We were lucky to catch up with Betti Bazemore recently and have shared our conversation below.

Betti, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

To be successful, it takes confidence, tenacity and a personal concept that expresses the idea that your reality isn’t based on the experiences of others. Believe that your reality is unique because of its ability to defy universal patterns of what people consider normal. This concept will allow you to consider all possibilities. The strategies of others might not be the perfect strategy for your success. The risks that others prevented to take may be a great ingredient in the formula, for your progress. While fostering your vision, get comfortable with thinking outside the box, even if you’re feeling like you’re the only one who can see, taste, smell and feel it. Stay the determined course. Take the shot.

I started acting at age 44. Without training or mentorship, I set out on a new career as an artist. Most people believed that I was too old to get into the industry and others thought it was a far fetched dream. With determination, confidence and the gift of gab, I have come a long way in my journey. My reality is my own.

Betti, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As a way to conquer a fear of public speaking, I enrolled in Philadelphia Comedy College. During one of my classes, I received information on a few local talent agencies and was encouraged to apply for small roles as an extra. I took advantage of the opportunity and landed a featured extra role on a superbowl commercial starring Chris Rock and Sylvester Stallone. I loved it so much and decided to go into the direction of comedic acting instead of standup comedy.
Throughout my journey, I noticed countless times of feeling like a hybrid. Being around young artists breathes fresh air into my experiences yet leave me feeling like a “Big Sis” to them, instead of one of them. Keeping in touch with other Gen Xers are nostalgic and familiar ,yet a lot of us have lost our childhood wonder and stopped dreaming years ago.

In efforts to find my tribe, I created The Wonderment Cypher brand, a community that encourages and celebrates forever dreamers, the Gen X’er artists living unapologetically unconventional lives, in efforts of making it.

Through social media content, community and merch, “The Wonderment Cypher” encourages us to never compromise authenticity, to never stop believing in our talents, to express our crafts wholeheartedly and to live through the same childhood wonder we had in the 90’s (when the whole world knew we were the future)

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I owned a wellness center from 2009 to 2020, offering closed system colon hydrotherapy services. After 10 years of practice, work became repetitious and lacked creativity, prompting me to get into more creative endeavors. One day, due to rescheduling conflicts, I successfully convinced a client to accompany me on set of a commercial in exchange for a free service and an opportunity to have a role in it. Because the client was excited about the opportunity to show off his new braceless teeth, I was able to honor both obligations. I also realized that a major decision had to be made. The business or an acting career? The obligations were colliding. In 2020, the pandemic made the decision for me by preventing my practice from operating for over a year. Hindsight truly is 20/20. Since then, all of my focus has been on my career as an artist and I couldn’t be happier.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Society teaches us that success is measured on how much one has. In order to make it as an artist, that concept had to be reevaluated because the “starving artist” phase usually last for many years. I had to come to terms with letting go of materialistic things that carry responsibility, become a minimalist and embrace living with just needs and very little wants. It’s the sacrifice of luxuries that keep me afloat in between gigs and allows me to stay the course with deviating out of desperation.
When deciding to move to NYC from Philadelphia, I gave up living in a 3bedroom house to renting a room. I sold my car because driving in NYC is unnecessary and expensive, and had to learn a new city without knowing a single person. It was a drastic transition, but one I embraced because it was for a great cause. Four years and counting, still giggin too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://TheWondermentCypher.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bettibazemore?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@bettibazemore447?si=W86zCm02WRn10v7a

Image Credits

Image credit: Betti Bazemore