💼 UNCONVENTIONAL CAREERS

From Web Series to Red Carpet 💃

🔥 Opportunity: Acting

🔎 Case Study: Issa Rae, $8 Million

With a newsletter focused on fun and play, acting seemed like the perfect unconventional career to discuss.

I’ve always been fascinated with acting (the entire entertainment umbrella really), and being in the creator space has opened my eyes to what’s possible: A LOT.

There are a lot of people I look up to, but one of the most fascinating to me is Issa Rae. Not just because she’s hilarious and is a self-starter with humble beginnings, but because of THIS:

I’ve never seen someone in the entertainment space frame business in such an intentional way. In short, she’s a f*cking genius, and she’s mapped out her entire career and how everything compliments one another SO. DAMN. WELL.

Now, I don’t share this to overwhelm you. I’m sharing this with you because:

1️⃣ She started just like you and I did (which further proves that ALL OF US can create a reality we wish to have)

2️⃣ A fun, playful career like acting does require careful planning, coordination, and intention

3️⃣ There’s absolutely NO LIMIT to what your career can look like when you choose to grab your gift by the balls

Actor or Creator?

Now, I’m not technically an actress, but being a creator puts me in this weird in-between category.

It also provides back-door opportunities that wouldn’t have been possible previously with the standard acting route (I should know - I almost moved to LA this past winter to pursue acting for realz and was interviewed by the LA Times to talk about this).

Issa actually started her career by being a creator - she created her show The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl on YouTube back in 2011 and gained popularity by committing to that project and her craft.

There ARE some benefits to pursuing it in a more linear path through schooling like getting professional training and building your network with other actors, but it’s not the only way.

And you don’t JUST have to be an actor.

Just like Issa, you can expand beyond what your career expects of you simply because you see a vision beyond what was previously done.

If you’re curious about traditional acting, check out The Actor’s Survival Guide by Jenna Fisher (Pam from The Office).

What vision do YOU see for yourself? Does it require creating something that maybe hasn’t been done before?

⚙️ TOOL SPOTLIGHT

We usually talk about AI or online tools, but today I want to highlight tools, books, and activities that have REALLY helped me when it comes to self-expression.

Improv Class - This is something I’ve always wanted to do regularly but has haunted me since 7th grade when I tried it and choked.

I recently returned to it this week and it was SO BEYOND HELPFUL. It’s helping me reframe my mind to seek out being silly over perfect.

The Artist Way - I’ve been shouting from the rooftops about this book for literally the past 6 months.

I took it super seriously, and every week tackled another chapter much like a college course, and it rocked my world creatively.

You won’t be the same person after.

Ecstatic Dance - I discovered this last year and it CHANGED my life.

On the outside, it looks like just dance, but it’s not - it completely mirrored how I interacted with life and gave me a wake-up call in the areas that needed some TLC or cutting out completely.

🤖 CHATGPT

Since we’re on the topic of one of my favorite things, PLAY, I figured we’d leverage ChatGPT to help us brainstorm ways we can incorporate soul-nourishing activities into our lives (thus creating more avenues for self-expression)

Feel free to tweak the prompt below based on your budgetary, time, and energetic restrictions. Have fun with it!

Prompt of the Week:

️ PODCAST

Did you know that the more you celebrate, the more success you’ll have? YEP, YOU READ THAT RIGHT.

As someone who loves any excuse to keep indulging in lattes and loungewear, I was thrilled to find out that there’s actual science behind WHY celebrating along your journey leads to more success.

When I was in corporate, I was very much in the mindset that suffering is a requirement for success.

Sure, hard work IS required, but that doesn’t mean that you put play on the back burner (I know, I know - easier said than done)

On this week’s episode, I talk about the science behind celebrating small wins and how the cosmos forced me to pause and intentionally create play in order to go farther and faster.

Have you celebrated your progress lately? If not, in what way this upcoming week will you shower yourself with praise and play?