The Churn
Ask Brandon, Vol. 1: Keep it Moving
Butter ATLDecember 10, 2020
Whats up? I’m Brandon Butler, CEO of ButterATL. You might be wondering why I’m starting this “Ask Brandon” column. The simple answer: because people ask me for advice all the time.
Not just any advice — real stuff. How do I get my career started? How should I make a budget? How do you start a creative business? Pretty much all the stuff they should’ve taught you in school… but didn’t.
Since I get so many questions, I decided to help spread these keys right here in The Churn. Thanks to everyone who already emailed their questions! Keep ‘em coming to AskBrandon@ButterATL.com and I’ll keep answering. Here are a few I picked out to get started.
Julien: Can you reflect/reference a time in your life where you felt lost or stagnant, and what you did, who you met or what inspired you to shake that feeling to get your momentum moving forward?
Brandon: Want to hear a secret? Even I have times when I feel stagnant right now.
With everything going on in the world I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard to stay focused sometimes. I mean we’re literally living through a pandemic. And even though it seems like Atlanta is wide open, a lot of us haven’t really connected with our friends and family in a while.
If you’re not careful it’s easy to check out and start drifting through life, or what Napoleon Hill calls “hypnotic rhythm” and you’re suddenly drifting through life without any real goals or direction.
I’ve learned that one of the tricks to staying inspired is movement. Laws of physics — Newton’s First Law of Motion specifically — say an object at rest will stay at rest. If you’re not motivated you’re going to remain unmotivated until you start moving. And an object in motion stays in motion.
Whether you realize it or not, this applies to you as well. If you’re not feeling motivated, the only way out is through. You just have to start moving in the direction that you want to go.
It starts with one step, any step. Once you take the first step, take another. And another. And another.
It’s great if you have a clear plan or vision. If not, learn to move with intention and attention. Move with intention towards the future, while paying attention to each step in front of you.
Start researching.
Start reading.
Start looking at new stuff on YouTube.
Start talking to new people.
Start something new but more than anything else just start.
As CEO of Butter.ATL, Atlanta’s culture channel, Brandon Butler leads the creative vision and day-to-day operations, producing culturally relevant content. You already know. But you may not know Brandon has a Bachelor’s in Information Technology from Georgia Southern University, an MBA from Georgia Tech, certifications from Beijing University and The Connecticut School of Broadcasting (#certified), and a wealth of experiences in business. He’s also a sought-after public speaker and no stranger to award-winning accomplishments, from Webbys to Ad Age and beyond. Ask Brandon is how he shares what he’s picked up. Send questions to AskBrandon@ButterATL.com.