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The caged lion with F*ck You on his forehead is an image every zoo goer has experienced.

Now chicken foot stew in a propane tank. That’s a new one. Thanks for that giggle!

My Hobbit and I had the same experience with a camera. We tried to do a podcast. That damn camera and voice recorder sucked all the authenticity right out of us and created a really tied up bundled knot of awkward.

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Isn't it so weird how putting ourselves on the spot strips away every piece of creativity you have? I don't know how other people do it.

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My Hobbit is the 👑King of being goofy and playful and creative in the moment. And, as soon as the voice recorder turned on, we both froze. Gulp.

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I have been writing about destinations and the history of the destination. I give them an itinerary and links

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Jun 18Liked by Kristi Keller

This is so true; life itself can be hilarious and shocking, but once we try to present it outside of its natural habitat, the packaging gets in the way.

Your stories are always fascinating; chicken foot stew in a propane tank; slack jaw.

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Thanks Joy! I feel like that propane tank is a thing I will only see ONCE in a lifetime 😁 I'm so glad I had the forethought to film that afternoon!

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Jun 18Liked by Kristi Keller

For years I tried to ad lib on YouTube but I think the secret to quality video content is actually to script. Writing a funny script is challenging I’m sure - maybe not for you because it comes naturally! - but I think the other option is to capture tons of footage and edit, which I absolutely don’t have the patience for. My YouTube is Suzanne Heyn, and I create content on self-understanding, meaning, purpose and older content often discusses emotional healing. Focusing on Substack at the moment, but definitely want to get back into YT! I think you’d be great! It just takes time to get good on video. Ironically I used to be better. Now I suck :)

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Suzanne, I'm not sure i could ever do YouTube alone though. It just feels weird talking to a camera alone in a room lol. I vibe off other people well.

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I tried to ad lib on YouTube too. And it was for sure a no-go for me. Agreed no patience for the editing!

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Jun 18Liked by Kristi Keller

Together, my husband and I see the silliness in every day situations and pretty soon, we’re doing a “routine” with each other. I’m so thankful that we share that but to anyone else, it wouldn’t make sense. I get you and your friend. My friend like that moved away and I miss her so much.

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Cheryl, I had that kind of relationship with my (late) son. We were always funny, all the time and nobody ever understood us 😁

It's a rare treasure to be in tune with someone like you and your husband!

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Jun 18Liked by Kristi Keller

I've mentioned it before, but I've tried walking and talking for a video in the past and it was so incredibly awkward that I don't think I'll ever try again. And I wasn't even trying to be funny! I spend a ton of time editing the films I make and put them on YouTube a week or two after debuting them in Substack. I only get a very few views in YouTube. One film only has one view after almost 3 months! So, definitely a snoozer. Highly discouraging and I feel like I'm forcing these films onto people at this point.

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Ugh. I hate knowing this Erik, because your videos are so amazing!! I wish I knew a secret specialized tool to make your stuff go viral! But a marketing guru I am not 😕

Maybe you should bring a celebrity with you on a hike lol. Like Diddy...and then push him off a cliff. That would go viral 😂

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Jun 18Liked by Kristi Keller

Hahaha! That would lift my spirits, too!!

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Sometimes being good at one medium doesn't translate well to another. For example, Fred Allen was one of the legends of the Golden Age of radio, but he had zero charisma on television. Whereas his friend and rival Jack Benny had a performing style that was well suited to both media.

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David, thanks for breaking it down this way. You're right, we're not all cut out for everything and for the most part, it shouldn't matter as long as we can keep an audience in one place!

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Sometimes being good at one medium doesn't translate well to another. For example, Fred Allen was one of the legends of the Golden Age of radio, but he had zero charisma on television. Whereas his friend and rival Jack Benny had a performing style that was well suited to both media.

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Jun 18Liked by Kristi Keller

I’ve always wondered if people who are great chatters normally are natural podcasters? And those who write for themselves are natural writers? 🤔

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Ohhhhh Kristi!! if ONLY people were watching us the other day… 🤣 srsly we were academy award winning funny. sorry you all missed it. 😆 I adore chatting with you and our mixed bag of emotions and giggles. We haven’t even added wine to our chats yet. 😬

Also!! Thanks for the VERY kind mention that is so nice of you!!! xoxoxo 🦋

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Looking forward to our next one 😁

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Me tooooooo 🤩

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Ohhhhh Kristi!! if ONLY people were watching us the other day...

srsly we were academy award winning funny. sorry you all missed it. 😜

I adore chatting with you and our mixed bag of emotions and giggles. We haven't even added wine to our chats yet. 😬

Also!! Thanks for the VERY kind mention you are a peach!!! xoxoxo 🦋

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I do not have a YouTube channel, but I am vaguely incubating the concept for a TikTok series in which I offer myself as a substitute grandma for tweens, teens, or really anyone who could use some grandmothering. I confidently expect to suck at it until I learn by doing, because that's how I roll. And I know better than to put myself in front of a camera without a script -- that right there is the definition of dead air, and explains why I stank in improv classes.

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Jan, you NEVER cease to amaze me with the things you're willing to tackle!! TikTok? Substitute gramma? And YouTube! You're such a firecracker and you make me smile.

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Well, if I'm a firecracker, I have the world's longest fuse . . . we'll see if I take real action!

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You'd be great!!! Do it!

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Love that accent! I can listen to the chef all day long. Was the soup good? Fab video.

My friend Pam and I had funny emails back and forth to each other but when we thought we could write a funny book version, fail.

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Little secret....the Jamaican accent is one of the things I miss MOST about being there. It's beautiful and so smooth. The soup was delicious but I did gag a little knowing there were feet in it. But all Jamaican food is delicious, they're all a bunch of chefs!

LOL your funny book fail is kind of like our sweatpants fail. It's a great idea in theory but how to make it entertaining for the outside world?

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LOL. Sweatpants fail. It will always be our inside joke.

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So funny that the goat was called "him," TWICE, with that darling little milk bag under her belly.... LOL

But... it's normal to shrink up and "not be funny" when the "LIVE" light goes on... you're maybe just not USED to it yet. Practice? Anyway, you're funny enough in TYPE... xo

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Or the universe puts a horse trailer with the cutest little unicorn 🦄 right in front of you. You have some very interesting cool and funny universe moments. 😉

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I certainly do lol. I do my best to be very mindful about noticing these special moments!

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I do have a YouTube channel but have had very little success with it and don’t much like the videos I have. Hahaha.

Both my daughter and I and two friends and I often say we should have recorded that shit after a particular convo we’re sure was absolutely hilarious and probably profound and would have been as entertaining to anyone lucky enough to listen. Not sure if it would actually translate. But I’m certain we wouldn’t be able to reproduce the convos if the recorder was rolling. ;)

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Lol that's the problem with everyday life. We don't have a hidden camera crew 😁 I said to a girlfriend the other day that i wish I had a video camera inside my eyes so I could catch all the funny things my dog does. She's far too spontaneous for me to whip out my phone and catch it.

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I don't yet do Youtube, but I so identify with how hard it can be to talk naturally to the camera!

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Yes! It's not easy being a solo talking head!

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