Did you see this satire article from The Hard Times about adopting a D&D podcast? "Did you know there are hundreds of thousands of unwanted D&D podcasts out there waiting to be listened to? This year alone, a record-breaking 75,000 were created, which far exceeds the capacity of friends and family available to lie about listening to them."
And this sparked a discussion. We were laughing because we felt called out by the article. Yeah, Ben and I have an actual-play podcast, which we enjoy and it's tiny and hardly anyone listens to it. Yet. The Feats and Fables podcast has been a labor of love for about a year, and is only (just now) releasing shows. We're not up to 20 shows yet! And why bother? So many podcasts out there already!
The overwhelming number of other podcasts that are out there doesn't stop us and it shouldn't stop anyone. Put your art out there. Upload your adventure to the DMs Guild. Record that podcast. Do it to please yourself - and if anyone else likes it, that's a bonus. Don't feel it's as good as someone else's? Ignore that feeling. The imposter syndrome is real and we are ALL feeling it with you.
My dear friend, Brian Schoner, had the best response.
"Stop writing, there are too many books already."
"Stop painting, there are too many paintings already."
Sounds ludicrous for any other art form, doesn't it?
He's right, of course. Don't let anyone else's success dampen your enthusiasm. Don't let a crowded field of similar media slow you down. Record that podcast. Write that adventure for the DMs Guild. Post that art.
And go listen to Brian's podcast, the Ascent of Boardgames. It's really cool.
