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00:00:01
The Pep Talk Every Artist Needs: Creative Insights with Brian Patacca
5 Plays10 months ago
It's time to explore moving from limiting beliefs to creative momentum and chart a more purposeful creative path.
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Transcript
Introduction to Artistic Purpose
00:00:00
larabiancapilcher
There it is. Thank you so much for being here. And I'm so excited. I've got so many questions for you. Let's just dive in as deep as we can with the first question.
00:00:08
BRIAN PATACCA
Great. Yes, let's do it.
00:00:10
larabiancapilcher
I don't like a warm up. I just like to go in the deep end. What role do you think purpose plays in an artist's career and how can they really find their purpose and stay connected to their purpose?
00:00:21
BRIAN PATACCA
That Such a good question. There's a couple of parts of it. So I want to really take it apart. So first is, what importance do I think that this purpose has an artist's career? So I think that it is everything. And what I mean by that is an artist is not
00:00:30
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:00:35
BRIAN PATACCA
This may sound disparaging to artists at first, so stay with me here. An artist is not called to be an artist to understand the business.
00:00:38
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, yeah.
00:00:41
BRIAN PATACCA
An artist is called to be an artist to express humanity through whatever form they share it through, I believe, right?
00:00:45
larabiancapilcher
Mm, good.
00:00:48
BRIAN PATACCA
And so I think it is a disservice to believe that artists need to be good at the business.
00:00:53
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:00:55
BRIAN PATACCA
I think that it's great when an artist becomes good at the business. I think it's great when they reach out to coaches and people to work with so that they don't have to spend their time getting really good sitting in front of their computer. That's actually not where their gifts have been offered to them, I would say.
00:01:06
larabiancapilcher
That's so good to hear. Phew! Load off my...
00:01:08
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah. Right? let
Success Beyond Business Acumen
00:01:09
BRIAN PATACCA
it Good. Right. It should be low enough because I think that that that the the lie we tell ourselves is, oh, I'm not successful because I'm not good at the business. And I want to be like, whoa, whoa, whoa. We're measuring your success by a crazy roller coaster upside down, unpredictable business. That is not fair. How was your work the last time you were in your studio?
00:01:24
larabiancapilcher
That's not... Yeah.
00:01:26
BRIAN PATACCA
How did it work the last time you were in an acting class? What does it look like the last time you started writing? That is where
00:01:31
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:01:32
BRIAN PATACCA
the measure of an artist comes from and why why I say purpose is everything is it can be very hard to have that internal thermostat for yourself other than what the world says about you. know
00:01:43
larabiancapilcher
That's so good, Brian.
00:01:43
BRIAN PATACCA
and right but And what I'm going to imagine is if someone's listening to your podcast, then I'm going to imagine they're not someone who's like, I'm painting in the garage for my mom. I'm going to imagine they've probably decided they want to be on a bigger stage, a bigger screen. They want to be seen by more people. And the reason why I think an artistic ambition often drives to outside of just your either hometown or the people right inside of your own home is because The impact you want to have is colossal.
00:02:09
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:02:09
BRIAN PATACCA
You want to impact lots of people. You want to change the world, which is exactly, and that is purpose, right?
00:02:11
larabiancapilcher
That's so true. Yeah, yeah.
00:02:14
BRIAN PATACCA
And so, I think it's so, the reason why I think this is so important that an actor can hold on, and any performer, any performer, any artist can hold on to, is so that when the business does get weird, and it will, we can kind of treat the business as a, I don't want to say like a toy,
00:02:18
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:02:26
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:02:32
BRIAN PATACCA
but that the business is not the profound purpose of why you're here. You choose, you are choosing to interact with the business. The creativity you have chose you. So this way we can have some, I hope so, that's my hope, right?
00:02:42
larabiancapilcher
That's so freeing. Yeah. That needs to be the poster behind you.
00:02:49
BRIAN PATACCA
I'll get one, I'll get one, right?
00:02:51
larabiancapilcher
Or a shirt that you create because that was epic.
00:02:52
BRIAN PATACCA
Right, yeah.
00:02:54
larabiancapilcher
That was so, so cool. It gives, it it and gives us the power back, doesn't it? Say that I chose this.
00:02:58
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah, yeah. it
00:03:00
larabiancapilcher
I choose to interact with this.
Sacred Duty of Artists
00:03:02
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah, and it also gives the, I think, which I think is that one of the most important parts of this is it gives your purpose, its sacred intent, which is you're meant to do this I actually believe it would be selfish for you not to walk the path of the artist because that's what's been called to you, it would be, it would be selfish for you not to.
00:03:09
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:03:14
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:03:21
BRIAN PATACCA
act on your purpose, let's say. So I'm a train i'm a trained non-denominational rapper, and I was trained in the tradition of A Course in Miracles.
00:03:22
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:03:26
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:03:26
BRIAN PATACCA
And my favorite quote from the my favorite quote to talk about with creativity, I should say, is it says, be determined each day not to leave your function unfulfilled.
00:03:30
larabiancapilcher
Well.
00:03:34
BRIAN PATACCA
And I'll just say that again. Be determined each day not to leave your function unfulfilled.
00:03:36
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:03:40
BRIAN PATACCA
And when I'm talking to an artist, an actor, performer, writer, director, whatever, those are usually the kind of people I work with in the entertainment business, right?
00:03:40
larabiancapilcher
That's good.
00:03:46
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:03:48
BRIAN PATACCA
you know They'll be reaching to the business to get some kind of validation. I'll go, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. When was the last time you wrote? When was the last time you were acting?
00:03:54
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:03:55
BRIAN PATACCA
When was the last time you were directing?
00:03:55
larabiancapilcher
Yes, good.
00:03:57
BRIAN PATACCA
Because that is where you are the most brilliant, the most gifted, the most talented. You'll have your best thoughts. You'll be most aligned with the universe once from you.
00:04:04
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:04:05
BRIAN PATACCA
right And so before we run to the business to get validation or answers, I think it's really that we run to our craft first. And I know that's easy to say because, hello, oh you want to make money. and bup bup bu bup bup bu Cool.
00:04:14
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, yeah.
00:04:15
BRIAN PATACCA
I got it. I got it. I got it. I promise that comes when you're more aligned. Let's just say, yeah.
00:04:20
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, I really love what you're saying because I think so many of us, you know, try and get our validation from the yeses rather than the actual innate creativity that's in us. So here's here's one that's quite fun. What does it mean to really claim that calling, that artist's calling, and how can an artist leave their mark from the context that we've been talking about?
00:04:40
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah. Well, first things first, there's a you could call this a prayer, you could call it a mantra, you could call it a meditation that is from A Course in Miracles that I use all the time. It goes, where would you have me go? What would you have me do? What would you have me say? And to whom?
Validation Through Creativity
00:04:51
BRIAN PATACCA
I'll just say it again.
00:04:51
larabiancapilcher
Mm-hmm.
00:04:52
BRIAN PATACCA
Where would you have me go? What would you have me do? What would you have me say? And to whom? And we often are like, I should have these appointments on my calendar, and these are be the people that I should be meeting with, when in fact, What's already on your calendar is what's divinely intended for you, what is meant for you.
00:05:06
larabiancapilcher
Well.
00:05:07
BRIAN PATACCA
And so if you can imagine, I'm going to this event, I'm going to talk to the right people, I'm going to have this appointment with this person, I'm going to be on this podcast today and talk to Laura, like it's like that these are the things that are the things that were meant for you are there for you is kind of a piece of that.
00:05:08
larabiancapilcher
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
00:05:20
BRIAN PATACCA
And so I'm tracking this back to your question. So ask your question again. I promise there's a there's a landing point.
00:05:24
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, yeah, it's about claiming our calling as artists and and leaving our mark.
00:05:28
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah. Yeah, so to me, the, what can happen is we can get in this weird vacuum of like what's my calling what's my calling what's my purpose I'm like, you're already on it, you're already doing like what it's already happening, stop trying to find something outside of yourself it's already happening. and then You know, I believe that desires implanted in us by the universe and it's how the audit how the how the world itself tell the universe is self-correcting so if you let's pretend that you're an actor or you're in pursuit of being an actor and you're gonna go get your head shots with this headset photographer and you're gonna go to this
00:06:01
BRIAN PATACCA
Store to buy a shirt that you're gonna wear for the hedge over time You're gonna interact with that salesperson and you're gonna stop and get a Starbucks along the way You're gonna talk to that barista and like all it all connects to you shooting those headshots that has to do with you being being an actor and living in Los Angeles and so it all connects to to Connecting to the right people.
00:06:15
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:06:17
BRIAN PATACCA
So there's a little bit. I want to take off this your purpose only counts when you're at the Olympics, your purpose only counts when you're in Steven Spielberg's film, or if you it's your if you's your friend's gallery show, your painting doesn't matter.
00:06:30
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Yeah.
00:06:31
BRIAN PATACCA
like that We have to let go of this idea of there are people that matter and people that don't, because that's not cool at all, right?
00:06:36
larabiancapilcher
Hmm. It's not cool. It's torture really, to live, to think that way.
00:06:39
BRIAN PATACCA
ats start Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
00:06:41
larabiancapilcher
Now that would be a limiting belief, wouldn't it?
00:06:41
BRIAN PATACCA
well Totally. yes what because it Yeah, because it could drive your entire career.
00:06:44
larabiancapilcher
that we don't, a lot of us believe.
00:06:47
BRIAN PATACCA
It doesn't matter unless I'm being paid, it doesn't matter. That isn't to say I don't want you to be paid, but like it can really diminish art, right?
00:06:54
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:06:55
BRIAN PATACCA
right Yeah,
00:06:55
larabiancapilcher
and To me, that's where the suffering comes from, that mindset, isn't it?
Overcoming Marketing Fears
00:06:59
BRIAN PATACCA
100%.
00:06:59
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:07:00
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah, yeah.
00:07:00
larabiancapilcher
Is there any other limiting beliefs that you see that are destructive to artists? Now we don't need to name all 50 of them, but like, yeah, just one.
00:07:06
BRIAN PATACCA
all of it but the biggest run yeah the biggest one The biggest one that I find because
00:07:10
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:07:12
BRIAN PATACCA
I mean, we've all heard about the Hermit painter who like what dies one day and then they go in their garage, it's like there's 500 paintings and Sotheby sells them all for a million dollars. We've all heard of that person who like never interacts with people in their paintings, never see the light of day until they're dead.
00:07:20
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:07:23
BRIAN PATACCA
Great.
00:07:23
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:07:24
BRIAN PATACCA
I'm not speaking about that artist for a second. I'm talking about the artist, most people who are listening right now who know that you do have to put yourself out there in some way in order to make this into, let us say a career or some kind of longevity or to feel real, let's say, right?
00:07:30
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:07:33
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:07:38
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:07:39
BRIAN PATACCA
And so what I often find is when it's time to put yourself out there, this is the biggest limiting belief, is we start to say, I don't want to annoy anyone.
00:07:43
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:07:48
BRIAN PATACCA
And and I want to, like oftentimes it could be an email or it could be maybe it's like a flyer you're putting out there and you're trying to like not take up too much space because you don't want to annoy anyone. And what happens is the artist is marketing, I'm putting that in quotes, air quotes, their business, marketing their art for the people who are going to say no.
00:08:03
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:08:07
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:08:07
BRIAN PATACCA
instead of marketing their art to the people who are going to say yes.
00:08:11
larabiancapilcher
That's good.
00:08:11
BRIAN PATACCA
I'm going to use my own business as like as a good metaphor for this because I think it works, which is or any online business.
00:08:14
larabiancapilcher
Mm. Yeah.
00:08:16
BRIAN PATACCA
So when you're an online business, you send a lot of emails. So I'm sure you're all on emails from multiple different vendors or people you've worked with in your life or, you know. Victoria's Secret, I don't know. So you get emails, right?
00:08:25
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:08:26
BRIAN PATACCA
And at the bottom of that button, at the bottom of that email is an unsubscribe button, right?
00:08:26
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:08:28
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:08:30
BRIAN PATACCA
And I think oftentimes an artist is writing or messaging just to pray that someone doesn't unsubscribe from who they are.
00:08:39
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:08:39
BRIAN PATACCA
When in fact, the stance you want to take is, please unsubscribe if I am not for you, because the people left in my community are the ones who are saying yes.
00:08:45
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:08:51
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:08:51
BRIAN PATACCA
are the ones who are most interested in what I have to say. And also, and this is where I think it aligns with purpose.
00:08:55
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:08:56
BRIAN PATACCA
I'm bringing this back to the beginning is if you are randomly like taking in my content, whatever kind of artist you are, and it's not really affecting you, but you're kind of letting it add to the noise of your life, please unsubscribe.
00:09:06
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:09:07
BRIAN PATACCA
In fact, I want you to go somewhere where it's going to motivate you to take whatever next step that is, whether it's shifting the way you feel about yourself in the world or what I don't want to add to the noise.
00:09:09
larabiancapilcher
yeah
00:09:13
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:09:16
BRIAN PATACCA
I want to actually change the narrative.
00:09:17
larabiancapilcher
Wow.
00:09:19
BRIAN PATACCA
if I'm truly an artist. So that means get off my list or go to a different art factory.
00:09:20
larabiancapilcher
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:09:23
BRIAN PATACCA
I'm trying to like make this for every artist to kind of connect to you, right?
00:09:24
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, absolutely.
00:09:25
BRIAN PATACCA
But is if you want to have that impact, we're willing to let some people not, I don't say not like us, but let go of us need to be the answer.
00:09:31
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:09:33
BRIAN PATACCA
Because you're not trying to market to all of the universe. You're not Coca-Cola.
00:09:35
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:09:36
BRIAN PATACCA
You do not need to spot, let's all try not, who wants to be Coca-Cola?
00:09:37
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:09:39
BRIAN PATACCA
Not me. Like I want to find the people that want to hear what I have to say.
00:09:42
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:09:42
BRIAN PATACCA
Now does that mean I want to shift minds and hearts in the work that I do? For sure, right? So does that mean my messaging is stretching and I'm trying to extend that audience?
00:09:46
larabiancapilcher
Absolutely.
00:09:49
BRIAN PATACCA
Yes. I don't think we ever want to end up in a vacuum where we're only saying the same things all the time.
00:09:52
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:09:53
BRIAN PATACCA
I want to be challenged as well. That's why the people I talk to, right? But I just want to be mindful of our desire to placate the people who are already not the ones who are meant to be for us anyway.
00:10:03
larabiancapilcher
That's so good. I mean, that starts in high school where we've got all these great friends, but we want to be in that group over there and we kind of neglect what we already have or the audience that is for us. So it's so beautiful what you're saying. I'm going to change direction a little bit and talk about creating structure in our artistic days, you know, in
Incorporating Structure and Self-Care
00:10:21
larabiancapilcher
our creative life. Like, how do we go from this haphazard life to a bit of structure?
00:10:27
BRIAN PATACCA
you tell me yeah so i'm i'm
00:10:30
larabiancapilcher
Do you have any structure in your day or you just- I don't like structure by the way.
00:10:30
BRIAN PATACCA
yeah yeah so Okay. So I'm going to tell you, I'm just going to pull back the curtain and share just like literally what keeps me on track.
00:10:38
larabiancapilcher
oh Yeah.
00:10:39
BRIAN PATACCA
Cause I don't think I have a like, here's the answer I give everybody. And so I just like, here's a grab bag for everybody to pull from. First things first, I have people that are on my team that I have to work on things so that they can finish their job. So how does that translate for most people is like, who's my accountability partner?
00:10:51
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, yeah.
00:10:53
BRIAN PATACCA
If you have an agent, if you have another painter, if you have a gallerist who you're working with, if you have a like somebody that you're working with where it matters that you get it done outside of yourself. Everyone I meet with says, when it's when it's when when someone else is relying on me, I always show up. When when it's for me, I don't get it done. Hello? Stop. Okay, great. great like Great lesson. Great lesson. Stop trying to fix that. That is the way you are. That is the technology you have. So instead of fixing that, how do we bring something to align with that?
00:11:18
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:11:22
BRIAN PATACCA
How do I make my piece that I'm working on accountable to someone else?
00:11:24
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, it's good.
00:11:26
BRIAN PATACCA
Is there a date which I'm going to say, hey, I'm going to have a reading on, you know, July 24th.
00:11:30
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:11:30
BRIAN PATACCA
We're recording this on June 26th. So that means on July 24th, I'm inviting people to have a reading. They're going to have to hear my stuff that I read on that day.
00:11:35
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:11:36
BRIAN PATACCA
No matter what, I'm going to read it, right? So that's one trick is like to really make true accountability.
00:11:39
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:11:43
larabiancapilcher
That's good.
00:11:43
BRIAN PATACCA
i've I have an accountability partner I meet with every other week, and she and I have one thing that we'll work on.
00:11:49
BRIAN PATACCA
and we spend it we will It'll be like the big thing we need to work on, and we'll talk it through.
00:11:52
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, the big painful thing we avoid.
00:11:53
BRIAN PATACCA
without it and then yeah Yes, yes, and then we'll talk it through all week long.
00:11:55
larabiancapilcher
Yes.
00:11:57
BRIAN PATACCA
We'll be texting or we'll be leaving voice memos just to help us nudge ourselves along. The other thing that is a great trick that I re i rely on all the time is to use a timer. I'll say, Brian, you can do this for 15 minutes. Set a timer. Close all the other tabs. Just do this one thing.
00:12:12
larabiancapilcher
That's good.
00:12:13
BRIAN PATACCA
for 15 minutes and do nothing else. Usually I don't even need 15 minutes when I do this, which is the real gift about it.
00:12:16
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, yeah.
00:12:18
BRIAN PATACCA
So like I get to be a little bit exciting to see that, like oh, maybe I won't even need 15 minutes.
00:12:22
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:12:22
BRIAN PATACCA
So a timer is a big one that I use. And then another part of structure, and this is, there's two there's two tools that I use. One is I use Google Calendar like nobody's business. I will schedule time to get something done. I will literally put, this is your time to brainstorm and like don't be in front of your desk during this time even.
00:12:32
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:12:36
BRIAN PATACCA
I will say, this is your time to execute something.
00:12:37
larabiancapilcher
yeah
00:12:39
BRIAN PATACCA
And I will often, I'm an extrovert if anybody can't tell already.
00:12:39
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:12:42
BRIAN PATACCA
So I actually work really well when I'm with someone else. So I will i will say, hey, do you want to co-work? Do you want to get into Zoom together? And we'll just kind of co-work. And I'm not going to bug you, but I might ask you a question now and again and get your opinion. so And I do have to make sure the people that I'm with like to co-work as well.
00:12:53
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:12:56
BRIAN PATACCA
But that's a good way to do that. And then the last thing that I'll say is I use a tool called Asana, which some of you may use or not use, but there's too many to-do lists in my head. So Asana is a free to-do list kind of thing where you can put due dates on it, and it has changed my life.
00:13:05
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:13:09
larabiancapilcher
Oh yeah! Yeah.
00:13:14
BRIAN PATACCA
And it is not just work. It's like give the dog the heartworm medicine. It's make sure the money, there's enough money so you can clear your rent this month.
00:13:19
larabiancapilcher
So good.
00:13:21
BRIAN PATACCA
Like make sure you put the money in the right, like that all that stuff is in there for me to just
00:13:21
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:13:24
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:13:25
BRIAN PATACCA
get it out of my head because let's be really real. If you're an artist, your heart and your brain are those great gifts you have to tell stories and it's taken up by this lame to-do list of like, but what's when's my doctor's appointment and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So since tology technology is here for us, I say use it to support you in these ways. That's the best I can do for structure.
00:13:44
larabiancapilcher
Now that's good.
00:13:45
BRIAN PATACCA
The last thing I will say is I have to make myself put things down. So I love my business, I love to work, and so I have to say, I put down the computer, walk away from the desk.
00:13:50
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. hu
00:13:56
BRIAN PATACCA
like I have a standing desk, so it's like, walk away from the desk, right?
00:13:56
larabiancapilcher
Take a break. Yes.
00:13:59
BRIAN PATACCA
And my my day ends when I say my day ends, right? So that that is an important part of structure for me. and you yeah yeah I want to give one last thing.
00:14:07
larabiancapilcher
That is such good advice, yeah.
00:14:10
BRIAN PATACCA
I want to give one last thing.
00:14:10
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:14:12
BRIAN PATACCA
I think a lot of times why we have a hard time with structure is we have a second voice going on in our head that says, what I'm doing doesn't matter.
00:14:16
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:14:19
BRIAN PATACCA
Why should I bother?
00:14:19
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:14:21
BRIAN PATACCA
Someone's already done this. And so oftentimes we try to shut that voice out and it's really uncomfortable. And more often than not, I will slow down and I will take a moment and go, okay, voice that's trying to tell me that I don't shouldn't do this and this is a waste of time. What is it you're worried about? And I'll just try to kind of instead of shut that part of myself out and orphan it off, I will say, let me let me make myself available to what might be there for me.
00:14:40
larabiancapilcher
Hmm. Hmm.
00:14:45
BRIAN PATACCA
And so it might say, oh, I'm just worried about you wasting your time.
00:14:46
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:14:49
BRIAN PATACCA
So then I can kind of get in conversation with that part of myself. This might sound like I'm i'm talking about having multiple personality disorder.
00:14:52
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:14:55
BRIAN PATACCA
That's not what I'm talking about.
00:14:55
larabiancapilcher
No! Not at all!
00:14:55
BRIAN PATACCA
Right. This is like really relate. Right. And so then I'll say, oh, you're worried about me wasting my I literally will stop and turn to this part of myself and say, oh, you're worried about me wasting my time.
00:14:57
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:15:05
BRIAN PATACCA
I totally get that.
00:15:05
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:15:07
BRIAN PATACCA
And you know what? I'm worried about me wasting my time too. But that's not going to help me right now. So do you think you can come on board with me trying to do this?
00:15:13
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Hmm.
00:15:16
BRIAN PATACCA
And so it just kind of shifts the safety that I have to get something done.
00:15:21
larabiancapilcher
I really, really love that because I think no matter who you are, you have that voice.
00:15:22
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:15:25
BRIAN PATACCA
yeah
00:15:25
larabiancapilcher
I'm writing at the moment and that voice will come along and go, everyone's already heard it. You're going to get dropped by your agent.
00:15:29
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah. Yeah, totally. Yeah. Why are you bothering?
00:15:33
larabiancapilcher
Why bother?
00:15:33
BRIAN PATACCA
Someone's already done this. Yeah, you're not any good at this.
00:15:34
larabiancapilcher
Not another rejection.
00:15:36
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah. Uh-huh. And, but I'm, yes.
00:15:37
larabiancapilcher
And then it's choosing to do it, isn't it? Anyway, yeah.
00:15:39
BRIAN PATACCA
And the other thing is like, I don't want to be a bully to myself. And that's a form of bullying myself.
00:15:42
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, that's good.
00:15:43
BRIAN PATACCA
I had enough of that growing up in Ohio, right?
00:15:45
larabiancapilcher
oh Oh my goodness, yeah.
00:15:45
BRIAN PATACCA
As a queer kid, right? So I really think I'm not, how do I relate to myself differently if I don't want to be a bully? Yeah.
00:15:53
larabiancapilcher
That's so, so lovely. I love the self kindness and that's what I can see in the sign behind you for the listeners. So how do we protect our energy as creatives and avoid burnout, which is so common amongst artists and creatives?
00:16:04
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah. Will you tell me? No kidding. Here's a couple of things I'll say.
00:16:07
larabiancapilcher
yeah I know you know the answer.
00:16:09
BRIAN PATACCA
yeah yeah Yeah. Here's a couple of things that I'll say is i am I think that we need to tap into our own technology around that.
00:16:12
larabiancapilcher
yeah
00:16:16
BRIAN PATACCA
So for example, I am an extrovert. So I know that the way that I restore myself is to be with people. So instead of, I think what happens is as we get older and as we move and as we have different interests in our life, the definition of fun versus nurturing can change for us.
00:16:22
larabiancapilcher
Oh no.
00:16:33
BRIAN PATACCA
And so what I often say to people, instead of thinking about what's fun, what is actually nurturing to you is a very different question.
00:16:33
larabiancapilcher
on Oh no.
00:16:40
BRIAN PATACCA
And sometimes it'll be like, oh, I really like to sit by myself and read at a coffee shop and it feels like the biggest vacation of my life or going to bed at nine o'clock or
00:16:45
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Oh no.
00:16:52
BRIAN PATACCA
walking away from my computer at 6 p.m. and my partner really likes to cook and so I'll be like I'm gonna go hang out with him in the kitchen even though I'm mostly in the way and just like because I know watching him and being there with him will be so nurturing to me right or I'm gonna go for a walk and call my mom like so I just really think the question is what nurtures me is different than what I want to do right it also is different than
00:17:02
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Hmm.
00:17:12
BRIAN PATACCA
like self-care. So I define self-care as the habits and behaviors that keep us from overwhelm, hunger, depression, and anxiety, and neuroses.
00:17:21
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:17:23
BRIAN PATACCA
So the reason why I say habits and behaviors is self-care is not taking a break.
00:17:23
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:17:26
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:17:28
BRIAN PATACCA
Self-care is a daily habit. That's what I believe self-care is.
00:17:30
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:17:31
BRIAN PATACCA
Taking a break is taking a break. that I'm taking i'm taking taking a week off or I'm going to go on vacation. Not the same as self-care. Self-care is a daily experience of yourself.
00:17:39
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:17:39
BRIAN PATACCA
So And self-care doesn't always look like, you know, bubble baths. I think that self-care, and I think the reason why I say this is, as we begin to consciously choose self-care, we change our relationship with ourselves. So I always use this analogy, this metaphor, because I think it's a great story. I don't know if it's an analogy or a metaphor. So here we go. There's whatever it is, is what it is. I have a dish by the front door where I walked it walk in every day. And it is where I put my keys and my sunglasses. And it's like, great, that way you don't lose them. Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. Why do you put them there so you don't lose them? So that when I'm walking out the door later, I'm not in a panic to find those things so that I can get into my car and go where I'm going in a state of calmness and not freaking out, right?
00:18:12
larabiancapilcher
Mm. Mm.
00:18:19
BRIAN PATACCA
And so I think we do this and we don't even know sometimes how much we help, how much we're taking care of ourselves. And by bringing some consciousness to it, we suddenly see find other places to do it.
00:18:24
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:18:29
BRIAN PATACCA
right So that's one of the ways to help with burnout, I would say.
00:18:29
larabiancapilcher
That's so, so good. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
00:18:32
BRIAN PATACCA
The other is, i there's there's something that some a coach said to me once, and i see I use all the time, which is, nothing I've ever put into the world later than I originally intended have I been disappointed about the outcome. So all the deadlines we create in our head, we're the only ones who know them.
00:18:49
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:18:50
BRIAN PATACCA
Right? And so anytime I've decided I've like, I have this program that helps actors get agents, right?
00:18:55
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:18:55
BRIAN PATACCA
it I was like, I was putting gonna put it out in 2019. It did not come out until 2020.
Managing Timelines and Avoiding Burnout
00:19:01
BRIAN PATACCA
I mean, it was a year later, and in that year was when so much good stuff happened on it, and it's my most successful program, and it's helped all these actors find representation, and I'm really proud of it, and all of that stuff.
00:19:02
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:19:06
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Hmm.
00:19:12
BRIAN PATACCA
But I it i knew it wasn't ready, and I said, let's no one's waiting to have you drop this on the world. No one's watching you like you are. So sometimes I think burnout is the relationship with the fake deadlines we've made for ourselves.
00:19:25
larabiancapilcher
That's really, really good. I love that. You're so articulate, by the way. You have such such a gift to express what, yeah, wisdom.
00:19:29
BRIAN PATACCA
I'll try.
00:19:32
larabiancapilcher
I love that. I like to say it how it is, too. So on that point, is there a way that we can revolutionize our work days? And I say to feel good at 5 p.m., but honestly, you know that we don't always finish at 5 p.m.
00:19:43
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah, yeah, nah.
00:19:45
larabiancapilcher
But is it what what do you you know want to say around that space?
00:19:49
BRIAN PATACCA
It's a tough one for me, because I think about it for myself. Do I have a way that I feel like this is my day complaint? And I'll tell you where I'm challenged just to, again, pull back the curtain is I think most of us, when we end our day, are still aware of all the rest of the things we want to get done.
00:19:55
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Hmm.
00:20:04
BRIAN PATACCA
And so the day ends, but it feels like a light, can feel like a light failure because I know there's more.
00:20:07
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:20:11
BRIAN PATACCA
And my own relationship with this is evolving. So this has come back to me in two weeks and now I have a different answer.
00:20:15
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, yeah.
00:20:16
BRIAN PATACCA
But what I can say right now is one of the ways that I help myself is I identify three things that if I get them done by the end of the day, I will be happy with myself.
00:20:18
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:20:25
larabiancapilcher
yeah
00:20:27
BRIAN PATACCA
And so that releases the second piece. And I want to be really mindful. The three things are not, I'm going to write an entire thesis on XYZ.
00:20:35
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:20:35
BRIAN PATACCA
It will literally be like, finish the email you started yesterday.
00:20:39
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:20:40
BRIAN PATACCA
Call the dermatologist you've been meaning to call for the past two weeks. Set up your haircut appointment. like It will be three things, and they don't have to be the most precious things in the world.
00:20:47
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:20:50
BRIAN PATACCA
But just by giving me those, sometimes it will be. Like yesterday, for example, I had two really big things that had to get done. But I was like, okay, those are the two. We're gonna focus on those two. We're just gonna get those, we're gonna focus on those two. I was done by two o'clock. Boom, wonderful, felt great, right?
00:21:04
larabiancapilcher
Nice. Yeah.
00:21:05
BRIAN PATACCA
So I do think by giving us the, here's the Here's the daily goal instead of the for the everything I need to do goal is a lot more fair as a lot fair to ourselves.
00:21:10
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:21:15
BRIAN PATACCA
And I will also just say to you, i those of you who use to-do lists, good for you, I cannot.
00:21:22
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:21:23
BRIAN PATACCA
I cannot, I cannot, I cannot. That's why I use Asana, because instead of moving the to-do list to the next page, I can change the due date for something very easily and feel no guilt about it and know that I'm still holding the space around.
00:21:32
larabiancapilcher
That's great. Yeah.
00:21:34
BRIAN PATACCA
That's gonna get done. Is that a priority for today, right?
00:21:37
larabiancapilcher
Hmm. I love that.
Challenges of Hustle Culture
00:21:39
larabiancapilcher
I love that.
00:21:39
BRIAN PATACCA
No.
00:21:39
larabiancapilcher
And now you should probably get a commission for everyone that's like Googling Asana.
00:21:44
BRIAN PATACCA
It's free, so there's no commission to be gained.
00:21:46
larabiancapilcher
and Let's talk about the hustle mentality because I mean, since moving to the US, I've never experienced hustle mentality like here. It's just so ingrained in the culture.
00:21:54
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah, I have you. Okay. Yeah.
00:21:56
larabiancapilcher
But so how can artists overcome the fear of getting sucked back into hustle mentality instead of focusing on more sustainable creative practices?
00:22:05
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah, this answer might sound similar to something earlier, so I wanna just check in here.
00:22:08
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:22:10
BRIAN PATACCA
The hustle is not your job.
00:22:12
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:22:13
BRIAN PATACCA
Someone out there will tell you the hustle is your job, that i will and will venture to say that person's not very happy.
00:22:20
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:22:21
BRIAN PATACCA
because your job is to do the thing you were called to do, which is the acting piece, which is the singing piece, which is the writing piece, which is the taking photos piece, whatever part of your artistry is, that's the thing, right?
00:22:22
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:22:33
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:22:33
BRIAN PATACCA
and so Be careful who you let influence you. So I think that we're all in the day in 2024. I think we're all very hip to who are are who are news sources. We get real clear about like, am I hearing fake news over here? and Like who is who is the mouthpiece giving me this information?
00:22:51
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:22:51
BRIAN PATACCA
I think when it comes to creatives, if Joe Schmoe Magee, who owns a gallery or is a photographer, says, this is how you run your business. Like, oh, Joe Schmoe Magee knows what he's talking about. Like, he's one that is one photographer who's telling you how he runs his business. And yes, it works for him.
00:23:05
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:23:07
BRIAN PATACCA
It's not the only way to do it. So one of the things that I i think around hustle mentality is put through your filters what actually feels good to you and works for you. This isn't to say that you're never going to be stretched or you never you should never be uncomfortable, because I think if you're not a little bit uncomfortable, then you are some form of like, I wouldn't say lazy, but you're not you're not pushing forward.
00:23:17
larabiancapilcher
Hmm. Hmm.
00:23:26
BRIAN PATACCA
There should be some piece of uncomfortable. And the uncomfortable is not, I'm not working, nothing works.
00:23:28
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:23:32
BRIAN PATACCA
That's not, no. The uncomfortable is, Oh my gosh, I think I'm going to send an email inviting a bunch of people to see my gallery show. I think I'm going to invite people to go to this reading. It feels really uncomfortable for me to invite people to hear my reading, to see the words out loud. OK, that because that is a growth. The other side of that reading is a year that has never existed before.
00:23:47
larabiancapilcher
Mm. That's good.
00:23:50
BRIAN PATACCA
That is the kind of hustle I want to be in.
00:23:51
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Mm.
00:23:52
BRIAN PATACCA
like i' Right now, I'm imagining what my next program is going to be.
00:23:55
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:23:56
BRIAN PATACCA
And so it's uncomfortable, because I know that I want it to serve in a certain way.
00:23:59
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:23:59
BRIAN PATACCA
And I think I know the audience. And so I have to step back and go, do not run to the answer here, Brian. Because the answer is not, if you ran, you're going to get the wrong answer. It's not going to be aligned for you. So I have to really think about, who do I want to serve?
00:24:09
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:24:11
BRIAN PATACCA
What questions do I need to ask? What does the program want?
00:24:12
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:24:13
BRIAN PATACCA
What's the outcome at the end of this program, right? and so when you have people around you who are hustling, good for them, good for you.
00:24:21
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:24:22
BRIAN PATACCA
And I just always talk about how you want to walk through into that into that space with some consciousness.
00:24:27
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:24:27
BRIAN PATACCA
So you go, okay, I'm a photographer, or I'm a writer, I'm an actor, whatever, and I am going to go over here into the business space for a second and work on some business stuff, knowing that I can relate to the business in a way that is it's not my entire existence.
Self-Discovery in Career
00:24:40
larabiancapilcher
yes Yeah, Yeah.
00:24:40
BRIAN PATACCA
And then we'll come back over here and go to acting class or go to my class or go take some photos or go for a walk.
00:24:44
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:24:44
BRIAN PATACCA
Right. So I think that the the hustle mentality is where I come from is value the art and the art value of the artist. as equally or more so than an outcome. And I know that's incredibly hard, especially incredibly hard when you have success or when it's really, really slow.
00:25:00
larabiancapilcher
ni
00:25:02
BRIAN PATACCA
When those two when theyre one of those peaks or valleys, it can be like, I need to run really fast because things are going well, or I don't even know what to do because things suck right now, right? I totally get that that can be tough. And that's when I say borrow some faith from the universe, borrow some trust from the universe.
00:25:14
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Mm hmm.
00:25:17
BRIAN PATACCA
it wouldn't have called you and then also be open to what's there for you in the top and in the bottom. So when I booked, I was on the newsroom with the finale episode. I have cute little scene and I was on set and it was Aaron Sorkin and Aaron Sorkin's, you know, if though for those who don't know, it was a major writer, Tony award winner, all these things, right?
00:25:28
larabiancapilcher
Hm.
00:25:35
BRIAN PATACCA
Emmy award winner. And the newsroom was a big show in HBO it was super exciting. I got this little job. And I'm on set and we're all there. We're having our meeting before we're going to shoot and blah, blah, blah. And while I was there is when I had this, what you would think might be like a peak moment in my acting career, right? i I had had to cancel on three or four clients to be there that day, coaching clients. And while I was there, I was like, this is totally fun. And I wish I hadn't had to cancel on those clients.
00:25:58
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:26:01
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:26:02
BRIAN PATACCA
And it became really clear to me, oh, wow, Brian, you like coaching better than you like being on the set right here.
00:26:09
larabiancapilcher
Wow! What a discovery!
00:26:10
BRIAN PATACCA
And it was not it was not sad.
00:26:12
larabiancapilcher
o
00:26:13
BRIAN PATACCA
It was shocking maybe, right? it i didn't And it was never a feeling of like, oh, I'm quitting acting. It felt like I graduated acting another way, right?
00:26:21
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:26:22
BRIAN PATACCA
And so the reason why I say when we're in those peaks and valleys, don't turn off
00:26:22
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:26:27
BRIAN PATACCA
your perception of yourself. There could be something.
00:26:29
larabiancapilcher
right
00:26:29
BRIAN PATACCA
You might say, oh, I thought I loved writing comedy and now I figured out it's actually sci-fi. There's something in those moments sometimes for us. Also sometimes it just means it's a slog and you got to keep going. So
Financial Struggles and Fulfillment
00:26:41
BRIAN PATACCA
I just want to be really mindful, like especially when it comes to writing, for example. So I just want to just like be aware of that.
00:26:45
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:26:47
BRIAN PATACCA
But don't turn off your instrument when things are hot or cold in your career.
00:26:51
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:26:51
BRIAN PATACCA
There's things to be found for you.
00:26:53
larabiancapilcher
so much wisdom in that and I've been through a similar journey it's like we're going for it going for it but often we're chasing validation or status or how we think we will reach success but it's deep down in our subconscious not even what we want but we don't know that yeah yeah
00:27:04
BRIAN PATACCA
yeah Yeah, yes, yes, A Course in Miracles actually says, oftentimes if we look at our own motivations, they are cross purposes with each other. We'll go like, oh, I think I want that, but if I got this, how could I have these two things at the same time? It's not possible. Like we really have to be careful around what we say we want, or mindful, let's say, yeah.
00:27:20
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. So good. Yeah. And but artist is so we so many of us have tunnel vision and it's like, we don't think more laterally. So I really love what you're saying.
00:27:29
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:27:30
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. let's This one's like, woof we're going left here.
00:27:33
BRIAN PATACCA
Okay.
00:27:33
larabiancapilcher
What do you think about finances and supporting our creative pursuits better? Because we've got all of this stuff around, you know, putting on creativity, the pressure that we shouldn't be versus sustaining ourselves.
00:27:44
BRIAN PATACCA
isn
00:27:45
larabiancapilcher
What sort of wisdom, just one of your
00:27:47
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:27:47
larabiancapilcher
You know, one tip of wisdom from that.
00:27:49
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:27:50
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:27:50
BRIAN PATACCA
My stepmother said to me something that had stayed with me for a long time. This may not be true for everyone, especially in 2024. I want everyone to be mindful. When I turned 30, it was not 2024. I'm a little older now, but when I was young, she said to me, When you turn about 30, you'll worry about money less. It will get a little bit sorted out for you. Now, I don't think that's true in 2024 anymore, but somehow the wisdom of that moment of there's a season in your life where money will be stressful and there will be seasons when it is not, that's what stayed with me there, right?
00:28:18
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:28:19
BRIAN PATACCA
So that's one thing that I think is important for the people who are listening who are like,
00:28:20
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:28:23
BRIAN PATACCA
Jeez Louise, I'm stressing out about my car because my car broke down and I have to pay my rent. like These are all real planetary things that are happening to us. We can't pretend that's not real. So I just i know that finances can be gutting for somebody.
00:28:32
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:28:34
BRIAN PATACCA
It feels like it takes the wind right out of you. it's fun funny right So the the first thing that I want to say is let us all acknowledge that it is normal to have another job and take the pressure off of your creative career.
00:28:36
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:28:46
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, good.
00:28:49
BRIAN PATACCA
And by the way, whatever creative career you have,
00:28:49
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:28:52
BRIAN PATACCA
They all know, the even the big wigs at all the networks know that you probably have another job other than acting, writing, directing, taking photos, whatever, painting, whatever, because art is not a reliable, so far art is not a reliable source of income.
00:28:54
larabiancapilcher
Mm hmm.
00:29:00
larabiancapilcher
Mm hmm.
00:29:08
BRIAN PATACCA
And so I think that's an important piece to just never judge or hold ourselves back from being able to, it's really great to have a foundation of finances while you're pursuing your art. So when you find that gig that sustains you in a different way or fulfills you in a different way, do not think of it as you're cheating on your boyfriend.
00:29:26
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:29:27
BRIAN PATACCA
right like You're allowed to find fulfillment in those spaces. I think what can be difficult is actually, sometimes it's hard to say, I want to have the same level of fulfillment with my survival I put on culture, it' a thrival job, whatever my part, my job.
00:29:39
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:29:39
BRIAN PATACCA
And sometimes I think it's unfair to put that demand on it.
00:29:42
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:29:43
BRIAN PATACCA
but I do think we want to understand that our art is our ministry to the world.
00:29:46
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:29:48
BRIAN PATACCA
And that ministry doesn't have to only be expressed through art. So I'm thinking of like my client who used to say, I, this is might sound, this might sound foreign to a lot of people. She loved with serving, setting tables or serving tables, like being a waitress, right?
00:30:00
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:30:00
BRIAN PATACCA
She loved it.
00:30:01
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:30:01
BRIAN PATACCA
She goes, I am there to give them an experience." and like That might not be the perspective of her, but she found her way to love that.
00:30:06
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:30:07
BRIAN PATACCA
right and so I just encourage people to either find a way then or to have completely no feelings about their job, which is also okay, whatever their job.
00:30:16
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:30:17
BRIAN PATACCA
right I think that's an okay way to do that.
00:30:17
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Yeah.
00:30:19
BRIAN PATACCA
And then the other thing that I always think about is abundance that comes in not the form of money. So like I'm thinking about when I, I booked this commercial and it was, and I used to do a lot of commercials and I booked this commercial. It was like shooting in Pittsburgh. My mom lives in Cleveland. My mom got to come stay with me while I was shooting this commercial. We got to have a little weekend in Pittsburgh. Like obviously Pittsburgh is not Tahiti, but like it was totally fun to like have that, right?
00:30:40
larabiancapilcher
ye and Yeah.
00:30:40
BRIAN PATACCA
And another time I got to do a job where we like went to Europe to shoot the photos. for it i was Oh my god, I'm going on a trip to Europe. for So we have to remember abundance doesn't always come as dollars and cents.
00:30:46
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Yeah, it's true.
00:30:50
BRIAN PATACCA
And I think it's important to acknowledge those moments.
00:30:51
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:30:52
BRIAN PATACCA
Even the awesomeness, once I was shooting a commercial, I had to fly to Vancouver. And on my way there, I was like, Wow, I have set up my life in a way where flying to Vancouver to shoot a commercial is possible for me.
00:31:04
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:31:05
BRIAN PATACCA
There's someone to get my mail or take care of the dog or my flexible schedule gives me permission to go away from my life for four days. A sense of how you have made your life available to that kind of abundance is also, I think, really important when it comes to getting how you are calling in abundance for yourself.
00:31:11
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:31:16
larabiancapilcher
e
00:31:24
larabiancapilcher
So, so cool because in that, from that perspective, my life is so rich in abundance because of my experiences.
00:31:29
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:31:31
larabiancapilcher
And I love that, the way that you made that, you know, separation between, you know,
00:31:35
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah, if you're an accountant, you can't go shoot a commercial for four days in Vancouver, right?
00:31:39
larabiancapilcher
No!
00:31:39
BRIAN PATACCA
You've set up your life to be able to, right? And so you have to be like, oh, I'm a part of manifesting what's happening for me.
00:31:42
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Mmm.
00:31:45
BRIAN PATACCA
I'm meeting the universe. We have to not neglect those.
00:31:48
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:31:48
BRIAN PATACCA
I moved across the country. I live in another country. Like I am, I am participating what the universe wants for me.
00:31:51
larabiancapilcher
Yes. Yes. Hmm.
00:31:55
BRIAN PATACCA
I'm co-creating with it.
00:31:55
larabiancapilcher
Here I am in Aussie in Atlanta. And I'm like, that is a rich experience.
00:31:56
BRIAN PATACCA
Yes. There you go. There you go, yeah, yes, yeah.
00:31:59
larabiancapilcher
Like it really is.
Personal Branding for Artists
00:32:01
larabiancapilcher
Let's talk about personal brand as well. So I'm curious around this one because it's such a big thing. Do you think that artists, actors, whatever dancers need to develop a personal brand or is this really about business?
00:32:14
BRIAN PATACCA
I think I'm gonna talk about not actors for a second because actors are their product.
00:32:18
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:32:19
BRIAN PATACCA
So it's gonna be, that's a little stickier.
00:32:20
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:32:21
BRIAN PATACCA
so So in the other word, I think that right now in the in the age that we're in, We want to get a narrative. We want to understand a narrative.
00:32:28
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:32:28
BRIAN PATACCA
And I don't know about you, but when I go to the museum, and like there's a little plaque next to the art, and like I know some things about art, I know nothing about other kinds of art, and it gives me the background of the artist, I suddenly understand what this art means, and I get a bigger picture, blah, blah, blah.
00:32:37
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, that's nice. Yeah.
00:32:41
BRIAN PATACCA
So I think we want a narrative, and there's a book called Story Brand.
00:32:43
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:32:44
BRIAN PATACCA
And it's it's a great, is it behind me? It's not behind me. But there's a book called Story Brand, and and it kind of helps understand what the narrative match is inside of that.
00:32:49
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:32:51
larabiancapilcher
Hmm. Hmm.
00:32:55
BRIAN PATACCA
And I think you know if you were going to hire someone to work for you and go, what's their story? Are they going to like this job? Are they going to thrive in this job? like You're trying to understand someone.
00:33:04
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:33:04
BRIAN PATACCA
And I think because we are wired for story, it connects to me around branding.
00:33:08
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:33:08
BRIAN PATACCA
It connects to me around what is this person putting into the world? What is their message? If you think about when we talk about like we want to see like indigenous people playing indigenous people, we want to see queer play people playing queer people is because we want that story to be told by the person who understands it, right?
00:33:19
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:33:24
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:33:24
BRIAN PATACCA
And so that's where that narrative I think also kind of comes in.
00:33:28
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, it's good.
00:33:28
BRIAN PATACCA
When it comes to actor branding, I think it can be a little trickier, because what we were told 10 years ago is, show me exactly what you look like when you're in a commercial, what exactly you look like when you're in a hospital, exactly.
00:33:33
larabiancapilcher
Hmm. Hmm.
00:33:41
BRIAN PATACCA
like we We were really show us the types. And having done all this research and helped actors get representation, what I keep finding is, managers, agents, and casting directors don't want to be written out of the game here.
00:33:47
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:33:53
BRIAN PATACCA
They want to have their opinion. And so I always say it's like, if you were a waiter who was serving someone at their table, like, what are the specials tonight? You wouldn't just say, meet. Meat, okay, well, what kind of meat? like So you're giving them like a little more than just, I'm a woman, let's just say, I'm a woman, right?
00:34:08
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:34:08
BRIAN PATACCA
You'd be like, I have the, it'd be like, you could think Anne Hathaway or think this person or think this kind of acting, just to give someone a taste of what if they order it off the menu, what it's gonna taste like.
00:34:13
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:34:19
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:34:20
BRIAN PATACCA
So I think of a light hand for actors is really helpful. I think when we get a heavy hand, and it's it's why I'm like, oh, so you're you're working really hard on branding more than you're working on acting.
00:34:24
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:34:29
larabiancapilcher
Hmm. That's so interesting.
00:34:31
BRIAN PATACCA
they were Yeah, and it isn't to say go get great headshots and understand where your essence is and in acting class, should you understand what you bring to the table versus what someone else brings to the table.
00:34:32
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Yep.
00:34:39
larabiancapilcher
o
00:34:41
BRIAN PATACCA
I think that's important important to understand, but that's specific to actors, I think. Yeah.
00:34:46
larabiancapilcher
It's such a funny one because I once stood it in front of a whole room and we had to share what we thought our essence was and I know it can because that day I chose to wear a leopard skin onesie.
00:34:50
BRIAN PATACCA
Oh yeah, that can be helpful. I think that can be helpful though. Did you did you hate it though?
00:34:58
BRIAN PATACCA
Oh yeah, your clothes, your clothes influence everything. Yes, of course.
00:35:01
larabiancapilcher
with this big red belt. And I had like bangs but just for that day, you know, because I wanted to, I just went, I know.
00:35:07
BRIAN PATACCA
Quirky, she's quirky. She's a secretary.
00:35:09
larabiancapilcher
So yeah.
00:35:10
BRIAN PATACCA
She's at like all those kinds of things, right? Yes.
00:35:12
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. And I was like, this, I don't know if this is accurate to me.
00:35:14
BRIAN PATACCA
Yes. Yeah.
00:35:16
larabiancapilcher
And then I got my head shots over here that I was getting done and the the makeup artist and photographer is like, you've got to face for succession.
00:35:16
BRIAN PATACCA
yeah
00:35:21
larabiancapilcher
But like my personality is so bubbly. And I'm like, okay, I don't know who I am anymore.
00:35:26
BRIAN PATACCA
Yes, I totally get it. And I also think what's crazy, what's wild about this, of course, is you as the person are not the same as what you're necessarily able to do as an actress, right?
00:35:31
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:35:36
larabiancapilcher
That's true, yeah.
00:35:36
BRIAN PATACCA
And so that can be hard. And I do think that you need, as an actor, I think you do need to live up to the fantasy that people are writing about your face.
00:35:43
larabiancapilcher
That's true.
00:35:43
BRIAN PATACCA
So you have to be able to play like, you have to at least be able to do the thing that I think about you. And then you can do all those other crazy things and wild things, right?
00:35:47
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Yeah.
00:35:50
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. I think that's my next step, is to channel my inner
00:35:50
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:35:51
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
Networking and Maintaining Connections
00:35:54
larabiancapilcher
Bitch, which doesn't sound very nice because I'm not, but but apparently I suit that.
00:35:56
BRIAN PATACCA
Got it. Got it. I totally get what you're saying. Yes, you could totally do that. I get it. Yeah.
00:36:04
larabiancapilcher
All right, let's talk about networking and how important it is, not just for actors, but for all artists and not getting overwhelmed when we move into networking. And I think this is really important because I was with a client the other day and they said, I want to be on set once a month.
00:36:13
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:36:17
larabiancapilcher
And I'm like, well, you know, as coaches, you go back, well, let's break that down. How how are you going to get there?
00:36:21
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:36:22
larabiancapilcher
What what are the steps?
00:36:22
BRIAN PATACCA
yep
00:36:23
larabiancapilcher
And I'm like, there's a lot of emails. that There's a lot of networking need to be done in order to achieve that.
00:36:29
BRIAN PATACCA
Yes, yes, yeah.
00:36:30
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, so how do we do that? How do we not get overwhelmed as creatives?
00:36:34
BRIAN PATACCA
Okay, so first of all, just because you opened up the door, I'm just going to tell everyone here, if you go to WeirdNoMore.com, I created a networking guide, and there's an action guide, and it tells you what to say in an email, so WeirdNoMore.com.
00:36:42
larabiancapilcher
Oh, fun. That's great.
00:36:47
BRIAN PATACCA
Is that right, Weird No More? Yeah, Weird No More, because I think we all get weird when it comes to networking, and I have an entire course on this, right?
00:36:50
larabiancapilcher
Yes.
00:36:52
BRIAN PATACCA
And I think, here's the thing, here's why networking is so important. We need to quit wanting to compete.
00:36:59
larabiancapilcher
Mm hmm.
00:36:59
BRIAN PATACCA
There's a part of us that gets into the hustle, that gets into the validation, that wants to compete against other artists and rise above. Stop it. Go to CrossFit class. Stop it. That is not what you're an artist for. It's a belief in this competition because there's a limited number or scarcity belief. And then you start to live live live from a scarcity belief around that.
00:37:15
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:37:18
BRIAN PATACCA
Because what you want is someone who just goes, hey, I'd like to
00:37:18
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:37:22
BRIAN PATACCA
I'd like to produce your show. I'd like to cast you on this show. I would like to have a show of your photos in my gallery.
00:37:26
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:37:28
BRIAN PATACCA
And what happens is those are the people who already know you.
00:37:32
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:37:32
BRIAN PATACCA
And what we tend to do is believe it's the next person I meet. It's the next person I meet. I need to meet more people. I need to meet another person instead of invest in those people who already know you. And what is investing in the people who already know you look like?
00:37:43
larabiancapilcher
That's good.
00:37:45
BRIAN PATACCA
It looks like sending an email once a month or having coffee with all of them.
00:37:47
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:37:49
BRIAN PATACCA
Hopefully there's so many people you can't have coffee with all of them, right? Like investing and staying in touch with them.
00:37:51
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, yeah.
00:37:54
BRIAN PATACCA
You know, in in and kind of what you'll grab in that weird no more is that I want you to make a database of some kind, but just to know that
00:37:58
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:38:02
BRIAN PATACCA
Though that is money in the bank and we tend to be looking for the next dollar instead of drawing on the interest of the money that's already in the bank.
00:38:04
larabiancapilcher
Mm-hmm.
00:38:08
larabiancapilcher
That's good. You're really good with metaphors.
00:38:10
BRIAN PATACCA
And and great day so i I think about this particular client. She's English.
00:38:14
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:38:14
BRIAN PATACCA
She moved to the States.
00:38:16
larabiancapilcher
Mm-hmm.
00:38:16
BRIAN PATACCA
We got her an agent manager right away. And she's all these contacts in England. And she was in Cirque du Soleil for a while. And so I was like, well, you have a lot of contacts. We cannot forget about them because you're still willing to work in the UK. We need to have you send some kind of a something once a month, once every two months something. And so she randomly is like, I randomly got an audition. like you did This is not random.
00:38:34
larabiancapilcher
Mm-hmm.
00:38:34
BRIAN PATACCA
That person knew you from then. They've been opening your email every month for the past you know six months.
00:38:39
larabiancapilcher
So good. Yeah.
00:38:40
BRIAN PATACCA
The difficulty is we will say, I don't want to bother them. And what my again, this is where we start to write to the person who's going to say no.
00:38:44
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:38:46
BRIAN PATACCA
We're afraid to send an email to someone who says no.
00:38:47
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:38:49
BRIAN PATACCA
Let them unsubscribe. like Great. So she sends like a group email is what I'm saying. It's not like a newsletter. I'm not i'm not an advocate for like pretty newsletters. I can be an advocate for nice emails that you send.
00:38:56
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. yeah
00:38:59
BRIAN PATACCA
But what we want is the people who stay on that list are the people who are fans, who are still connected to what you're doing.
00:39:04
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:39:05
BRIAN PATACCA
right And so I always say, I want an actor to become offer only. I don't want to get, great, we can get you more auditions. For sure. I have a whole program devoted to getting more auditions. We'll definitely do that. But what I really want is for you to be offer only. I want people to call you up and say, do you want to do my film?
00:39:18
larabiancapilcher
It's so good.
00:39:19
BRIAN PATACCA
Do you want to be on my TV show? The way to do that isn't, no stranger is going to give you an offer.
00:39:20
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:39:23
BRIAN PATACCA
Not yet.
00:39:23
larabiancapilcher
Mm-hmm.
00:39:23
BRIAN PATACCA
Not until you're famous. So it's going to be someone who knows you already. And so we're so quick to say, yeah, but my friend cast me. Or it's my friend's web series, or it's my friend's independent of film. Girl, your friend's independent film will be a film that goes to Cannes one day or goes to Tribeca or is like,
00:39:37
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:39:39
BRIAN PATACCA
That is what you want. So don't we need to operate that frequency now instead of waiting until it's a fancy one.
00:39:40
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Hmm.
00:39:45
BRIAN PATACCA
When it's fancy, then I'll care that they're my friend, right?
00:39:47
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:39:47
BRIAN PATACCA
So I think it's the antithesis to hustle culture is believing that you're all coming up together in some ways.
00:39:54
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:39:55
BRIAN PATACCA
And then this way, when you do get that fancier booking or that fancier job, you're staying in touch with that person because the next time something's right for you or they want to work with you, they'll think of you.
00:40:04
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:40:04
BRIAN PATACCA
I think we ridiculously assume that someone has met me. If you've met me once, when it's time for us to work together again, you'll think of me. No, sorry. Are you kidding? I know so many people, don't you? Like, what world are you living in? Like, that's just not fair.
00:40:16
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:40:16
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:40:17
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. That's so, so good.
00:40:17
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:40:18
larabiancapilcher
And I just got that picture of like all your eggs in one basket, but that's great. That's your community.
00:40:22
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:40:22
larabiancapilcher
That's your connections. And occasionally you add another egg in, but it's not the other way around.
00:40:25
BRIAN PATACCA
Oh yeah, of course.
00:40:26
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:40:26
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah, you should always be adding another egg. You're always adding more eggs into it, but it shouldn't be that my focus is only on new eggs.
00:40:28
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:40:32
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:40:32
BRIAN PATACCA
I got to keep these ones warm because who knows when they're going to have a project for me, when they're going to hatch.
00:40:36
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, that's so good. There we go.
00:40:37
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah, there we go. There we go.
00:40:37
larabiancapilcher
Look at that. We just built a beautiful story.
00:40:38
BRIAN PATACCA
Good job. We did it together.
00:40:41
BRIAN PATACCA
The name of this podcast is hatched your basket.
00:40:45
larabiancapilcher
So funny because my maiden name is Hatch as well. So I was like, I'm glad that I got married in its Pilcher now.
00:40:49
BRIAN PATACCA
but
00:40:51
larabiancapilcher
But anyway, I didn't like that name.
Effective Use of Social Media
00:40:54
larabiancapilcher
How can we use our social media effectively without, you know, losing our authenticity and and also just feeling queasy about what we're posting?
00:41:02
BRIAN PATACCA
I will tell you, I am probably the enemy when it comes to social media. Here's why. Because I think there are people who are much more expert at than me. First of all, I want to just shout them out.
00:41:08
larabiancapilcher
Mm. Good, yeah.
00:41:10
BRIAN PATACCA
Like Heidi Dean is really good at this, right? I think that's on Valentine's.
00:41:12
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:41:13
BRIAN PATACCA
good this so i believe that a that your Instagram, at least, if that's the pro I think that's when most people are on at this point, right?
00:41:19
larabiancapilcher
Mm-hmm.
00:41:23
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:41:23
BRIAN PATACCA
At least if I go look for you, I should be able to think of it as a business card or a mini website because what we hear about is so many people will be like, well, let me look at their Instagram just to get a sense of them beyond whatever way they've already met you.
00:41:28
larabiancapilcher
I like that. Yeah.
00:41:33
larabiancapilcher
Mm-hmm.
00:41:35
BRIAN PATACCA
So I think it's important that that is curated enough that if I go there, I understand who you are.
00:41:35
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:41:39
larabiancapilcher
Mm-hmm.
00:41:41
BRIAN PATACCA
And also, I'm not seeing something maybe that I shouldn't, unless you have a private account, whatever.
00:41:45
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, yeah.
00:41:45
BRIAN PATACCA
So i am not I'm not the person to ask about how to get opportunities through social media, but I do want to make one distinction. There's a difference between an influencer and someone who just needs to be on social media so that you know that I exist.
00:41:56
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:41:56
BRIAN PATACCA
And I think it's important that you decide what that that calling is going to be, right?
00:41:59
larabiancapilcher
That's really good, yeah.
00:42:01
BRIAN PATACCA
And if you're gonna be someone who uses social media to try to get opportunities, then I think then you need to be like, okay, great, I need to hire someone or I need to learn something about that. Do not make it the number one road you drive on.
00:42:09
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:42:12
BRIAN PATACCA
Because the number one road you drive on, unless you're in unless you are an influencer, it's not the number one road you drive on.
00:42:12
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, it's good. Yeah.
00:42:17
BRIAN PATACCA
It's gotta be like LinkedIn or Actors Access or some kind of profile.
00:42:18
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, that's so true. Yeah, yeah.
00:42:21
BRIAN PATACCA
Like there's other, if you're a voiceover artist, like there's other sites that we use that is where opportunities happen.
00:42:23
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:42:26
BRIAN PATACCA
So don't, don't neglect where things are actually happening to get excited about some other product, like to get excited about social media, like use it, but don't make it your number one.
00:42:27
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:42:34
larabiancapilcher
I really love that because and there's somebody that started a business a year ago, got six figures in the first year and didn't use social media. They actually went out and talked to people and had real conversations and went to events and offered their services and like, boom, it's like six figures so quickly and not really posting on social.
00:42:44
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah. Yeah.
00:42:52
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:42:52
larabiancapilcher
So I think there's that lie that we all need to be actors and influencers or artists and influencers.
00:42:57
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:42:57
larabiancapilcher
It's just too much. It's overwhelming, but it still needs to be like, yeah, a little mini webpage.
00:42:59
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah. exist, you need to exist, you need to exist, because if you're not there then I, because what happens is I think we lose the belief that maybe you really are who you are, that you have authority, we can start to be like, oh, why are they not there, right?
00:43:01
larabiancapilcher
I completely agree. Yeah. Hmm.
00:43:11
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:43:13
BRIAN PATACCA
I think also we can be incredibly, this is, there's a little bit of ageism around social media.
00:43:13
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:43:17
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, that's true.
00:43:18
BRIAN PATACCA
So a little bit like the older you are, the more okay we are with you maybe not being there.
00:43:20
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:43:22
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:43:22
BRIAN PATACCA
So I just think there's like, just keep that in mind for the younger people who are listening, right? Like we're kind of like, well, how come that not, how can they not be on there or something, right?
00:43:26
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:43:29
BRIAN PATACCA
So just good for thought.
00:43:29
larabiancapilcher
Tell me me what you think about my, my opinion. I get a little like, Oh, I'm like, I see actors or whatever starting a page purely for their acting reels. And I go, I know buff, right?
00:43:39
BRIAN PATACCA
Barf. Barf.
00:43:41
larabiancapilcher
That's a good, we're on the same page.
00:43:41
BRIAN PATACCA
Barf.
00:43:42
larabiancapilcher
I'm like, no, because I think people want to see these days, the whole person, the authentic person, they don't want to just see your art.
00:43:45
BRIAN PATACCA
Yes.
00:43:48
BRIAN PATACCA
No.
00:43:48
larabiancapilcher
They want to see who you are and your art.
00:43:50
BRIAN PATACCA
Well, yes, i see if you're a painter, if you're a painter, then I could see that being different for you because it might even be a space of commerce for you.
00:43:51
larabiancapilcher
yeah. Yes. Yeah. Or a photographer.
00:43:56
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:43:56
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:43:56
BRIAN PATACCA
It could be a space of commerce for you, right?
00:43:57
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:43:58
BRIAN PATACCA
But when it comes to an artist who is their instrument, like, if I'm going to your Instagram, I want to see something more than just your acting, probably.
00:43:58
larabiancapilcher
Hmm. Yes.
00:44:05
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:44:05
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:44:06
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. All your dance like, yes, I want to see you dance, but I want to see you smiling with your best friend or whatever as well.
00:44:07
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah. Yeah.
00:44:10
BRIAN PATACCA
Yes, are you a dog or whatever? Yeah, yeah.
00:44:12
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. I want to see, a you know, full frame because I only saw headshots before whatever it is, like just cool stuff like that.
00:44:15
BRIAN PATACCA
Yes, yes. Yeah. yeah
00:44:18
larabiancapilcher
I really love that. What would you say to people that are new to creative entrepreneurship because they're an artist, but they're also like, but I want to be an entrepreneur as well and and monetization and all of that. How, what advice do you have around that area?
00:44:29
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
Business Coaching and Expert Advice
00:44:33
BRIAN PATACCA
I will just use myself as an example for hit this. aye I think this has to do with capitalism and toxic masculinity and maybe being from the Midwest. I'm going to blame it on those three things, right which is having mid the Midwest is like hard work ethic.
00:44:42
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, that's fine with me.
00:44:45
BRIAN PATACCA
You have to work for everything you get. So is capitalism.
00:44:47
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:44:48
BRIAN PATACCA
And also, like don't ask for help. right There's the age old story, like when when a man is driving a car and he's lost, he's like, I'm not asking for help.
00:44:50
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:44:54
BRIAN PATACCA
And the wife is like, stop and ask them.
00:44:54
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:44:56
BRIAN PATACCA
So that's kind of that's where I'm grabbing onto to right now, which is horribly sexist stories.
00:44:56
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:44:58
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:45:00
BRIAN PATACCA
But that's what I'm grabbing onto.
00:45:01
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Mm hmm.
00:45:02
BRIAN PATACCA
i Worked in advertising out of college, and I had a knew a little bit about marketing, and I was hot to trot, and it took me probably a decade before I said, oh, and maybe I should work with a coach to help my business.
00:45:05
larabiancapilcher
Mm hmm.
00:45:14
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:45:14
BRIAN PATACCA
And in the first year, I won 1,000 to my income.
00:45:18
larabiancapilcher
Well.
00:45:18
BRIAN PATACCA
In the first year. Now, did everything I already knew, did it team me up to do that? For sure, 1,000%, let's say.
00:45:24
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:45:26
BRIAN PATACCA
right But I think it's unfair for someone who's interested in business entrepreneurship to imagine that you have all the answers.
00:45:30
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:45:35
BRIAN PATACCA
I have a very good friend who has a business, I'm not going to reveal anything, and they have dibbled and dabbed in getting support on what it looks like to create an online business.
00:45:45
larabiancapilcher
Mmm.
00:45:46
BRIAN PATACCA
and What I so witness is this belief that they can figure it out more than a belief in someone else might have something for me. And it has continually held them back from really embracing their business.
00:45:56
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. Mmm.
00:46:00
BRIAN PATACCA
So I just think don't try to be an expert on something that's new to you.
00:46:00
larabiancapilcher
Wow.
00:46:04
BRIAN PATACCA
And of course, find your right match.
00:46:04
larabiancapilcher
Mmm.
00:46:05
BRIAN PATACCA
And you know mike have your I'm sure you have coaches you recommend. You probably are a coach.
00:46:08
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, yeah.
00:46:09
BRIAN PATACCA
You can help. like that's lots right So I just really believe in ask for help.
00:46:14
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:46:14
BRIAN PATACCA
ask for help, right?
00:46:15
larabiancapilcher
I love that.
00:46:15
BRIAN PATACCA
And also, whatever intuition you have, the spiritual side of me wants to say, whatever intuition you have is probably one you should follow.
00:46:16
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:46:21
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:46:23
BRIAN PATACCA
So don't wait a year on this. So if you're listening to this podcast right now, and some part of you is like, well, I don't know that you're listening for a reason, like, go out there and and take the next step, take the next baby step towards going on a free consultation with a new coach and seeing if they're a good match with you.
00:46:25
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:46:28
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:46:33
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:46:36
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:46:37
BRIAN PATACCA
So I'm just an advocate for not don't expect to have all the answers yourself.
00:46:42
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. And i I heard you say on one of your podcast episodes, but you you have a lot of ideas. i so I do too. It's that creative mind. I have so many ideas for revenue and income and different creative ideas.
00:46:51
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:46:53
larabiancapilcher
And sometimes it's like, I don't know which one to follow. What's your advice around that?
00:46:57
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah. Oh, great. Yes, so good. So first of all, this is such a good one, all right? Because I have that issue very much so. And what I will often do is, so I do something that maybe everyone doesn't do is I have a year planned out.
00:47:04
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:47:11
BRIAN PATACCA
I know when I'm doing this in my business and i know I'm doing that in my business. And so I will I from a very self-care perspective,
00:47:13
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:47:17
BRIAN PATACCA
We'll go, what's going to be the right energy that I want in July and August to be like that I want to say yes to?
00:47:22
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:47:24
BRIAN PATACCA
And then I can choose the thing. So like, for example, right now I'm working on something that's called Should I Leave My Agent? And I know it's going to be so helpful for so many people.
00:47:33
larabiancapilcher
That's so good.
00:47:34
BRIAN PATACCA
And it's like, and I get this question all the time. And like, and doing all this research.
00:47:37
larabiancapilcher
I've heard that a lot, and I normally say, no!
00:47:39
BRIAN PATACCA
yes yes I'm doing all this research on it. And I have a little bit of a radical approach around it. And so I have to really figure out how I'm going to put this into the world, right?
00:47:45
larabiancapilcher
Yeah. That's good, yeah.
00:47:48
BRIAN PATACCA
And I'm going on vacation in August, and I'm going away with my partner to Cape Cod.
00:47:51
larabiancapilcher
Good?
00:47:53
BRIAN PATACCA
and like i wanna to be So like how am i how am I bringing in this idea so that I can do it in a way where I'm not overwhelmed by it?
00:47:53
larabiancapilcher
Nice! Yeah.
00:48:00
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:48:00
BRIAN PATACCA
right So I think that the the answer I have here is instead of deciding this is the best one because fill in the blank.
00:48:08
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:48:08
BRIAN PATACCA
energetically, you might have an answer by following your energy. like yeah energy yeah I think it's it's a wild way to think about it.
00:48:12
larabiancapilcher
That's really good. Yeah.
00:48:15
BRIAN PATACCA
And then the other thing is, like if you're working with a business coach, they will say, actually, no, you need to build a list for your email right now.
00:48:19
larabiancapilcher
Yes.
00:48:22
BRIAN PATACCA
That is the focus you need to work on. I love that you want to make a program.
00:48:24
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:48:25
BRIAN PATACCA
Nice try.
00:48:26
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:48:26
BRIAN PATACCA
like This is where an expert can kind of help like say, OK, no, it's got to be you know heads down, get this done first.
00:48:28
larabiancapilcher
yeah yeah
00:48:32
BRIAN PATACCA
So I think there is a A priority outside of ourselves sometimes if there's an expert involved can help.
00:48:38
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, that's really, really good.
00:48:39
BRIAN PATACCA
no Yeah. Yeah.
00:48:40
larabiancapilcher
I think we're heading to our last few questions here, but I want to know what heartbreaking mistake that you see a lot of creative entrepreneurs make
Handling Rejection Strategically
00:48:49
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah. Yeah.
00:48:49
larabiancapilcher
and it makes them want to throw in the towel at the start.
00:48:53
BRIAN PATACCA
I see if I can tell the story well. I think what I see happen is, and particular remember that I work with actors, so I think this relates to any creative, but an actor will put themselves out there in some way.
00:49:02
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:49:05
BRIAN PATACCA
They'll reach out to managers, or they'll send out some messaging about a show that they're in and invite people, and they won't get any response, or they'll hear radio silence or very little response or disappointing response, and it will send some kind of electroshock message
00:49:15
larabiancapilcher
Mm hmm.
00:49:22
BRIAN PATACCA
that they're not making it, that the business doesn't want them, that they're not talented, and it will set them back. They will say, like, I can't i need nine months to recover from this, or I need a year to recover from this.
00:49:36
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:49:36
BRIAN PATACCA
and And as I say this, it might sound like, well, that's a long time, but I want you to really think about your experience of when you've done that, anyone who's listening. like It can be heartbreaking.
00:49:45
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:49:45
BRIAN PATACCA
You've worked so hard to get people to show up to a show or you've reached out to a bunch of people and no one has written you back. It can really be like, oh, what?
00:49:52
larabiancapilcher
Yes,
00:49:52
BRIAN PATACCA
And it took you a long time to probably write those emails.
00:49:55
larabiancapilcher
yeah.
00:49:56
BRIAN PATACCA
And what I, the reason why this is heartbreaking to me is the mistake wasn't reaching out.
00:49:59
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:50:03
BRIAN PATACCA
The mistake wasn't doing the show. The mistake wasn't believing in your readiness. It was the system that you used to do it. And because you made that like, I'm going to email this many people or I'm going to do it like this, because you decided on how to do this based on cherry-picked information you got from other actors in your acting class or other photographers you've looked at online or some random PDF you downloaded from some opt-in somewhere of like, this is how you're supposed to do this.
00:50:23
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:50:31
BRIAN PATACCA
And you never took the moment to say,
00:50:31
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:50:33
BRIAN PATACCA
Oh, maybe I need to invest in understanding how to do this, whether this is fine money, time, energy, other than what I think other people are doing or what I have observed doing.
00:50:36
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:50:42
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:50:43
BRIAN PATACCA
There is a system that people use to do this, right? There is a way to make this work. and so where we can take the bruise or the wound onto ourselves. I go, ah, back. let me What did you do to reach out to managers? Well, that was a dumb idea. Let's try it differently. This is not how we do it. Not dumb, but like that was okay.
00:50:58
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:50:59
BRIAN PATACCA
You reached out to eight. That's not how we're going to do this. Let me show you how we're going to do this differently, and let's talk about your messaging and data.
00:51:03
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:51:04
BRIAN PATACCA
Because the truth is, nothing about you changed when we do the reach out again.
00:51:06
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:51:08
BRIAN PATACCA
We just did the reach out differently.
00:51:10
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:51:10
BRIAN PATACCA
And again, this comes full circle to what we started with. You have given gifts to be an artist.
00:51:14
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:51:16
BRIAN PATACCA
don't but This isn't to say like, this means your IQ around business is bad, but it just means there's probably a space where you need some leadership, some help, and that's the space to ask for help.
00:51:20
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:51:27
BRIAN PATACCA
When you are knowing that you are going public is what I like to call it. When you're going public with something, whether that's an ask for a manager or agent or come to my show or I need help with this, that is where a coach is so helpful or a system is so helpful because you can
00:51:40
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:51:43
BRIAN PATACCA
easily make it about you did something wrong or you didn't do it right, that you're not worthy enough. It's so easy to write stories there when, in fact, it's about how did your messaging look?
00:51:48
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:51:53
BRIAN PATACCA
How did you reach out? What software did you use to do? it What dates did you send it out?
00:51:55
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:51:55
BRIAN PATACCA
like That's stuff that... Get someone else to help you. and so that's what the And so the heartbreaking that I have there is I'll have an actor who's talked to me, yeah, I really tried in LA, but I couldn't make it.
00:51:59
larabiancapilcher
Yeah that's good. Yeah.
00:52:05
BRIAN PATACCA
It was it didn't work for me. And then they'll tell me what they did and I'll listen. I'll go, Oh, you never had help. And so you've decided that you can't be an actor, even though the ways you tried were all very not great ways.
00:52:12
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:52:21
BRIAN PATACCA
Everything you tried was not good.
00:52:21
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:52:22
BRIAN PATACCA
And I'm so sorry. There's not, and that's where it's where I breaks my heart because there's not more information in the world of telling people how to do it really, really well.
00:52:30
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:52:30
BRIAN PATACCA
And I promise it's not in a random download you grabbed online or like there's a full system to most of these things.
00:52:34
larabiancapilcher
Mm hmm.
00:52:36
BRIAN PATACCA
And I know that I'm saying like invest and invest time, money and energy.
00:52:39
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:52:40
BRIAN PATACCA
And that's of course, I'm talking about coaching and I'm a coach, but I just say this because I've learned the lesson myself and seen it so many times.
00:52:42
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:52:45
larabiancapilcher
That's so true.
00:52:46
BRIAN PATACCA
No.
00:52:46
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, that's true. There is a system for everything. I love that. All right. Any other sort of things that you want to add in, particularly around success stories of artists that have gone through coaching with you and and and and learned about strategically planning their life a little better. I would love to hear anything around that.
00:53:03
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah. I'm thinking about my client who has been my client for many many many years probably over a decade and she was working regionally in theater and she wanted to elevate to having great agents because she was getting jobs she was had enough of a name around casting directors that she would get work and get auditions and blah blah blah she's like I'm ready to do TV I want to and when I want to get an agent who can really elevate my career and
00:53:14
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:53:19
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:53:29
BRIAN PATACCA
She started to make a couple little in-row, just very little things, couple credits getting added. And we did this by starting to obviously look at her messaging that was going on to the world, looking at her head shots, looking at the story, making sure we weren't neglecting the great success she'd already had as a theater actor.
00:53:45
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:53:47
BRIAN PATACCA
Sometimes I think we can sort of say, well, they're not going to care about that, so I can only talk about TV.
00:53:47
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, good.
00:53:51
BRIAN PATACCA
So now I look like I have zero credits. like We kind of like parse ourselves into what we think they want.
00:53:53
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:53:55
larabiancapilcher
Definitely been there.
00:53:56
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah, I know what they want because i they're a mo they're not human beings.
00:53:57
larabiancapilcher
It's a theater girl.
00:54:00
BRIAN PATACCA
They're a monolith.
00:54:00
larabiancapilcher
Yes.
00:54:01
BRIAN PATACCA
The unit know the industry is a monolith, and they right?
00:54:02
larabiancapilcher
Mm.
00:54:03
BRIAN PATACCA
And so what we do is we we actually take away the dignity of the other people in the business to be able to choose us.
00:54:09
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:54:09
BRIAN PATACCA
And so I think it's important that we again, craft that narrative. And so I worked with her on how do we craft a narrative through our messaging with our headshots or our package we're putting together.
00:54:16
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:54:17
BRIAN PATACCA
And then she up and moved to like Montana. And I was like, Oh my God, what are we going to do now? And she has thrived.
00:54:23
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:54:23
BRIAN PATACCA
She's on Chicago fire right now in a recurring role.
00:54:25
larabiancapilcher
Well.
00:54:26
BRIAN PATACCA
She's playing Oliver plats. I think Oliver plats mistress. And she has a manager and agent in Montana and she's working in Chicago and her career has just thrived. And what happened is we didn't neglect the story of her success in New York to make.
00:54:36
larabiancapilcher
Well.
00:54:40
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:54:40
BRIAN PATACCA
I'm now a Montana actress. We just continue to share the story in a way that was palatable, understandable, and not overwhelming to people out there.
00:54:48
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:54:49
BRIAN PATACCA
The managers and agents or casting directors who are meeting her anew.
00:54:52
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:54:52
BRIAN PATACCA
And this might sound a little like woo woo, but what we want to do is capture your story in a way that's digestible and what i mean by that is i like to pretend anyone who's reading any email from me is standing in line at starbucks and their child is screaming in their hand so like it's gonna be engaging it's gonna be clear i'm gonna help them read through it quickly and then i also think about my emails as like the way we think of like a menu
00:55:00
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:55:04
larabiancapilcher
Mm hmm.
00:55:12
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:55:16
BRIAN PATACCA
So if you ever notice you're at a restaurant and the menu, helpful menus, tell you more about the ingredients that they use, right? It's like this kind of an apple and this, but so you're like, oh, I can get an idea of the taste.
00:55:23
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:55:27
BRIAN PATACCA
So I want to write emails that help people understand what's on the other side of it.
00:55:32
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:55:32
BRIAN PATACCA
And so that is kind of where I think I've found some magic, is being able to put essence into an email, into messaging.
00:55:39
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:55:40
BRIAN PATACCA
And that just, to me, is a gift that is hard to capture.
00:55:44
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:55:44
BRIAN PATACCA
Like, your art is meant to be where you tell your story, right? So as we kind of get someone else to kind of add perspective to that, whether that's me or somebody else, I think someone needs to have someone else go, that's actually really boring. I stopped reading your email after sentence number two.
00:55:54
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:55:55
BRIAN PATACCA
So that's the kind of success that I want.
00:55:55
larabiancapilcher
Yes.
00:55:57
BRIAN PATACCA
Is that kind of long-term success for somebody that's over the years success for somebody?
00:55:57
larabiancapilcher
Yes.
00:56:01
larabiancapilcher
Yeah, and that's really the thing.
00:56:02
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:56:02
larabiancapilcher
I really love that. so Thank you for showing that.
00:56:04
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:56:05
larabiancapilcher
Where can listeners find your offerings online and any of your offerings you want to talk about and share about?
00:56:08
BRIAN PATACCA
Great.
00:56:10
BRIAN PATACCA
First of all, I think since we talked about networking, that weird no more one is a free training. It's an audio training and a download. So I highly recommend you all grab that one. But if you want to look at everything else I've got going on Instagram, as Brian says that, B-R-I-A-N says that.
00:56:17
larabiancapilcher
That's great. Hmm.
00:56:22
BRIAN PATACCA
And my podcast is Brian Brake's character, and that's everywhere you listen to podcasts. So I would love to meet any one of your listeners for sure.
00:56:27
larabiancapilcher
Hmm.
00:56:29
BRIAN PATACCA
I can tell they're in really wonderful hands with you. And so they'd be really conscious artists, so I would love to be connected.
00:56:32
larabiancapilcher
Yeah.
00:56:35
larabiancapilcher
Thank you. It's been such a pleasure talking to you.
00:56:36
BRIAN PATACCA
Yeah.
00:56:38
larabiancapilcher
Thank you so much.
00:56:38
BRIAN PATACCA
Thank you for sure.
00:56:39
larabiancapilcher
You really flow. You're so articulate and you really flow in wisdom and there's a lot of things that you've said that I haven't heard anyone else say so I just want to validate that there is so much and listeners do check him out and get some coaching.
00:56:47
BRIAN PATACCA
Thank you.
00:56:52
BRIAN PATACCA
Thank you so much. I appreciate Laura.
00:56:54
larabiancapilcher
Okay.
00:56:54
BRIAN PATACCA
Great.