We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carlos Briseno a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Carlos, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Board Games and Brews started 4 years as a way to document what I was playing and drinking. I quickly found vibrant and diverse online communities for both board games and craft beer, two loves of mine. Both were so welcoming to me, and I’ve made some online friends that I communicate with regularly. Being part of an online community, there are so many people who do what I do, but better. Early on, I definitely felt like an imposter. My games weren’t the newest. My craft beer wasn’t award winning. My pictures weren’t even worth a hundred words. But I posted anyway and found that my online presence was welcomed by the communities I had found. In time, I came into my own style for content. I focused on what I felt was quality. While my post schedule wasn’t the most consistent, I liked what I was creating. When assessing my values, the thing I value most is authenticity, so I decided to only post the things that I liked and that I was proud of. This has had its pros and cons. The upside of it is that I can be genuinely proud of my content and can genuinely connect with people over it. The downside is that with bouts of depression, my energy and creativity dwindle. Its difficult to feel proud of my content when I don’t have the energy to create anything. I think, in time, I have learned to accept the good with the bad; to accept that my content schedule wont be the most consistent. To accept that I wont always have the energy to create. To accept that valuing authenticity means valuing all parts of myself. Because you cant be an imposter if you’re being true to yourself. Again, for all those who feel like an imposters: You can’t be an imposter if you’re being true to yourself. This has been a great lesson for me. in my time working on Board Games and Brews, my authenticity has been met with great validations. Validation in games, beer, and blog spaces. I’ve grown a community. I’ve been able to collaborate in ways I didn’t even consider when I started. My page is still not the biggest and games are still not the newest. My beer is still not the freshest, nor content the most viral. But, at the end of the day, what I create is authentic and it has found a genuine community.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Professionally, I am a teacher. By day, I teach math to middle school students. It’s a rough job. We’ve developed an extremely negative culture around math, that tells learners that they either are or aren’t “math people,” that problem solving should be avoided. But that’s why I love teaching and why I love board games. When done well, both allow people to gather and grow together. To think critically and creatively. To problem solve in a way that is no longer about the outcome but about the journey. – I’ve always known that I wanted to teach. There is something special about being able to witness someone’s growth; to be able to create a culture that says where ever you’re at, I have a seat for you. I think the same is true for board games and brews. Both are pathways to gathering people around a table and saying you belong. Both are pathways to creating community and memories, to growing together.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three qualities that have been most impactful for me have been my love for learning, creativity, and authenticity. My love for learning has impacted what I do because it informs understanding of myself and the people I hope to engage. It gives a greater appreciation for the communities that have welcomed me and the ones I have formed. It also allows me to continue growing. In my time working on Board Games & Brews I’ve gotten better. My photos are my dynamic and writing has improved. My advice here would be simply to develop a love for learning. All that you learn will inform who you are, which in turn will inform all that you do. Secondly, my unique creativity has been an important piece of what I do. I pretty quickly create a niche in the spaces I was going into. I create content in a way that I haven’t really seen much online, connecting two areas I really love. People are so unique and diverse. My advice would be to find your niche and lean into it. You’ll be surprised at how many people share your unique crossover of interests. Lastly, authenticity. This has been the single most influential quality for me in my content creation. Not only have I found my niche, but it has allowed me to focus on creativity, rather than numbers. I know what I like and I am not alone in that. My advice would be to be true to yourself. You will feel better about what you’re doing and will find the right community. It’s okay to understand the algorithm and what other creators are doing, but at the end of the day what you do should be true.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
YES! I’m always looking to collaborate and partner with people in the board games, craft beer, or related spaces. I’ve previously had the pleasure of collaborating with large board game companies for reviews, as well as small businesses looking to release their first game or trying to get their gaming accessories business going. I’ve been able to collaborate with craft breweries, and even with craft coffee and tea businesses. I’ve even had the privilege of being drawn into a card game! I’d love to do more. It’s always both incredibly validating and humbling. Right now, my dream collaboration would be with artists. I have a game idea I’d like to work on involving cartoon ducks!
Contact Info:
- Website: boardgamesandbrews.com
- Instagram: @boardgamesandbrews
Image Credits
Carlos Briseno | Board Games and Brews
