Hi again from Alfred

Here is what happened to me the past three years after selling my business and earning some freedom.

Hey friends,

We may have met somewhere in the world, or you may have found yourself on this list if you were a customer of my map company, Landmass.

I started this email list three years ago, when I was getting ready to enter the unknown, sell my business and ride out some years of freedom.

If you're curious about what happens to someone after they do that, here is what happened to me below. Feel free to reply and ask me to elaborate.

• 💸 I started investing. I had lots of failures and a few successes. I learned about wealth managers, stocks & bonds, angel investing, private equity, index funds, retirement accounts, and more. I learned being an investor is very different from being an entrepreneur. Also f*** wealth managers.

• 💪 I began my fitness and nutrition journey through calisthenics. I hated it at first then it changed my life.

• 🗽 I moved to New York City and lived in a dream apartment. I learned that while my mind loves the creativity and diversity of NYC, my body and nervous system find it inhibitingly challenging for my style of being. I entered the culture of saunas, cold plunges, breath work and meditating as a way to regulate myself. A year later I continued my learning and took a nervous system course.

• 🤝 I got ahead of myself and *almost* acquired an amazing business and took on a multi-million dollar loan. I later found out I would need to guarantee that loan personally which means there was a small (but real) chance I could go bankrupt. It was too soon for me to go all-in and expose myself to a game of chutes and ladders. (I would do this same deal again today however. I’ll likely explore an acquisition under different circumstances!)

• 💿 I took several months to learn music recording and live in a cabin. This was a lifelong dream of mine, and I'm so glad I did it. I learned that I can still enjoy living simply and it costs peanuts. More importantly, I was reminded that my love for creating is more entertaining than anything I can consume. I love making music and can return to it any time, but for now I prefer working with people and leverage.

• 🚀 I explored the world of venture-funded businesses and joined the incubator called South Park Commons to explore what may be next for me professionally. I started building a web3 company to help artists, won a hackathon, and recruited a team. I learned that the world isn't always ready for your ideas and being a tech visionary CEO living in the eternal future isn't for me. Although I admire my friends who can do this from a heart-centered place.

• 🤖 Bring on the robots. I launched a couple of experiments to get my hands dirty with possibilities of AI. I'm still excited about this and plan to use it in my next projects. (See below a hand drawing of mine from 2019 versus what I could make with the help of AI.)

• 🏠 I bought my first home (abroad 🇨🇴!) and have cherished letting my bones settle and designing a space. I started re-taking partner dance classes which is a long-standing embodiment practice for me. I've returned to in times of transition, and this go-around it has cemented its role in my life.

• 🐍 I attended couple of transformative plant ceremonies in the Colombian forest 😮 These changed my perspective of the world and I’m glad I had the sense to really surrender to the experience. I learned I have a skill to make others feel calm and less alone among a multitude of other lessons I'm still integrating.

• 🗣️ I gave my first talk in years and loved the thrill of being in front of an audience. One of my innate desires is to express myself and connect with others. (Here we are!)

So that's a little catch-up and potentially a “nice to meet you again!”

I get several newsletters and I'm a big fan of the medium. They tend to focus on two disparate categories:

1. Business, investing & self-improvement

2. Art, creativity & relationships

One of the reasons I like business (besides creating freedom) is to express my creativity and connect with others. I remember I used to call myself a business performance artist in my early twenties. I don't hear that perspective often.

If you want to create, have fun and make a living (or you’re friend, and want to watch me stumble through misadventures to maintain that balance), you’re in the right place!

Reply back if any if above bullets peaks your interest and Ill elaborate! Or send me an empty email full exclamation marks! Happy start of 2023 to you!!

Hand drawing I made in 2019, versus a similar concept image I made with AI in 2022