#1
The Renegade 
Collective

Encouraging creatives to fly solo 
and solopreneurs to keep going
PITACOS
05
‘Everyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old’ Franz Kafka

As you will read on the last page of the FREEBIE on this Newsletter (scroll down to download it) I believe we are always surrounded by inspiration and I get mine from all kinds of sources. 
 
Everything I see, hear, touch, smell, watch and feel shape up my view of the world and help me creating my work. 
 
On PITACOS I will be sharing some sources of inspiration that helped shaping up a little bit of me.
 
The first one I want to share is a quote from the book (and the exact same text is pronounced on the movie) Call me By Your Name by André Aciman. 
 
This quote is on the very end of the story when the main character is having a private conversation with his dad, who is an extremely interesting character, and the dad says:
 
'In your place, if there is pain, nurse it, and if there is a flame, don’t snuff it out, don’t be brutal with it. (…)We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything — what a waste! (…)
But remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. Most of us can't help but live as though we've got two lives to live, one is the mockup, the other the finished version, and then there are all those versions in between. 
 
But there's only one, and before you know it, your heart is worn out, and, as for your body, there comes a point when no one looks at it, much less wants to come near it. Right now there's sorrow. I don't envy the pain. But I envy you the pain.'
 
The way this was written neve ceases to blow my mind. Such a sensible choice of words in a very interesting, heartwarming and captivating dialogue.
 
Maybe the reason why I am so touched by it is because the past year of my life was so full of uncertainty - and at times questioning myself about the choices I was making - that going back to the reminder that there is only this life and we gotta do what brings us joy always brought me relief.
 
I hope his words find its way to touch you, too.
 
----------------------------------
WOW
04
WOW stands for Weekly Orange Wine and you guessed it: it's when I get to recommend my favourite wines - that are not made of oranges.

If you follow me for a while you've probably seen me sip orange wine quite a few (maybe more than a few?!) times. And don't worry if you never heard about it, it is far from being the most popular type of wine and it isn't the easiest to find either. Typically you don't find Orange Wines in big chains of liquor stores or supermarkets (in Brazil that's where we buy wines from).
 
Ok, so what is orange wine?
 
Orange wine (more technically called ‘skin contact wine) is simply a wine that comes from white grapes fermented just like a red wine. That means that, unlike white wine which is made from the juice of grapes that are pressed quickly in order to be turned into wine, orange wine (and therefore also red wine) is made by leaving the grape juice to macerate with the skins, the seeds and sometimes the stalks.
 
And what does it taste like, you ask me?
 
Obviously it really depends on each wine, terroir, time of maceration, and everything else that impacts the overall taste of wine.
 
But if you ask many of my friends that have tasted (the ones I offered) for the first time, they would say ‘like an alcoholic kombucha’'.
 
I'm not 100% sure as I don't really like kombucha haha. But it isn't an unfair comparison.
I personally like funky tasting and yeast-ful skin contact wine but if you haven't tried one yet I would 1000% encourage you to look for a wine tasting of organic and orange/whites.
 
And which wine are you recommending this week, Fernanda?
 
As there is no better name I could think of to name this section of the newsletter where I give you my WOW - Weekly Orange Wine recommendation, as there is no better wine to suggest on the first issue of The Renegade Collective as the one that was my first true love in Canada: 
 
A Sunday in August.
 
I am no wine connoisseur - I can't talk notes or terroir or even make paring suggestions. But I am a heavy orange wine drinker and you can trust me when I say: this one is perfect anytime.
 
If you're new to this practice hear me out: serve it chilled, have a sit on your balcony or head to the beach if you can, play some soft songs and share it with someone really cool (really cool, this isn't just for anyone).
 
Then tell me how you liked it.
 
----------------------------------
 

This is it. The 7 hacks and techniques guide is finally out and you get to grab it first - and free.
 
I put a lot of love in creating my first ever digital product and I sincerely hope you learn a lot, test it out and share away.
I also promised a free gift for you who signed up in time for the first e-mail to be sent out.
 
To know what it is and how to use it, keep reading this newsletter until the end.  
-------------------------------
RENEGADE
02
We become what we consume 
 
How following the 'wrong’ people on Instagram made me realize what is important to me in life and business (and what this has to do with this newsletter)
When I came to Brazil in December 2022 with a one way ticket I knew it was gonna be tough. Not only was I moving home temporarily with my partner and our senior dog as I would also have to start over with my career - yet again.
 
To be honest it isn't fair to say 'start over’ as I already had the knowledge, the portfolio, the plan, the experience… but being a nomad photographer means that in every place you land you need to actively seek for jobs - unless you have a huge following that hires you wherever you go which isn't my case.
 
It was when I saw myself getting into my lowest low: anxiety through the roof, not knowing where to start off (it was the very end of the year and as the popular saying goes ‘in Brazil the year doesn't start until after Carnaval’ meaning that people don't quite work or do stuff until end of February so I didn't even have perspectives or when to find clients). And what didn't help was the fact that we would be moving around cities with no specific dates for any of them.
 
That got me browsing for online courses on digital positioning and digital products - as it has always been a passion project that I'm beginning to execute now. And as I clicked through the links and followed recommendations, the algorithm started doing what it does worst: funnelling down all the sponsored content to things like ‘how to make 6 figures with your digital course’, ‘how to create a perfect launch’ and it gets worse: ‘how to get a million DM's on your instagram with just a few followers'.
 
The amount of people selling all kinds of things online can be extremely overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, I love that there's space for everyone to sell something digitally and I do believe that if you want to sell something, there is probably someone wanting to buy it. Or else I wouldn't be doing the same thing. 
 
The problem to me isn't the amount of people selling stuff, but the risk of being trapped by the algorithm in the hands of those who have extremely aggressive sales approach. Those whose approach is to make you believe you are not good enough, wise enough, smart enough and rich enough as they are, but if you pay 500 dollars you can get a glimpse of it.
 
AND THE THING IS: EVEN THOUGH I COULD DETECT WHEN A SALES PITCH HAS THE MAIN PURPOSE TO MAKE YOU FEEL VULNERABLE TO THEN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU, I WAS STILL FALLING INTO THE TRAP.
 
And I don't want to play the victim here, but the algorithm just wouldn't help. It kept bringing the same profiles to my screen and making me believe that I had to have a clear social media strategy, an editorial, a sales pitch, dress like a boss, wake up at 5 am and work out 6 to 7 days a week and only if I did all that I could have a chance on being successful.
 
And here's to being honest: I did buy a product that promised to deliver ‘Golden Instagram Stories’ and ‘help you get flooded with inquiries on your DMs’.
The product was good, really well assembled, great quality in video, interesting perspectives, and a lot of techniques to engage on Instagram that I would never have thought about on my own. But it just wasn't the product for me. 
 
I even tried a few hacks. More than that: I put together a 3 months editorial of posts and a strategy of things I had to do, think, post and say while I promised myself I would follow along. In the process I had many ideas of things I could force myself into learning so i could capitalize on them. And I made the commitment to wake up at 6 every morning, work out, and then put around 12h of work everyday if I wanted to see results soon.
 
None of that happened.
 
Which caused me to beat myself up with deprecating self-thoughts, naturally.
Until I intentionally clicked on this photographer and business coach instagram profile that I've been following since I started in photography @IndiaEarl.
She is someone I've always looked up to not only for her artistic work but for the way she carries herself and the lightness she brings to her sales approach.
And it was a breath of fresh air.
 
It was also when it hit me: why was I letting myself be so influenced by people that have an outlook in life - and sales - so opposite to mine, when there are incredible humans that I feel connected with (even if it's online) doing things so genuinely in their own way and being just as successful?!
 
And I'm sure that a lot of the coaches, influencers, digital marketers that were popping up to my instagram selling me stuff with an aggressive approach would claim that I was being weak, lacking focus and indisciplined.
 
But I have too much confidence in how well I know myself to ALSO know that the reason why I didn't do anything I planned back then is just because it goes against my strongest nature. Which is to take it easy, follow my guts and let things flow.
 
When I realized that I don't really need to be in all social media apps, learn algorithm hacks, study about the ‘12 secrets to be a successful influencer’ when all I want is to just make art, create beautiful things for people and connect genuinely with others, everything fell back into place.
 
I know this all sound kind of obvious, and I was never naive to think that I need to have instagram followers to be successful.
 
But the thing is: when we are on our lowest lows and vulnerability kicks hard, we are so much more susceptible to be influenced by the wave of people who are the 'wrong’ people for us - and the algorithm just keeps throwing them our way one by one. Until we find our way back to the shore and start swimming again, but in the right direction.
 
Surely I'm still facing some challenges, professionally speaking. I was in Sao Paulo for about a month and just moved to Rio and I don't even know for how long or what's next and it is only February.
 
But I decided that since I'm living this awesome gypsy life, with my two favourite boys (I'm counting the dog as one), in Brazilian summer and having the best time working from a hammock while listening to samba, instead of allowing my work challenges to become the protagonist of my journey, I decided to only focus on what gives me joy in what I do: create art and connection.
 
And this is why I came up with this newsletter. It is my little space to break all the ‘rules to successfully position yourself online': which is be my truest, most genuine, brutally honest and rule-breaker self and never ever fake it until I make it*.
 
So if you read all the way to this sentence and you agreed with a thing or two I said, I hate to break it to you but you are already part of my Renegade Collective.
 
Thank you for being here (and I hope you stay).
 
*the rules i'm braking obviously include ‘be succinct and brief on your newsletters’.

You know that picture that you really like but you're unsure how to edit it to make it look better or reflect your brand colours? I want to fix this for you.
 
It is as simple as replying to this e-mail and attaching the picture. If it's easier, you can also forward it to my Whatsapp.
 
I will edit it the way I normally edit my photos - with colour, light and details adjustments - and send it to you with a
list of the main adjustments I performed in case you want to replicate it in your photos.
 
(If you have a specific colour scheme you work with, you can also send me a reference photo or a colour palette that I can base my editing off).
 
I will send your photo edited within 7 days from when I receive it.
 
Looking forward to it :)
 
-------------------------------------------------
T&C: All edits are final. I won't edit anything beyond color, light, details and effects adjustments on Adobe Lightroom. I will accept up to 2 photos per person who subscribed to the newsletter by Feb 8 at 12 am (MST). I will only accept photos sent to me by February 18, 2023.
 
I hope you enjoyed this edition of The Renegade Collective. 
As always, I'm so grateful for your support and love having this opportunity to serve you in the inbox. If you ever want to suggest a topic for discussion feel free to reply to this e-mail :)

Obrigada —
LATEST ON MY INSTAGRAM
Instagram
Pinterest

Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences here. No hard feelings!