I’m five interviews deep into this local business interview series, and I’ve already learned so much. Originally, I set out to do 100 interviews, so I can only imagine what will happen from here.
A priority of mine through this work has been inviting collaboration, so I’d love to share what I’ve felt and thought about and where I see this project (and others) going.
1. No one cares what the name is; do the work
I’ve overthought what I wanted to name the project for far too long. Though the name shouldn’t matter at this point, I kept believing that coming up with the name was part of “doing the work.”
Lesson: it’s not.
Doing the work means:
Researching potential interviewees
Reaching out to them via cold or warm introductions
Pitching them on the idea
Preparing for the interview
Building a strong relationship with the interviewee
Making sure the interviewee feels prepared
Conducting the interview without technical hiccups
Establishing timelines and expectations post-interview
Requesting images to add to the interview post
Editing the interview (transcribing and eliminating filler words, time gaps, and unnecessary parts)
Writing an introductory section for the interview and creating the Substack post
Getting feedback on the Substack post
Sweating and anxiously overanalyzing whether the post is ready to go
Doubting if anyone will read or care about the post
Hitting “Publish”
Collecting feedback from interviewees
Incorporating feedback for the upcoming interview
Repeating the above steps for each new interview
Sharing these features/posts has been more vulnerable than I anticipated. The most vulnerable part has been including the audio interview in the posts. Hearing my own voice tends to make me cringe. The cringe lessens with each new interview, but I’d imagine it’ll probably always exist to some extent.
But what should I do with this cringe? Should I let it keep me from sharing these posts? Should I let it stop me from improving as an interviewer?
Hell nah — the alternative sounds pessimistic af.
Reminder to self: focus on the craft. Focus on what I want to see more of in the world. Focus on creating. Focus on being more me.
Side note about naming the series: After interviewing Celeste from Euflora, I realized how creative she was in naming the companies or projects she has worked on. I reached out to her asking if she had any ideas for how I should name my project, and she quickly threw out “The Localist”, and it actually feels perfect (at least for now). So there it is: we’ll be calling the project that until further notice!
2. Following my curiosity and genuine excitement
This project has allowed me to showcase the work I’ve been most proud of in my career. However, there are times when I doubt whether I’m on the right path. I face a lot of fear every single day.
Why am I doing this? Should I just start applying for corporate jobs again?
Then I remember that following my curiosity and genuine excitement has and will never lead me astray. Right now, my curiosities are receiving my full attention and energy.
3. Attraction to telling profound stories
Serving local and community-minded businesses has been an absolute joy and meaning-making experience. I’ve also realized that what I’ve enjoyed about the process has been uncovering, immersing myself in, and telling vulnerable, raw, and fun stories.
There’s fear in the uncertainty of not knowing what this looks like yet, but this is also an opportunity — I might as well shoot my shot.
I’m in the early stages of another interview series, and I’m excited to share more about it very soon!
4. Improving what I’m naturally drawn to, but adding to that bag
From a skill perspective, the parts of this project that have felt the most fun have been interviewing and writing — they come the most naturally to me. I’m obsessed with refining these skills, but I’ve realized that adding some photography and videography skills will only amplify the overall storytelling.
5. Asking for help
Historically, asking for help has been difficult for me, like frfr. I’ve had to navigate this topic frequently as I’ve worked on myself.
Through these five interviews, I’ve realized that creating requires asking for help much more than when I was in my corporate tech career. This work is vulnerable as hell, and if I’m not going all in on it, nothing will happen — it’s all on me to do this.
I’d love to ask you for help with the following:
Do you know people, teams, or organizations that need or could benefit from this type of storytelling?
Storytelling in which an audience, customer base, or fans need to be researched and interviewed, like I’ve been doing in “The Localist” series — I want more opportunities to improve and grow.
I’m also exploring the idea of “apprenticeship” (shoutout to
for incepting me with this idea after he announced becoming an apprentice to ). I’m still clarifying who (or what) I feel drawn to being an apprentice for. I’ll share more as clarity comes.
If you think there are opportunities for either of the points above, I’d love to hear from you. And if you have insight to share about my strategy for diving deeper into this type of work, I’m all ears and would greatly appreciate it!
Feel free to send me a DM here or email me at chiu.derrick8@gmail.com
Thank you for being on this journey with me — we’re just getting started!
This newsletter was just what I needed to read this week. Thank you and keep going!
Excited to see how your apprenticeship exploration unfolds. Please keep in touch!