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Episode 10: Collab Fuckery with Elle VanDyne
153 Plays5 years ago
Elle VanDyne
Creatrix + Founder
CollabCreate DC
Elle is a community leader and entrepreneur living in Washington, DC with her partner, 1 kid, and 3 cats. Currently, her work focuses on launching CollabCreateDC, a new collaborative network for creative entrepreneurs. When she's not connecting people + promoting the DC creative community, she loves sharing DIY home design + holistic lifestyle tips, cooking up delicious healthy-ish food, and tackling the never-ending project list at her brick row home.
Find Elle:
http://collabcreatedc.com
http://instagram.com/collabcreateDC
http://instagram.com/thediyphilosopher
Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/baronessbree)
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Transcript
Introduction to Fabulous Fuckery
00:00:12
Speaker
Welcome to Fabulous Fuckery. I'm your host Baroness Brie. Fabulous Fuckery is your sophisticated destination for discussion on wellness, dating, family and blurred life. Come with me while we discuss emerging fabulously in spite of life's fuckery.
00:00:28
Speaker
Hello, everyone. I'm your girl, Baroness Brie. Welcome you to today's episode of Fabulous Fuckery.
Elle Van Dime's Entrepreneurial Journey
00:00:34
Speaker
I'm here today with Elle Van Dime, the Createx and founder of Collab Create DC. Thank you so much for coming. Thanks for having me. I'm super excited.
00:00:43
Speaker
Elle is doing amazing things in the DC area. She's working with small businesses to help us find each other, collaborate, do some great work, make some business, make some money. She has a lot of interest in home, like cooking, DIY. You're like a hodgepodge of all kinds of cool stuff, and you're a recent
00:01:07
Speaker
departing from corporate world, going into entrepreneurship. It's about to be three years, and I'm like, where did that time go? Did it go fast for you? It did. I mean, when I was in it, it was going real slow, but nobody prepares you mentally for that adjustment from leaving corporate life and realizing how much of the shit that you hate is your own shit.
00:01:30
Speaker
And now you have to deal with it instead of having a job to blame it on. So it's a lot of unpacking. Now how long were you corporate? I mean, off and on. I changed careers from government contracting to residential construction a while back. So I was in corporate residential construction, but before that I was in that government contracting world. So all in all, about 15 years of that total.
00:01:57
Speaker
When did you know it was okay to make the leap to entrepreneurship?
Why Elle Left Corporate
00:02:01
Speaker
When I just wanted to cry when I had to go to work. I was like, I can't do this anymore. It's hurting my soul to show up and deal with these people that I don't care about anymore. I'm good at my job, but I hate my job. It's not compatible. I couldn't do it anymore.
00:02:22
Speaker
You're speaking to me. Well you know because you're at this job and as Americans we've been told that our jobs are to work this nine to five, go home pet your dog, kick your kid over the other way around and you know and then you know save your thrift savings plan and your 401k until you can retire.
00:02:41
Speaker
But now, we're all starting to break the mold and realize, oh yes, I can work this nine to five job, but my real passion is my side hustle. How do you get from side hustle to real life? So, are there steps that you took to realize? Well, my side hustle then was different than what ended up.
Birth of Collab Create DC
00:03:05
Speaker
Collab Create was relatively late in the process thing, because I think I really had to spend some time figuring out
00:03:11
Speaker
What I actually wanted to do instead of just assuming that it would be the like Past hobby kind of passion that I had which I've realized like for now That's what the DIY and the home and the cooking like I love doing all that stuff and like sharing it with people but like I was trying to do that and collab create for a while and like I had to pick one because I only have so much bandwidth and
00:03:33
Speaker
and see that's my struggle as well you know you're sitting there you're like I like this and this is pretty cool and people like when I do this but this doesn't make me money this can this doesn't so you know we have to be able to say this is a passion this is the business so you're finding that collaborate disease for right now like that's my focus that's your focus that's my focus until we make the
00:03:58
Speaker
until you know until I get to the point hopefully everybody wants to get to right where like things are kind of running themselves and you have a good team and then you can like focus on more of your passion projects and maybe those are going to change and I'm sure they will like by the time that happens like my interests might be elsewhere but
00:04:15
Speaker
Yeah like I could make money doing like home and design and DIY stuff but man it drive me crazy to be on that Instagram with like all the home design people I'm like I can't keep up with y'all and it just it wasn't feeding my soul and like I really wanted to like connect with people and be connecting people and
Social Media Recognition
00:04:33
Speaker
As I got more involved with the creative scene in DC over the past few years, that's where the idea for Collab Create came from because I just kept meeting all these amazing people who needed to know each other and there's not a structure in place for that right now.
00:04:47
Speaker
Well I appreciate you because just following your Instagram and her Instagram is at collabcreatedc and it is one of the cleanest looking just from the design standpoint. Your graphics are all very consistent and you know it's all these neat images for things going on in DC and so I'm always plugged into 202 Creates and collabcreatedc and people are actually starting to think of you guys as almost the same type of entity because you know 202 Creates is the government side and
00:05:16
Speaker
They're giving us the access to the small business funds, but then your organization is like, oh yeah, and by the way, these are some also small businesses that are gonna say, oh, okay, this person makes planting things, like the femme fatale is amazing. Yeah, we've been featuring them. We're wrapping up those features this week, which will be over by the time this airs probably, but they are extending their pop-up through the end of July.
00:05:40
Speaker
So people should definitely check that out. I mean I feature them a lot because I love them so much like everybody's amazing in their own right and it's just really nice to find like local you know women-made products and art and cool things that we can all use instead of
00:05:55
Speaker
Clicking on that Amazon cart like why just click over to femme fatale for a minute and and check them out and also see people in person because The internet has removed that personality behind who created your jewelry. Yeah, so it's really neat to be able to say Oh, let me see what they recommend on their Instagram and oh, there's a story behind it There's a mother who's feeding her children based on her jewelry, you know, there's a person paying for her parents I think that someone was paying for
00:06:22
Speaker
their cancer treatments or things of that nature through the arts and crafts that they're creating at these workshops
Supporting Small Businesses
00:06:27
Speaker
and pop-ups. And I'm like, okay, we can support that. Versus it being made overseas with a person I don't know. There's a person that's connected to a face. And that's what we're talking about for Small Business Week. When you buy from a small business, you're helping a family pay for summer camp or a bill. So no, I'm really grateful for what you're doing.
00:06:46
Speaker
Yeah, that's exactly what we want to do is just like show the stories of the people behind all these great local businesses and it's it's crazy because it's just like every day I wake up and I find like new people and like just this endless source and I really focus on DC but you know if I've expanded some to like Maryland and Virginia but like
00:07:07
Speaker
that's a whole nother like additional like bounty of these amazing creators and people so I'm so excited to just be meeting people and featuring them and we're gonna change up the way we do features next month and like start kind of spreading it out a little more and so I'm excited to like we're gonna feature our first guy like I haven't done that yet what
00:07:26
Speaker
I know, I've been like six months now and haven't really, it's just naturally been a kind of women centered thing. And good for him for saying, hey, I got information, let me submit this to you. Yeah. Link me in. So, cause a lot of people feel as though certain spaces are only for women. Right. As long as you're respectful and a good human, let's do it. Exactly. Yeah. I haven't created it to be like just for women, but it's been like the people who were like showing up and participating in the community and it happens to be mostly women. So.
Personal Growth and Authenticity
00:07:56
Speaker
I want to transition for a second because you said when you went from corporate to becoming your own boss that you had your own shit you needed to deal with. What did you find for working for yourself with yourself every day and I know you have some cats but you know you can't get your employees are now in the cats during the day but what did you learn about yourself in this transition that really stood out as something that we needed to work on?
00:08:21
Speaker
I mostly learned that my beliefs about what I could do and what I should be doing with my life were so largely informed by other people, my parents and my family and my culture. I grew up in the Midwest in a really conservative Christian environment.
00:08:41
Speaker
Even though I really left that as a teen, those stories stick with you, right? I needed some reprogramming of not just that, but all of the little things that you pick up along the way through your 20s and 30s, and then you're like, oh.
00:08:59
Speaker
Yeah, this is everybody else's shit. This is not really my shit. Yeah, so it was like letting go of a lot of that and you know getting getting rid of a lot of relationships like I know a lot of people talk about this but I experienced that relationship purge where all of a sudden you're just like
00:09:16
Speaker
they gotta go and they gotta go and like it's not it's nothing like don't mean any malice or like the will towards them but it's you just realize you don't have the energy in your life for that kind of energy because you want to create all these other things yes ma'am so no I understand
00:09:33
Speaker
Now, the whole relationship purging because people show up in different phases of your life and that has an emotional attachment to whatever that moment was. How hard has it been for you to say, ooh, girl, you gotta go.
00:09:50
Speaker
I mean the first big one was really hard. I was someone who was really really close to me and you know and it's been a process but I think just showing up for yourself every day and trusting my intuition like knowing that like
00:10:06
Speaker
looking back, I knew this all along about this person, right? Like, I just never trusted myself to act on it and be like, maybe I should put my energy elsewhere. So the benefit of all of that is though that like, now I can identify the kinds of energy I don't want around ahead of time, like before we start going down the rabbit hole of friendship, working together, whatever, by just trusting your intuition and cutting that off when you need to.
00:10:33
Speaker
I read in a book, and I need to remember what book it was, and I have to figure it out. When your phone rings, and that person's name or picture pops up, how does it make you feel? Sometimes I'm looking at my phone, and I'm like, oh, I don't feel like it.
00:10:48
Speaker
Like fuck that like I don't want to talk to that person today You know it's something that our bodies know how a person reacts to us, and it's crazy So when you just talked about that that really hits home for me because I'm really doing the the purge How do you know okay person? Thank you for the space that you have honored in me. Thank you for the growth. You've allowed me I'll see you at you know
00:11:11
Speaker
See you later. See ya, holla. Some people you just have to let go altogether because they don't want to respect that the base is no longer available for them in your lives and that's the hardest kind of purge of this person that keeps popping up and you're like, I blocked you. You created a new account. You have a new phone number. No, don't do this. And so, good for you. And I hope more people find space to say,
00:11:37
Speaker
I love you from afar. It's getting out of your comfort zone and out of your patterns. I miss a lot of things about the people that aren't really in my circle anymore and not all of them have been like a friend breakup. A lot of it has just been like people just kind of flow out of my orbit because I've got all of these other things that I'm attracting now too.
00:12:01
Speaker
It's been really nice to get more involved in the creative community and meet all of these people that are doing the same thing that I'm doing. They're going through this process of being an entrepreneur and being a creative and figuring out how to make all this mess of work. Those are the kind of people that I need to be around right now.
00:12:21
Speaker
You know you're absolutely right cuz you have to be around people who have either gone the path that you're currently going down because a lot of people like you're saying your beliefs from your family and growing up they're scared for you sometimes and they don't know how to say I'm excited for you or you know and so I'm talking to people about oh I'm starting this thing and I like why
00:12:43
Speaker
And I said, I didn't say I quit my job. I just said that I started a podcast or that I'm writing. They're like, what do you mean you're doing something different? And they're scared for you. And so I recognize the fear, but effort, we got to do it anyway. And no, so I'm just so excited and I'm grateful to hear someone that has that level of clarity that says, you know, I'm doing it. This is how we need to do it.
00:13:06
Speaker
I have another question for you regarding self care and what do
Self-Care Practices
00:13:11
Speaker
you do? What is L time? How do you take care of yourself in the midst of always going, always posting? Well, like today I got a pad of care because that was my monthly like must do. It's my first open toe shoes.
00:13:26
Speaker
Day to day I'm sporting my new pedicure. I mean, I think just finding little things like that whatever makes you happy and Making time to do those because like if I just like say I'm gonna get a pedicure But then I don't put it on the calendar. It's not gonna happen I also really gotten into meditation in the last since like November I started a thing and I just noticed so many differences in my
00:13:51
Speaker
anxiety levels and my productivity levels. And that has also been a process like everything is. It's not perfect, but man, I feel so much better when I do that. And I'm like, why did I wait so long to start doing this? I don't know. I wasn't ready, I guess. So those are probably my two favorite things. And just really, I recently actually decided to not post on the weekends all on Instagram. I was not doing like feature posts.
00:14:21
Speaker
And then for a while I had someone helping me do stories on the weekends. And I was just like, you know, for the amount of like energy and time that we're putting into this, like our engagement isn't that high on the weekends. People who are like on our feed are out doing stuff, like making stuff and have a lot of things going on. So I think at this point it's worth it to me. So this was the first weekend that I did that. And oh my God, it was amazing. Like I logged out of collab create DC and I love you all, but
00:14:49
Speaker
It was so nice. It was so nice. And then I came back on Monday and I felt refreshed and reconnected. And it was awesome to see the people that did follow us in DM over the weekends catching up with everybody. So that's my new self-care thing. That's a great idea. That's a great idea. Because I've been going around and, like you said, you're plugging things into your calendar. Then it turns into an overwhelming to-do list. And I've decided I just want to nap.
00:15:16
Speaker
You know, guys, I'm going to cancel all my appointments for today. When I leave, I'm just going to lay down. And I've had those days where it's like, holy crap, who's my assistant? I mean, assistant. So I'm going to have to go online and find a virtual assistant to stop me from doing this to myself. Yeah, I do have to fire myself because I want to do everything for everyone.
00:15:35
Speaker
And I can't. And then you're like, oh, you have this person who you like to connect with. And then their schedule's crazy. And your schedule's crazy. And he's like, why is my life this over? And I do have two kids. So they have part. And you have 11 year olds. So you get it. So they take up quite a bit of time. And then you're like, oh, yeah. And on top of that, I run a business. I'm doing a thing. And it's like, how do I make my widgets if I'm always on the road?
00:16:02
Speaker
You know, scheduling that time, I have time to write, time to do scheduling, block a time to respond to emails. It's like, when did you become this person? And people are like, hey, what are we doing this week? And I'm like, I'm actually booked through July. But I'm also trying to get to a point where I can say, OK, two Saturdays a month, please make sure you have fun with your friends.
00:16:22
Speaker
Because then those relationships are important. And I need to be around the people who make me remember who I am, who energize me, who recharge us. And not everything is about a dollar. Not everything is about working. We have to find some kind of work-life balance, especially since we've left the corporate hamster wheel.
00:16:41
Speaker
You know, it's like, okay, I'm not doing this fun, you know, I'm not working this eight hours anymore, but I'm working now, working 100 hours a week to sustain my family. We have to figure out what that happy medium is of selling our souls and being happy.
00:16:56
Speaker
Yeah, and sometimes that means like cutting yourself some slack and being like, I cannot do all of this, but I can do these things today. And if I can just focus on the day, it's much easier than like getting overwhelmed by the week. Yeah. And my therapist is like, Oh, you know, you've rescheduled twice this week. What's that about? And I'm like, so this is what happened. And she goes, is this a priority to you or not? Ooh.
00:17:23
Speaker
I guess it is, you know, so she's like, it's already like, she's like, you're doing great, we're down to twice a month, let's do this, you can't do too, yes I can do twice, so you know, I'm making myself hold that date to my calendar, making sure it's the same time every two weeks. We have to honor ourselves, so good for you for getting your pedicure, I'm thinking next time I'm gonna have to get a pedicure cam, so you can like take a picture of your feet like on windy.
00:17:48
Speaker
But also, you know, in your spare time, I know you do a lot of gardening, a lot of DIY. For a person who can't keep plants alive, what do you recognize? What can you tell me or recommend for me that I can put into my space that's green and not kill it? In your house, you get a snake plant. A snake plant. Those mother-in-law tongues. Those tall, monthly girl. I've killed those. Well then. I have a cactus. Okay, it's still alive, but I need something that is pretty.
00:18:17
Speaker
Yeah, I like Pothos. Pothos? Those like heart-shaped, civilly tiny. My tip with them is that like do not water them until they start to like a little bit. Like when they look a little droopy, give them some water and then leave them alone again. Leave them alone. Leave them alone again. I think I'm over watering. Yeah, you probably are. That's what I was doing too. I was like, oh, you're a planet. Don't you want it? No. Stop.
00:18:41
Speaker
You know, with the Bert and Ernie, I got a little plant, and it likes a little water. You know, every day I'm like, water of a plant? And it's like, no, no. Don't do that. Don't do that. Yeah, that's my tip. So really, it's that simple. It's that simple. I have those all over my house because it's the only thing I can consistently grow besides that snake plant. And you can break little pieces off and like stick them in jars, and they'll start growing a whole new plant for you. So then you, yeah.
00:19:05
Speaker
Do you do any gardening as well? I do. I have a little yard in Brooklyn. I'm not a professional gardener, but the woman who owned the house before us had a really nice garden area, so once we uncovered
00:19:21
Speaker
10 years of crabgrass from when she was in the live then it looks really great and I'm excited so I like to like do that in the spring it feels like a good ritual for kind of like waking everything back up and yeah and it's actually really easy like you just put shit in the ground and it like blows up it's amazing it's so much easier than indoor gardening
00:19:43
Speaker
Well you make it so when I guess when you say you put it in the ground it blows up Yeah, I guess that's the point but for people like me. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I'm overthinking it I'm giving the plant my anxiety like please don't die. Please don't die you know I just at one point time I used to grow things like strawberry plants and basil and mint and herbs and
00:20:03
Speaker
I don't know what happened. Something happened to my thumb. I guess that's just not what you're supposed to be doing with your time right now. I guess not. I guess you're saying go finish what you're supposed to be writing and leave the plants to the professional. So I just want some basil lemonade. That's all I want. That is delicious. Exactly. So going to Whole Foods and buying herbs are very expensive right now. Yeah. You can even get some at the farmer's market. I have to go to the farmer's market. I know. I always say I'm going to and I never go. It means going outside.
00:20:31
Speaker
Yes. It's hot. In the hot. We're about to get into the hot. I can do hot. I'm not a cold person.
00:20:38
Speaker
I'm like a right now weather person. This is me. Like I don't want to be sweaty, but I don't want to have to wear 15 layers of clothing to walk outside my door. So I get you right now is just, I'm excited. I'm hoping to see more of you in the area. Um, please, if there's anything we can do, if there's anything you want us to incorporate ourselves with, send me an email, we'll, we'll, we'll make it work. We'll make it work. But if you could tell our listeners where they can find you and you know, online website, all the good stuff.
Engaging with Collab Create DC
00:21:07
Speaker
Okay, yeah, you can find us online at collabcreatedc on Instagram. We are also on Facebook, but you will see the same stuff that you see on Instagram. So you should just follow us on Instagram. And, you know, our website is collabcreatedc.com. You can sign up for a newsletter there, which launched June 4. And we're going to have a bunch of great content for creatives in the DC area. And, you know, hit us up for collabs and features.
00:21:33
Speaker
And if you have something you want to promote on Instagram, tag us at collabcreatedc in your stories or your posts because we love to share what's going on in the community through our stories. So the more we know about, the more we can help share what people are doing.
00:21:46
Speaker
Excellent. Thank you for having me. No, thank you so much for coming. I really appreciate you. This has been awesome. Thank you. It was really fun. Thanks. Guys, if you want to listen and share this with your friends, I would really appreciate it. You can find me on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio. We've just been added. And please just listen, share. And if you have any questions, please feel free to find me at BaronessBree on BaronessBree.com and BaronessBree on
00:22:12
Speaker
Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Also you can find us on at fabfuckery on all platforms. Have a good one and thank you for listening.