Why are you using a filter?
Hey there,
This was supposed to come on Friday but I’ve been neck deep in YAPPING on social and I forget how utterly TIME CONSUMING spiraling down a black hole of self-criticism is…oh and editing takes WAY long too.
It’s been a fun week.
Here’s what I’ve learned in one week of getting myself on cam every day and trying to maintain sanity, dignity and a sense of humor not necessarily in that order:
1. “Two takes max and post” is a lie.
I posted 4 videos last week and some days it took me the entire day to film and edit ONE.
THE. ENTIRE. DAY.
Who are these psychopaths who are one taking this? Reveal yourself please.
At one point my husband walked in and said “don’t waste all day on this.”
He was not wrong but also categorically unhelpful. (I saw him out.)
Also.. I was already judging myself hard for this “being hard.”
I used to run a video agency.
I have been paid to teach other people how to get on camera. What’s your problem Patrice…
Have coached founders through every version of “I don’t know what to say” and “I’m going to look stupid” and there I was spiraling out on too many takes, evaluating every single flaw in my face, my voice, the words I was using, the fact that my left eye is not the same shape as my right (IS THIS AN AGE THING!!?) and every other criticism you can think of.
This is not me being self-deprecating (well maybe a bit) but it was me being reminded that putting your face and voice out in front of your work is really vulnerable no matter how long you’ve been doing it or even teaching it.
And I’m out of practice.
My aim is not perfection but I want to put out content that doesn’t make someone want to choose watching paint dry on their living room wall so there’s that.
2. Your old training will betray you.
I grew up in broadcast TV and anchor warm ups. Today Show presenters had intros and outros and I had to write my scripts that way.
The internet does not want any of that.
Nobody is waiting for your setup and they want you to start mid-sentence, mid-thought, mid-chaos.
This week has made me realize I need to actively deprogram some muscle memory in real time.
Also brevity.. Is not my friend.
My friend Chloe sent me this and said, “it’s your superpower” but guess what you can’t do in a 60 second video… exert your superpower. **sigh
3. The filter thing.
My friend Kim -my first NYC media friend and has known me for 15 years and just came to see me in Lisbon, watched some videos and said:
“Why are you using a filter? What message does that send to everyone watching you if you think YOU need a filter?” (she meant it as a compliment but also she doesn’t mince words and that’s why we’re friends but also wait did I miss a memo here.)
The amount of getting ready time a filter saves me is big and doesn’t everyone use a slight filter!?!?
And then Shannen, a My StoryPro member and friend also told me I should nix the filter on my video.
For the record, it was a slight one.
An Instagram one. And if you met me IRL I promise you wouldn’t be like “OMG WHERE IS PATRICE!?”
But feedback noted.
It’s quite the exercise to see your own face day in and day out and not judge it.
I’m going into week 2 with no filters and will be upping my therapy appointments in tandem.
But for those who swear by filters please note my fresh-faced early 30s co-founder confirmed “yes… we all use them.”
What is your stance on them?
4. Doing it anyway is bringing something back.
As hard as this week was, showing up every day gave me structure I didn’t know I needed around my marketing content.
I’m the queen of preaching “Founder-led” content but here I was, taking a backseat to my own business.
Truly, in the first 1-3 years of growth there is NO ONE more passionate or compelling about what you’re building than you.
My creativity started coming back in a way that has felt dormant for a while.
Especially on social media, which I’ve grown to hate in the last few years because my algorithm was a cacophony of kid suffering, wars, hate and division.
But I tapped into the fun side of myself last week….which brings me to the Feral Founder.
5. The thing that hit a nerve wasn’t in any content plan
And this is the whole point of the challenge I think.
Only when we start creating and shipping can we see what resonates.
So let’s talk about the Feral Founder for a second. (it you??)
Last week I posted this on Instagram and it touched a nerve. (NOT a yapping video but no time to reflect on that.)
My friend Melissa — the same one building her tech product mid-air in Lisbon and who is the glorious woman with the homemade tinfoil highlights in my “on the cutting room floor” feed pic above — turned to me one day and said “we’re Feral Founders.”
And I felt it in my entire body as if the heavens were parting.
I FINALLY have a name!
Melissa made a mood board for our movement naturally.
I mean she DID come from the Creative Director world duh.
Because here’s what a Feral Founder is:
She doesn’t have 25-year-old tech bro energy with a Stanford pedigree and a zip code in Silicon Valley.
She’s not waiting until she’s ready.
Hell, she’s not even waiting to fully understand the definition of SaaS (it’s Software as a SERVICE and not as a subscription which was my bad for the first few months of launching My StoryPro in 2024.)
She’s probably building in an industry that was not designed for her.
You see this nonsense that the Wispr Flow founder put out on his job hunt last week??
This could be yours if you’re willing to conjoin your left femur to his ankle for 16 glorious hours a day IRL in San Francisco.
She’s at least 40 with approximately zero f*cks left. Probably puts a filter on her video. BUT NOT THIS WEEK!!
She’s got kids, real bills, real things to lose – including her sanity and arguably some dignity.
She bought a tiny mic.
Her therapist might have some thoughts.
She’s got high waistbands (and yes that pant comes in more than just yellow thank God) and a low tolerance for people who suck.
No time for that anymore.
And she’s building anyway.
Feral founders are not building like the people who wrote the rules.
We’re building like people where the stakes are high.
If that’s you…hi! 🦝
And we want to gather…congregate? Cluster? Gaggle? Pod up?
And because Melissa and I are super feral, she slapped up a landing page, because we’re already planning the inaugural Feral Founder’s Retreat in Portugal.
And yes, merch is happening.🤣🦝🦝🦝
I am sort of not kidding but if not for the YAP challenge, I wouldn’t be having this much fun again on social media.
Stay tuned for the Feral Founder Retreat….I think I really want to make this happen.
A couple of quick things before I let you go: *you’re almost to the end I swear
Chicago meetup…thank you to all who replied!
I am getting some dates sorted and will send out a proper note to the smaller group. Reminder…
I’m heading back to the States for a month and will be in Chicago (where I grew up). If you’re in the Midwest and want to meet up IRL, reply to this email.
I’d love to arrange a hang (you don’t have to be a feral founder to come!).
We can compare Yapping Challenge trauma stories, our favorite video filters and eat cheese friends smothered in ranch with a side of deep dish.
And finally a note on this email list
If you signed up for My StoryPro and you’re receiving this newsletter — yes, I know that’s not ideal list hygiene but I actually write these and masterpieces take time!
But my team is making me fix this.
If you’re here for tool updates and AI-specific content only, and this weekly behind-the-scenes newsletter is not your thing (I get it, it can get a bit weird over here) , click below and I’ll make sure you only get what’s relevant to you.
OK….
See you next week. Off to go film more YAP content.
Oh, I’d love to follow you if you are doing this challenge as well. It’s NOT easy and us Ferals must band together.
XO
Patrice
P.S. If the Feral Founder post hit a nerve – if you’re building something without the pedigree, mid-transition, unsure of the ending — that’s exactly the messy middle My StoryPro was built for. She doesn’t need your polished origin story. She needs what’s actually going on. She THRIVES in helping you sort through your mess
