Diane Hope Ph.D. of Downtown Flagstaff on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Diane Hope Ph.D. shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Diane, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Swimming. One of the the joys of Arizona is outdoor swimming pools. During the hot weather its a great workout that cools you down.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
A freelance audio producer and sound recordist for almost 20 years now, I specialize in making high quality immersive audio features, that transport you through the medium of sound. You create the images in your own head. Its a deeply relaxing and intimate way to experience story telling.

I also do research and script writing for all sorts of audio content. With a science background (former ASU research professor) I also have the skills to ‘detangle’ complex concepts and cut through the jargon.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
That I was a separate ‘self’ going through life and that I was made up of my body and my thoughts. Instead of realizing that we are all aspects of one consciouness. We are not our thoughts – they come and go. We just experience them from unchanging awareness. That’s why you feel essentially the same when you’re over 60 as you did when you were 6, or 16.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Most days recently : ) The media landscape has become incredibly competitive and funding has been funnelled into fewer and fewer large companies, with rounds of layoffs. Navigating that as an independant is tricky. You need to focus on your niche skills. And have a ‘quiver’ of skills so you can switch from one to the other. I’ve recently been doing a lot more script writing, since that’s where the need of the time currently is.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
That people NEED video/visuals to enjoy a story. Anecdotal evidence reveals despite the recent emphasis for podcasts to have visuals as well as audio, many ‘viewers’ barely glance at the screen. They’re mostly listening. What value does it add to watch two heads talking? In the documentary realm, most stories can be told just as – if not more, effectively with quality audio than with pictures – really watch the next tv documentary you see … you’ll find that many of the visuals are peripheral or just ‘wall paper’ for the story. Which is unfolding in the sound track. The joke in the trade though is that … no one notices the sound – unless its bad!

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Stop attempting to find work and go traveling. By that I mean slow traveling. Staying in places for 2-6 months at a time. Really getting to know them. Some (more) cycle touring … one of the most enjoyable and low-carbon (emitting) ways to travel. You can read more about that and how it can aid the creative process in an article I recently posted on my LinkedIn profile.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
All photos taken by me Diane Hope (except the images of me with a photographer and on Kelso Dunes – which I have the rights to use).

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