Embracing Imperfections: How Eczema Shaped My Content Creation
Georgie shares a deeply personal account of living with eczema since infancy, shedding light on the emotional and psychological barriers that can hinder content creation for those with visible skin conditions. The discussion centres around overcoming societal pressures and self-doubt, emphasizing the importance of authenticity in the digital age. Georgie reflects on various treatments he has tried, from medications to lifestyle changes, and how these experiences have shaped his identity as a creator. He encourages listeners who may feel ashamed or anxious about their appearance to embrace their uniqueness and to not let skin conditions define their worth or capabilities as content creators. By sharing his journey, he aims to empower others to take the leap into content creation, regardless of their struggles, and to foster a supportive community for those facing similar challenges.
Takeaways:
- Eczema can be a daunting challenge, but it doesn't define your ability to create content.
- Being a content creator with skin issues means embracing your authenticity and sharing your story.
- Support from loved ones is crucial when coping with skin conditions and pursuing passions.
- Overcoming the fear of how you look is essential for aspiring content creators.
- Audio-only formats can be a great way to share your message without visual pressure.
- Everyone has a unique story to tell, and your experiences can inspire others.
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
Hi, it's Georgie here and today I want to talk about a topic that's pretty much personal and it's been something that I've lived with since I was six months old.
Georgie:So then what that is is eczema, as you can see, like basically pretty rare race, skin scratching, red spots.
Georgie:So I thought I'd do this as a live, just because I can.
Georgie:And what it is is about how we can overcome the fear of how we look, how we feel and, and all of those kind of things when we want to be content creators.
Georgie:Now, I used to call myself a podcaster, and after listening to Rob Greenlee for a while now I now understand content creator a little bit different from a, a podcaster's perspective.
Georgie:So a little bit of background.
Georgie:As I said earlier, I've had this since I was 6 months old and I've tried everything from cow out of crane to I'm there.
Georgie:In the process, I got to wean myself off Rinvock.
Georgie:I've been on cyclosporine, I've been on dupexent.
Georgie:You name it, I've tried it.
Georgie:Changing soap powders and everything like that.
Georgie:And unfortunately, with the Rinvoc, it's causing a lot of cramps, spiked me CK levels to an uncomfortable level.
Georgie: or: Georgie:I thought, well, that's it.
Georgie:The thing with a lot of the medications is that they, how shall we say, they tend to stuff your system up, most of them immune suppressants.
Georgie:There was one trial that I went on and it worked, but you can't get that anywhere in Australia or anywhere in the world, unfortunately.
Georgie:So what I want this session to be about is I don't care if I only reach one person with this one, but if you want to be a content creator and you have skin like mine, anxiety about doing things or, or talking, that's okay.
Georgie:It is fine.
Georgie:I know with when it's inward, no one knows because I've been through that.
Georgie:And when it's outward that you have a problem with people points there, make comments and things like that, that's the ignorance of society, unfortunately, and we've got to get over that hurdle.
Georgie:So what does being a content creator mean when you do have skin issues and that?
Georgie:It just means that you're normal.
Georgie:Really, you're normal.
Georgie:You know, if you have a look at my wonderful wife Jane, that 10th of February, we will have been married for 24 years and she's put up with everything to do with the skin things like the, the bloody sheets and everything like that.
Georgie:But she's never questioned how I looked, who I am or anything about it.
Georgie:All she has done is embraced what I've done or tried to do and supported me.
Georgie:And she supported me in this part of what I want to do.
Georgie:And if you don't know what hey Georgie is all about, it's all about, it's all in the conversation.
Georgie:So we have different conversations about a whole heap of topics.
Georgie:So when I started on this path, I think I'm up to about, I don't know, 40 maybe sessions and probably 750 tries and looked at myself and said no.
Georgie:So from here on in I'd like this to not be me, any income, but supported in some way, shape or form.
Georgie:And to do that you've got to be able to face your fears and do it anyway.
Georgie:And that's what you need to do as well.
Georgie:Now if you have got any skin issues or anything like that with eczema or any issues, just leave a comment or just send me an email and it's georgiegeorgie.com and we can chat it through.
Georgie:You know, like the more people that can do this as someone that's suffering from an illness and it is an illness, the more the merrier.
Georgie:And this is how society is going.
Georgie:So on an early episode, Don and I talk about the other conversation in a digital world which I'll link in the description.
Georgie:Description.
Georgie:Now, what are the bad things when you're trying to be a content creator?
Georgie:I'm having one of those at the moment.
Georgie:The medication gives me bit of ingestion but also I've worn this color for reason.
Georgie:As you can see, there's white specks everywhere.
Georgie:And as confronting as that is, that skin we all shed it just that I shed it a lot more than the most.
Georgie:So I just want to do that so that as we say here in Australia, don't give a rat's ass about how I look or how I feel anymore.
Georgie:I do worry about my weight.
Georgie:I know that if I can get that under toe then I can get fitter and, and all that kind of stuff.
Georgie:But from a.
Georgie:With this being just for content about creating content, don't worry like what, what did I just do?
Georgie:I know I've been sitting here ready to scratch the hell out of.
Georgie:I've deliberately not taken an antihistamine and yeah, so that's that.
Georgie:Now there's got to be time.
Georgie:Now the beauty of this medium and I want to get this Very clear for anyone that's listening if you do have a flare up and I'm sort of in that sort of spark and if you have a look at.
Georgie:I'll bring it up now so you can.
Georgie:I can talk through it.
Georgie:So there I am when my skin's probably at its best.
Georgie:That's like it is now and this is when it's at its worst, especially my face.
Georgie:I was in hospital here for a while because I had an allergic reaction to some medication and that fired off my skin.
Georgie:And the funny thing about it is, you know, I've got it a bit on my arms and stuff like that, but my face from here up is the worst.
Georgie:And as they say in the classics.
Georgie:And the point I'm trying to make is that I've got a good head for radio when my X Men is bad.
Georgie:And that's the beauty of being a content creator created where you've got the option to do visual what we're doing here or audio only.
Georgie:So one of my popular creations was the other day when I did my reflection on Australia Day.
Georgie:Let's worry about unity and forget it and remember the past.
Georgie:So and that's done really well.
Georgie:It was audio only.
Georgie:I was feeling bad, not feeling 100% so I thought I can sit here and do an audio only show and still have impact with others.
Georgie:And that's what this is all about, this show.
Georgie:So if you are having a flare up and you don't feel like putting a camera on, don't put the camera on.
Georgie:Just don't.
Georgie:Just do an audio only.
Georgie:These easy setups.
Georgie:Like I've got this microphone that goes into a rode duocaster that goes into the computer.
Georgie:I've got just a webcam sitting up here, the Elgato Webcam Pro or whatever it's called and one light sitting off here.
Georgie:Don't care that I'm in the bedroom at the moment, gotta set up a studio downstairs because I actually work from home and work down there.
Georgie:So be in the situation where you can contribute to society and just hit record and then do the audio side and be authentic with it in your welcome video audio mention that you suffer from eczema and not every show is going to be video.
Georgie:So the way I've decided to be to do the content creation is three shows.
Georgie:Three shows a week.
Georgie:And then every fortnight I'll do live and if they start to become hokey dokie then we'll bring that to two, two, two lives a month.
Georgie:So it'll be every fortnight Which I just said so.
Georgie:Or it may go to once a week.
Georgie:Sorry.
Georgie:So it's not easy.
Georgie:And even from disabled point of view, people gotta criticize me and things like that.
Georgie:And as the great Gary Vaynerchuk always say, always says, haters will always hate.
Georgie:So you ignore them.
Georgie:I've had plenty with what I said on the Australian day thing.
Georgie:I've had plenty of people comment and say, you're ignorant, you don't understand the indigenous side of things and everything, but the great great grandmother was indigenous.
Georgie:So what are the good sides of being a content recreator?
Georgie:Looking like you do or feeling like you do.
Georgie:And it's impairing others to be the best version of themselves to contribute to society in this connected world digitally.
Georgie:Donna Knife coined a conversational point where a conversation with fonts isn't a conversation and we just need to understand that.
Georgie:Be yourself.
Georgie:Like, I'm sitting here and I'm holding my arm, I'm scratching, scratching here.
Georgie:Now, what are some of the tips that I've found out for you that can help you with your appearance if you're still conscious of it?
Georgie:So today I haven't.
Georgie:I've deliberately gone and put no creams, no moisturizers or any of those sort of things on.
Georgie:Even after work I had a nip of alcohol because I know that fires up my skin pretty good.
Georgie:So there's a little bit of a stage there.
Georgie:But go through your normal routine of whatever suits you.
Georgie:So mine generally is when I know I'm going to do a video in the morning, I put it on moisturizer, then I put on some of the ointments to try to knock the redness and the flare down.
Georgie:And then just before I do a show, I always put the cream on and let that settle in.
Georgie:So I normally put that on about half an hour before and then bang straight into the camera.
Georgie:But when it comes to, like shows that I'm going to do, where Jane and I got to be at Stanthorpe and Maryborough and Tasmania and things like that, don't care.
Georgie:Really, really don't care.
Georgie:I am what I am.
Georgie:Another good song from the Kaja Fall.
Georgie:And so what I would like to end this live with is that if you're an adult and you've suffered from eczema all your life, or if you're in the middle of your journey as a young teenager and you want to be a content creator, do it.
Georgie:You will be shocked with some of the comments that you get, but my belief is that doing this and overcoming your fear may help others to overcome theirs.
Georgie:And that's the whole thing.
Georgie:The I have attempted suicide and I've overcome that and I've overcome my skin in the last few weeks.
Georgie:And now all I want to do is move forward and create.
Georgie:And there got to be a range of topics, but my target audiences, Gen X's, that's who I am and that's how I can talk to.
Georgie:But anything like this and any conversation that I have with guests, it's more general.
Georgie:So if you see a guest show, if you see me do a live, it's more general.
Georgie:And the way you can connect is through heygeorgie.com you can send me a voice message, you can send me an email, you can follow the shows, do everything there, try to keep it in one place.
Georgie:But yeah, it's, it's a challenge for everybody.
Georgie:And I just want to let people know that if you are like me and you do have eczema, you want to be a content creator and you're too scared to do the first step, reach out and I can step you through it or just do it anyway and just pick up your phone and then record and tell your story.
Georgie:Because everybody has a story.
Georgie:It's not up to the Joe Rogans.
Georgie:It's not up to all the flash people.
Georgie:Everybody has a story and we've got a platform and a medium to show it.
Georgie:We all have a skill.
Georgie:You know, one of my favorite topics is politics and I will get into that because Australia is leading into a election just like America just did.
Georgie:And I will talk about that.
Georgie:A lot of shows that go down that path, however, that's my little niche.
Georgie:Photography, travel, they're my little niches.
Georgie:And but the one who can't remember who pointed it out, I was watching a video.
Georgie:Don't be afraid.
Georgie:Afraid of you being the niche because you are unique.
Georgie:So that's where I'll leave today's show.
Georgie:The lives will get longer and longer as they go into the election.
Georgie:Election night I will do a live.
Georgie:But just remember, if you're an eczema sufferer and you feel uncomfortable and you want to do content creation, do it and you'll be be stoked about, about doing it because it's, it's fun.
Georgie:So as I said, hey, Georgie.com if you could like subscribe and share this on YouTube because it's going to YouTube, Facebook, do the same.
Georgie:And once again, as I always say at the end of every show, once you wake up every day, just be the best version of yourself.
