My Take on True-Self

First off, this isn’t my take on my ‘true-self.’ I’ll probably save that one for the blog-posts I will never get around to. This is my take on the Invisibilia podcast episode, “True-Self.” The podcast began with a very touchable metaphor to the subject. The host compared the transformation of a grasshopper to the life-sucking locust to a transformation of one’s self identity.

In the podcast, I was most interested in the lack of musical additions. Yes, there were subtle songs and chimes in the background of the conversation; however, it wasn’t about the music or the effects. It was about the stories being told.

The first identity, Tanya, struggled with intimacy issues and a heavy sense of abandonment throughout her entire life as a result of a troubling childhood. Those intimacy issues and feelings toward abandonment are interrupted by a 4-year old girl in her dreams. I guess the situation sounds pretty weird without the full context, but that’s the entire point of a good podcast. To put a situation in context turns a situation into a story and into a dialogue. Audiences can connect to stories and dialogues.

The second identity, Chad or Lord Birthday, struggled with a similar situation but the repercussions were different. As a result of his background, he was ashamed to say or think in certain ways. He is a business professor with office hours, and he is also an inappropriate cartoonist.

As reflected in Jessica Abel’s comic, Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio,the most important part to successfully create media in the form of a podcast is how the audience connects with said media. Ira Glass compares the art of interviewing to the art of hosting a party. It comes with a level of comfortableness and a level of alertness. How do you make someone feel safe while also having them be in a state of vulnerability? It’s definitely an art.

There are obviously endless podcasts existing in the world of media and many take on the different approaches to reaching a connection with their audience. In the process of creating my own podcast, I plan to explore the different strategies and secrets in the media world of radio.