi the entire way, and barely scraping out a victory by redirecting his own lightning attacks back at him – there is a raw edge of desperation that feeds back in to a tremendously powerful feeling of victory and satisfaction. The analogous situation in Dragon Age, the big battle against Corypheus, does not create the same feelings because the situation is manufactured. He supplies the battlefield, drops you into it, and then you have a little fight. Your emotions about him and the situation come from the events leading up to it and their impact on you and your allies. The cathartic element present in Sekiro is absent here, and the difference in the execution of gameplay-as-story is at the center of this contrast.

To sum up, the difficulty of Sekiro is directly tied to the player’s experiences in and understanding of the world, and thus it is an essential component of the game qua art. Changing any element of it to make it less demanding and punishing would change the essence of the art form. This is in contrast to Dragon Age, whose gameplay does not directly inform story and as a result can change the nature of that gameplay without compromising its essential player experience.

#sekiro #dragon age #difficulty #accessibility #long post #spoilers

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a-secretplace · 4 years

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That guy I really liked and still kinda like

/!\ very long post ahead /!\

Before starting this LONG ASS story time, know that every glimps of names are fictional but every single event happened. I probably forgot about lots of things but there are a lot of infos already. Disclaimer: I’m not a native english speaker so I might do mistake here and there, don’t mind me !

About the people I mentioned (just so if you’re lost, you can have a little resume here) I present all the “characters” in the story the first time I mention them, so don’t worry if you don’t remember clearly the next paragraph. H. — my best friend’s boyfriend and the guy I liked. They started dating in September ‘17. K. — a girl who is part of the same group of friends H., my best friend and I are a part of. B. — a really close friend of mine who my best friend and I went to art school with 10 years ago. S. — a good friend of mine who was originally my best friend’s friend. They don’t talk anymore. L. — my best friend’s ex-boyfriend who is still a very good friend of mine.

A little less than two years ago, back in April ‘18, I came back home from a six month travel in Japan. I was able to meet the girl I considered to be my best friend, who started dating a guy right before I left the country.

This boy - who I will refer to as H. - first seemed a bit "too much", being overly demonstrative of his love for my friend and overall acting a bit childish. For the whole situation to be a little clearer, here are a few more infos about H. and his relationship with my friend. They met when they were maybe 15 yo. When they started hanging out again almost 10 years later, H. was living at his grandma’s place. When my friend and H. started dating, he moved in with her at her parent’s place after less than 6 months.

So I had a kind of bad opinion about him but, for my friend and because she loved him, I tried my best to accept H. and tried to know him better. After hanging out with them a few times, he rapidly gained my trust and my friendship. He seemed nice, honest and he was a really funny guy, even if he sometimes seemed to tell random lies about parties he said he went to.

During the following summer, I realized I was maybe having a "too good” opinion about the guy. What I mean is that I felt so much friendship for H. that it kind of didn’t feel like friendship anymore. I got worried and wanted to tell my friend about it, mainly because I wanted to understand what I felt and maybe she would have been able to help, but I got really scared that she might not understand that I would have done nothing to hurt her and that she might start hating on me.

In the mean time, I remembered that, the very first time I met H. - which happened before I left for Japan, at a time both my friend and H. were single - I told my friend that H. was cute and, at some point, I tried hitting on him.

Because I wanted to tell my friend about my present struggle but didn’t know how to, I decided to tell her about that time I tried hitting on H., presenting it as a fun fact and asking her not to tell H. ever. She promised she would keep it a secret. A week later, I was having a bad time with myself and being lonely. To cheer me up, H. told me that, if he didn’t date my friend, he "would have tried" with me. The irony hitting me hard at that moment, I told him what I told my friend a week ago and he said he didn’t know anything about it, but his act seemed off. That’s when my friend came in saying she was sorry and that she told H. right after I told her, a week ago. Apparently, he blushed really hard when she told him.

From this moment, lots of ambiguous situation started happening from time to time.

The first one happened a week later (if I remember it well). I was feeling shitty and my friend tried to cheer me up, but didn’t help AT ALL, she just made me turn silent because I felt so misunderstood and because she acted like she wasn’t listening to anything I said. Plus, she told me that she started to worry that H. might someday cheat on her and that I could tell her anything, including if I fell in love with H., which I laugh to when she said it. That’s when H. came in and my friend left us alone. He started telling me many many things, about how he could become my best friend if I wanted to and how he would always be here to help if I needed. I was crying really really hard and we hugged for maybe 5 whole minutes straight, kept talking a little and hugged again. When we came back to the others, my best friend was crying, telling how she felt so helpless and useless. We did our best to reassure her and cheer her up.

A little while later, we were in a club, my best friend was really drunk again and, as she does every time she is drunk, she left us alone to talk to strangers. H. asked me if I "would have tried" if he had show interest to me before leaving Japan. I answered that I didn’t know, that I was the type to sabotage myself so I probably wouldn’t have tried anything. During the same night, he told me twice that, if my best friend kept drinking as much as she did, he wouldn’t like to stay with someone like this.

A few other things happened between September ‘18 and May ‘19. Sometimes, there were looks that didn’t seem innocent at all and more "romantic" ones (if I dare say), or him touching my tight and putting his face really close to mine when I was falling asleep, stroking my hair, watching over me discretely, doing that flying kisses thing, sometimes putting his hands on my waist, staying around me while ice skating instead of staying with his girlfriend, etc. In the mean time, I accepted that I actually was interested in H. but still didn’t tell anyone.

There are a few stuffs that happened that deserve a bit more details too. For H’s birthday, we had dinner at my friend’s place. During the whole dinner, H. and I kept playing like little kids and laughing at random stuffs, to the point where everyone was wondering what was going on and my friend started getting a bit angry. (Note: my friend and H. are both VERY jealous/possessive and get extremely defensive when someone talk to/stays around the other for too long.) At some point, there were H., an other friend and me at the table. I don’t remember what we were talking about, but H. said that I liked him when I first met him. I corrected him, saying I only thought he was cute. He asked if I still found him cute and, because I didn’t want to tell the truth nor lie, I said that I wouldn’t answer. Our friend jokingly said "Don’t say that, his ego is gonna grow even bigger", which H. answered with a “What grew bigger is the thing between my legs". Thanks for the TMI, dude.

In December, we all met at the local fun fair. As I don’t like rollercoasters and H. is unable to ride any because of inner ear problems, we both stayed in front of the rides. At some point, we decided to go buy some drinks while our friends were all on a ride. As we arrived in front of the food stand, he asked me out of the blue if I would possibly have s*x with him. Surprised and confused, I answered again that I wouldn’t answer. He told me that I should accept my feelings and, without thinking, I said "no, I don’t want to get killed".

We were sometimes texting each other, sharing music or video games we were interested in, sometimes he asked me about things my friend liked so he could surprise her and I played along.

In May, he asked me if I wanted to hang out with him during the day. At that time, he didn’t have a job and I had a part time job so we both had a lot of free time. I accepted and he asked me to keep us hanging out a secret, because at that time he was having some issues with my friend’s parents and didn’t want to make things worse and possibly get kicked out. We met and had a great time, playing video games or watching tv shows and everything seemed fine. The same day, our group of friends all met at my friend’s place and the night went a little wilder than usual. I was quite drunk, thanks to some hellish drinking game. H. asked me to rank him and one of our boy friend on who I would most likely and least likely have sex with. Being drunk and unable to think, I answered that he was number one and our friend was number two. This was my first moment of weakness and my first mistake. Later during the night, H. switched seat with someone and sat next to me. He discreetly asked me if I wanted to meet him in the hallway so we could make out. His girlfriend aka my best friend was sitting literally in front of us and I actually got surprised that nobody heard him say it. I looked at him with a mix of surprise and fear and he said “I was just checking how drunk you are". I replied "I knew you were kidding!" and he said "Or maybe I’m acting like it to hide the fact that I’m serious and maybe you’re convincing yourself I��m kidding because you know I’m not". At that point, I was lost between the will to ignore him, run away and stay to see what would happen next.

Everyone getting very tired, we all started getting ready to leave. My best friend was asleep and our other friends had left. I got ready and said bye to H. He had a really weird look on his face, like he was hesitating on doing something. I ignored it and left, walking home by feet. It was a 30 minutes walk so everything was fine. Halfway, H. texted me asking how I was and saying he was worried about me. I told him everything was fine and that I was halfway home.

At this point, he told me that he needed to tell me something but that I had to promise him not to tell anybody and delete the messages afterwards. I accepted. He told me that he really wanted to kiss me that night. I answered that I knew it, that I had my doubts. I then told him that I wanted to kiss him too and that it wasn’t the first time. This was my second and probably biggest mistake.

Starting from these messages, we talked a lot about how we felt and what we would have liked to do. We talked about our guilt for feeling this way and that we didn’t know what to do. I told him I didn’t want to make him a cheater and he told me that he had already cheated on two of his girlfriends in the past, saying that “it was the end anyway” and that he only told his best friend and I about it. The conversation going on, I told him that we should never talk about it again and act like we didn’t know anything. He kind of agreed and we kept talking until 5am. And he sent me a d*ck pic too (yup, had to say it but didn’t know how to bring the subject...). I didn’t sleep at all that night and, the day after, H. texted me and we started talking on Snapchat.

We talked everyday for two weeks and I felt fantastic. The guy I liked was interested in me and, as unlucky as I could have been, it was the first time this actually happened to me. At the end of the second week, he invited me at his place during the morning of my day off. I had a really bad feeling about this : I had an important appointment right after and was stressed and I had the feeling that our friend might come home early to surprise H. or that her father might come home earlier too. H. convinced me that everything was fine and I visited him. Still worried, I kept all my stuffs next to me in case someone came home, so I would have been able to hide on the balcony until a possibility of leaving stealthily would present itself. H. being a little stupid sometimes, he closed the door of the room, so there was no way of hearing someone entering the appartement and closed the window, so we couldn’t hear my friend’s car. We didn’t do anything other than friends would do. At some point, H. received a text from my friend and, when he tried to read it, she had already deleted the message. I got worried and said that maybe I should leave, but he reassured me and I stayed.

A little later, my friend opened the door of the room and we all just looked at each other in shock. She was angry but mostly surprised and lost. She was acting very distant with H. obviously and I left a little later, saying I had an appointment to attend. Eventually they worked it out the same day and, as we met the same night, my friend and I talked about it and she told me everything was fine.

The following week, H. remained silent. He only texted me once to ask for a pic and I threw him off. A few days later, he told me that he was deleting Snapchat and that we had to stop talking, that he loved my friend and that he had nothing to hide. I answered but he never read my message. I started getting angry, I felt used, manipulated and overall stupid for believing in his bullshit. I sent him the same message on WhatsApp, since we had nothing to hide I gave no shit if my friend saw it. We talked a little, he told me that he didn’t try to use me, that he still felt the same but that we couldn’t do anything at the moment except wait.

From there, I started saving everything.

We stopped talking. I felt horrible, I had the feeling that I was manipulated to fulfill some weird kink and that I was the only one ready to face some possible consequences. My mood was really dark for quite some time and didn’t know what to do. I kept switching moods from really sad to vengeance-thirsty, I wanted to make sure everyone knew how was really H. and force him face the consequences of his action.

All I could do during three months was tell a few friends about what happened. I first told B., a girl my best friend knew and one of my closest friend. Then, I told S. who knew my best friend as well but they didn’t stay in good terms. Finally, I told L., my best friend ex-boyfriend, and his girlfriend. I met with my best friend too at this time. We talked about H. She told me about some weird message (which was a “are you asleep?” in the middle of the night) that he sent to a girl we all met once and that he explained that he just considered her as a friend. Then she asked me if he ever did or said something weird. My mind screamed that he did so many weird shits, all the memories from last September to this day coming up, but all I was able to say was “no, he didn’t say anything weird” while looking her right in the eyes. I wanted to protect H. and didn’t want him to end up without a roof over his head. But remember, I wanted vengeance too, so I told her about him asking me to join him in the hallway to make out. To reassure her, I told her that I didn’t think he was serious and that it was some sort of “douche” humor. I added that I was pretty sure that she heard it since she was right in front of me when it happened. She got a little angry and mumbled “I’ll kill him”. She then told me “if anything was happening, you would tell me right?” and I agreed. The following night, I met her and H. at her place and, of course, H. was acting really cold with me because of what I said. I felt bad and guilty, like I betrayed his trust.

Before going on, you have to know that I’m not and never was a liar. I value truth and honesty more than anything. But for some reason (the feelings I had towards H.), I had a hard time holding on between what I considered right and what I actually wanted. I definitely did stuffs I shouldn’t have but lying to everyone and watching H. lie to my best friend felt like a stab in the chest, every single time.

In August, H. "attacked” again during a night in a club. He asked me to rank him on a scale from 1 to 10, then we talked about other stuffs, I don’t remember it clearly but I remember playfully touching his face at some point. He told me that he dreamt about me pretty often, we mentioned the d*ck pick, he was quite tactile and, when we were leaving, he touched my b*tt.

A few days later, right after B. told me that my friend tried to interrogate her about H. and I and that I should definitely back off and run away from the dude in a quite agressive way, H. asked me to give him my email by Instagram DMs. We talked via emails and I tried to make things clearer for both of us, telling him exactly what I wanted to have with him and asking him to be honest for once and tell me what he wanted to have with me. I then told him that we shouldn’t talk like this and that we had to remain friends.

We didn’t talk for a week and I felt really really bad, mostly because I just had a fight with my best friend. I needed to talk to someone and the only person I thought about was H. So I made a third mistake and sent him an email. Since then, we talked everyday for months until last December. First, everything went very well, I felt amazing again and we were talking a lot. As time went by, our talks and messages got shorter and I used to sometimes get really mad at him, because I had the feeling he was making excuses as why he would suddenly stop answering for hours. H. happened to be incoherent as well sometimes, for exemple changing details in stuffs he would tell me and, when I would mention the change, he would say shit like “yeah I know what I told you the first time, I was just making sure you were listening/remembering well” or telling me for a week that he was sick and sleeping all day only to tell me a few days later that he didn’t rest for the whole week and had a lot of things to do. When I confronted him, he denied.

A little later after starting messaging each other again, I met with my friend to discuss a time we had a big fight. We explained our points of view on various subjects and agreed that, if anything bothers one of us, we need to tell the other right away instead of letting things get worse by not working it out. At some point, I told my friend how I felt towards her view on my relationship with H., telling her that I had the feeling that sometimes, she was seeing me as a threat and was afraid to tell me so to preserve our friendship. She told me that she didn’t see me as a threat at all and, more like the opposite, she was being more suspicious about H.’s behavior. She haded that, if anything had happen or was happening between us, she knew that I wouldn’t be the cause of it and that I would end up telling her. What makes this meeting important is that, when she told me this, I saw how resignated she was about the whole situation. I knew that she knew exactly what was going on but, having no control over it and having no solid proof, she just choose to force herself into believing one if not both of us. I couldn’t help but feel guilty, quite horrible as a person and really sorry for her. I know she saw it in the way I looked at her, I can’t hide anything from anyone and everybody knows that.

Mid-December, H. suddenly got silent and didn’t answer my message for days. I got extremely worried because the situation felt extremely similar to the one in May. I didn’t want to feel thrown away again, I needed to stay in control of the situation. So I wrote an email telling him that this was over, that I wasn’t hesitating anymore and that the way he behaved proved me I made the right choice. I added that I wouldn’t answer emails but, if he wanted or needed explanations, he could call me or text me on WhatsApp in a friendly way. He never reached for me and, even last time we met, he didn’t mention it.

Talking about the last time we met, I realized I reached my limit. Seeing H. act like the perfect boyfriend while knowing everything that happened made me lose my mind. I got really gloomy and, when he and my friend left the party, I just blew up and told one of our close friend, K., the whole story. She told me that she felt since September ‘18 that something was going on and that she talked about it many times with her boyfriend. I only confirmed every doubts she had. Told you, I can’t hide anything. I don’t know if it was a good thing or not, but I learned a lot about the guy. K. told me that he had a reputation for being a cheater and a liar and, as she told me so, a lot of things got clearer. I learned that everyone except my best friend knows that H. had already cheated. K. told me that he is the main problem, that he took advantage of my lack of experience to make me fall for him and that I shouldn’t feel so bad about all this. Even if I’m not the one having to stay committed, I still feel responsible, I should have said “no” and “stop” multiple times and stand my ground.

A few days later, I met L. and his girlfriend and we talked about the situation. I told the girl that H. told my friend and I about something I was pretty sure was a lie. He said that he knew her because she "tried to hit on him at a bar a long time ago". As expected, this never happened and, actually, the girl never went to the bar H. mentioned.

As I’m writing this, the story isn’t over yet and some elements are still quite fresh. What I learned is that H. shouldn’t be trusted and that I really got manipulated to believe what he wanted me to. I don’t know if some things he said were true, like when he said that what he felt towards me was mostly not s*xual. For all I know, it might have all been a lie. The only sure thing is that he wanted to have s*x with me.

I’m planning on telling my friend what happened, but I’m scared. Scared to lose my friend, even if I need to tell her and she needs to know, even if our friendship has more lows than highs and is quite dysfunctional. Scared of the image some people might have of me, even if being into a friend’s boyfriend is definitely not a habit, never will be and none of this ever happened before. Scared of being isolated.

Scared of losing H. friendship as well.

Doesn’t matter if I felt used or manipulated, if I was a side chick, doesn’t matter how much he lied to me or to others. This is stupid but I still want us to remain friends. H. is probably one of those people that are very nice to be around as long as you don’t grow too close. From mine and specially K’s experience, he is a great friend and will do whatever it takes to cheer a friend up.

Anyway, I still have everything saved. Every WhatsApp and Instagram DMs, every email (and dear God, there are so many) and most of the Snapchat messages (I took pictures of my screen with a camera so he would never know about it). I’m not sure that this will be useful someday but at least I’m covered. I’m not trying to make H. the bad guy, I did stuffs that make me a bad person too. I just don’t want H. to be able to picture me as the succubus who nearly got him cheat on my friend. As I said earlier, I value truth more than anything and the truth is that I did some bad stuffs too. I’m 100% ready to face the consequences. I’m only scared/worried that I might end up more hurt than what I expected.

I hope telling my friend is the right thing to do. I hope I will be able to tell her soon and not wait 2 more months. I hope she won’t hate me, even if she probably should. I hope H. won’t hate me, even if he probably will. I hope I won’t end up isolated. I hope my friend will be ok, because she is quite fragile at the moment and I don’t want to make things worse. I hope K. and her boyfriend won’t pick a side. I hope no one will start talking shit about me, because this is not who I am.

Sorry for the long post, have a nice day !

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datingadviceonreddit · 4 years

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I am mainly posting this for 2 reasons:I didn't have the best luck with dating in college and I put up with my fair share of abusive relationships and fuckboys (but this post can also apply to fuckgirls (yes they are a thing))I have seen too many of my friends put up with WAYYYY too much crap from somebody they are interested in and time and time again go back constantly excusing the shitty things said love interest has doneSo, I'm going to start with example #1:My best friend in college met a professional baseball player, lets just call him MLB. She was totally enamored with him. First time she met MLB, he was in her town for a game, went on a date, had sex, etc. From there, he talked to her for a couple weeks, would even face time with her. Then eventually he ghosted her and she was devastated.This became a pretty frequent pattern. He would sometimes talk to her for a month or so (usually when he knew he was going to be back in town for a game), they'd meet up, have sex, then he would tell her he was sorry for not talking to her but he was "just so busy with baseball." He promised to take her on exotic vacations etc and would tell her how much he liked her and get her hopes up so much, then he would not talk to her again for a month or two. She put up with this for years, and would constantly make excuses for his behavior and just go right back to him and get hurt all over again.I was very upfront with her about my feelings on the situation - I would CONSTANTLY tell her that he clearly doesn't want anything serious, and that he is using her, that he probably has a girl in every town he plays in..... and she would go, "you're right, you're right. I am going to block him. I am going to cut him out of my life".... then a week later I would get a text from her saying "OMG, MLB just viewed my snapchat story. Like clearly he's still into me." ... stuff like that. This went on for years, and while they aren't currently talking and its been probably a year since shes talked to MLB.... I bet that if he contacted her again she would give him another chance.I don't blame her for doing this, and I understand how hard it can be to experience unrequited love. I know that when you really like somebody, and want to believe that they like you in return, its hard to not hold out hope that them "liking" or "viewing" a post of yours is some sign of something bigger and that they really do like you.. but if their behavior doesn't match these "signs".. you should probably take a hard look and realize that its just as innocent as them viewing a post and its not them trying to get with you.Ill bring up example #2 now, in which I delt with my own fuckboy.Well call this guy "John".John and I met my sophomore year at university through work. An hour after we met, he friended me on Facebook and twitter. I was very excited because I found him very attractive and really wanted a boyfriend. John soon began favoriting every tweet I posted, started messaging me almost daily in response to something I posted. Eventually we started crossing paths more and actually found out we had a lot of mutual friends.I clearly felt that John was interested in me due to him constantly engaging with me on social media... I would check to see if he was doing this to other girls too and while he would occasionally like other girls posts, it seems like mine was very frequent compared to others.John asked me for my number eventually, and started inviting me to study with him both alone and in groups. He started inviting me to do more and more, like come over and watch movies, etc. After a month or two of this, my sorority was having a formal so I decided to get up the courage and ask him. He immediately said yes. We had a wonderful time, and he invited me back to his place for the night. We only cuddled, and didn't even kiss or make out or have sex or anything. He drove me home the next morning, and texted me the next day telling me how great of a time he had and how we should hang out again soon. I later found out through his friends that his family was in town that weekend, and he skipped seeing them for one night of the weekend to come to my formal. I didn't know he did this at the time, but when I found out, combined with the other signs he was giving me, I was VERY convinced he liked me.However, I started realizing that his "signs" were often unpredictable and inconsistent. Sometimes we would hang out several times a week for a month or two, and then it would be like he feel off the face of the earth. Then, out of nowhere I would get a text from him saying he was having a party at his place and I should come. He would be VERY adamant about me coming and would even offer to come pick me up from my apartment and bring me to his party so that I wouldn't need to find a ride. Sometimes he would be really flirty with me at his parties, and sometimes he would completely ignore me and dance with other girls.This only made me like him more and want his attention more. I went home for thanksgiving break, but he stayed behind at university because his hometown was 4 hours away and he wanted to stay at school to catch up on homework. He begged me to come back to university and keep him company and study with him. So, me being the dumbass I was went back the day after thanksgiving. He game over to study, would pick up a pizza on the way because he knew I loved pizza, and would be super flirty. After studying, he would ask to go to my place and watch movies together, and he would inch his hand closer to mine and just give me such butterflies in my stomach, but would never make a move. This went on for probably 8 months with cycles of him doing this then not talking to me for several weeks.I finally got fed up with it and confronted him a few months before the end of the school year. I told him I really liked him, and I feel like he has been giving me mixed signals for a while now and I wanted to know how he felt. He told me that he liked me, but wasn't looking for a relationship. I was VERY hurt because I was crazy about this kid, but at the same time I was super happy I finally had an answer and could begin the healing process and move on and find somebody who wouldn't play with my feelings like this.I did consider him a good friend, so I told him I needed some space to get over him but that eventually we could maybe be friends again. I avoided him for about a month, and was finally doing really well... however I did secretly hope deep down that he would change his mind eventually, realize he made a mistake, and want a relationship with me.A week before school ended, he texts me that him and his roommates are having an end of year party and I should come. I convinced some of my friends to go, and told everyone it was fine and I was over him and just wanted to go to try and at least reestablish a friendship with him. I tried to talk to him very little at the party because finally seeing him in person was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but he was VERY flirty with me and eventually was putting his arm around me. We left the party together and went and got food, then he brought me back to his apartment and asked me to spend the night. I told him we could hang out for a while but I wasn't going to spend the night. We started having a drunk talk where I told him that he really hurt me, and he goes "Will you please let me take you out on a date." I told him I would need to think about it. He then grabbed me and kissed me and we ended up just kissing/ cuddling/ making out for about three hours. I went home after that and didn't spend the night. It didn't go past kissing. Once again though, my hopes were up. I was so excited that he told me he wanted to take me on a date and felt this finally meant he realized he wanted to be with me.Well, the date never happened. We both lived at college for the summer, even hung out a bit, but he never mentioned the date again. I realized I could have asked him, but I felt like he knew my feelings and that I liked him, and I really felt that if it was important enough to him he should have asked me.This cycle continued for 3 MORE FREAKING YEARS. No matter what this kid did to me, I would always take it as a sign he liked me, would get hurt, not talk for a couple months, then he would text me a funny meme out of nowhere and talk to me completely normally like nothing happened. Took me to a concert once and out to eat after. Would still always try to study with me/ hang out with me. Would ghost me again - and I was too stupid to just cut this kid out of my life.I was at a really low point in college, I was pretty depressed and I don't think it helped. But, I finally started wanting better for myself and one day I just deleted him from everything. He would text me, I just stopped responding. I deleted him on snapchat, he readded me, I declined the request, he tried to add me again. I deleted him on facebook, he tried to readd me. Eventually I just let the requests sit there but ignored them. Eventually, now that I am over him I readded him just because IDGAF about him anymore and I have grown up SO much.. but I am still so mad at myself for putting up with this behavior as I did.Oh how I wish college me could have known what I know now. I have just learned through many of these hard experiences myself that if somebody likes you and wants to be with you - they will. They aren't gonna continually ghost you and make you question your self-worth... they will be with you. No excuses.I get that when initially getting to know somebody, there may be some ambiguity/ you're still trying to figure out if you like one another - and this post doesn't pertain to those situations.I just hope I can maybe help others to "take the hint"If you ask somebody for their number at the bar, you text them, they don't respond - take the hint. I understand trying a second time, but after that, just stop. To the people who just text and text somebody thinking that's gonna make them want to respond or talk to you - it's not.If somebody continually ghosts you and comes back into your life - they obviously don't care about you. Don't make excuses for their behavior. Don't give into their shitty behavior. You deserve better.TL;DR: Actions really do speak louder than words, especially when it comes to dating. Somebody can tell you they like you, tell you they want to be with you, but if their actions don't reflect it - don't keep falling for it. via /r/dating_advice

#dating #dating advice #reddit

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jackwroachauthor · 5 years

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The Pros of Going Pro | Episode 014 transcript

This is the transcript for Episode 014 | The Pros of Going Pro with Michelle Michelle Mejia-Jones.

Jennifer: Hello! You’re listening to Episode 14 of the Get to Art podcast. I am Jennifer Roach, Atlanta’s premier wedding photographer. And as always I am joined by my husband, the funniest Indie author in town, Jack Roach.

Jack: In the world, please.

Jennifer: In the world, sorry. I didn’t mean to disparage you. And today we are joined by my good friend, Michelle Mejia-Jones, who is going to be chatting with us about making the leap to full-time. Michelle, how are you?

----more----

Michelle: I’m good. How are you, Jennifer?

Jennifer: I’m good. Nice to have you on the show finally.

Michelle: Yeah, I am excited to be here.

Jennifer: We’ve been trying to get Michelle on the show for a while now but it’s hard to get her to come out here and hang out with us.

Jack: Well, let’s deal with the elephant in the room first. You got a lot of name.

Michelle: I do.

Jack: Michelle Mejia-Jones.

Michelle: I also have three middle names which never get used. So can you imagine all those names on my birth certificate?

Jack: Spit them out.

Jennifer: I know one of them is Naomi.

Michelle: Yes, so it is Michelle Naomi Alfreda Patricia Mejia-Jones.

Jennifer: Wow!

Jack: How many hyphens we are talking?

Michelle: It is just one hyphen. My mom really liked the name Naomi, which she pronounces it as Naomi, and her best friend’s name was Patricia, so she put those two names in there. My brother actually named me Michelle since my mom didn’t want to name me Naomi, and then Alfreda is my grandmother’s name. And of course, Mejia-Jones is my married name.

Jack: So you do have a lot of names.

Michelle: I do.

Jennifer: Yeah, but a lot of name girl.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jack: So which part of that was your maiden name?

Michelle: Mejia.

Jack: Michelle Naomi Patricia Mejia.

Michelle: Because Jones is Bethany’s last name.

Jennifer: Correct. Okay, so then you took her last name.

Michelle: Yeah, we took each other’s last name.

Jack: Is her name Beth Jones-Mejia?

Michelle: Bethany Mejia-Jones, yeah.

Jack: Oh. You guys didn’t swap the order?

Michelle: No.

Jack: Lame.

Michelle: It has to match on all the government IDs.

Jennifer: Yeah. So Michelle, tell our listeners a little bit about who you are and what you do.

Jack: Both of them are dying to know.

Michelle: I am a wedding and engagement photographer here in Atlanta as well as worldwide.

Jack: What’s the farthest you ever travelled?

Michelle: Just in general or for photography?

Jack: For photography.

Michelle: I’ve actually done a shoot in Italy while I was there but I made that work.

Jack: Okay.

Jennifer: Oh you suck.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jack: I guess I’ll call Pitbull and tell him he’s got to share.

Jennifer: Puerto Rico.

Michelle: But, yeah, so I do mainly weddings and engagements, but my true passion I guess would be like travel photography. I really enjoy it and wedding photography.

Jennifer: I didn’t know that.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jennifer: So the reason that we wanted a chat with you about this is this is actually a topic that neither Jack nor I can talk about and something that our listeners might want to know more about because… As you know, this is a podcast for people who are just beginning a creative entrepreneur side hustle or business. So most of our listeners would be in like those beginning stages so some of them maybe starting to think about pursuing this full-time. But that is not something that we can talk about because I haven’t had a 9 to 5 in years. I was a stay at home mom who picked up the camera and started shooting and it snowballed from there. So I didn’t have a 9 to 5 to leave. And then, Jack, still has his 9 to 5 job and doesn’t have any intention of leaving it and being a full-time author. So we are not the people that should talk about this. But you actually did have a full-time job that you left to pursue Mejia-Jones Photography.

Michelle: Yes I did.

Jennifer: Alright, so tell us what was your 9 to 5 job before?

Michelle: So I was a deputy sheriff here in the metro area where I did that for about nine years before I decided to quit. But I only started photography in 2009 as a hobby because I went to Germany with my mom. And so I finally bought myself like a DSLR camera. I figured if I was going to go all the way over there I might as well buy a really nice camera. So I started it then and my friend started to ask me to do their children’s birthday parties and their senior pictures and things like that. So that’s when I thought, well, maybe I can make a little bit of money off of this. And then I began to do my research and invest in courses to take, and finally I made Mejia-Jones Photography a business in 2012, and I was still employed with the sheriff’s office. It took me just a little bit of time to finally get it full blown and have the courage to leave my full-time job.

Jennifer: When did you leave the sheriff’s department?

Michelle: I left in 2016.

Jennifer: Okay.

Jack: Now, was the only reason that you left to pursue photography?

Michelle: No, I was not entirely happy anymore there. And I wanted to pursue something that was going to make me happy every day. Something that I really enjoyed doing so I decided. Actually, Bethany is who really gave me the courage to leave.

Jennifer: Yeah, that’s right. We were talking about that about how she kind of gave you the push to say it is okay.

Michelle: Yeah, she did. She was just basically telling me that I can leave and I didn’t have to be afraid to build my business. That she would do whatever it took to help me and support me.

Jack: Did she follow through on that?

Michelle: She did actually. She is amazing.

Jennifer: But how long do you think that you were doing both, that you were going to a 9 to 5 job and building your business?

Michelle: Three to four years.

Jennifer: So what was it like during that time of the three to four years juggling both?

Michelle: It was stressful because law enforcement in itself is a high stress job that’s very demanding. And I constantly work to different hours in the last position that I was there because I was an investigator and we had to do checkups on people that were in this program that I was a part of. So either I had to get up really early and work days where the next day I could be working overnight so there was never really any consistency which made scheduling sessions very difficult. You didn’t get a chance to build the consistency that I think clients need, so I didn’t had a big following when I first started.

Jennifer: Yeah, that can be hard when you don’t have a calendar per se that you can reliably say I am definitely going to be available on this day or not.

Michelle: Exactly. Especially when your clients usually have like you said earlier a 9 to 5 job where they have weekends off and that’s generally where most sessions get done, and I didn’t have that.

Jennifer: Yeah, that’s rough. So when you made the decision to leave and you wife, Bethany, gave you the go ahead to leave and you started putting that into place. What obstacles did you face making…

Jack: Wait, wait. More importantly -- what it’s like to have a supportive spouse?

Michelle: It is amazing. I mean, you get the opportunity to completely be creative where you don’t have to think about can I get this done while I’m at work. I mean that’s the truth. You know, all the times you are trying to create a schedule or create like many session ideas wired on the clock somewhere else.

Jennifer: I’m going to cut you.

Jack: It sounds wonderful.

Jennifer: Doesn’t it though?

Michelle: I’m sure Jennifer is a supportive spouse.

Jack: Huh.

Jennifer: I proofread your book for free. Okay?

Michelle: How many pages was that?

Jack: 278.

Michelle: Oh my gosh.

Jack: It was a short book. It was barely 80,000 words. Jennifer, can I quit my job to be a full-time author?

Jennifer: Absolutely.

Michelle: See, she is supportive.

Jack: I don’t believe the words coming out of your mouth right now.

Jennifer: Do you want to quit your job to be a full-time author?

Jack: Hell no. I need that steady paycheck. Jack doesn’t do well with ambiguity. So, Michelle, how long did it take you to feel comfortable after having quit your regular paycheck?

Michelle: Wow, that’s a good question.

Jack: Thank you! I thought of it myself.

Michelle: It took me probably a good full year when I started getting consistently booked whether it would be second shooting or weddings of my own or other sessions because in the beginning you feel really insecure about your decision. You start to doubt yourself and that’s when your creativity diminishes I think.

Jack: Wait, the self doubt goes away?

Michelle: The self doubt goes away.

Jack: Oh, okay. I need to look into that.

Michelle: Just wait a little bit longer.

Jack: I’m revising my new novel right now and I’ll be reading and go “Oh my god this is crap. Who wrote this? Wait, why is my name on this? What have I done?”

Michelle: It takes a while. And during the courses that I was taking, the online educational courses, to help me with not only the technical side of photography but also with the business side of photography. You almost start doing that compare game, that comparison game with other because you start seeing how other photographers have left their full-time job, they’re doing great, they’re booking like $10,000 weddings and people aren’t even wanting to pay $1,500 for an 8-hour with two photographers.

Jack: Jennifer, could you make a note to increase your rates to $10,000 please.

Jennifer: Yeah, I wish.

Michelle: We’re going to get there one day.

Jennifer: Yeah. Oh, Julie Paisley was at the conference by the way and she said “I don’t even get out of bed for less than $12,000.” And I was like, “Girl.”

Michelle: Like I have to get out of bed.

Jack: Meanwhile, I don’t get into bed for less than $12,000.

Jennifer: I think she wasn’t saying it like a snooty way. It was like a funny way because she was talking about people who try to low-ball you and everything. And she is like, “I tell them like I don’t even leave my house for less than $12,000.” I was like, “I wish! That would be so nice.”

Michelle: Yeah, I wish. Fingers crossed we’ll get there.

Jack: Just to continue my prostitution line of humor, I may be expensive but I’m not worth it.

Michelle: Wow! Definitely no bang for the …

Jennifer: So the question I was starting to ask earlier before Jack interrupted me.

Jack: With a better question.

Jennifer: Was what obstacles did you face?

Jack: Self doubt.

Jennifer: Not just self doubt but like real tangible.

Jack: How many times did you not pay your water bill?

Michelle: Never, because I have a wife who works full-time.

Jack: That sounds great.

Michelle: But that’s really hard for someone who is always been in charge of their own lifestyle. Do you know what I mean? Like I’ve never had anybody helped me to pay for my bills, to pay for my mortgage.

Jack: I’m sorry, were you married at this point?

Michelle: Bethany and I were not married at that time. We got married in 2017 and I quit in of July 2016.

Jack: How long have you been together?

Michelle: Since 2015, like the end of 2015.

Jack: So we are talking like less than two years. Girl’s like “Sure, I’ll support while you figure out your career.” Bethany is a sucker. Does she have sister?

Michelle: She does not.

Jack: A brother?

Michelle: Yeah, a brother.

Jack: A cute brother? Jennifer, we need to talk. I’m going to get me a sugar daddy.

Jennifer: Me too. I need one of those as well. My sugar momma is awesome though.

Michelle: But it really did stress me out a little bit because I felt like I owed it to her to succeed. And I felt like I needed to contribute to the household, to the income, and so it motivated me in one way and then it stresses me out in the other because…

Jack: You said earlier that it was a year before you felt comfortable with it.

Michelle: Yes.

Jack: Just from a, you know, let’s be honest with each other. From a psychological and emotional point, how rough was that year for you? Was it a little bit of a uhm things are doing great or were you crying yourself to sleep?

Michelle: No, I never cry myself to sleep. Fortunately, I felt like I’ve never been that type of person where…

Jack: Did you take up a drug habit?

Michelle: I did but I kicked that. No, I did not. It took me a while to like you said emotionally feel comfortable with that insecurity with that instability I should say of that.

Jack: You’re a kept woman all of a sudden.

Michelle: I was a kept woman all of a sudden.

Jennifer: Welcome to the club, girl.

Michelle: Although it sounds great but it is also stressful. That’s never been your life.

Jack: Yeah, especially waking up and just “Where do I go today?”

Michelle: That’s exactly right. But every day was spent and every dollar on educational courses which those where not cheap.

Jack: We have a whole episode about those.

Jennifer: About investing in courses like investments.

Michelle: It is so important though because like they tell you, you need to invest in your business in order to eventually make money. So I think, honestly, this year is probably the first year that I’ve actually made a profit. But that’s not a big profit and it is just paying off the courses and any new gear. I mean, photography is an expensive “hobby” like people like to think it is.

Jennifer: Oh my god.

Jack: She is making air quotes which plays super well in an audio podcast.

Michelle: But everybody thinks it is a hobby.

Jack: You ask if it’s alright with Jennifer. Call it her hobby.

Jennifer: Yeah, that’s my… We don’t use the H word in this house.

Michelle: There is no H word.

Jennifer: This is my job.

Michelle: Exactly.

Jennifer: Because I go to work, okay?

Jack: If I had a woman or a man over while she was doing a shoot and she came home and I said “While you were at your hobby, I cheated on you,” it would be a real toss-up as which part of saying this thing is going to be more disturbing.

Jennifer: My instinct would be, “Excuse me!”

Michelle: This is not a hobby.

Jennifer: Yeah. “It pays the mortgage of the house, the roof that’s over your head. Hey, wait a minute. What!”

Jack: Also, “Can she take a picture? Because I may need her to second shoot for me.”

Jennifer: I am taking applications.

Jack: Or he, I mean.

Michelle: Or whatever.

Jack: Don’t want to playa hate.

Jennifer: So that’s a lot of negativity. So what were some of the benefits of building your business without the full-time job there? The pros?

Michelle: I guess the pros would be that you have…

Jack: The pros of going pro.

Michelle: The pros of going pro, that sounds amazing. You have a lot more time to dedicate to building the business itself. I mean there is so much that goes into it. You have to build a website which if you are not savvy at things like that, which I am not. I can’t tell you how many times I have watched YouTube videos trying to figure out like that is an HTML, and what is code, and things like that, to the point where I wanted to throw my laptop against the wall and just pay someone to do it, but that cost money.

Jennifer: It is. It is very expensive.

Michelle: Yes, and in order to do that you need to get bookings.

Jack: You threw out a number before we were recording for that custom website.

Jennifer: Yeah, it is like $6,000.

Jack: $6,000 big ones.

Jennifer: Like custom website.

Michelle: Yeah, built for you.

Jennifer: Like, I’ll just buy the template. Thank you.

Michelle: It could be very overwhelming in the beginning because there are so many things when you really start to list out everything that is required of a successful business. It is going to be a website. It’s going to be marketing and you have to get business cards. You have to get new gear. And in order to do that you have to have clients. So it is almost like a never ending cycle but one of the big things that I think Katelyn James said on her educational courses was that just don’t expect it all at one time. Like you have this expectation that it’s all going to happen right now but it just can’t. It has to gradually happen and when it does it is glorious.

Jennifer: Yeah, exactly.

Michelle: But you have to hustle that’s for sure. You have to hustle.

Jack: That is something that Jennifer and I talk a lot about on the show and personally, is that Jennifer is a wedding photographer but if you ask her what her job was, she might get around the mention taking pictures at some point. Because a lot of her time’s spent planning advertising campaigns and client relationships.

Michelle: Absolutely.

Jennifer: A very little of it is actually spent actually taking pictures.

Michelle: Yeah, and I think that’s what a lot of the community doesn’t understand. If you are an entrepreneur you understand that there is a hustle and it goes so much deeper than what people see for the hour, hour and half, two hours. Unless it is a wedding day and it is like 8-10 hours. But it is so much more than just taking pictures. And I hate when people say just taking pictures.

Jennifer: Yeah.

Jack: All you have to do is click the button.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jennifer: Yeah.

Jack: Uncle Tom got an iPad he can do it.

Michelle: Don’t be uncle Tom.

Jennifer: No, uh-uh. Do not bring iPads to weddings.

Michelle: Or a laptop. No.

Jack: I’m going to ask you a two-part question.

Michelle: Okay.

Jack: Number one, what would you say was the smartest thing that you did in going pro?

Michelle: Investing in education.

Jack: Investing in education. How much money would you estimate you spent during that first year let’s say.

Michelle: Probably about three and a half grand.

Jack: Okay, not insignificant chunk of change.

Michelle: No. It is quite expensive, but it is worth it.

Jennifer: Quite a price tag on those Katelyn James courses.

Michelle: Yeah, and Aimee, and Jordan, and even Hope Taylor who is local.

Jack: Can we get some advertising money out of these guys?

Jennifer: We need like an affiliate link…

Michelle: Affiliate links, yeah.

Jennifer: Or something and we get a dollar every time we mention KJ or someone else.

Michelle: But she truly has changed the game. I think it is the way that she delivers her message and it just sinks in with me and how she makes everything open to others.

Jack: Part #2, what is your biggest mistake that you made during that time?

Michelle: Thinking that I was going to get all of the clients right away.

Jennifer: That’s a good one. That’s a good answer. Yes.

Jack: It’s a good question too.

Michelle: It was a good question.

Jack: It was fine.

Michelle: It’s alright.

Jennifer: But I think that that’s really if anyone is thinking about quitting their full-time job and making this their profession that they need to understand that right away. That you are not going to get those $10,000 weddings or whatever it is that you are looking to do right away. It is not going to happen overnight or even within the first years. You said what you feel like three or four years it has been before…

Michelle: Yeah, it definitely taking that long to get a following.

Jennifer: Yeah. But it will take even longer probably if you were still at the sheriff’s department.

Michelle: Absolutely.

Jack: How good did it feel to write that first check? “Here is my profit from the first year, get off my back.”

Michelle: Well, you have to remember I didn’t make a profit until just about now, so there is never been that moment.

Jennifer: Last month or whenever?

Jack: Let me tell you, the dynamic of my marriage changed this year because Jennifer started making full-time income and so now she pays the mortgage.

Michelle: Nice.

Jack: And so it used to be that she was like “What you have done for me lately?” And I’d get to say “Look up.”

Jennifer: He lorded the roof over my head, over me all the time, like anything. And I’m like, blah-blah-blah. And he is like, look up.

Jack: But now that she is contributing it is excruciating.

Jennifer: It is my roof that I let him stay under.

Jack: Feels good doesn’t it?

Jennifer: It does. It feels so good.

Jack: This is a loving relationship.

Michelle: Completely loving.

Jennifer: Sometimes. You were at our vow renewal, you know.

Michelle: It was hilarious. It was awesome.

Jack: So you touched on a little bit that you’re not going to be wildly successful right out the gate.

Michelle: Right.

Jack: Aside from that, what is your biggest advice for someone who is thinking, “I am thinking of quitting my job and going full-time with my creative passion”?

Michelle: I would have to say trust yourself because fear can hold you back from so much. So if you trust yourself, trust your skills, trust your desire I guess to want something so bad that you would do whatever it takes in a good way. Like don’t go rob a bank or anything like that, or prostitute yourself.

Jack: That’s the cop talking.

Michelle: Right.

Jack: You guys can disregard that. She is biased.

Michelle: I better not see you on that corner. But yeah, just completely take that leap because it is going to be the best decision that you’ve ever made where you don’t have to answer to someone else.

Jack: But let’s be realistic. Can everyone do it?

Michelle: No. You have to be strong, like you have to be strong-willed. You have to want something so bad that you are willing to go out and work for it. And it is not going to come to you without work. The hustle game has to be strong for sure.

Jennifer: It is not easy.

Michelle: It is not.

Jennifer: But it is worth it.

Michelle: It is totally worth it. I think so.

Jack: So it’s education, planning for the future, and a subscription to Hustler.

Jennifer: And apparently get a Bethany because she sounds pretty cool.

Michelle: She is amazing. I’ll keep her.

Jennifer: Alright, I think that that about does it for this episode. Michelle, let everyone know where they can find you on the internet.

Michelle: I’m at mejia-jonesphotography.com, and the same thing with Instagram and Facebook.

Jennifer: Awesome. Well, that wraps it up for this episode. And Michelle will actually join us again for the next episode on cultivating relationships. So we’ll see you for that one and don’t forget to take a minute and Get to Art.

Jack: Wait, wait, wait. Jennifer, you are screwing it up.

Jennifer: Sorry.

Jack: Jennifer, where can they find you on the internet?

Jennifer: Sorry, and while you’re out there you can find me at jennifermariephotographer.com , and I’m on Instagram @jennifermariephotographyga.

Jack: And you can find me at jackroachauthor.com and on Instagram at @jackroachauthor.

Jennifer: You always get your Instagram handles confused.

Jack: It is because of Twitter.

Jennifer: You have too many social media things.

Jack: I try to have one but some reason I couldn’t get them on Twitter. And I’m on Facebook, in … and Grindr.

Jennifer: And Linkedin.

Jack: And you can find both of us at gettoart.org. Type ghettoart, take out the H, and you’re ready to go.

Jennifer: Alright. We’ll see you next time and don’t forget to take a minute out of your day and get to art. Thanks for listening.

0 notes

jackrmsc · 5 years

Text

The Pros of Going Pro | Episode 014 transcript

This is the transcript for Episode 014 | The Pros of Going Pro with Michelle Michelle Mejia-Jones.

Jack: In the world, please.

----more----

Michelle: I’m good. How are you, Jennifer?

Jennifer: I’m good. Nice to have you on the show finally.

Michelle: Yeah, I am excited to be here.

Jennifer: We’ve been trying to get Michelle on the show for a while now but it’s hard to get her to come out here and hang out with us.

Jack: Well, let’s deal with the elephant in the room first. You got a lot of name.

Michelle: I do.

Jack: Michelle Mejia-Jones.

Michelle: I also have three middle names which never get used. So can you imagine all those names on my birth certificate?

Jack: Spit them out.

Jennifer: I know one of them is Naomi.

Michelle: Yes, so it is Michelle Naomi Alfreda Patricia Mejia-Jones.

Jennifer: Wow!

Jack: How many hyphens we are talking?

Jack: So you do have a lot of names.

Michelle: I do.

Jennifer: Yeah, but a lot of name girl.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jack: So which part of that was your maiden name?

Michelle: Mejia.

Jack: Michelle Naomi Patricia Mejia.

Michelle: Because Jones is Bethany’s last name.

Jennifer: Correct. Okay, so then you took her last name.

Michelle: Yeah, we took each other’s last name.

Jack: Is her name Beth Jones-Mejia?

Michelle: Bethany Mejia-Jones, yeah.

Jack: Oh. You guys didn’t swap the order?

Michelle: No.

Jack: Lame.

Michelle: It has to match on all the government IDs.

Jennifer: Yeah. So Michelle, tell our listeners a little bit about who you are and what you do.

Jack: Both of them are dying to know.

Michelle: I am a wedding and engagement photographer here in Atlanta as well as worldwide.

Jack: What’s the farthest you ever travelled?

Michelle: Just in general or for photography?

Jack: For photography.

Michelle: I’ve actually done a shoot in Italy while I was there but I made that work.

Jack: Okay.

Jennifer: Oh you suck.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jack: I guess I’ll call Pitbull and tell him he’s got to share.

Jennifer: Puerto Rico.

Michelle: But, yeah, so I do mainly weddings and engagements, but my true passion I guess would be like travel photography. I really enjoy it and wedding photography.

Jennifer: I didn’t know that.

Michelle: Yeah.

Michelle: Yes I did.

Jennifer: Alright, so tell us what was your 9 to 5 job before?

Jennifer: When did you leave the sheriff’s department?

Michelle: I left in 2016.

Jennifer: Okay.

Jack: Now, was the only reason that you left to pursue photography?

Jennifer: Yeah, that’s right. We were talking about that about how she kind of gave you the push to say it is okay.

Michelle: Yeah, she did. She was just basically telling me that I can leave and I didn’t have to be afraid to build my business. That she would do whatever it took to help me and support me.

Jack: Did she follow through on that?

Michelle: She did actually. She is amazing.

Jennifer: But how long do you think that you were doing both, that you were going to a 9 to 5 job and building your business?

Michelle: Three to four years.

Jennifer: So what was it like during that time of the three to four years juggling both?

Jennifer: Yeah, that can be hard when you don’t have a calendar per se that you can reliably say I am definitely going to be available on this day or not.

Jack: Wait, wait. More importantly -- what it’s like to have a supportive spouse?

Jennifer: I’m going to cut you.

Jack: It sounds wonderful.

Jennifer: Doesn’t it though?

Michelle: I’m sure Jennifer is a supportive spouse.

Jack: Huh.

Jennifer: I proofread your book for free. Okay?

Michelle: How many pages was that?

Jack: 278.

Michelle: Oh my gosh.

Jack: It was a short book. It was barely 80,000 words. Jennifer, can I quit my job to be a full-time author?

Jennifer: Absolutely.

Michelle: See, she is supportive.

Jack: I don’t believe the words coming out of your mouth right now.

Jennifer: Do you want to quit your job to be a full-time author?

Jack: Hell no. I need that steady paycheck. Jack doesn’t do well with ambiguity. So, Michelle, how long did it take you to feel comfortable after having quit your regular paycheck?

Michelle: Wow, that’s a good question.

Jack: Thank you! I thought of it myself.

Jack: Wait, the self doubt goes away?

Michelle: The self doubt goes away.

Jack: Oh, okay. I need to look into that.

Michelle: Just wait a little bit longer.

Jack: I’m revising my new novel right now and I’ll be reading and go “Oh my god this is crap. Who wrote this? Wait, why is my name on this? What have I done?”

Jack: Jennifer, could you make a note to increase your rates to $10,000 please.

Jennifer: Yeah, I wish.

Michelle: We’re going to get there one day.

Jennifer: Yeah. Oh, Julie Paisley was at the conference by the way and she said “I don’t even get out of bed for less than $12,000.” And I was like, “Girl.”

Michelle: Like I have to get out of bed.

Jack: Meanwhile, I don’t get into bed for less than $12,000.

Michelle: Yeah, I wish. Fingers crossed we’ll get there.

Jack: Just to continue my prostitution line of humor, I may be expensive but I’m not worth it.

Michelle: Wow! Definitely no bang for the …

Jennifer: So the question I was starting to ask earlier before Jack interrupted me.

Jack: With a better question.

Jennifer: Was what obstacles did you face?

Jack: Self doubt.

Jennifer: Not just self doubt but like real tangible.

Jack: How many times did you not pay your water bill?

Michelle: Never, because I have a wife who works full-time.

Jack: That sounds great.

Jack: I’m sorry, were you married at this point?

Michelle: Bethany and I were not married at that time. We got married in 2017 and I quit in of July 2016.

Jack: How long have you been together?

Michelle: Since 2015, like the end of 2015.

Jack: So we are talking like less than two years. Girl’s like “Sure, I’ll support while you figure out your career.” Bethany is a sucker. Does she have sister?

Michelle: She does not.

Jack: A brother?

Michelle: Yeah, a brother.

Jack: A cute brother? Jennifer, we need to talk. I’m going to get me a sugar daddy.

Jennifer: Me too. I need one of those as well. My sugar momma is awesome though.

Jack: You said earlier that it was a year before you felt comfortable with it.

Michelle: Yes.

Michelle: No, I never cry myself to sleep. Fortunately, I felt like I’ve never been that type of person where…

Jack: Did you take up a drug habit?

Michelle: I did but I kicked that. No, I did not. It took me a while to like you said emotionally feel comfortable with that insecurity with that instability I should say of that.

Jack: You’re a kept woman all of a sudden.

Michelle: I was a kept woman all of a sudden.

Jennifer: Welcome to the club, girl.

Michelle: Although it sounds great but it is also stressful. That’s never been your life.

Jack: Yeah, especially waking up and just “Where do I go today?”

Michelle: That’s exactly right. But every day was spent and every dollar on educational courses which those where not cheap.

Jack: We have a whole episode about those.

Jennifer: About investing in courses like investments.

Jennifer: Oh my god.

Jack: She is making air quotes which plays super well in an audio podcast.

Michelle: But everybody thinks it is a hobby.

Jack: You ask if it’s alright with Jennifer. Call it her hobby.

Jennifer: Yeah, that’s my… We don’t use the H word in this house.

Michelle: There is no H word.

Jennifer: This is my job.

Michelle: Exactly.

Jennifer: Because I go to work, okay?

Jennifer: My instinct would be, “Excuse me!”

Michelle: This is not a hobby.

Jennifer: Yeah. “It pays the mortgage of the house, the roof that’s over your head. Hey, wait a minute. What!”

Jack: Also, “Can she take a picture? Because I may need her to second shoot for me.”

Jennifer: I am taking applications.

Jack: Or he, I mean.

Michelle: Or whatever.

Jack: Don’t want to playa hate.

Jennifer: So that’s a lot of negativity. So what were some of the benefits of building your business without the full-time job there? The pros?

Michelle: I guess the pros would be that you have…

Jack: The pros of going pro.

Jennifer: It is. It is very expensive.

Michelle: Yes, and in order to do that you need to get bookings.

Jack: You threw out a number before we were recording for that custom website.

Jennifer: Yeah, it is like $6,000.

Jack: $6,000 big ones.

Jennifer: Like custom website.

Michelle: Yeah, built for you.

Jennifer: Like, I’ll just buy the template. Thank you.

Jennifer: Yeah, exactly.

Michelle: But you have to hustle that’s for sure. You have to hustle.

Michelle: Absolutely.

Jennifer: A very little of it is actually spent actually taking pictures.

Jennifer: Yeah.

Jack: All you have to do is click the button.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jennifer: Yeah.

Jack: Uncle Tom got an iPad he can do it.

Michelle: Don’t be uncle Tom.

Jennifer: No, uh-uh. Do not bring iPads to weddings.

Michelle: Or a laptop. No.

Jack: I’m going to ask you a two-part question.

Michelle: Okay.

Jack: Number one, what would you say was the smartest thing that you did in going pro?

Michelle: Investing in education.

Jack: Investing in education. How much money would you estimate you spent during that first year let’s say.

Michelle: Probably about three and a half grand.

Jack: Okay, not insignificant chunk of change.

Michelle: No. It is quite expensive, but it is worth it.

Jennifer: Quite a price tag on those Katelyn James courses.

Michelle: Yeah, and Aimee, and Jordan, and even Hope Taylor who is local.

Jack: Can we get some advertising money out of these guys?

Jennifer: We need like an affiliate link…

Michelle: Affiliate links, yeah.

Jennifer: Or something and we get a dollar every time we mention KJ or someone else.

Michelle: But she truly has changed the game. I think it is the way that she delivers her message and it just sinks in with me and how she makes everything open to others.

Jack: Part #2, what is your biggest mistake that you made during that time?

Michelle: Thinking that I was going to get all of the clients right away.

Jennifer: That’s a good one. That’s a good answer. Yes.

Jack: It’s a good question too.

Michelle: It was a good question.

Jack: It was fine.

Michelle: It’s alright.

Michelle: Yeah, it definitely taking that long to get a following.

Jennifer: Yeah. But it will take even longer probably if you were still at the sheriff’s department.

Michelle: Absolutely.

Jack: How good did it feel to write that first check? “Here is my profit from the first year, get off my back.”

Michelle: Well, you have to remember I didn’t make a profit until just about now, so there is never been that moment.

Jennifer: Last month or whenever?

Jack: Let me tell you, the dynamic of my marriage changed this year because Jennifer started making full-time income and so now she pays the mortgage.

Michelle: Nice.

Jack: And so it used to be that she was like “What you have done for me lately?” And I’d get to say “Look up.”

Jennifer: He lorded the roof over my head, over me all the time, like anything. And I’m like, blah-blah-blah. And he is like, look up.

Jack: But now that she is contributing it is excruciating.

Jennifer: It is my roof that I let him stay under.

Jack: Feels good doesn’t it?

Jennifer: It does. It feels so good.

Jack: This is a loving relationship.

Michelle: Completely loving.

Jennifer: Sometimes. You were at our vow renewal, you know.

Michelle: It was hilarious. It was awesome.

Jack: So you touched on a little bit that you’re not going to be wildly successful right out the gate.

Michelle: Right.

Jack: Aside from that, what is your biggest advice for someone who is thinking, “I am thinking of quitting my job and going full-time with my creative passion”?

Jack: That’s the cop talking.

Michelle: Right.

Jack: You guys can disregard that. She is biased.

Jack: But let’s be realistic. Can everyone do it?

Jennifer: It is not easy.

Michelle: It is not.

Jennifer: But it is worth it.

Michelle: It is totally worth it. I think so.

Jack: So it’s education, planning for the future, and a subscription to Hustler.

Jennifer: And apparently get a Bethany because she sounds pretty cool.

Michelle: She is amazing. I’ll keep her.

Jennifer: Alright, I think that that about does it for this episode. Michelle, let everyone know where they can find you on the internet.

Michelle: I’m at mejia-jonesphotography.com, and the same thing with Instagram and Facebook.

Jack: Wait, wait, wait. Jennifer, you are screwing it up.

Jennifer: Sorry.

Jack: Jennifer, where can they find you on the internet?

Jennifer: Sorry, and while you’re out there you can find me at jennifermariephotographer.com , and I’m on Instagram @jennifermariephotographyga.

Jack: And you can find me at jackroachauthor.com and on Instagram at @jackroachauthor.

Jennifer: You always get your Instagram handles confused.

Jack: It is because of Twitter.

Jennifer: You have too many social media things.

Jack: I try to have one but some reason I couldn’t get them on Twitter. And I’m on Facebook, in … and Grindr.

Jennifer: And Linkedin.

Jack: And you can find both of us at gettoart.org. Type ghettoart, take out the H, and you’re ready to go.

Jennifer: Alright. We’ll see you next time and don’t forget to take a minute out of your day and get to art. Thanks for listening.

0 notes

gettoart · 5 years

Text

The Pros of Going Pro | Episode 014 transcript

This is the transcript for Episode 014 | The Pros of Going Pro with Michelle Michelle Mejia-Jones.

Jack: In the world, please.

----more----

Michelle: I’m good. How are you, Jennifer?

Jennifer: I’m good. Nice to have you on the show finally.

Michelle: Yeah, I am excited to be here.

Jennifer: We’ve been trying to get Michelle on the show for a while now but it’s hard to get her to come out here and hang out with us.

Jack: Well, let’s deal with the elephant in the room first. You got a lot of name.

Michelle: I do.

Jack: Michelle Mejia-Jones.

Michelle: I also have three middle names which never get used. So can you imagine all those names on my birth certificate?

Jack: Spit them out.

Jennifer: I know one of them is Naomi.

Michelle: Yes, so it is Michelle Naomi Alfreda Patricia Mejia-Jones.

Jennifer: Wow!

Jack: How many hyphens we are talking?

Jack: So you do have a lot of names.

Michelle: I do.

Jennifer: Yeah, but a lot of name girl.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jack: So which part of that was your maiden name?

Michelle: Mejia.

Jack: Michelle Naomi Patricia Mejia.

Michelle: Because Jones is Bethany’s last name.

Jennifer: Correct. Okay, so then you took her last name.

Michelle: Yeah, we took each other’s last name.

Jack: Is her name Beth Jones-Mejia?

Michelle: Bethany Mejia-Jones, yeah.

Jack: Oh. You guys didn’t swap the order?

Michelle: No.

Jack: Lame.

Michelle: It has to match on all the government IDs.

Jennifer: Yeah. So Michelle, tell our listeners a little bit about who you are and what you do.

Jack: Both of them are dying to know.

Michelle: I am a wedding and engagement photographer here in Atlanta as well as worldwide.

Jack: What’s the farthest you ever travelled?

Michelle: Just in general or for photography?

Jack: For photography.

Michelle: I’ve actually done a shoot in Italy while I was there but I made that work.

Jack: Okay.

Jennifer: Oh you suck.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jack: I guess I’ll call Pitbull and tell him he’s got to share.

Jennifer: Puerto Rico.

Michelle: But, yeah, so I do mainly weddings and engagements, but my true passion I guess would be like travel photography. I really enjoy it and wedding photography.

Jennifer: I didn’t know that.

Michelle: Yeah.

Michelle: Yes I did.

Jennifer: Alright, so tell us what was your 9 to 5 job before?

Jennifer: When did you leave the sheriff’s department?

Michelle: I left in 2016.

Jennifer: Okay.

Jack: Now, was the only reason that you left to pursue photography?

Jennifer: Yeah, that’s right. We were talking about that about how she kind of gave you the push to say it is okay.

Michelle: Yeah, she did. She was just basically telling me that I can leave and I didn’t have to be afraid to build my business. That she would do whatever it took to help me and support me.

Jack: Did she follow through on that?

Michelle: She did actually. She is amazing.

Jennifer: But how long do you think that you were doing both, that you were going to a 9 to 5 job and building your business?

Michelle: Three to four years.

Jennifer: So what was it like during that time of the three to four years juggling both?

Jennifer: Yeah, that can be hard when you don’t have a calendar per se that you can reliably say I am definitely going to be available on this day or not.

Jack: Wait, wait. More importantly -- what it’s like to have a supportive spouse?

Jennifer: I’m going to cut you.

Jack: It sounds wonderful.

Jennifer: Doesn’t it though?

Michelle: I’m sure Jennifer is a supportive spouse.

Jack: Huh.

Jennifer: I proofread your book for free. Okay?

Michelle: How many pages was that?

Jack: 278.

Michelle: Oh my gosh.

Jack: It was a short book. It was barely 80,000 words. Jennifer, can I quit my job to be a full-time author?

Jennifer: Absolutely.

Michelle: See, she is supportive.

Jack: I don’t believe the words coming out of your mouth right now.

Jennifer: Do you want to quit your job to be a full-time author?

Jack: Hell no. I need that steady paycheck. Jack doesn’t do well with ambiguity. So, Michelle, how long did it take you to feel comfortable after having quit your regular paycheck?

Michelle: Wow, that’s a good question.

Jack: Thank you! I thought of it myself.

Jack: Wait, the self doubt goes away?

Michelle: The self doubt goes away.

Jack: Oh, okay. I need to look into that.

Michelle: Just wait a little bit longer.

Jack: I’m revising my new novel right now and I’ll be reading and go “Oh my god this is crap. Who wrote this? Wait, why is my name on this? What have I done?”

Jack: Jennifer, could you make a note to increase your rates to $10,000 please.

Jennifer: Yeah, I wish.

Michelle: We’re going to get there one day.

Jennifer: Yeah. Oh, Julie Paisley was at the conference by the way and she said “I don’t even get out of bed for less than $12,000.” And I was like, “Girl.”

Michelle: Like I have to get out of bed.

Jack: Meanwhile, I don’t get into bed for less than $12,000.

Michelle: Yeah, I wish. Fingers crossed we’ll get there.

Jack: Just to continue my prostitution line of humor, I may be expensive but I’m not worth it.

Michelle: Wow! Definitely no bang for the …

Jennifer: So the question I was starting to ask earlier before Jack interrupted me.

Jack: With a better question.

Jennifer: Was what obstacles did you face?

Jack: Self doubt.

Jennifer: Not just self doubt but like real tangible.

Jack: How many times did you not pay your water bill?

Michelle: Never, because I have a wife who works full-time.

Jack: That sounds great.

Jack: I’m sorry, were you married at this point?

Michelle: Bethany and I were not married at that time. We got married in 2017 and I quit in of July 2016.

Jack: How long have you been together?

Michelle: Since 2015, like the end of 2015.

Jack: So we are talking like less than two years. Girl’s like “Sure, I’ll support while you figure out your career.” Bethany is a sucker. Does she have sister?

Michelle: She does not.

Jack: A brother?

Michelle: Yeah, a brother.

Jack: A cute brother? Jennifer, we need to talk. I’m going to get me a sugar daddy.

Jennifer: Me too. I need one of those as well. My sugar momma is awesome though.

Jack: You said earlier that it was a year before you felt comfortable with it.

Michelle: Yes.

Michelle: No, I never cry myself to sleep. Fortunately, I felt like I’ve never been that type of person where…

Jack: Did you take up a drug habit?

Michelle: I did but I kicked that. No, I did not. It took me a while to like you said emotionally feel comfortable with that insecurity with that instability I should say of that.

Jack: You’re a kept woman all of a sudden.

Michelle: I was a kept woman all of a sudden.

Jennifer: Welcome to the club, girl.

Michelle: Although it sounds great but it is also stressful. That’s never been your life.

Jack: Yeah, especially waking up and just “Where do I go today?”

Michelle: That’s exactly right. But every day was spent and every dollar on educational courses which those where not cheap.

Jack: We have a whole episode about those.

Jennifer: About investing in courses like investments.

Jennifer: Oh my god.

Jack: She is making air quotes which plays super well in an audio podcast.

Michelle: But everybody thinks it is a hobby.

Jack: You ask if it’s alright with Jennifer. Call it her hobby.

Jennifer: Yeah, that’s my… We don’t use the H word in this house.

Michelle: There is no H word.

Jennifer: This is my job.

Michelle: Exactly.

Jennifer: Because I go to work, okay?

Jennifer: My instinct would be, “Excuse me!”

Michelle: This is not a hobby.

Jennifer: Yeah. “It pays the mortgage of the house, the roof that’s over your head. Hey, wait a minute. What!”

Jack: Also, “Can she take a picture? Because I may need her to second shoot for me.”

Jennifer: I am taking applications.

Jack: Or he, I mean.

Michelle: Or whatever.

Jack: Don’t want to playa hate.

Jennifer: So that’s a lot of negativity. So what were some of the benefits of building your business without the full-time job there? The pros?

Michelle: I guess the pros would be that you have…

Jack: The pros of going pro.

Jennifer: It is. It is very expensive.

Michelle: Yes, and in order to do that you need to get bookings.

Jack: You threw out a number before we were recording for that custom website.

Jennifer: Yeah, it is like $6,000.

Jack: $6,000 big ones.

Jennifer: Like custom website.

Michelle: Yeah, built for you.

Jennifer: Like, I’ll just buy the template. Thank you.

Jennifer: Yeah, exactly.

Michelle: But you have to hustle that’s for sure. You have to hustle.

Michelle: Absolutely.

Jennifer: A very little of it is actually spent actually taking pictures.

Jennifer: Yeah.

Jack: All you have to do is click the button.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jennifer: Yeah.

Jack: Uncle Tom got an iPad he can do it.

Michelle: Don’t be uncle Tom.

Jennifer: No, uh-uh. Do not bring iPads to weddings.

Michelle: Or a laptop. No.

Jack: I’m going to ask you a two-part question.

Michelle: Okay.

Jack: Number one, what would you say was the smartest thing that you did in going pro?

Michelle: Investing in education.

Jack: Investing in education. How much money would you estimate you spent during that first year let’s say.

Michelle: Probably about three and a half grand.

Jack: Okay, not insignificant chunk of change.

Michelle: No. It is quite expensive, but it is worth it.

Jennifer: Quite a price tag on those Katelyn James courses.

Michelle: Yeah, and Aimee, and Jordan, and even Hope Taylor who is local.

Jack: Can we get some advertising money out of these guys?

Jennifer: We need like an affiliate link…

Michelle: Affiliate links, yeah.

Jennifer: Or something and we get a dollar every time we mention KJ or someone else.

Michelle: But she truly has changed the game. I think it is the way that she delivers her message and it just sinks in with me and how she makes everything open to others.

Jack: Part #2, what is your biggest mistake that you made during that time?

Michelle: Thinking that I was going to get all of the clients right away.

Jennifer: That’s a good one. That’s a good answer. Yes.

Jack: It’s a good question too.

Michelle: It was a good question.

Jack: It was fine.

Michelle: It’s alright.

Michelle: Yeah, it definitely taking that long to get a following.

Jennifer: Yeah. But it will take even longer probably if you were still at the sheriff’s department.

Michelle: Absolutely.

Jack: How good did it feel to write that first check? “Here is my profit from the first year, get off my back.”

Michelle: Well, you have to remember I didn’t make a profit until just about now, so there is never been that moment.

Jennifer: Last month or whenever?

Jack: Let me tell you, the dynamic of my marriage changed this year because Jennifer started making full-time income and so now she pays the mortgage.

Michelle: Nice.

Jack: And so it used to be that she was like “What you have done for me lately?” And I’d get to say “Look up.”

Jennifer: He lorded the roof over my head, over me all the time, like anything. And I’m like, blah-blah-blah. And he is like, look up.

Jack: But now that she is contributing it is excruciating.

Jennifer: It is my roof that I let him stay under.

Jack: Feels good doesn’t it?

Jennifer: It does. It feels so good.

Jack: This is a loving relationship.

Michelle: Completely loving.

Jennifer: Sometimes. You were at our vow renewal, you know.

Michelle: It was hilarious. It was awesome.

Jack: So you touched on a little bit that you’re not going to be wildly successful right out the gate.

Michelle: Right.

Jack: Aside from that, what is your biggest advice for someone who is thinking, “I am thinking of quitting my job and going full-time with my creative passion”?

Jack: That’s the cop talking.

Michelle: Right.

Jack: You guys can disregard that. She is biased.

Jack: But let’s be realistic. Can everyone do it?

Jennifer: It is not easy.

Michelle: It is not.

Jennifer: But it is worth it.

Michelle: It is totally worth it. I think so.

Jack: So it’s education, planning for the future, and a subscription to Hustler.

Jennifer: And apparently get a Bethany because she sounds pretty cool.

Michelle: She is amazing. I’ll keep her.

Jennifer: Alright, I think that that about does it for this episode. Michelle, let everyone know where they can find you on the internet.

Michelle: I’m at mejia-jonesphotography.com, and the same thing with Instagram and Facebook.

Jack: Wait, wait, wait. Jennifer, you are screwing it up.

Jennifer: Sorry.

Jack: Jennifer, where can they find you on the internet?

Jennifer: Sorry, and while you’re out there you can find me at jennifermariephotographer.com , and I’m on Instagram @jennifermariephotographyga.

Jack: And you can find me at jackroachauthor.com and on Instagram at @jackroachauthor.

Jennifer: You always get your Instagram handles confused.

Jack: It is because of Twitter.

Jennifer: You have too many social media things.

Jack: I try to have one but some reason I couldn’t get them on Twitter. And I’m on Facebook, in … and Grindr.

Jennifer: And Linkedin.

Jack: And you can find both of us at gettoart.org. Type ghettoart, take out the H, and you’re ready to go.

Jennifer: Alright. We’ll see you next time and don’t forget to take a minute out of your day and get to art. Thanks for listening.

0 notes

istillcantsitdown · 5 years

Text

The Pros of Going Pro | Episode 014 transcript

This is the transcript for Episode 014 | The Pros of Going Pro with Michelle Michelle Mejia-Jones.

Jack: In the world, please.

----more----

Michelle: I’m good. How are you, Jennifer?

Jennifer: I’m good. Nice to have you on the show finally.

Michelle: Yeah, I am excited to be here.

Jennifer: We’ve been trying to get Michelle on the show for a while now but it’s hard to get her to come out here and hang out with us.

Jack: Well, let’s deal with the elephant in the room first. You got a lot of name.

Michelle: I do.

Jack: Michelle Mejia-Jones.

Michelle: I also have three middle names which never get used. So can you imagine all those names on my birth certificate?

Jack: Spit them out.

Jennifer: I know one of them is Naomi.

Michelle: Yes, so it is Michelle Naomi Alfreda Patricia Mejia-Jones.

Jennifer: Wow!

Jack: How many hyphens we are talking?

Jack: So you do have a lot of names.

Michelle: I do.

Jennifer: Yeah, but a lot of name girl.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jack: So which part of that was your maiden name?

Michelle: Mejia.

Jack: Michelle Naomi Patricia Mejia.

Michelle: Because Jones is Bethany’s last name.

Jennifer: Correct. Okay, so then you took her last name.

Michelle: Yeah, we took each other’s last name.

Jack: Is her name Beth Jones-Mejia?

Michelle: Bethany Mejia-Jones, yeah.

Jack: Oh. You guys didn’t swap the order?

Michelle: No.

Jack: Lame.

Michelle: It has to match on all the government IDs.

Jennifer: Yeah. So Michelle, tell our listeners a little bit about who you are and what you do.

Jack: Both of them are dying to know.

Michelle: I am a wedding and engagement photographer here in Atlanta as well as worldwide.

Jack: What’s the farthest you ever travelled?

Michelle: Just in general or for photography?

Jack: For photography.

Michelle: I’ve actually done a shoot in Italy while I was there but I made that work.

Jack: Okay.

Jennifer: Oh you suck.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jack: I guess I’ll call Pitbull and tell him he’s got to share.

Jennifer: Puerto Rico.

Michelle: But, yeah, so I do mainly weddings and engagements, but my true passion I guess would be like travel photography. I really enjoy it and wedding photography.

Jennifer: I didn’t know that.

Michelle: Yeah.

Michelle: Yes I did.

Jennifer: Alright, so tell us what was your 9 to 5 job before?

Jennifer: When did you leave the sheriff’s department?

Michelle: I left in 2016.

Jennifer: Okay.

Jack: Now, was the only reason that you left to pursue photography?

Jennifer: Yeah, that’s right. We were talking about that about how she kind of gave you the push to say it is okay.

Michelle: Yeah, she did. She was just basically telling me that I can leave and I didn’t have to be afraid to build my business. That she would do whatever it took to help me and support me.

Jack: Did she follow through on that?

Michelle: She did actually. She is amazing.

Jennifer: But how long do you think that you were doing both, that you were going to a 9 to 5 job and building your business?

Michelle: Three to four years.

Jennifer: So what was it like during that time of the three to four years juggling both?

Jennifer: Yeah, that can be hard when you don’t have a calendar per se that you can reliably say I am definitely going to be available on this day or not.

Jack: Wait, wait. More importantly -- what it’s like to have a supportive spouse?

Jennifer: I’m going to cut you.

Jack: It sounds wonderful.

Jennifer: Doesn’t it though?

Michelle: I’m sure Jennifer is a supportive spouse.

Jack: Huh.

Jennifer: I proofread your book for free. Okay?

Michelle: How many pages was that?

Jack: 278.

Michelle: Oh my gosh.

Jack: It was a short book. It was barely 80,000 words. Jennifer, can I quit my job to be a full-time author?

Jennifer: Absolutely.

Michelle: See, she is supportive.

Jack: I don’t believe the words coming out of your mouth right now.

Jennifer: Do you want to quit your job to be a full-time author?

Jack: Hell no. I need that steady paycheck. Jack doesn’t do well with ambiguity. So, Michelle, how long did it take you to feel comfortable after having quit your regular paycheck?

Michelle: Wow, that’s a good question.

Jack: Thank you! I thought of it myself.

Jack: Wait, the self doubt goes away?

Michelle: The self doubt goes away.

Jack: Oh, okay. I need to look into that.

Michelle: Just wait a little bit longer.

Jack: I’m revising my new novel right now and I’ll be reading and go “Oh my god this is crap. Who wrote this? Wait, why is my name on this? What have I done?”

Jack: Jennifer, could you make a note to increase your rates to $10,000 please.

Jennifer: Yeah, I wish.

Michelle: We’re going to get there one day.

Jennifer: Yeah. Oh, Julie Paisley was at the conference by the way and she said “I don’t even get out of bed for less than $12,000.” And I was like, “Girl.”

Michelle: Like I have to get out of bed.

Jack: Meanwhile, I don’t get into bed for less than $12,000.

Michelle: Yeah, I wish. Fingers crossed we’ll get there.

Jack: Just to continue my prostitution line of humor, I may be expensive but I’m not worth it.

Michelle: Wow! Definitely no bang for the …

Jennifer: So the question I was starting to ask earlier before Jack interrupted me.

Jack: With a better question.

Jennifer: Was what obstacles did you face?

Jack: Self doubt.

Jennifer: Not just self doubt but like real tangible.

Jack: How many times did you not pay your water bill?

Michelle: Never, because I have a wife who works full-time.

Jack: That sounds great.

Jack: I’m sorry, were you married at this point?

Michelle: Bethany and I were not married at that time. We got married in 2017 and I quit in of July 2016.

Jack: How long have you been together?

Michelle: Since 2015, like the end of 2015.

Jack: So we are talking like less than two years. Girl’s like “Sure, I’ll support while you figure out your career.” Bethany is a sucker. Does she have sister?

Michelle: She does not.

Jack: A brother?

Michelle: Yeah, a brother.

Jack: A cute brother? Jennifer, we need to talk. I’m going to get me a sugar daddy.

Jennifer: Me too. I need one of those as well. My sugar momma is awesome though.

Jack: You said earlier that it was a year before you felt comfortable with it.

Michelle: Yes.

Michelle: No, I never cry myself to sleep. Fortunately, I felt like I’ve never been that type of person where…

Jack: Did you take up a drug habit?

Michelle: I did but I kicked that. No, I did not. It took me a while to like you said emotionally feel comfortable with that insecurity with that instability I should say of that.

Jack: You’re a kept woman all of a sudden.

Michelle: I was a kept woman all of a sudden.

Jennifer: Welcome to the club, girl.

Michelle: Although it sounds great but it is also stressful. That’s never been your life.

Jack: Yeah, especially waking up and just “Where do I go today?”

Michelle: That’s exactly right. But every day was spent and every dollar on educational courses which those where not cheap.

Jack: We have a whole episode about those.

Jennifer: About investing in courses like investments.

Jennifer: Oh my god.

Jack: She is making air quotes which plays super well in an audio podcast.

Michelle: But everybody thinks it is a hobby.

Jack: You ask if it’s alright with Jennifer. Call it her hobby.

Jennifer: Yeah, that’s my… We don’t use the H word in this house.

Michelle: There is no H word.

Jennifer: This is my job.

Michelle: Exactly.

Jennifer: Because I go to work, okay?

Jennifer: My instinct would be, “Excuse me!”

Michelle: This is not a hobby.

Jennifer: Yeah. “It pays the mortgage of the house, the roof that’s over your head. Hey, wait a minute. What!”

Jack: Also, “Can she take a picture? Because I may need her to second shoot for me.”

Jennifer: I am taking applications.

Jack: Or he, I mean.

Michelle: Or whatever.

Jack: Don’t want to playa hate.

Jennifer: So that’s a lot of negativity. So what were some of the benefits of building your business without the full-time job there? The pros?

Michelle: I guess the pros would be that you have…

Jack: The pros of going pro.

Jennifer: It is. It is very expensive.

Michelle: Yes, and in order to do that you need to get bookings.

Jack: You threw out a number before we were recording for that custom website.

Jennifer: Yeah, it is like $6,000.

Jack: $6,000 big ones.

Jennifer: Like custom website.

Michelle: Yeah, built for you.

Jennifer: Like, I’ll just buy the template. Thank you.

Jennifer: Yeah, exactly.

Michelle: But you have to hustle that’s for sure. You have to hustle.

Michelle: Absolutely.

Jennifer: A very little of it is actually spent actually taking pictures.

Jennifer: Yeah.

Jack: All you have to do is click the button.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jennifer: Yeah.

Jack: Uncle Tom got an iPad he can do it.

Michelle: Don’t be uncle Tom.

Jennifer: No, uh-uh. Do not bring iPads to weddings.

Michelle: Or a laptop. No.

Jack: I’m going to ask you a two-part question.

Michelle: Okay.

Jack: Number one, what would you say was the smartest thing that you did in going pro?

Michelle: Investing in education.

Jack: Investing in education. How much money would you estimate you spent during that first year let’s say.

Michelle: Probably about three and a half grand.

Jack: Okay, not insignificant chunk of change.

Michelle: No. It is quite expensive, but it is worth it.

Jennifer: Quite a price tag on those Katelyn James courses.

Michelle: Yeah, and Aimee, and Jordan, and even Hope Taylor who is local.

Jack: Can we get some advertising money out of these guys?

Jennifer: We need like an affiliate link…

Michelle: Affiliate links, yeah.

Jennifer: Or something and we get a dollar every time we mention KJ or someone else.

Michelle: But she truly has changed the game. I think it is the way that she delivers her message and it just sinks in with me and how she makes everything open to others.

Jack: Part #2, what is your biggest mistake that you made during that time?

Michelle: Thinking that I was going to get all of the clients right away.

Jennifer: That’s a good one. That’s a good answer. Yes.

Jack: It’s a good question too.

Michelle: It was a good question.

Jack: It was fine.

Michelle: It’s alright.

Michelle: Yeah, it definitely taking that long to get a following.

Jennifer: Yeah. But it will take even longer probably if you were still at the sheriff’s department.

Michelle: Absolutely.

Jack: How good did it feel to write that first check? “Here is my profit from the first year, get off my back.”

Michelle: Well, you have to remember I didn’t make a profit until just about now, so there is never been that moment.

Jennifer: Last month or whenever?

Jack: Let me tell you, the dynamic of my marriage changed this year because Jennifer started making full-time income and so now she pays the mortgage.

Michelle: Nice.

Jack: �� And so it used to be that she was like “What you have done for me lately?” And I’d get to say “Look up.”

Jennifer: He lorded the roof over my head, over me all the time, like anything. And I’m like, blah-blah-blah. And he is like, look up.

Jack: But now that she is contributing it is excruciating.

Jennifer: It is my roof that I let him stay under.

Jack: Feels good doesn’t it?

Jennifer: It does. It feels so good.

Jack: This is a loving relationship.

Michelle: Completely loving.

Jennifer: Sometimes. You were at our vow renewal, you know.

Michelle: It was hilarious. It was awesome.

Jack: So you touched on a little bit that you’re not going to be wildly successful right out the gate.

Michelle: Right.

Jack: Aside from that, what is your biggest advice for someone who is thinking, “I am thinking of quitting my job and going full-time with my creative passion”?

Jack: That’s the cop talking.

Michelle: Right.

Jack: You guys can disregard that. She is biased.

Jack: But let’s be realistic. Can everyone do it?

Jennifer: It is not easy.

Michelle: It is not.

Jennifer: But it is worth it.

Michelle: It is totally worth it. I think so.

Jack: So it’s education, planning for the future, and a subscription to Hustler.

Jennifer: And apparently get a Bethany because she sounds pretty cool.

Michelle: She is amazing. I’ll keep her.

Jennifer: Alright, I think that that about does it for this episode. Michelle, let everyone know where they can find you on the internet.

Michelle: I’m at mejia-jonesphotography.com, and the same thing with Instagram and Facebook.

Jack: Wait, wait, wait. Jennifer, you are screwing it up.

Jennifer: Sorry.

Jack: Jennifer, where can they find you on the internet?

Jennifer: Sorry, and while you’re out there you can find me at jennifermariephotographer.com , and I’m on Instagram @jennifermariephotographyga.

Jack: And you can find me at jackroachauthor.com and on Instagram at @jackroachauthor.

Jennifer: You always get your Instagram handles confused.

Jack: It is because of Twitter.

Jennifer: You have too many social media things.

Jack: I try to have one but some reason I couldn’t get them on Twitter. And I’m on Facebook, in … and Grindr.

Jennifer: And Linkedin.

Jack: And you can find both of us at gettoart.org. Type ghettoart, take out the H, and you’re ready to go.

Jennifer: Alright. We’ll see you next time and don’t forget to take a minute out of your day and get to art. Thanks for listening.

0 notes

dielaughingzine · 5 years

Text

The Pros of Going Pro | Episode 014 transcript

This is the transcript for Episode 014 | The Pros of Going Pro with Michelle Michelle Mejia-Jones.

Jack: In the world, please.

----more----

Michelle: I’m good. How are you, Jennifer?

Jennifer: I’m good. Nice to have you on the show finally.

Michelle: Yeah, I am excited to be here.

Jennifer: We’ve been trying to get Michelle on the show for a while now but it’s hard to get her to come out here and hang out with us.

Jack: Well, let’s deal with the elephant in the room first. You got a lot of name.

Michelle: I do.

Jack: Michelle Mejia-Jones.

Michelle: I also have three middle names which never get used. So can you imagine all those names on my birth certificate?

Jack: Spit them out.

Jennifer: I know one of them is Naomi.

Michelle: Yes, so it is Michelle Naomi Alfreda Patricia Mejia-Jones.

Jennifer: Wow!

Jack: How many hyphens we are talking?

Jack: So you do have a lot of names.

Michelle: I do.

Jennifer: Yeah, but a lot of name girl.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jack: So which part of that was your maiden name?

Michelle: Mejia.

Jack: Michelle Naomi Patricia Mejia.

Michelle: Because Jones is Bethany’s last name.

Jennifer: Correct. Okay, so then you took her last name.

Michelle: Yeah, we took each other’s last name.

Jack: Is her name Beth Jones-Mejia?

Michelle: Bethany Mejia-Jones, yeah.

Jack: Oh. You guys didn’t swap the order?

Michelle: No.

Jack: Lame.

Michelle: It has to match on all the government IDs.

Jennifer: Yeah. So Michelle, tell our listeners a little bit about who you are and what you do.

Jack: Both of them are dying to know.

Michelle: I am a wedding and engagement photographer here in Atlanta as well as worldwide.

Jack: What’s the farthest you ever travelled?

Michelle: Just in general or for photography?

Jack: For photography.

Michelle: I’ve actually done a shoot in Italy while I was there but I made that work.

Jack: Okay.

Jennifer: Oh you suck.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jack: I guess I’ll call Pitbull and tell him he’s got to share.

Jennifer: Puerto Rico.

Michelle: But, yeah, so I do mainly weddings and engagements, but my true passion I guess would be like travel photography. I really enjoy it and wedding photography.

Jennifer: I didn’t know that.

Michelle: Yeah.

Michelle: Yes I did.

Jennifer: Alright, so tell us what was your 9 to 5 job before?

Jennifer: When did you leave the sheriff’s department?

Michelle: I left in 2016.

Jennifer: Okay.

Jack: Now, was the only reason that you left to pursue photography?

Jennifer: Yeah, that’s right. We were talking about that about how she kind of gave you the push to say it is okay.

Michelle: Yeah, she did. She was just basically telling me that I can leave and I didn’t have to be afraid to build my business. That she would do whatever it took to help me and support me.

Jack: Did she follow through on that?

Michelle: She did actually. She is amazing.

Jennifer: But how long do you think that you were doing both, that you were going to a 9 to 5 job and building your business?

Michelle: Three to four years.

Jennifer: So what was it like during that time of the three to four years juggling both?

Jennifer: Yeah, that can be hard when you don’t have a calendar per se that you can reliably say I am definitely going to be available on this day or not.

Jack: Wait, wait. More importantly -- what it’s like to have a supportive spouse?

Jennifer: I’m going to cut you.

Jack: It sounds wonderful.

Jennifer: Doesn’t it though?

Michelle: I’m sure Jennifer is a supportive spouse.

Jack: Huh.

Jennifer: I proofread your book for free. Okay?

Michelle: How many pages was that?

Jack: 278.

Michelle: Oh my gosh.

Jack: It was a short book. It was barely 80,000 words. Jennifer, can I quit my job to be a full-time author?

Jennifer: Absolutely.

Michelle: See, she is supportive.

Jack: I don’t believe the words coming out of your mouth right now.

Jennifer: Do you want to quit your job to be a full-time author?

Jack: Hell no. I need that steady paycheck. Jack doesn’t do well with ambiguity. So, Michelle, how long did it take you to feel comfortable after having quit your regular paycheck?

Michelle: Wow, that’s a good question.

Jack: Thank you! I thought of it myself.

Jack: Wait, the self doubt goes away?

Michelle: The self doubt goes away.

Jack: Oh, okay. I need to look into that.

Michelle: Just wait a little bit longer.

Jack: I’m revising my new novel right now and I’ll be reading and go “Oh my god this is crap. Who wrote this? Wait, why is my name on this? What have I done?”

Jack: Jennifer, could you make a note to increase your rates to $10,000 please.

Jennifer: Yeah, I wish.

Michelle: We’re going to get there one day.

Jennifer: Yeah. Oh, Julie Paisley was at the conference by the way and she said “I don’t even get out of bed for less than $12,000.” And I was like, “Girl.”

Michelle: Like I have to get out of bed.

Jack: Meanwhile, I don’t get into bed for less than $12,000.

Michelle: Yeah, I wish. Fingers crossed we’ll get there.

Jack: Just to continue my prostitution line of humor, I may be expensive but I’m not worth it.

Michelle: Wow! Definitely no bang for the …

Jennifer: So the question I was starting to ask earlier before Jack interrupted me.

Jack: With a better question.

Jennifer: Was what obstacles did you face?

Jack: Self doubt.

Jennifer: Not just self doubt but like real tangible.

Jack: How many times did you not pay your water bill?

Michelle: Never, because I have a wife who works full-time.

Jack: That sounds great.

Jack: I’m sorry, were you married at this point?

Michelle: Bethany and I were not married at that time. We got married in 2017 and I quit in of July 2016.

Jack: How long have you been together?

Michelle: Since 2015, like the end of 2015.

Jack: So we are talking like less than two years. Girl’s like “Sure, I’ll support while you figure out your career.” Bethany is a sucker. Does she have sister?

Michelle: She does not.

Jack: A brother?

Michelle: Yeah, a brother.

Jack: A cute brother? Jennifer, we need to talk. I’m going to get me a sugar daddy.

Jennifer: Me too. I need one of those as well. My sugar momma is awesome though.

Jack: You said earlier that it was a year before you felt comfortable with it.

Michelle: Yes.

Michelle: No, I never cry myself to sleep. Fortunately, I felt like I’ve never been that type of person where…

Jack: Did you take up a drug habit?

Michelle: I did but I kicked that. No, I did not. It took me a while to like you said emotionally feel comfortable with that insecurity with that instability I should say of that.

Jack: You’re a kept woman all of a sudden.

Michelle: I was a kept woman all of a sudden.

Jennifer: Welcome to the club, girl.

Michelle: Although it sounds great but it is also stressful. That’s never been your life.

Jack: Yeah, especially waking up and just “Where do I go today?”

Michelle: That’s exactly right. But every day was spent and every dollar on educational courses which those where not cheap.

Jack: We have a whole episode about those.

Jennifer: About investing in courses like investments.

Jennifer: Oh my god.

Jack: She is making air quotes which plays super well in an audio podcast.

Michelle: But everybody thinks it is a hobby.

Jack: You ask if it’s alright with Jennifer. Call it her hobby.

Jennifer: Yeah, that’s my… We don’t use the H word in this house.

Michelle: There is no H word.

Jennifer: This is my job.

Michelle: Exactly.

Jennifer: Because I go to work, okay?

Jennifer: My instinct would be, “Excuse me!”

Michelle: This is not a hobby.

Jennifer: Yeah. “It pays the mortgage of the house, the roof that’s over your head. Hey, wait a minute. What!”

Jack: Also, “Can she take a picture? Because I may need her to second shoot for me.”

Jennifer: I am taking applications.

Jack: Or he, I mean.

Michelle: Or whatever.

Jack: Don’t want to playa hate.

Jennifer: So that’s a lot of negativity. So what were some of the benefits of building your business without the full-time job there? The pros?

Michelle: I guess the pros would be that you have…

Jack: The pros of going pro.

Jennifer: It is. It is very expensive.

Michelle: Yes, and in order to do that you need to get bookings.

Jack: You threw out a number before we were recording for that custom website.

Jennifer: Yeah, it is like $6,000.

Jack: $6,000 big ones.

Jennifer: Like custom website.

Michelle: Yeah, built for you.

Jennifer: Like, I’ll just buy the template. Thank you.

Jennifer: Yeah, exactly.

Michelle: But you have to hustle that’s for sure. You have to hustle.

Michelle: Absolutely.

Jennifer: A very little of it is actually spent actually taking pictures.

Jennifer: Yeah.

Jack: All you have to do is click the button.

Michelle: Yeah.

Jennifer: Yeah.

Jack: Uncle Tom got an iPad he can do it.

Michelle: Don’t be uncle Tom.

Jennifer: No, uh-uh. Do not bring iPads to weddings.

Michelle: Or a laptop. No.

Jack: I’m going to ask you a two-part question.

Michelle: Okay.

Jack: Number one, what would you say was the smartest thing that you did in going pro?

Michelle: Investing in education.

Jack: Investing in education. How much money would you estimate you spent during that first year let’s say.

Michelle: Probably about three and a half grand.

Jack: Okay, not insignificant chunk of change.

Michelle: No. It is quite expensive, but it is worth it.

Jennifer: Quite a price tag on those Katelyn James courses.

Michelle: Yeah, and Aimee, and Jordan, and even Hope Taylor who is local.

Jack: Can we get some advertising money out of these guys?

Jennifer: We need like an affiliate link…

Michelle: Affiliate links, yeah.

Jennifer: Or something and we get a dollar every time we mention KJ or someone else.

Michelle: But she truly has changed the game. I think it is the way that she delivers her message and it just sinks in with me and how she makes everything open to others.

Jack: Part #2, what is your biggest mistake that you made during that time?

Michelle: Thinking that I was going to get all of the clients right away.

Jennifer: That’s a good one. That’s a good answer. Yes.

Jack: It’s a good question too.

Michelle: It was a good question.

Jack: It was fine.

Michelle: It’s alright.

Michelle: Yeah, it definitely taking that long to get a following.

Jennifer: Yeah. But it will take even longer probably if you were still at the sheriff’s department.

Michelle: Absolutely.

Jack: How good did it feel to write that first check? “Here is my profit from the first year, get off my back.”

Michelle: Well, you have to remember I didn’t make a profit until just about now, so there is never been that moment.

Jennifer: Last month or whenever?

Jack: Let me tell you, the dynamic of my marriage changed this year because Jennifer started making full-time income and so now she pays the mortgage.

Michelle: Nice.

Jack: And so it used to be that she was like “What you have done for me lately?” And I’d get to say “Look up.”

Jennifer: He lorded the roof over my head, over me all the time, like anything. And I’m like, blah-blah-blah. And he is like, look up.

Jack: But now that she is contributing it is excruciating.

Jennifer: It is my roof that I let him stay under.

Jack: Feels good doesn’t it?

Jennifer: It does. It feels so good.

Jack: This is a loving relationship.

Michelle: Completely loving.

Jennifer: Sometimes. You were at our vow renewal, you know.

Michelle: It was hilarious. It was awesome.

Jack: So you touched on a little bit that you’re not going to be wildly successful right out the gate.

Michelle: Right.

Jack: Aside from that, what is your biggest advice for someone who is thinking, “I am thinking of quitting my job and going full-time with my creative passion”?

Jack: That’s the cop talking.

Michelle: Right.

Jack: You guys can disregard that. She is biased.

Jack: But let’s be realistic. Can everyone do it?

Jennifer: It is not easy.

Michelle: It is not.

Jennifer: But it is worth it.

Michelle: It is totally worth it. I think so.

Jack: So it’s education, planning for the future, and a subscription to Hustler.

Jennifer: And apparently get a Bethany because she sounds pretty cool.

Michelle: She is amazing. I’ll keep her.

Jennifer: Alright, I think that that about does it for this episode. Michelle, let everyone know where they can find you on the internet.

Michelle: I’m at mejia-jonesphotography.com, and the same thing with Instagram and Facebook.

Jack: Wait, wait, wait. Jennifer, you are screwing it up.

Jennifer: Sorry.

Jack: Jennifer, where can they find you on the internet?

Jennifer: Sorry, and while you’re out there you can find me at jennifermariephotographer.com , and I’m on Instagram @jennifermariephotographyga.

Jack: And you can find me at jackroachauthor.com and on Instagram at @jackroachauthor.

Jennifer: You always get your Instagram handles confused.

Jack: It is because of Twitter.

Jennifer: You have too many social media things.

Jack: I try to have one but some reason I couldn’t get them on Twitter. And I’m on Facebook, in … and Grindr.

Jennifer: And Linkedin.

Jack: And you can find both of us at gettoart.org. Type ghettoart, take out the H, and you’re ready to go.

Jennifer: Alright. We’ll see you next time and don’t forget to take a minute out of your day and get to art. Thanks for listening.

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