Today when someone asks me what Infusion5 is about, I share that it’s a blog and video project started from a love for the creative process and the pursuit of the human element within creative work.
But if you had asked me that same question 5 years ago, I would have said something totally different.
What’s changed and why now?
Before I get ahead of myself, let’s rewind and I’ll share more of my story with you.
INFUSION5’s ORIGIN STORY
I launched Infusion5 in 2010 as a video platform, or more elegantly as “web TV for the creative community.” I wanted to explore creativity through conversations with artists, and it took shape as my first web series Beyond the Gallery.
Season One focused on the stories of 12 visual artists in Colorado and New Mexico, and in December 2011 it received a nomination for “Best Documentary Web Series” by the International Academy of Web Television.
On January 11, 2012, the first annual IAWTV Awards took place in Las Vegas during the week of the Consumer Electronics Show. I decided to fly out early to attend CES and catch the web television sessions prior to the Awards show itself. It felt amazing to receive such acknowledgement from the web TV community. I even got to walk the red carpet with my wife Katie before the Awards show.
When I returned from Vegas, I was pumped! I learned a ton from all of the other web TV creators there. My mind was packed with fresh ideas for where I wanted to take the show and how to build the audience.
I was all in. But I failed.
I looked for more art galleries as sponsors for Beyond the Gallery, but none of them were interested despite the success the show had seen so far. Soon I realized this was due in large part to the recession in the market, and the businesses in the art market that I pitched to were still in recovery mode. It simply wasn’t a good fit, so after a lot of struggles I went back to the drawing board.
A NEW APPROACH
This last year and a half has been especially exciting – thanks to a wonderful partnership with Colorado Creative Industries, Beyond the Gallery grew up in Season Two to spotlight more than 20 creative entrepreneurs who are all based in Colorado’s certified Creative Districts.
Continuing with the momentum and excitement from last year, here’s the big picture for what I want to bring you this year on Infusion5:
Let’s continue to pursue the human element within creative work, and let’s also start to dig into how we can more effectively build relationships with our audiences online – by making videos. I’ve heard the feedback from many of you that you want to start making videos about your creative work, and I’m listening.
In 2015 you can expect:
- More web series episodes, and specifically – Beyond the Gallery: Season Three (thanks to Colorado Creative Industries)
- Hands-on instructional videos and articles to help you start making videos yourself and build meaningful relationships with your audience online
- A podcast with me and guests. We’ll get conceptual about making videos and hear from creative entrepreneurs about how they’ve successfully created their own process with marketing their businesses.
I am thrilled to continue making content that inspires you, and to start making new material that you can easily apply to your creative business, too.
What does your roadmap for 2015 look like?
What project are you most excited to start? Or maybe you’re already in it now.
Help me celebrate in the comments below. Tell me what you’re looking forward to at Infusion5, and tell me about what you have in store for 2015. I’d love to hear about it.
Thanks for being here!
-Zach Wolfson
