Something old, something borrowed, something new…
Happy Stamp Collecting Month — I have some news!
If you have followed the path to this point, you may notice some things. You may notice something old such as the logo of my older Podcast (circa 2016–2017) “Tea with Puppets”. You may also notice I have brought over the content of those episodes (with some updates). What may be most notable, however, will be the new name of this publication, the podcast and a new website: Stamp Stories.
Why? This was the true heart of the Tea with Puppets podcast. I believe this was never clear as it is now with this new name.
Okay great you say, new name, but you left the audience hanging for 2+ years. What happened? And what do you have in store for 2019/2020 and beyond????
How did we get here?
Well let’s look at the past for a moment. I am proud the show got to 24 episodes, but I never had a real plan. The Canada150 Stamp program overwhelmed me with the speed of the stamps coming out. I felt like I HAD to have an episode for every issue. I know it is a ridiculous assumption, but I put that on myself. Especially after I started to get notice from some in the Philately world, and even an article in CSN.
At the same time, I wanted to explore having guests on the podcast, but I came to realize the playful name of the podcast was off-putting to some. Originally the idea was “The Puppets” in the title, was my imaginary audience. I came to realize some people found the name may be insulting to some or misunderstood. I paused to find a way forward, but on reflection, I came to another understanding….
The hobby that was a passion had now become a second job without any monetary benefit. The pressure to put out episodes became overwhelming that I actually started to hate the hobby.
So why come back now?
Once the show stopped, my great love for stamps returned. And then, just as before, I wished I had the outlet of the podcast to share the amazing things I learned. I prevented from doing this for fear I would once again fall into the trap I earlier had. Weekends would be lost as I sequestered myself to hours of research. It was also on me — not setting the right expectation to start.
So what is the plan going forward?
With this in mind, I plan to relaunch the podcast in the near future. However, I have some new ways to approach some of my concerns — and following what others do in the podcasts biz. Many podcasts use the concept of seasons. They have a set number of episodes for the season, sometimes with a theme. This is nice, so I am not over committing to a never-ending series of podcasts — with a definite ending.
I do travel more for work, a lot more than when I did the original series, so I will need to be better organized and planned that I was before. This is not a bad thing.
Also before the new series launches, I need to fix a couple of things. I have brought over the older podcast notes. I have brought over the old archive from “Tea with Puppets”. I may want to re-edit them with some new bumpers. From now on, I will consider them Season 1.
When I start again, it will begin with episode 25. I don’t see the podcast as a business, but for me to share the love of the hobby. So be patient with me as I restart it, but I promise it is coming.
Anyway, exciting times ahead, so stay tuned to this space or the new show Twitter account :
