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Does the thought of creating something new where nothing exists excite or intimidate you? Whether it intimidates or intrigues you, you’ll want to hear our guest for today’s show, Richard Boehmcke.
Richard is a writer, director, speaker, playwright, video producer and owner of a video production company called Vibrant Motion. Richard gets excited about creating things where nothing existed before, and he believes you can too! Join us as we talk about all of this and more on the 52nd edition of How’d You Get Into That?.
MORE ABOUT THIS SHOW
Growing up in New Hyde Park, a New York surburb 30 minutes from Manhattan, Richard wanted to be an architect as a child, although as he grew up the significant amount of math involved turned him off that route.
He wasn’t sure what else he wanted to do, only that he wanted to do big, sexy, exciting things with his life and college seemed like a natural stepping stone to those big, sexy things. Arizona State University gave him a scholarship and that’s where he went.
In college he majored in business, taking the typical business classes like economics, calculus, and others. About a year and a half into college he realized his current path was making him miserable, he hated all of his classes. So he visited his college counselor who asked him why he wasn’t majoring in communications. Richard couldn’t think of a good reason not to and a seed was planted!
He finished college with a communications degree and thought he wanted a job at a big company, complete with ID badge and all. He looked and looked, and struggled to find a job in his field until he landed a sales assistant role. It wasn’t a great fit for him and he left 7 weeks later, next going to work for a men’s magazine publisher.
THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:
- Why work doesn’t have to be dull and boring.
- What Richard’s recent trip to Germany can teach you.
- Why stretching your comfort zone is essential for your success.
- How writing can help you move forward.
- Why you don’t need to know everything to get started.
- And so much more!
Spending a couple years at the magazine and seeing the superficiality of it left him wanting something with a purpose and something that made a real difference in the lives of people. That knowledge eventually drew him to non-profit work. As soon as he landed at the non-profit he realized that wasn’t “it” either.
That’s when he really started to question if ANY job would make him happy and he went through a period of existential questioning. At a loss for what to do next, Richard started writing. Writing helped him organize his thoughts, get unstuck, and discover what he actually wanted to do.
He also started writing screenplays and creating videos. With those videos he entered some contests and won several of them. He seemed to have a knack for it. But he continued to look for work and about a year after leaving the non-profit he started working at a small startup in NYC. It was a very dynamic place, and much closer to what he wanted to do.
Even though it wasn’t ultimately “it” for Richard, he learned something very important at the startup. And the lesson was this: you don’t have to know everything to move forward on projects and get things done. It was that knowledge that set him free and allowed him to create, regardless of his own fears and internal resistance.
Richard says he wouldn’t do anything differently if he could do it over again…except he would have tried things sooner. He says don’t be afraid. If you are unsatisfied with your current career situation, just get moving in some direction.
This attitude is what allowed Richard to get where he is today: creating work he is passionate about and loves, he has finally found “it”! Please join me in thanking Richard for sharing his personal stories, experiences and hard-earned wisdom; he was a treat to have on the show. Thanks for being here and we’ll see you next time!
Tweetable: “Action always causes opportunity.” Richard Boehmcke
EPISODE RESOURCES
- Richard’s personal web site
- Richard’s company web site
- Richard on Twitter
- Richard on Instagram
- Subscribe to the show on iTunes
- Subscribe to the show on Stitcher
- Email me with any questions, comments or guest suggestions at Grant@GrantBaldwin.com
