General on Weekly Reviews
How should I start this weekly review? Like in school with an introduction, main body, and conclusion? I’m constantly aware that this text, the blog post, and consequently the reel, are public. But that’s the point. I want to provide insights into my work, let you all participate in my life, and open myself to constructive criticism. I’ll get used to this scrutiny eventually.
Moreover, the current problem is that no one is responding to my content in any form, which I find more painful than receiving criticism. Being ignored feels like devaluation, even worse than being rejected through criticism.
For now, I’ll continue in this conversational tone, this “thinking aloud,” which is how I’ve been writing my private, non-public weekly reviews for a long time. Changing it would make the task more cumbersome and probably result in me dropping the whole thing. Mr. Beast comes to mind; he mentioned in a podcast that videos lose viewers within seconds if they don’t meet expectations quickly. The title “Weekly Review…” suggests a starting point like, “Hey guys, last week I was in Las Vegas to check out the MSG Sphere…” and it irritates me when, for example, a tutorial only starts after five minutes of blabbering.
In any case, my approach to this weekly review is like that to a diary, albeit covering a longer period, and with the same attitude. I predominantly report in the historical present tense about mistakes, successes, insights, etc., holding back as little as possible, being as open as can be. Of course, the limits of this in a public format must first be explored. This somewhat tedious preamble is necessary because I am reflecting here on an experimental transfer from previously private notes to the freely accessible medium of a blog.
Job Offer
Now, I’m abruptly turning to a pleasant event from yesterday, while intentionally remaining vague due to a desire for some discretion. A recruiter reached out to me via LinkedIn. He praised my diverse IT skills and inquired if I was interested in a Help Desk job. His initial offer was far too low, and I declined with a brief reply, “Thanks for the praise, but your offer is well below my usual hourly rate, and therefore I’m not interested.”
Late at night, however, I received a better offer closely matching my freelance hourly rate, which got me thinking. The pay would be almost in the five figures and more than double compared to my last salaried job.
Now I face a dilemma. Initially, I never planned to become a freelance IT professional. After my philosophy studies, I reoriented myself, acquired various IT skills, and simply wanted to land any IT job. Thus, a well-paid Help Desk job would be a significant success. The recruiter’s offer is genuinely tempting, yet I can’t accept it.
As I read the message in bed, I was about to close all open apps, a bad habit. I swiped up from the bottom of the display, closed the LinkedIn app, and then, as if by reflex or divine intervention, tapped on the Instagram app. A post by Alex Hormozi appeared, essentially saying, “If you want to be a millionaire, don’t take these 10k offers. Think big!” I immediately recalled my last employment in IT, which I ultimately considered a big mistake. I had always been freelancing on the side and felt like I was betraying myself by accepting the stability of employment over my entrepreneurial dreams.
Purpose of Reels
Initially, I didn’t plan to be active on Instagram and Facebook. I merely wanted to supplement my website portfolio with a blog and write about various topics. Effective PR is necessary for any online presence to attract visitors, comments, etc., and reels on two interconnected social media platforms seemed ideal for this. Through the blog and short videos, I want to demonstrate that I can communicate decently and organize my thoughts in an understandable way. This is one of two attributes I’d like to be associated with me long-term. My IT and entrepreneurship skills are made clear through my portfolio and posts on Facebook pages that I manage.
My other reels, formatted as slideshows with rhythmic cuts and nice music, seemed entertaining at first. If the objects in these slideshows aren’t inherently interesting, like a charging brown bear, then their value to the viewer eludes me. That’s why, in the future, I plan to add commentary to, for example, a reel about a restaurant visit to provide added value.
Artist Website
I’m currently working on a website for a painter. The aim is to present her portfolio and also enable the purchase of her works through a shop. In addition to physical originals, I’m planning to offer prints and, through integration with OpenSea, NFTs. Lastly, we’ll offer painting courses.
Challenges have emerged late in this project, more related to communication than technical aspects. I’ll report more on this next week.