CreativeMornings ™

A lot of people came and said I never thought about it like this. I never thought about the fact that this person that I’m seeing that is standing out here panhandling or that’s in the shelters or that’s hanging out and sleeping under the bridges has a story and that there were life circumstances and a part of their story that brought them to this place. I think it’s very important that we recognize that and that we realize they need our help not our condemnation.

In my work, I try to encourage talking about mental health in very small ways... positive messages that might be used by people as little reminders.

The rates of depression and anxiety are going up. How do we address that in our work?

You should save all your ideas. I haven't seen the start of my notes in a couple of years.

Whenever I go out for Italian food I always get the spaghetti late, I had to call them out, they forgetti my spaghetti.

There's no right way of making comics.

I made the executive decision to just watch Spongebob all day... I probably have a back-catalogue of a thousand Patricks.

Your purpose is your North Star. It's a path that you follow... It's how we follow through with our commitment to ourselves.

A purpose is a reason to get out of the bed in the morning.

We have to actively, every single day, make a decision and a commitment to choosing ourselves over the crippling fragility of insecurity.

When you define your purpose, when you define your identity, that's when you've truly harnessed your power. That's when you truly are a changemaker.

Insecurity is an adjective. It's not a mandate. It's not foundational. It's not core.

When we're dealing with the insecurities, and the consequences of our external insecurities...be aware, be vigilant, be firm and stand in who you are.

What are you insecure about? Write it down. Speak it aloud. Let it lose the power that it holds when it's inside.

Insecurity has no place in your life. Insecurity has no place in your work. It has no place in your calling. You must remove it to make room for your destiny, for your purpose, for your path.

As we've progressed, there have been many things along the way that have wanted us to 'stay put,' to stay silent. But we have continued to speak up.

It would be very easy for me to walk away from this work feeling like a failure, because we've been self-funded, we don't have a lot of money...but in spite of, we have been able to honor and lift up black farmers and culinary artists.

When you're stuck in insecurity, you can't really see your way out of it. Because you're so deeply entrenched in the self doubt, the fear, the pity, the strain, the force— the exposure to vulnerability.

At the end of the day, you're continuing to agree with something that is optional. Insecurity is defined as an adjective, it is an additive, it is an addition, it is a layer—it is not the core.

We must look insecurity dead in the eye and remove the power.

These temporary feelings, these falsehoods, these fallacies should not be able to corrupt, break down or alter my foundation.

These micro insults, these micro aggressions are like echo chambers. The echo to the depths of your soul.

Insecurity is a dual opponent. It's crafty. It's deceitful. It keeps you on your toes.

This concept of insecurity, oftentimes, leaves us with the residue of things not mandated to be in alignment with out ultimate purpose, path and vision. These temporary feelings, voices and emotions perpetuate crippling falsehoods that rob us of our core identity.

Insecurities are layers—of external pressures meeting with those internal pressures and colliding.