A few hours after publishing my last post I realized something else I had intended to talk about that I completely forgot, and that's going "off-grid".
That's how I describe my life when I make myself unavailable for contact via the internet for a period of time. I almost always go off-grid for my vacation times and a couple of times I've experimented with going off-grid to spend some intensely focused and dedicated time working on a particular project.
To be completely transparent, I hate the fact that A World Of Shadows will release (AT BEST) 6 years after the release of Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual. My plan was to keep these installments 2-4 years apart, maximum. And knowing that a number of listeners are itching to have the trilogy complete also weighs on me quite a lot. The moment I started referring to Spirit Blade as a trilogy, I effectively made a promise to listeners that a third part would be released. And there are certain expectations on the timing of a trilogy that I feel I've fallen far short of. It feels as though I am breaking my promise to listeners, or at least not making that promise a priority.
That said, I think the time I took to help give the podcast and community a makeover was well-spent and vital to our long-term goals. And in the coming months there are a few more things I want to do to get Christian Geek Central off the ground that, while not as time-intensive as what has been required up until now, will still prove a distraction from work on A World Of Shadows.
For all of these reasons, I'm running a "work experiment" this summer, beginning a little over a week from now. Between now and the end of August I've identified six non-consecutive weeks which, because they will not require a time sensitive review or podcast content, are eligible for me to go "off-grid".
The podcast will still be published each of these weeks, but it will be created in advance, probably without an "In Search Of Truth Segment". (If possible I will find a suitable thematic substitute that does not require the time consuming prep work that In Search Of Truth normally demands of me.) In addition, during each of these weeks I will not be checking my e-mail (aside from filling orders) or visiting our forums, but spending nearly every moment of my work day on post-production work for A World Of Shadows.
During these weeks, or when the end of August comes, I would welcome your feedback. It's very important to me that our community not stagnate in my absence and that no one feels as though I am not interested in the great online relationships I've developed and continue to develop with those in our community. Community is a huge priority for me, and a central part of what Spirit Blade Productions is about. So if this experiment has a significant effect on that I want to find a workaround or take a different approach. So PLEASE let me know if you feel as though I become "distant" during this experimental period.
Whether having some "off-grid" weeks now and then is the solution or not, my goal is to better leverage my time so that I can make good on the promise of A World Of Shadows, while still making our podcast, community and online presence the best they can all be.
If you have any thoughts about any of that, I'd love to hear from you!
Thanks for your support!
-Paeter Frandsen
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