November 6, 2000
Mondo Taitu Bocas
Dear Michael,
I have indeed had some moments of great clarity. I have felt fulfilled by my photography as never before, spending entire days like a child at play; preparing, shooting and reviewing my work. Ahh! The magic of digital photography! Interestingly, frogs and some insects have been the most exciting recently. I’ll attach some of my favorite images.
An insight I’ve had lately is that I could actually live here in Bocas. (As I write these words I am saddened for the first time by the reality of missing my family.) The little community of islanders and expatriates seem open and accepting of me and my quirks. I feel free here. And it seems like a wild frontier, with opportunities and freedom. A boomtown, if you will, with territory to be staked out! There is also a very cute girl here I’ve had a crush on. She really brought everything together here in terms of my perfect fantasy world. Fantasy being the operative word here. As I’ve gotten to know her a little better my infatuation has dimmed somewhat, and in fact, she does have a boyfriend.
A business opportunity here for me is that there are no postcards in Bocas and they are sketchy throughout Panama. There is a small but definite market. “The Colors of Panama” theme has emerged for me to include frogs, flowers, indigenous clothing and much more. It has been said that the ability to simultaneously hold opposing ideas is the sign of a great intellect. Ha! I must be really smart! With notions of growing roots here in Bocas I also have desire and clarity in the area of growing the filmtrips audience. I feel like I have hit my stride now with my writing, photography and lifestyle on the road. I have found my voice.
I have the desire and the ability to express myself in a way that people have responded to. I feel as though “it” is an entity. It now has a life of its own. A connection with my followers that I have some control over, communicating the excitement in a very tangible way. It is a tool, a vehicle, a channel for my enthusiasm. Getting the feedback and responding to it has been awesome. My outflow in the form of letters has been effective. Inflow has dropped off almost completely in two weeks without outflow. I trust I’ll be able to jumpstart it again quickly.
I have about 250 on my outgoing list. What if I had 25,000 or 250,000? If the administrative support were there it would be awesome! Sponsors and advertisers would make sense. But how long could I keep up the enthusiasm and the outflow? A very good question! Where do I want to take it? What is my exit strategy? Clone myself and get a number of filmtrippers crossing the globe with digital cameras? Perhaps.
I have plans for the first filmtrips “Show on the Road” here in Bocas with video monitors attached to my laptop. This is a fun concept that I could do at every stop along the way. They could be more or less formal depending on the location and nature of the audience. An exciting networking possibility and a way to sell some merchandise and gather email addresses. Filmtrips “the TV series” has also occupied a significant portion of my future fantasy imagination! A combination of Michael Palin, Lonely Planet, and the Crocodile Hunter that goes after humans with a humorous bilingual approach! A DVD pilot would be an easy first step.
A few projects on the docket? Certainly! That gives me motivation to get each one done so I can get on to the next!
Take care,
Mark
