May 1, 2013

How to Be Naked in Public

FACT: The quickest way to feel free is to strip yourself bare.

“You say fuck too much. And tone down your opinion. Why don’t you read @OscarPRgirl and see how she does it? Then...Do that.”

The “or else” was implied so as not to turn this advice into an ultimatum. I was staring out the window down to Wilshire Blvd, unblinking. I let the glare from the Miracle Mile seer holes into my retinas.I was suppressing at least 7 facial expressions.

This is what I do this while listening to advice I’m not going to take.

“Oh. I see.”

The words slid sickly through my dead-fish lips. Eyes still set on the street below. I was already gone.

This is a story about getting naked.

March 22, 2013

How to Quit Everything

by Jessica Brookman in how-to, business and career

FACT: What you do with your life matters. The world needs you to quit everything that doesn't make sense until you are somewhere that you don't want to leave.

This is a story about why I am retiring from social media. Kinda.

It is also a story about hedge funds, blogging, and being an unreasonable bastard (even if you're a woman, especially if you're a woman). Also, Bobcat Goldthwait makes an appearance.

There's a chance I may be black-bagged for writing this. Here we go!

xo. Jessa.

March 19, 2013

How to Settle Down

by Jessica Brookman in how-to

FACT: Recognizing what you want and getting what you want are basically the same thing. Get on that.

This is a story about making a place for yourself in the world and tiny houses. But first, I need to tell you a story about an LSD trip, Instagram, and making the best of a bad (plumbing) situation.

While this story starts with cat piss and a bunch of broken pipes, it ends in the Silverlake Hills. All's well that ends well, yeah? Cheers!

Jessa.

March 10, 2013

On (No Longer) Being a One-Woman Show

by Jessica Brookman in personal

FACT: When your project ideas get big enough, you can't do everything alone. Make friends.

Here's a thing, I have a team of people who love and support me. Thank the universe, they also hold me accountable and forgive me when I act like the love child of Charles Bukowski and Joan Rivers (I wish):

You haven't blogged in four days, @jessicabrookman. I'm confused.
— Felicia C. Sullivan (@felsull) March 8, 2013

True. I haven't written this week. At least, not here. Sometimes, despite being a brutal insomniac, the days slip away from me.

Since I decided to focus on my creative projects this year, I've had to get brutally honest about how I spend my time. In addition to this blog, I do freelance social media & creative consulting. I'm also developing a series for which the research is...viscerally intense, let's say.

I've been a one-woman show for a while; and I prided myself on building web properties up single-handedly or in small teams. It was an education, for sure. Then there's, you know, all of the parts of life that don't end up on the blog.

Plus, a girl needs a little bit of free time to relax and indulge in some of California's finest agricultural products, if you get me.

So, what I'm saying is, I've been burning the candle at both ends. I am exhausted.

But I am still on a mission. And, LUCKILY ( !!! ) since my post about advertising and monetizing content as well as my personal mission statement "The First Draft of Anything is Shit," a few lovely people have crawled out of the digital woodwork to offer me advice and/or development assistance. I'm happy to be offloading some of the behind-the-scenes work here so I can take a nap shortly.

So what will be happening here?

The content will still be written and edited by me (and guests).
The content will (still) be independent of marketing objective.
The site itself is getting a minor facelift and better organization.

In terms of content and mission, I'm most interested in researching and opening dialogues about human sexuality, love, and how these things transform our lives.

But once in a while creative block still hits. What's a girl to do? Ask her friends for topics:

OK. Maybe not. Back to real, actual writing. More soon...

#onward,

Jessa

Retweet if your ever had to put yourself in an adult timeout.
— Jessa Brookman (@jessicabrookman) March 8, 2013