Dispatch no. 60 - Updates Podcast

Compassionate deadlines can save your sanity. Maybe make sewing tips videos as one of your 4 videos a month. A 5 or 10 minutes going over questions viewers/supporters have about sewing or pattern drafting or even explaining sewing terminology.

Gushing is not the same as bragging. You gush about how much you love the thing, and that is delightful and relatable. It's only bragging when you're like "this was so expensive and you probably couldn't afford it but I'm better than you and that's what this lamp means". Which isn't you at all. You're good.

The Troy cemetery will knock your socks off. You can spend all day there and not see it all. Also, use the cardboard to cover sections of your back yard that you want to get rid of weeds or post the boxes on a buy nothing group on Facebook for folks that might need them. The buy nothing groups up here are great to find things folks are getting rid of.

I am a firm believer in quality versus quantity and I have been living for the mix of house renovation and design, fashion, design, jewelry making and other crafts on your channel. Those things take time as you know. I would rather one less video than if it give us the great content you have been producing.

I would rather see you reduce your videos to 2-3 per month & have a life/not ruin yourself! A healthy happy Bianca is the preferred state <3

I feel you on setting expectations for my job, failing to meet them, and then beating myself up about failing at my job (which is objectively a good job, which makes me feel worse). I can’t say I’ve solved this problem for myself, so I’ll say to you what I wish someone would say to me: you can do what you can do and productivity does not set your worth as a human. I won’t feel let down at all if you do 3 videos instead of 4 on the channel. How you care for yourself and enjoy what’s in front of you in the moment is more important in the big picture than your output. Easy to say, harder to do in this late stage capitalist world 🙃

Stuyvesant? STI-VES-ANT.

My nephews have 5 channels between the 2 of them so I know a little about what a screaming pain in the aspidistra You Tube can be. You can't please a computer/AI, it seems, no matter what you do. It will always try to smack you down & tell you your content is wrong in some way. Don't believe it. We're out here. We love your content & we love you. I know you have to produce content to get paid, but stressing on our behalf isn't necessarily. We are patient. We will happily wait. We WANT to see the things that come out of your brilliant mind, be it beautiful clothes, gorgeous additions or changes to you house, or letting off steam in a dispatch. We are here for YOU.🙂

I’m here for your content on your schedule. I’m here on Patreon because I enjoy your content so much that I wanted to support what your doing and try to do my little part so that can you can make awesome videos and beaded beetles, and historical outfits, and decorate your super cool house! I will be happy all the times a new video comes out. I will also be happy when you miss a week, and on the next video you put out I learn that you got to wear one of your awesome dresses to a cool event, or spend a week with your mom for Mother’s Day! 🖤🐝💛

what about 3 vids planned with an extra bonus vid some months when time allows for it? like view from the other side of the 4th vid. I know two of my other main favorites on youtube (the Q2 Han twins and Mia Maples) have switched from weekly to a vid every other week (usually 2-3 a month) bc of time constraints. And for the Q2 han twins there are 2 of them, and Mia has family on site to help and editors. There's only 1 of you

I'm on an ssri myself. And my dr recommended Evening Primrose oil for my hormonal rolercoasters. Suprisingly successful, much mental stability improvement for my neurodiverse chaos brain.

I hope your kitties aren't too bothered by the fireworks! (Also as someone who lives in Durham UK, I was momentarily perplexed and thought you had taken a transatlantic day trip before realising there must be a Durham in NY that I hadn't heard of before!) Please brag more about your cool lamp and other antique finds ;) And please don't overwork yourself and burn out <3 If you're set on doing four videos a month, I think doing at least one video a month that isn't a sewing project could be a good way of doing things -- so stuff like house/decorating updates, or antique finds, or something?

Hello, and welcome to your employee review. This is a garbage process my employer does where they make me set goals and describe things when, really, at the end of the day, they will keep me because I show up and don't commit crimes. Thank you for showing up this past year, Bianca; the number of SMART goals you set is up to you. I found you on YouTube when you were doing the Victorian/Edwardian underclothes, but that was dumb luck as I was looking for that sort of thing for my own collection at the same time. I remember you did some Harry Potter things that I didn't watch because I was already off HP from a queer-baiting panel I did research for. While steering away from that yikes property, the key might be to latch onto something else that is popular that will please the algorithm gods. Pink Pony Club inspired dress? But throw the odd one in once every month or every other month to get a splash of new meat who might look at the backlog.

I second the 2-part video or video series. Also, have you considered a vlog style video with minimal editing flourishes that shows what you and the kitties got up to during the week?

Sorry, one more thought -You could maybe hire someone to do tasks that are skill-lite but take a lot of your time. For example, scan in the pages of the catalogs, help remove wallpaper glue, etc. I've started hiring more people to help me with house and life stuff (I have ADHD so I have a lot of trouble with housecleaning/organization/executive function tasks). It was really hard to get over paying people to do things that I can do myself, but it feels so good to have less stuff on your to-do list. But you have to evaluate how much your time is worth (I realize this is way more complex when you are self-employed vs receiving hourly pay) and the effect it will have on your mental health.

I'm going to apologize in advance for the extremely long comment. I recently became a patron and then got COVID so I ended up listening and watching a lot of your stuff in May. So this will be a brain dump of ideas that I have had while watching/listening and things you have mentioned possibly doing on the channel in the future (often things you said you wanted to do once you had your own place). It's possible you did them and I just haven't gotten to that content or you already considered these things and have ruled them out because it wouldn't work out for one reason or another.  1) Do another Side Husselen video! I bet regular viewers would love getting an update on how it feels being a homeowner for 6 months, regrets, things you didn't expect, etc.  2) Do another teaching video for your basic blocks series -it seems like those tend to get a lot of views over time because people search for those tutorials 3) Yes! Do a haul of all of your new acquisitions for your house! I feel like this is the best time to do haul videos because you have an excellent reason to be buying things due to your new house. It's expected that you need to furnish your rooms 4) If a project is taking longer than expected, split it into two videos! I see many other creators do that (especially when it comes to costuming). You split your sewing parlor into multiple videos and those seemed to get good numbers. I enjoyed the curtain/chair video -I think combining a couple small decoration projects/crafts is totally acceptable and hopefully take less time.  5) More undergarments! I know you have done a fair amount for costuming but only a couple for everyday wear. The fabric for these items is not fun, but I'm assuming they can be fairly short projects since they don't require much embellishment. Maybe a bottom slip or slip shorts 6) I'd love to see more videos for things you wouldn't normally make because you don't like wearing those styles - just the process of pattern drafting and making a muslin mock-up. You don't need to make a full garment. I would be particularly interested in back pattern manipulation (particularly something with double princess seams), more sleeveless tops/bodices, and dress types with a higher waistline or no wasteline.  7) Maybe replace one of your regular weekly videos with a live video? I know you mentioned wanting to do live videos once you moved - styling sessions or taking pattern drafting by request 8) This is probably my wildest suggestion, but I would LOVE if you did a collab video with Rachel Maksy where you make a basic set of pattern blocks. Everytime her husband wraps her in saran wrap and duct tape to make pattern pieces I think of how it would be simpler if she just had some basic blocks! Other questions that have popped up while watching this month. 1) Will you be able to create a set in your new house? It seems like most of your rooms are accounted for but maybe you had a garage you didn't mention or your attic where you would set up a spot. 

A video a week has always seemed insane to me. That's a LOT. I would reckon most people who follow you are also creators and we know how long it takes to make a garment. It takes forever. And some of us have some component of content creation in our lives as well and that part takes even longer. I absolutely hate making videos for my business Instagram, and those are reels that are about 20 seconds. It makes every project take 4x as long. All that to say, we get it. Don't forget, we are your people.

Please don't feel bad about missing a deadline. We're here for whatever you post, whenever you post it. I've been watching old videos to fill in the missing video, which is fine with me.

You would love my parents wedding glassware that we still have in a cabinet. Its thinner than these and without the dropplets but its a pretty merlot and several pieces of differing sizes

I agree with everyone else. Your work is amazing and always so interesting. I have learned so much from you. I am sorry, I do look forward to Thursday mornings. You were my life line during the lock down and I will always hold a warm spot in my heart for you. But I get it. Your health is so much more important. Another idea for easier videos could be a summer dress or blouse. You may want more cool clothes for the coming months before it turns blessedly cool again. Maybe you can find some Goth theme seersucker fabric and explain how the puckers keep you cooler in the humid heat of summer.

Yes, to all the lovely comments. And an idea - What about a two part video? I would be game for that.

You aren't letting us down... Give yourself some grace because you are 1. Amazing and 2. SUPER busy!

Keeping balance in your life is important. Time with your family is irreplaceable, so take it. One less video or slit videos are fine. Eventually you’ll get your house sorted and then you can re-evaluate. Also those nice chairs can be recovered in the fabric of your choice. Or slip covered.

For what it’s worth, I don’t expect a certain amount of videos from you a month. I will gladly watch anything you put out but there are no expectations from me! Perhaps if you want a 4th video you could isolate a single technique from a project and just show that? Or what is inspiring you this month video? I dunno! I just hope you don’t burn out and still enjoy the good life.

You could also break the videos down into idea design discussion like your older videos with the drafting and the next week do the sewing and modeling of the thing. That would be only 2 projects per month but split into 4 videos. I’d love to see some antiquing field trips or a trip to manhattan for a vlog on the fabric district. Or trips to neighbouring towns during pride month. Take care of yourself.

Three videos a month is plenty! I'll take less videos and a healthy, happy Bianca over more videos. Another thought for a potential easy video (though I have no clue if it actually would be or not) could be a "get ready with me to film an intro". And just chat while doing your hair and makeup? And talk about which outfit you are going to wear?

You are not letting anyone down. I am super impressed that you’ve been able to manage a weekly posting schedule for so long, considering how intricate and labor intensive some of your projects have been. Rather than framing this in an all or nothing mindset— perhaps approaching your work schedule with a more gradual timeline would help. It is evident you are not in a place to return to your preferred posting schedule— which is totally normal given that you are still in a transition period— moving/decorating/familiarizing yourself with your new digs! However, that doesn’t mean you’ll never get back to your original schedule. Perhaps take the rest of the year to observe? See how many videos and projects you get done, how your body and mind work with the seasons, and what it averages out at the end of the year. if there is particular time/event (eg halloween) where you really want to go all out— concentrate your energy on making the 4 vids for that one time— but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get there. you can do it! it is far more important to take care of yourself. you only have one body and one life— what is the point of having all these lovely things if you don’t allow yourself the time to enjoy them?

Hi Bianca! Do what ever you can. Do not stress! We are here 4 u! (Twice a month? Every other week ? ) FYI regarding your new couch & the cats? What I did with my new couch was put a lap rug over the top & made sure the arm cover stay on. It seems to be working. ( We won't talk about the chair in the other room that all cats think it is theirs)

I agree with everyone else, cutting back the schedule a bit is definitely the best move for your physical and mental health! We are all collectively your Victorian doctor prescribing some time at the seaside/in bed. And I can only speak for myself on upload schedules, but I am usually not aware enough of the passage of time to notice when someone doesn't post on schedule. I just go "yay, new video! :)" whenever one appears. (And even if I did notice I wouldn't be disappointed, life stuff happens, and you do a mind boggling amount of work!) Also I agree about being nosy and wanting to see antiques, I wish to see all your cool new furnitures and baubles!

I'm so relieved to hear you acknowledge that this pace is too much, because it is! How about you try 2 videos per month, with a "stretch goal" of every other week? Release the drafting video separately from the sewing video. I'd also love if you would show how you choose your fabric for the design - flash that stash!!

You are NOT letting us down! You are NOT a failure! You ARE Bianca Esposito - The Closet Historian - and we love you, your feline overlords, and your content - whatEVER it may be. Post as you can … and we will worship at the altar of your creativity!!

I look forward to whatever you do. Please do not feel pressure to do more than you are capable of doing. One excellent video a month is better and two half hearted videos, I feel. I enjoy listening to the podcast too.

I love Victorian Lustre lights, greens and blues are my favourite colours for the glass though, and they are so beautiful on a dining table, along with an epergne! Also, a table only needs one epergne I feel, where as two Lustres are a necessity!

I will second, third, and whatever the word is for fourth(ing) all of the above sentiments! Your health and happiness are the most important things. I'm not a patreon supporter because I "expect" regular content...exactly the opposite. I'm a supporter because creativity isn't an overtime shift at the canning factory, it's nuanced and complicated and sometimes fickle. Effort does not equal output, and spinning one's wheels is sometimes a critical step. I'm sure many of us could share our cautionary tales about burn out and how long it can take to recover from it; no incremental gain will ever be worth that sacrifice, friend :-) tldr: live life despite capitalism, not because of it. I'll keep an eye out for Victorian glass for you while estate sale-ing!

Video idea for an extra- a short video in the vein of the podcast. Like 5 minutes showing us something you are working on for the house or a place you went (likely voiceover for that). Still feeds the algorithm but is lower effort than a full blown video.

Hey lovely, don't worry about missing the arbitrary deadlines you have set for yourself! Life happens, you have a lot going on! Maybe you can put out an unedited, 'raw footage, behind the scenes' type video if you feel you 'need' and additional video for the main channel. A 'this is the chaos I'm living with' type vibe. Remember hon, 'Me first'. Andor 2 was great, hubby worked background on it and had a great time.

So many people I follow on YouTube who do sewing / crafting type things have moved away from putting out a video a week because of the exact things you're facing. I don't know much about the ✨ algorithm ✨ but a consistent, if less frequent video schedule seems to be a common thing, and I'd much rather less videos and you be less stressed and able to enjoy your new area & house! I'm in the middle of a long distance move myself and I know how much it takes out of you. Look after yourself and your gorgeous kitties!

Please know 3 videos per month are plenty because without your health you won't have a channel/income either!

I really loved Christine McConnel reveal of her sewing craft room. But yours is better! Way more cool ! Gorgeous colors and drama!

As I sit here unpicking my terrible top stitching on my brother’s birthday gift shirt (it was in April) thinking of the mountain of projects I still have to do (not to mention that I still need to work on fitting my bodice block after years of watching your channel!) I’m would love to acknowledge that trying to keep up with the pace of life, creative ideas and everything else is a big deal. Nobody gets it all done, so please don’t be hard on yourself. I’m incredibly impressed with what you’ve accomplished, despite the fact that big changes can be so destabilizing! I agree to take care of you and take your time. We love what you do no matter when it comes out! I SO want to hear your thoughts on Andor!!! I thought of you immediately when they showed Ghorman (the old-timey video and the amazing fashion!) maybe that could be a fun video to just talk about it. Anyways love and good vibes to you🖤

Honestly, you could aim for every other week on the channel with a Patreon video and that would be fantastic. I really love whatever you put out. Would love to hear more thoughts about Andor. I loved the costumes and wonder how you could interpret them in your style. Future look book idea?

If Stuyvesant is the name, it’s pronounced Sty-Vuh-Cent 😊. Try to relax as best you can. Adult-ing, Life-ing and Grown-ing is difficult enough without us putting undue pressure on ourselves. Delegate some of that worry to your Cat-triarchs. They are very good at not giving a damn. 😊💙🤭

We definitely don't want you to destroy yourself! Please do scale back your schedule! Two channel videos and a patreon video is plenty! We want you for the long haul.... not burnt out and stressed

Hello, Bianca! Don't put too much stress on yourself. I am pleased whenever you post anything new. Please take care of yourself and your mental health. I love your color blocking dress designs and am looking forward to whenever you post it. Much Love!