We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Grayson Mask a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Grayson, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?
I deal with plenty of ongoing issues in my creative journey, like dealing with the schedules of people I interview. All of my content is centered around interviews, so scheduling for guests on each one can be challenging. There have been plenty of conversations that have fizzled out and have definitely had my list of last-minute cancellations or people who would no show to a scheduled episode. It’s still something I have to deal with, because I run a platform that has a diverse list of guests and I do it all by myself. It’s certainly the cost of bringing on guests that aren’t my immediate friends, but it makes for more interesting content and lets me expand outside my comfort zone.
I’ve gotten better at determining from the get-go if someone is interested and have set certain rules for these situations. If someone reschedules or cancels twice in a row, I just calmly let them know that we have to wait for a few months so I can work with the other guests. I also have been more up front of certain rules and not been flimsy with the setup.
Grayson, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m the host of The Platinum Mask brand and create content for Youtube, podcasts, and blogs. It all started off in August 2020, where I created written blog content for local businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This slowly transitioned into the podcast early last year and most recently has developed into a YouTube channel as well. The interviews feature creatives, entrepreneurs, and activists in my local area who are trying to use the platform to share their mission. It’s been a great tool for me to meet passionate individuals and has driven me to move forward. I hope to expand into journalism or other creative pursuits through this passion project.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Being able to see joyful remarks from guests is always the best and when I get a heartfelt message stating that they enjoyed the show, it definitely pushes me forward to make more episodes. I also love being invited to special events because I had the guest on my platform, like the most recent event with Osadia Tequila.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish I knew how effective and inexpensive platforms like Canva were for the graphic design process. I use them consistently now when I need to make photos or images for the main template of my YouTube videos. I will definitely use it for future ideas, but also wished I knew how effective the personal Instagram page has been to find new guests or reach out to people. I mistakenly didn’t create it until much later in the process of my podcast.
Contact Info:
- Website: theplatinummask.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplatinummask/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN0DeBr25OV5Bf2D2k6aNrg/videos