‘I don’t believe that you start with a formula and then you fulfill the formula. Chaos is a much better instigator, because we live in chaos—we don’t live in a rigorous form.’
—Sam Shepard
Change is ever afoot, as summer begins to slip and fall routines reemerge. In tribute to great artists present, past, and future, Submittable joins you in welcoming the shifts, in honoring creative disarray. Let’s motivate, get inspired, and keep building:
Adieu Submishmash.com
The time has nearly arrived and Discover is set to become, officially, where it’s at. Starting August 11, Submittable will transfer our ever-expanding opportunities marketplace to one centralized, convenient location—inside the platform! Check out the blog for more information on this big happening and to ensure your organization gets tons of traction through Discover.
Podcast Episode 3
Join the Submishmash Podcast for our most recent conversation: ‘Toggle Faster: SEO and the Creative-Tech Mishmash’ with Jessica Mehta, founder and CEO of MehtaFor.
Customer Experience
Submittable’s Customer Experience team is the star of this start-up—a lean crew of six Montana-based support techs. In July, they responded to 2512 messages with an average wait time of 3.7 hours (although most weekday responses occurred in under an hour), all with an ‘A’ rating.
In their spare time, Natalie, Laurie, Bailey, Sasha, Emily, and Ben also write, compose and perform music, paint, run in the mountains and around the block (see map). If they can ever assist you, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Eyes on the Prize(s)
Post-MFA domination was recently achieved by two aspiring novelists: Eddie Ackerman and Karalyn Morris were the winners of our first-ever What Now? Contest. They’ve begun agent consultations and are starting to schedule other goodies (career counseling and writers’ workshops).
Eddie, Karalyn, and many other talented folks used Submittable’s Gallery Viewt o exhibit their take on life after grad school. This feature is a fantastic tool for hosting a competition, collecting authentic content, as well as engaging and expanding your audience. To find out more, contact our Sales Team.
We Recommend Dancing…
Each summer, Submittable offers Summer Technical Fellowships. This opportunity allows students with exceptional software development skills to work alongside our dev team.
One of this year’s fellows is Simon Orlovsky, whom you may already know from Dancing with the Stars or Dormcuts. Simon is working on a recommendation engine that will analyze an individual user’s submission data and offer suggestions. If you’d like to be considered for beta-testing this new feature, just let us know.
Meanwhile, Back at the Farm
Because Missoula is blessed with gorgeous summers, this is the perfect time of year to give back. Our team spent a sunny Friday volunteering at River Road Farm, a community space that provides food for local CSAs as well as The Poverello Center, serving the region’s homeless population.
Socha observed (‘We didn’t leave a single weed in the cornfield’), Bruce opined (‘Weeding was way way more fun than it sounds’), and Asta aspired (‘I want my very own hoop hoe now’). Good times!
Blogs for Days
According to Kim Winternheimer, Founding Editor of The Masters Review, persistence is vital when it comes to sending out your work. Explore other keen advice from Kim and find out more about her journal for emerging talent here.
Three guest authors examined writerly psychology on Submittable’s blog in July. Yvonne Shiau shared inventive tips for dodging a deadline, Mary Ann Davison faced up to faux-productivity, and Suzanne LaFetra linked successful dating to successful submitting—it’s important to stay positive!
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If you’re soaking up the remaining sun, don’t forget sunscreen. Warmest wishes till next month.
Rachel Mindell is Senior Editor for Submittable's Marketing Team. She also writes and teaches poetry. You can find Rachel's creative work here: rachelmindell.com