It's Just Bourbon: A New Chapter in the BEER2WHISKEY Saga

I'm not the kind of guy who expects different results from doing the same thing. I may be crazy, but I'm not insane. At least that's what I tell the voices in my head. What I do know for sure is that there are only so many hours in a day. As I mature (translation: grow old), I highly treasure my available productive hours. I treasure all my time, really; but productive hours are those in which I have the energy and motivation to accomplish one task or another.

Historically I've been a slacker at heart. Neutral, and not overdrive, my natural gear. I have always been a procrastinator rather than a doer. My over-worn response to my mother when she would remind me of some basic chore, like taking out the garbage, was, “It's at the top of my list.” It was a list that rarely saw anything checked off. Alfred E. Neuman was my role model.

My attitude has somewhat evolved during the last decade. Maybe that's a result of a ride around the block on the reality bus, bringing me face to face with my mortality; but I find myself less and less inclined to waste time. In fact, I abhor it.

I confess that most days when I'm in residence at my Greenville home I am in my recliner in front of the TV by 4:30 or 5. I watch a fair amount of TV when I am in town – none of it educational in any way, shape or form. Nope. I'm one of those escapism-TV types. I enjoy brainless TV. But, the only way I can plop down in front of the TV at the end of the day is if I have actually accomplished something earlier. I have to have done something to earn some money, put in a few hours working on the house or furthering one of my video projects.

My Saturdays have suffered most from this new-found work ethic. I always loved Saturdays because it is the one day of the week when I had nothing to do and all day to do it. I didn't even need to fret about going to work the next day because it was Sunday. Now I find I can't just sit on my rump watching movies all day. Things left undone don't call to me, they scream to me. Ugh, I hate being responsible. Now, even on Saturdays, I must accomplish something.

When you freelance doing anything from home, you either adopt a degree of self starting or you starve. Think of it as a daily gym workout. The toughest thing about going to the gym is, well, going to the gym. Donning your gym attire, pushing yourself out the door and making the trip to the gym is the toughest part of the exercise. Beginning some project, any project, demands some amount of self motivation. I have somehow developed that.

Making yourself productive when you don't punch a clock or have someone prodding you on is a challenge. Inertia is my natural state. Setting myself in motion requires some serious inner dialogue. Prioritizing tasks is another learned skill that remains a struggle for me. That list of things to do is always in my head taunting me with the tasks remaining undone. A decade ago I could tune them out. Today: not so much.

The above is a preface to sharing with you that I have made a slight change of direction in my BEER2WHISKEY YouTube channel. Over the past couple of years I invested a ton of money in to this project. Acquiring all the necessary gear, including editing software, and traveling around the country shooting videos all cost money. I decided that this year, I'd scale back on the B2W trips. I did take a road trip to Ohio in May to shoot some brewery videos; but because I drove and stayed with a fraternity brother in Dayton, the cost was minimal.

I am always pondering other things I might introduce into the B2W format that will 1) gain some audience traction, and 2) be cheap to produce. I decided to try something new and created the “It's Just Bourbon” playlist. The plan is to shoot videos in my home with me (and perhaps sporadically me plus one) talking about bourbon. Some videos will be recommending specific bourbons and some will be tasting them. The first of these went live last Thursday; I've embedded it at the end of this post.

“It's Just Bourbon” checks a few boxes for me. It certainly fulfills the “cheap” requirement. It also allows me to shoot multiple segments at a single sitting as does the “Big Jon in 5” playlist. Plus, it also contributes to the whiskey content, which has been somewhat lacking to date.

So, addressing the “not doing the same things and expecting a different result” statement at the top of this post, we'll see how well this new playlist works. Early returns are in and I'm optimistic. We'll see.

A note to my TAWA friends: I am putting together a small group to visit Austin's Whiskey Vault on the Sunday afternoon we arrive for the Truck Rodeo. I booked a 1:30 p.m. reservation for October 27^th. I directly reached out to a few members who I know would have an interest, but the reservation is for up to 12. Three of us have already registered. Anyone attending the Rodeo, including non-media types, with some interest, reach out to me and I'll provide more details. Cheers!