Wednesday thoughts . . . where I ramble . . .

 

(source) 

So a few weeks back,  I was contacted by someone wanted to do a video of one of my recipes, for free, for me to share on some of my social channels, etc.  I thought about it and then thought to myself, what do I have to lose, and so I agreed.   The recipe they were going to do was my recipe for Paprika Browned Potatoes. 

 

Tasty tasty!

I was a little bit curious intellectually as to why they would choose to do this recipe as it is so simple, but then again I thought, maybe it is because of the simplicity that they wanted to do it.  I mean it was a free video after all, and this would not be very costly to reproduce.  I said yes go for it.  I was actually pretty excited about having a video to share. I lack the knowledge to do my own videos.  I am overwhelmed with even the thought. It takes me oodles of time to just do what I do. So much so that the rest of my life is often dwarfed next to commitment involved in getting out fresh content daily.

 

So the video comes back and it looks great and then I see it  . . .  there's black spots on some of the potatoes. And I can't not see them.  They are staring me right in the face.  All through the videos.  Black spotted potatoes.

 

And I am thinking.  I can't use these.  They are unappealing. We eat first with our eyes right?  And who is going to be drawn to this and what are they going to see?  Not an appealing potato dish . . . potatoes with black spots.  And in the meantime I am thinking to myself, how did they not see this?

And the more the potatoes are cooked, the more you can see the black spots.

And so I start to fret.  I can't use this.  How am I going to tell them. So I talked it over with my son and he said, just say thanks, but because of the black spots you can't use them. Nothing against their work, but the video is just not usable. But thanks very much for taking the time, blah, blah, blah.

And so I do that.  And I get a response.  

"Yes Some potatoes came out like that but you are right that’s not the most flattering potatoes ever We can remake this video for you obviously free of charge if you commission us a paying video then we can compensate a bit of the cost of the ingredients plus the editing how does that sound? Also we can do the first paid video at a discounted price for you if you schedule it before this Friday :) Is that a deal?"

So I email them back and I ask their costs. Their response.

"We have a standard rate of $150 per recipe video (this includes up to $10 for ingredients costs which covers most of the videos even the beef ones, the only time we have had extra cost has been for example lobster, prawns, that sort of thing) Including in the video rate we can provide: 2 different video formats either reels format 9:16 and square 1:1 that can be used for IG or YouTube 16:9 and 1:1. The YouTube can be up to 4 minutes long at no extra cost Free of charge photos of the creation of the recipe (preparation Photos) and photos of the final dish At extra cost we can provide: Recipe Development $40 Recipe Writing in Blog (SEO optimized) $60 For this video we can make you a 33% discount and make it for $100 as it´s the first one. How does that sound?"

And then it becomes suddenly clear.  (And I hate that I am being this cynical.)  There never was a free video.  The first video was actually meant to be less than perfect just so that they could wangle a better, paid video out of me.  

I have not responded.  Because I have better things to do with $100 of my hard earned money than to give it to people who I think are a bit less than reputable from where I am sitting.  Am I wrong?  Am I reading too much into this?   

(source)

I am not angry, just a bit disappointed.  

I hate that we live in a kind of world where reputations can be built or destroyed by the strength of one small square box.  Not by the actual integrity or worthiness of the person who is creating the content in that small square box.  I hate that many people with lesser integrity  and hidden agendas hide behind the content in small square boxes.  I hate that we get lied to again and again on a daily basis and we just accept it without ever questioning it.  

Models who are air brushed beyond recognition.  Burger photos that look a bazillion times better than the burger you actually get in your paper bag.  We are surrounded by lies. 

The square box tells us one thing, but what it doesn't speak about is the chaos surrounding it.  With me, you will always get the chaos that surrounds it.  Yes, I do try to have a nice couple of photos to show you, because that has great value.  But with me you will also get the photo that shows you my laundry that is drying in the background, or the cat that is sniffing the food.  And for those of you that wonder why I show so many photos of essentially the same thing????  I have finally figured out the answer.  Yes, I want to create something artistic for you, but at the same time I don't want anyone to ever think I am perfect or that I live in a perfect square box. 

I hate that I am rejecting a video because it has black spots on some of the potatoes, but that is just the way  it is, and that is how I felt at first.  But now my reasons for rejecting it are more than that. They are about the lie that was hiding behind the video containing the potatoes with the black spots.

And that is not to demean those that show us perfection in a square box. I am most appreciative of that as well.  I value your art, especially the art of those who take the time to show us their hearts and their humanity also.  I see you.  That process of seeing is always a two way street.  It is not just click and scroll.  Sometimes you have to stop and listen and read. The person is always in the words beneath the photos, not in  the photo itself.  If I follow you . . .  its because I love your heart, and your art!

And  I am rambling now so I will leave you with a thought for the day  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛. There are two reasons why

people don't talk about things;

either it doesn't mean anything,

or it means everything.•。★★ 。* 。

 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Cheese Crusted Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Comfort food. 

I hope that you have a wonderful Wednesday. My day is undecided at present. I am hoping that my sister and Dan will come over for supper, but if not, then I may go out with my dad, or I just may stay home and relax. It remains to be seen!  Whatever you get up to, don't forget! 

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And I do too!