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issue n. 03 • A Work in Progress

Feral kittens; ent3r updates; web3 linkage; Argentina photos

Author

BC
December 02, 2022

Hello there. Welcome to ent3r issue #3. “#3?” You might wonder. “There was no issue #2…”

That is correct. There was no newsletter last week, and no communication to let you know there would be no said newsletter. I could apologize, or I could just chalk it up to being in Patagonia, massively under slept, and mostly off-grid.

We’re going to call issue #2 a “ghost issue” that was, in fact, published: in a parallel universe where, despite my strong and extremely valid excuses, I delivered on my promise of a Friday drop anyway. My conscience is clean.

First – here’s what you’re in for:

Today’s issue is a long one, with a read time of 5 minutes, 29 seconds. Slow readers, set your Slack status to ‘away’.

Who is this week's issue for?

  • Actors

  • Web3 enthusiasts/no0bs, or oldies who wish to feel better than/ahead of

  • Creators (?)

  • People interested in the lives of strangers

  • Film industry folks

In this issue, I discuss/share:

  • My writing group, i.e. origin of this newsletter

  • The ent3r "incubator" / next phase of writing group

  • What acting & dating have in common

  • Links/thoughts of late

  • Photos from my Argentina trip

And we proceed:

Last week’s silence is a testament to the work-in-progress that is this newsletter.

I have been deep in the trenches of researching and link-hopping my way through Twitter, an absurd amount of newsletters, podcast, and[insert other form of online media here] rabbit holes in search of clarity around what this newsletter is destined to be. WHICH, in turn, speaks to why I forced myself to start publishing issues rather impulsively in the first place. (And rather prematurely, if I’m fully frank). (Unlike this Frank). (Kidding.)

To have allowed myself time for researching and strategizing before putting out content would have been to breed a vicious, continual barrage of excuses for why “I’m not ready” to publish yet, “don’t know what to write about,” or that I “need a clearer theme/niche”/”etc”/”etc”/”etc”… In that case we would have on our hands an altogether ghostly – i.e. nonexistent – newsletter.

All this to say – and to follow up last week’s excellent ghost issue – I’m committed to upholding my promise to publish every Friday as I refine and focus this project. [1]

 Let’s get on with it.

WTF’s going on with the writing group?

The writing group, i.e. the inspiration for this newsletter, has been on pause while I gallivant my way through Buenos Aires and Patagonia, respectively, with family and feral kittens.

Kidding, the kitten was not actually feral, but loyal to an almost-alliteration I must be.

The first cohort of the writing group, which ran from late October to early November, served its objective: to force me to wake up every morning and write/mastermind my creative projects. I enjoyed waking up with a sense of purpose and responsibility of being available for whoever would be joining me on Zoom that morning. And, the knowledge that I had three hours carved out every day gave me peace of mind that I was, for lack of a better term, “taking care of my shit,” i.e. prioritizing my creative work.

What exactly is my creative work? 

Screenplays. Writing for film. Any sort of storytelling device wherein I can inject myself as a character to move my acting career forward — or at least it was, originally. My new writing habit has opened a pandora’s box of interests and desires for creating all sorts of content.

Suddenly, I’m compelled to start a fashion blog and newsletter, become a crypto influencer and start a podcast about I don’t know, “cultural commentary or whatever,” all at once. I want to start a production company and build a community of filmmakers that will revolutionize the industry. I want to be everywhere. I have this intense need to put out content, write, BE HEARD [2] and build a personal brand and I’m starting to think my head might explode with ideas. [3] 

As a side perk, I’m developing a deeper and deeper interest in the storytelling and producing aspects of the industry and becoming less pre-occupied with the acting component. As a bit of a control freak, I’m growing increasingly wary of the lack of a control an actor typically has over their career, at every stage of the ladder, and beginning to deconstruct limiting beliefs I have about pursuing parallel paths as a writer, producer, and potentially, entrepreneur. [4]

An acting career is like the old dating cliché – the more you try to find love, the more it seems to elude you. The way I see it, the more I can invest my focus on building projects that stimulate my creativity, the more I suspect my acting career will seem to “take off.” Ah, feels good not to GAF.

Seriously though, this is something I’ve been pondering all week as I become more and more empowered to “create my own economy” and build my own empire, rather than sit around and wait for opportunities or knock on doors that are, simply, locked AF.

For my acting peers reading this, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts, experiences, or to engage in a lively debate about just how much one should GAF about acting. [5]

NEXT – The Incubator

I am debating whether I want to continue the morning writer’s group for the following reasons

1) As stated above, it has served its original purpose. I am now focused, increasingly clear on my creative objectives, and motivated to take consistent action toward them. Thus, I don’t feel the need to create such an intense external structure and am a bit wary of putting energy into corralling other people.

2) I’m not clear on what kind of group I want to run and I don’t want to force it.

The ideas I’ve been bouncing around range from niching down to a film industry-specific group for writers, á la “writer’s room”; creating a broader offering for creators writing across mediums; or offering a very broad, paid version of what I already ran, an accountability group of sorts.

For now, it’s more important to solidify my personal brand and creative projects before deciding how/if to proceed with building a community.

Almost done – 2 more things

1) Links / Thoughts

Because I’m sitting in a sunny backyard on the outskirts of Buenos Aires with a pool that beckons me, here’s an unedited compilation what I’ve been thinking about + reading this week.

Peruse at your leisure:

2) Argentina Photos

I’ve been unwinding with photo editing, especially enjoying the Adobe Lightroom tutorials on the very app. Here are some photos from my Argentina trip:

Until next time,

—B

[1] I did come across this an article days ago that made me question the notion of posting on a strict schedule. I’ve been reading/link-hopping so much that I literally can’t remember or find exactly who said it or where it’s posted. Will share in future issues when I unearth – but basically, this person posited that good ideas + insight + value take time to cultivate, and that they trust more thinkers who post sporadically but more value-filled pieces, versus those post consistently, without fail, but perhaps at the expense of quality. You should 100% trust my consistent output, though.

[2] What a goddamn millennial.

[3] Send help. Or money.

[4] Artists are entrepreneurs their own right. But tech, maybe?

[5] (This is all very much a front. I. CARE. SO. MUCH.)