Meet Peter Winkelmann

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Peter Winkelmann a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Peter , we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

Resilience is not something you learn, but something you earn. There’s no quick way to build resilience. It’s a gruelingly slow process. It’s less about what you do and more about what you shouldn’t do: give up. The longer you stay in the race, the greater your resilience. We are all capable of so much more than we can imagine. Through the sheer act of not giving up, just taking a step forward every day, you look back in a few years and see you’ve come further than you thought possible.

While there’s no easy way to build resilience, there is one factor that can influence this: are you doing what you love? No matter what you’re working towards, there will always be days where getting out of bed is agony. However, if you’re doing what you love, that can be just enough to tip the scales and keep you moving forward. You must keep moving forward.

Oh and if you ever need a little bit of extra help, remember this quote from Samwise Gamgee: “It’s like the great stories, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad has happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it’ll shine out the clearer.”

I think of these words whenever the thought of giving up crosses my mind. Samwise didn’t give up and neither should you!

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?

I am an independent Actor, Writer and Producer making my way through the tumultuous film industry during its slowest period ever. That requires a certain kind of hustle and determination. It’s slim pickin’s out here. That means most of my time is spent generating opportunities for myself and my community. It’s the age of making your own content, but you already knew that. So that’s what we’re all doing out here. It’s a steep learning curve and a wild ride.

There are all kinds of barriers to entry in this industry, from financing to casting, studio confidence to distribution. If there’s any hope for this industry, it’s in young artists finding a way around these by doing it themselves. That’s kind of what I’m working on right now.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Firstly, actively building your community. You can’t do it alone (unless you’re rich). A strong community will do more for your career and overall well being than any course or coach. A community will support you through thick and thin and always remember: The rising tide raises all ships. Make friends with people! And I’m not talking Beverly hills brunch friends, I’m talking people who show up when you need a pair of hands to get things done. And in turn, they know that you’ll be there for them.

Second, a “do it yourself” attitude. As much as you can, take initiative and generate opportunities for yourself and others. It’s a steep learning curve, but it’s an extraordinary feeling when you realise that you have the power to make things happen by yourself. If you have this and you are building a strong community, then you’re right in the pocket. You are indispensable. You become the master of your own life and with a community and network around you to accelerate your ideas.

Thirdly, leading with love. “some things you do for money, some you do for fun, but the things you do for love are gonna come back to you one by one.” I’m still working on this one, but leading with love is like the career version of the self actualisation tier on the hierarchy of needs. When you’re truly leading with love, nothing can stop you.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

My number one challenge this year has been work-life balance. In the last few years, I’ve done nothing but work. I’ve worked harder than I thought I was capable of, but now my challenge is finding time to be a person, nurturing relationships and enjoying my life. As an artist, down time is very important. We work very intensely and, in turn, must rest intensely also.

I’m learning to take things a bit slower and take proper care of myself. It takes time to let the well fill up once it’s run dry. I’m also realising the importance of finding time to be bored. To find that itchy, restless feeling which just won’t go away. That’s creativity waiting to manifest itself into whatever you wish it to be. You can’t find that potential energy unless you rest and take your time.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @peter.winkyyy

Image Credits

Brandon Dougherty
Ariana Hoshino
Leah Huebner