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# The Rust
- URL: https://www.howardgray.net/the-rust/
- Published: 2020-11-19T02:10:21.000Z
- Updated: 2025-07-05T14:03:32.000Z
- Author: Howard Gray
- Tags: The Tension, Creative Business, Howard's Riffs

On Sunday I recorded the first episode for a new podcast series I’m producing.

The guest was someone I admire, but also find a little intimidating.  
I didn’t sleep well the night before.

When it came to the recording, I knew I was nervous. I hadn’t hosted a podcast in nearly a year. I felt the rust. I wasn’t match-fit.

And so there were times I held back when I could have spoken. Or spoke when I could have paused. And maybe I shuffled the questions just one too many times.

But we did it. It’s done: a piece of work that’ll get shipped very soon. And, it might just work.

The rust is real.  
So is the pedestal, the overawe, and the fear of the thing being a disaster.

What’s also real is you get to feel better the next day.  
Not because the work is great – that’s not the point.  
It’s because you did the thing, and there’s probably now just a tiny bit more confidence inside you to try again.

The podcast? It’s about the tension in trying to do creative work, of course.

The first 3 episodes will be live very soon. Check the [podcast page](https://howardgray.net/podcasts/?ref=howardgray.net) to grab them.