The B-Roll #26: Change is in the air

A quick hello

This was sent to my Mailchimp subscribers on May 31...before the transition to this new adventure! Sharing here as a peek into my brain

Hey friend,

Change has been on my mind a lot lately. 

Well, not change, exactly, but evolution.

Because change is inevitable. Whether we like it or not, change happens, and it’s safe to say that a lot has changed in the past five years.

My challenge has been to evolve to keep up with these changes without changing the fundamentals of how I present myself in the world.

I am a storyteller.

I am a writer.

I am an Amplifier.

I write. I connect. I ramble. 

I get comfortable, mainly in how I show up in this space we call the internet.

I can keep up with the evolution of technology with the best of them, but how do I connect with those around me when it comes to my writing?

Man, I am fucked.

Because I got comfortable. I’ve been blogging forever, and then one day, the blog communities disappeared because “personal blogging” changed, so I stopped. By then, I had Twitter, so I could keep building community. 

I tried Patreon. I tried Substack. I tried different blogs. I tried LinkedIn. I tried Mailchimp once, left for Substack, and here I am again. 

Side note: If this is the first edition of my newsletter you’re receiving after signing up and you’ve made it this far, please bear with me and don’t unsubscribe until you’ve read the next edition. You just happened to catch me mid-evolution, and you’re getting a look inside the gooey part of the metamorphosis.

But I was comfortable because I had my Twitter community, and no matter where my writing showed up, I didn’t have to become a digital creator.

And then, poof. 

Here we are again.

I simply want to write, but I’m also a professional marketer who knows how to play the game. 

I also lost my writing mojo for a long time, so it didn’t matter that I didn’t have a “home” because I didn’t have much writing to share, and that’s changing again.

So, I’ve been thinking about evolving to keep up with the changes in a way that doesn’t force me to become a digital creator. When it comes to connecting with you through my writing, I don’t want to play the algorithm game. I save that for my clients.

“Alright, Berrak, get to the point.”

The point. 

The point is that some changes are happening because I’m once again overcome with the drive for multiple projects, but my ADHD meds are helping me plan, sort of.

The short answer is that nothing will change for you as far as this newsletter is concerned. It will still be sent out weekly(ish) in its current format.

Long answer: I’m moving to a new platform where the idea of The B-Roll will evolve into something I haven’t quite figured out yet, and the next time you get this newsletter, it might come from a different email platform. But the subject line will always be “The B-Roll #:[title]”

I want to write, but I also began writing online at 16. Nearly two decades later, it’s time for another phase in my evolution, as if I’m a fucking Pokemon. And apparently, my masters are the internet and the attention economy. 

Bottom line: Fuck the algorithm but fuck if I’m going to let it keep me from connecting with the people who matter the most, like you.

SHARING CORNER: Just a sample of links from my browser history

Do you love romance books, discovering new authors, and helping save lives? Then have I got a deal for you.  

My new three-syllable writing mantra (via Ann Handley's newsletter, which you should definitely subscribe to)

Looking for book recommendations? Polygon has a list of 25 must-reads for this summer. Have you read any of them?