Theme 83: Flow

I really don't even care about race, but I have to because I have to constantly armor these children over and over and over when they encounter ignorance.

On a real basic level, humans just want to be loved.

Other communities need to stomp out hatred. Because is not on us anymore, to build our self-esteem so high, just so we can walk down the street and tolerate hatred.

These kids. The weight that they carry with them is so heavy, that if they did have that extra lift up, they would sky-rocket.

Everybody needs to help somebody up. We all have to do that.

It's not the momentum of the fall that allows us to rise, it's really when people help you on that way up.

It's about trying new things

There's always more to learn

The flow that I go with is not constant and steady; it's sporadic, it's temperamental and sometimes overwhelming

And here's the thing, I don't have the secret. I'm winging it.

You can't juggle flow, you gotta go with the flow: take it as it comes to you; rise to the challenges; give up on dreams and create new ones; let go of your babies in life and in work; let each flow inspire the next and allow them to transpire into a whole new flow that you never thought would be your kind of flow

It's not something I ever wanted to be recognised for, and nothing to do with me being the performer than I always dreamed of being. But something clicked and my inner drive kicked in and I did what I always do; I gave it everything I got, and just like that it became everything I ever wanted"

"(Bross Bagels) was just an idea, something that would keep me busy from 9-3, something to help Mark pay the mortgage. We had no idea that the first day we opened the doors there'd be a queue down the block and it would turn into what is it today"

"If something wasn't working for me I'd move on to the next thing and that was to keep myself challenged, inspired and keep my creative energy flowing"

"It was (my background in) comedy that created Mama Bross' persona"

"I'm actually just a Canadian who enjoys double entendres"

As a creative we are unique individuals who can express ourselves freely.

Get ultra clear on your priorities.

Determine your One Goal, and say ‘no’ to virtually everything else.

Your most reliable creative time comes about when you set up guardrails – in advance.

Creating is one of key ways that we enter into a flow state.

Put your energy towards the things that matter instead of the things that you really don’t want to do.

Does what I’m committing to provide value to my participants?

Create your own flow. Don’t emulate.

From losing my mother, I've learned to stop. To allow more room for tenderness - towards others and towards my own self.

Our power lies in designing our lives for ourselves on our own terms.

You really can get pretty far on audacity alone.

What brought you joy as a child is maybe exactly what you should be doing as an adult.

Magic is just waiting.

Your true work often happens organically when you're not looking.

Justice is not an abstract concept, but rather a daily practice.

Tenacity is one of our greatest assets.

Following your passion never really steers you wrong.

Acknowledge that when you are in grief, grief is what you are doing.

I lack the energy right now to do much of anything with my pockets of time.

We can get crystal clear about our priorities and make time for them.

Being an author and artist and illustrator — is — running a business.

The idea of my creative work as a business was in my head.

I have always been a writer.

Art is an engine of empathy.

It can be incredibly daunting to try and make change on a national or industry-wide scale. But, we realized that we had a lot of work we could do right in our own backyard.

Publishing is one of the last 'slow' industries.

The way you get your foot in the door in book publishing is through a proper, paid internship.

I wanted to make books. I knew where they made the books was where I wanted to be.

I am doing less. Less is about all I can manage these days.

Grief, it turns out, happens in your body.

There is a huge difference between sadness and grief.

It really matters what I'm paying attention to, and when.

Be curious. Be thoughtful. Be humble.

Responsible design is a design discipline concerned in practicing from within an ecosystem, honoring that community with its solutions and sharing in the responsibility of its outcomes.

What does responsible design look like?

To simply put it, I love connecting people to their purpose. Whether you’re a recording artist or an entrepreneur or you’re a creative, I like talking to you, figuring out what it is that you’re into and how I help you connect that with the world or with other people to further help you get that out there.

We don't need more star designers, more ego entrepreneurs nor more angry citizens. We need more change.

I see activism as a sort of compass, and I use my entrepreneurship skills as a map to actually make stuff happen. And then use design as the default mindset to actually go there.

Activism is about actions, it is not about –isms. It doesn't really matter if we all think the same, is about how can we make change go further.

Facts don't change our societal system, our interpretation of reality does, what we do with the facts does.

There is no changing the system if you don't partake in it

In order to actually make structural changes in the world, you have to be part of the structure

There is absolutely no victory in watching the world fall apart and screaming “I told you!” while doing so

Your job as a designer is to create better experiences that help to make this society a better place

We are actively being designed by the things by the things that we have designed

You have the power to change the way that people think and look at stuff through the tools that they use

We are actively being designed by the things that we have designed

Design is a superpower

An actor's strength is human weakness, and there's an art, craft & beauty in our weakness.

"Who'd have figured that by creating boundaries, we have created flow."

Consider the things that energize you as your 'income.'

It's not how good you are now, it's how good you're going to be that matters.

Intrinsic motivation is all I've ever been guided by.

If I can get that feeling where nothing else matters, then... that's it.

In hip hop, flow is your tone, your cadence, your lyrics, and your demeanor.

A city that's becoming equitable should also be affordable.

If we're not careful, equity can be just a buzzword.

Transit really gave me accessibility to opportunities that would not have been possible if I wasn't in close proximity [to public transit.]

Transit can either be a lifeline or a lifestyle.

I go weeks, or months, without putting words on the page but I'm always writing in my head.

Most writing happens in your brain and not when your fingers are on the keyboard

I think symbolism only works if it's organic.

I work the hardest on the characters I disagree with.

Flow is like that invisible string that the universe has on you pulling you forward to where you are supposed to go.

When you put positive energy into the world, you get that back.

The ladder of success starts on the bottom rung. Every day I wake up and look at who I've become. Cause I'm impressed. I overcame the greatest threats. Built a bridge then paved the way for those who come next.

I lead with the things that I value.

Success is not always defined by the immediate reaction. There’s something we call the rewind factor: what keeps us coming back to make new discoveries.

The consistent metronome is your mission but everyone’s solo’s different.

You cannot have process without flow.

Don’t talk about it – be about it.

Flow defies expectation while staying consistent.