Speaker Spotlight - Cortina Jenelle

Founder & Creative Community Organizer, Artists Designing Evolution (adé PROJECT) 

Cortina’s Website | Instagram
adé PROJECT Website | Instagram

Month: July | Theme: Underdog

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your practice. 

My personal mission is to shift community, business and organizational culture by placing a high value on authenticity.  I seek to celebrate differences as bridge(s) to connection and innate creativity – especially related to human resources, business development, communications, branding, learning and community organizing/building. My highest vision is to live in a world in which individuals, businesses and organizations create sustainable solutions from a place of authenticity and holistic integration of a healthy system. Coupled with my personal values of curiosity, culture, communication, community, connection + creativity, nothing is impossible!

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Happy!    

Can you remember when you first learned about your field of work? How did you discover what it was, and how did you know it was what you wanted to do?
I first learned about people being cartoonists, writers and authors when I was a kid…I knew SOMEBODY had to be creating the content and I was curious. Unfortunately it wasn’t until I was 29 years old that I allowed myself to take myself more seriously as an artist and 25 years old for the entrepreneur journey. I feel like books were my first love, and still to this day I love the knowledge, adventure, curiosity, community, organizing, legacy and awareness that books contribute to building.  

What is the best part and hardest part of your job?
The best part of my job is that my work is a reflection of my life and experiences…and the hardest part of my job is that my work is a reflection of my life and experiences. It’s more than a job to me. And the responsibility of any creator is bigger than any of us. So every decision, lesson, curation, production, event, post, etc is a practice of mindfulness and play. That can be both hard and amazing to try to keep in balance!    

What on-the-job tools do you use every day?
Facilitation, Google Drive, community organizing, active listening, brain-mapping (on whiteboards, easel pads, or digitally) and LOTS of sticky notes!

What about your community inspires you?
Turning adversity into an adventure paving the road to resilience.

What is the best piece of business advice you’ve been given?
Creativity is an inception and manifestation of a connection with the magical energy of an idea.     

Can you name a moment of failure in your business experience that you learned from or that helped you improve your business or the way you work?
The time(s) in my life when I was trying to pick one lane for my work and my creative expression to live in was a period of “failure”. To be honest, failure isn’t a word in my vocabulary. Everything is an opportunity to learn and grow. But I will say that from the constant feelings of impending doom, suffocation and disconnection it was killing me to try to fit myself in a box and just stay in one “lane” or sector. I liberated myself from that perception and my work has been beautifully and oddly woven together ever sense!

What books/resources would you recommend to someone interested in furthering their creative practice, or starting a creative business of their own?
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, Emergent Strategy by adrienne marie brown, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson, and probably to vision board at least annually!

If you were magically given three more hours per day, what would you do with them?
Give them back, I feel like I put the time I have to good use already (:

Who are your favorite creators and makers, local and beyond? 
Mother Earth inspires me EVERY DAY! As well as so many other writers, musicians, YouTubers, and poets than I can name. I LOVE creativity and art.

Anything else you’d like to share? 
Screenshot - Credit: Liz Williams