#I do not aim to bring anyone's listening experience down or make the creators feel bad

[half-man-half-lime]

Rude Tales finale spoilers

...huh. that was... kind of disappointing? I guess it makes sense as a personal growth "choose yourself" sorta deal but, uh, they just sort of gave up on saving all the students and staff from eternal torture?

Like, why did they do all this just to give up on saving all those people? Why did they take the Devil at her word and not challenge her on the fact that the stuff she finds funny has actual painful consequences for others? Why didn't they listen to the demonic book's question- will it always be hell? Does it have to be? Couldn't they fight her, or do *something* to buck the status quo?

Like, after all those fight authority fuck the man themes, they just sorta make peace with the deific figure who's responsible for everyone's suffering because she's a libertarian? It feels like the same sort of "meet God at the end of the story and he's pretty chill" trope you see a lot, where someone could really easily hate the god in question because fuck that guy, he just let everyone suffer from his chill little office and we're supposed to be cool with it because he's got his own way of doing things?

Also I thought Stirfry would join in at the end, I guess that was hard to swing. Nice twist, Virginia's death did feel pretty bad so I dig the little redemption arc.

I have other complaints about stakes and character choices, but it feels like I'm being annoying at this point (why were The Unpleasantness and Lexicon Matters so easy and final to beat after all that hype and the fact that they were the center of so much conflict? (The daughter could die in hell? How's that work?) Should both have had more development as villains? Did Cordelia and Albee fail to reach the room because of Straid or did they forget about their main goal that they traveled so far and fought so hard to reach, and what were the stakes of that journey home if they could have put coins on their eyes and just shown up right by the school from the start? Should Hell have been a bigger and more conflict-heavy arc and given the setting more development after, again, a ton of expectations and hype, or would that have been filler? Yeah I'm being annoying)

To be exceedingly fair, there's clearly a lot they were juggling after Taylor left the show, and he was taking on a lot from what I heard in at least one interview, it was good that he lightened the load for his health and everything. Not fair to blame anyone for that, plus the fact that they're running two different Tabletop podcasts as a group, with a lot of production value, which is a lot.

I dunno. Is what it is, there was a lot to enjoy about those last few episodes. Loved the Stirfry theme song and Lexicon's Disney villain jazz number. Hell's entire execution and Branson's big wild description was incredibly cool. I hope Stirfry and Splish-Splash and Hot Roddy and Chaste Tools are having fun adventures.

[gamergirluprising]

(WARNING SENSITIVE INFO WILL BE DISCUSSED OR GIVEN. IF YOU CANNOT HANDLE INFO REGARDING SELF-HARM OR BULLYING I’D ADVISE YOU NOT TO READ ON. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED)

Hello, everyone, I’d like to share somethings that have urked me and outright surprise me when getting deeper and deeper into this whole shebang cause honestly, this is too much to NOT notice. If you're wondering what I am talking about I am referring to all the stuff I found out about Viv and the fact that she never truly seemed sorry for what she's done to said people based on what I have found out and what she's said in recent years.

Now you all may say "G, she said she's sorry and that's that. Don't bring up things that happened years ago or have been resolved." and look, man, I'd leave it alone if it was CLEAR that she was truly a person of her word, wasn't a hypocrite, and didn't cause 3 people to be suicidal and cause/know of witchhunts that she KNOWS happened and/or wanted to happen. You guys can like her all you want and defend her, but be sure they are good defenses, understand WHERE I am coming from, and be mindful of what I am saying. Don't just ignore everything she did just cause you THINK she's super nice or because she's your idol.

I will also emphasize that I wish for NO ONE to send any unnecessary hate or anything of the like to Viv. You don't stoop to someone else's level just cause they did some bad crap. I just wanted to say any of this, loud and clear, cause its straight facts that shouldn't be buried just cause she wants to hold onto her image the best she can. That isn't at all fair to those victims who have been wronged and had their names tainted over her destructive and mean-spirited hypocritical behavior. AGAIN DO NOT ATTACK VIV AND DON'T THINK ME CALLING HER OUT IS A REASON TO HATE HER. We can be better than her in terms of handling things. Do not also think me calling her out shouldn't have been done JUST CAUSE you don't wanna hear it or not. If you don't wanna see it, you don't have to read it.

with that being said, LET'S DISSECT.

 S T A R V A D E R

First I have to start off relaying to you guys what Starvader had stated at the beginning of the document so you'll get a jist of why she even spoke up in the first place. 

 "I type this document with no malicious intent only my personal thoughts on how I feel recently about the situation since its been on my mind well every day now since 2013. At least five years I’ve had thoughts below as to my personal experience of meeting an ex idol and why sometimes meeting your idol isn’t the best approach. For me, that ex idol is Vivienne Medrano creator of Zoophobia and Hazbin Hotel. I’m not aiming to defame this creator nor do I think people should stop liking their work or stop supporting them. If you like their work there is nothing wrong with that but I will refuse to silence myself any longer due to how much this rarely leaves my mind and tends to come up. This has been a situation swept under the rug and most would probably state ‘ well why are you bringing all this up now it was so and so years ago you guys squashed this etc etc “ that being the case, sorry doesn’t fix emotional trauma that comes up frequently during depressive episodes and comments do tend to stick to people in a certain way. Apology or not, words have a heavy weight to them."

I put this here even though I will be putting a link to her doc because people will most likely not read or press the link and just act as if Starvader wanted blood. No, she stated her mind and was clear when saying she wanted no harm done to Viv.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRX8VEoTS7Xot7D9u5i7MMEgtT44mNEtgpl4FY7QDZCA7ZY2j-CTJF7Uw_JwSJ6WUQNVvaTQv60Igte/pub

In this link It tells anyone who comes across it what she and some others mentioned here had to go through when being compared by Viv, wanting to do what's right and still being "called out" and bullied while getting hate sent to them, and having been told how her dreams would never ever be achieved and that she should practically give up, how she put friends against one another, etc. It showcases screenshots of these examples. 

It all began with the accusation of art theft. The very thing she played the victim in with someone else. I'm sure some of you old-time fans of Viv know who this person was and are aware of the beef they had with one another. After reading Starvader's Doc, I want you to look at the post Vivziepop made to defame someone known as 

  D O L L C R E E P

This may be a throwback to you and you all may have thought this person was abusive. I won't say that they did absolutely nothing wrong since they themselves have said they did some wrong in the situation, but I will say that one was more of a problem starter than the other. 

http://web.archive.org/web/20151008172207/http://enoughisenough-dollcreep.tumblr.com/post/125101370456/my-experience-with-dollcreep

Notice in this post that the very things she did to Starvader she said DollCreep did to her and how she tries and paint DollCreep as this SEVERELY abusive person. Hell even in Starvader's document you'll see that DollCreep told SV that he talked with Viv about the whole thing regarding SV and Viv and she apparently listened at the time. Not to mention that the screenshots Viv put in that post were either take(very possibly) taken out of context or not even bad to begin with (though his reply about the face thing was odd and shouldn't have been addressed b but due to circumstances, I think that's why he was so cautious). I don't know DC like that, but this kinda makes me feel as though he wasn't a bad person Viv makes him out to be and more her trying to destroy his image ENTIRELY for her benefit, cause till this very day she still calls him an abuser and someone she doesn't want to meet again. 

if you continue on into the post she made, you'll see that she has made characters, EERILY SIMILAR to DC's, some WAY MORE than others. SV was willing to change some of the designs and even wanted to stop, Viv, however, seemed to take great offense over such an accusation and took to social media to make her frustrations known. SV kept this hidden from 2013 to 2018.

Oh btw, if you read the doc you'll see that SV wanted to commit suicide. DC actually attempted it. The cyberbullying ran that deep and it ANGERS me.

here’s what someone who saw the sitch had to say.

https://web.archive.org/web/20170619163024/http://dcs-personal-blog.tumblr.com/

can find everything here regarding what DC said about the sitch. You guys DO NOT ATTEMPT TO HURT THIS PERSON. It actually pisses me off that people even attacked DC and blindly believed Viv. It’s Johnny Depp’s situation all freaking over again

Here’s the picture of Viv saying that he was abusive, completely ignoring her behavior, and knowing hate would be sent to DC. Again won’t say that DC was completely innocent but damn man, was this necessary? DC even said that they talked it out and everything 

https://vivziepop.tumblr.com/post/179705403534/im-only-going-to-say-this-once

Don’t even get me started on the whole character credit fiasco that Viv refused to properly fix.

https://krieg-was-taken.tumblr.com/post/101438542866/dollcreep-kibadoglover45-dollcreep-even

Look at this as well.

https://web.archive.org/web/20200104224648/https://tyacutie123.tumblr.com/post/125800399071/beware-of-abusive-artist

it mentions SV again, but it also brings into light a parody character meant to mock DC during all of this drama. 

https://killapunk.tumblr.com/post/125896144245/dcs-personal-blog-enoughisenough-dollcreep/amp

DollCreep does the same thing back and is treated like the enemy. Hypocrisy at its finest.

now, most of you guys will be saying that this all happened in the past. It’s over, some will say, She’s changed (some of you may even say that these people deserve it. Yes people actually have said stuff like this to me or others) but here’s the problem, She still pulls crap like this to ruin people or to make others feel stupid. Just last year she was laughing with JaneGumball (who APPARENTLY made up with the victim) saying that she deserves it for being rude when the girl just said her opinion and was still a fan of Viv at the time, meaning she didn’t even mean to hurt Viv’s feelings and, hear me out, even if she did WHY FIND HER CYBERBULLYING FUNNY AND JUSTIFIED OVER AN OPINION? What sort of logic is that? That’s GREATLY immature and unnecessary, especially for someone her age (She’s 27 or 28 guys while the victim was 15, come on man!)

 and I’m sure some of you know what happened with the person who made a meme regarding HH and other animated cartoons.

She’s VERY MUCH AWARE THAT THEY WERE ATTACKED....and this is how she responds....wow O K A Y.

So no, she didn’t actually change because she most likely didn’t think she had to. People kept supporting her thus making her believe that what she did was correct. Oh and Faust is practically Viv as well. (As seen by the SV doc and this tweet thread)

https://twitter.com/melonbea/status/1206994000563068930?s=19

Hell Viv seemed to ignore this too, as well as a lot of shipping drama if it involves a specific ship, but I won’t delve too deep into that subject since I am not very aware of the things that go down in that side of the fandom. 

and there’s this 

https://afraidofmonsters-headcanons.tumblr.com/post/188662798256/so-lets-talk-about-this-blog-the-fandom-and-viv

and this

https://historia-kq.tumblr.com/post/190882421127

I’d advise you guys to hear these things out. 

Oh and Viv is the type to be a Hypocrite regularly,

https://twitter.com/VivziePop/status/613097846603026433?s=19

I could send you all the screenshots of her tweets but that should be another post on its own cause THERE IS A LOT. Like her Cancel Culture tweet, that tweet where she said, and I quote, “The hypocrisy is strong” back in 2014, November 29th. That time she had a thread of tweets saying, and I quote “never let someone dictate your value as an artist! Never seek the approval of someone else and conform to what they say you should do!” Despite doing this to StarVader.

If you guys want screenshots I can either personally DM or make a post showing her hypocrisy. Cause honestly this is rather, dare I say it, TOXIC. She’s manipulated people and has used them when they don’t abide by her rules or make a mistake that could have been resolved privately, she attacks and it’s saddening. I am TIRED of people getting hurt by her and I am tired of her abusing her power. If she wants to change I am COMPLETELY DOWN for that, but change starts when you want it. You can’t say sorry and expect people not to see past the lies or see that you obviously didn’t change. Sorry should mean what it means, feeling regret or penitence, but if you don’t at all exhibit these things then how are we supposed to believe that you are at all sorry for anything you’ve done currently AND in the past? I mean damn dude did you guys even know what happened to the cosplayer that Viv was mad about?

https://boricua-moonbakery.tumblr.com/post/616407364553310208

Now look, if you like Viv’s content, that’s your choice. I for one very much do like some fan content that i’ve stumbled onto and find some very creative and my cup of tea and while I’m not a huge fan of HH I still very much find the premise very creative. What I do if a creator of something is majorly sketch or strange I simply seperateb the content from the creator. I simply wanted to point out things many peeps don’t know about and any person who is a fan of Viv, I hope you’d at least understand WHY I am at all saying anything I am saying. I want there to be justice but I want things to be fair. I don’t want Viv to get hurt, but I want her to actually learn from her mistakes. I am not here to discourage you from anything, it’s your choice if you choose to stay and I will not judge you for it. I am a girl who SIMPLY wants people to be more aware of who exactly Vivienne Medrano is. She’s mistreated both fans of HH and ZP and it boggles me.

If you guys want more info, like her tweets that I mentioned, just message me.

      END OF DISSECTION

[kicksaddictny]

How Nike’s Turning Play Into a Lifestyle for Kids

According to NIKE

Jumping rope with a garden hose. Holding a squat while you create a secret handshake with your bestie. Hanging from monkey bars as you see LeBron James get quizzed on his second best sport.

You must be watching Playlist.

The episodic Nike YouTube series, now entering its ninth season, launched two years ago with one clear goal: “We wanted to show kids that sport, at its core, is all about play,” says Jessa Moon, Global Brand Director for Nike Kids. “It doesn't have to be soccer or football or traditional sports — it can be a mash-up or something totally wild and different. We wanted to inspire kids to think about moving their bodies in all kinds of ways and having it be about joy as opposed to winning or competition.”

Hosted by kid athletes like 13-year-old skateboarder Sky Brown and her 9-year-old brother, Ocean, a typical Playlist episode takes kids through fun and funny movement challenges, ratchets up the silliness with sound effects and slapstick gags, and includes appearances from star athletes like Russell Wilson, Mo Farah, Bebe Vio and the aforementioned King James — all of whom are game to be goofy and show off their inner kid on-screen.

Season after season, the series has grown its presence and audience, fine-tuning on its primary channel, YouTube, and streaming across Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. Playlist has also found its place in the Nike digital ecosystem, alongside its adult counterparts like the Nike Run Club and Nike Training Club apps, proving that Nike offers not just product, but also day-to-day service and benefits to all its consumers.

The constant throughout, says Moon, is that all Playlist episodes are rooted in fun, because when kids are having fun, they’ll be naturally motivated to move.

For parents, inspiring kids to want to move is more important — and harder — than ever. Today, only one in five kids get the physical activity they need to be healthy and successful. Parents also have even more on their plates, often acting as a child’s cook, chauffeur, stylist, teacher and coach within the course of day. Playlist is one way Nike sought to help solve this universal problem by providing resources that get kids and their families to enjoy movement together, improving the relationship and bond between grown-up and kid, and setting kids up for a lifetime of healthy habits and movement that they could one day pass on to the next generation.

Doing that meant understanding that the words “play sport” have tension built into them, says Rami Jabaji, VP of Kids Global Brand Management. To today’s kids, explains Jabaji, sport can feel too structured, too competitive — high stakes, yelling coaches, parents pushing them into it. “They feel disconnected from its benefits, from its joy,” says Jabaji. There’s another kind of tension too: Gen Alpha is the most dedicated to activism, yet the least physically active. That’s partly because they don’t fully resonate with today's definition of traditional sport, says Jabaji. “While young kids naturally enjoy movement and play, it’s the moment when sport takes a turn — when it becomes too structured and rule-bound, not based in freedom and discovery — that kids start to opt out, and they trade physical activity for sedentary screen time,” he says. “The screen provides them with a tool that fulfills their needs in a deeper way than sport does.”

How do you solve for that?

“Our answer was, ‘We have to make sport fun again,’” says Jabaji. “We have to anchor it in play and get back to why kids fell in love with sport in the first place.”

More Ways Nike Serves Kids

Cool Gear, Just for Them Listening to what kids need to move and play and solving kid-specific challenges are hallmarks of Nike Kids product design. That’s reflected in extended sizing, gender-inclusive apparel lines, and gender-inclusive shoes like the new Nike Air Zoom Crossover. The kid-informed basketball shoe features a last with room in the toe box for growing feet, a snug fit and support around the ankle, and a playful “Game Mode” written on the tongue.

Coaches Who Make a Difference Sport is uniquely positioned to help kids handle stress and thrive when the environment is fun, inclusive, and served up by caring and trained coaches. That’s why Nike partnered with ICOACHKIDS to create an accessible, approachable series of coaching essentials that preps anyone to be a volunteer youth coach. The ICOACHKIDS coaching essentials are free and available on the Nike Training Club App and Nike Run Club App in Europe, the Middle East and Africa; if you already have one of the apps on your phone, click here to check out the essentials now.

Nike is also the founding partner of The Center for Healing and Justice in Sport (CHJS), a nonprofit organization fueling a movement to bring research-backed, healing-centered sport training to youth coaches across North America. “A lot of young people who show up to sport experiences may be treading water in other parts of their lives,” says CHJS founder Megan Bartlett. “We prepare a coach to create an environment in which kids can feel like they belong, feel seen and feel safe.” Nike is training its store employees who serve as Nike Community Ambassadors to coach kids in their communities and offering the training to its North America Made to Play partners, Nike employees and consumers. Learn how to get involved here.

That began with putting the kid at the center of every decision, a foundational part of Nike’s new approach to its kids business. Jabaji’s team dubs it “kidvision,” or the idea that kids see the world not as it is, but as it could be. “It’s an innovative lens, a creative lens, a more inclusive and accessible lens,” he says.

Take a screen, for example. Look at it through the eyes of a kid, and they don’t see a negative device. They see a portal into a world where they can be anything they want to be. And that’s where Nike saw opportunity, says Jabaji. “We can meet kids where they are and convert that time into healthy and purposeful movement and activity, and ultimately create a deeper connection with sport.”

 Evolving with the World

Playlist was an instant hit on YouTube, notching millions of views. When the pandemic hit, the team knew their series had to step up. “We were in the middle of our third season, and we thought, ‘We know this content is critical for kids, now more than ever, but how do we bring it to them in a way that resonates with what they’re going through?’” says Moon. They found the unlock in shifting the entire show to an at-home model, with kid athletes like Brown leading a new content pillar called “Shake-Ups,” creative home-based challenges that throw a zany twist into traditional exercises like planks or squats.

Since then, the team’s moved to an entirely remote-capture model, asking kid hosts and pro athletes to film themselves in their homes, where you inevitably see their kitchens, pets and real-life snafus and interruptions. “It feels more raw and personal, and it’s allowed us to expand globally; recently we’ve included kids in Barcelona, Chengdu and Guadalajara.”

The most rewarding part for Moon has been seeing the social element of Playlist unfold. “We’ve found that most kids are watching it with their siblings or their families. They tell us, ‘Hey, I watched Playlist with my sister, and then we went on and made our own secret handshake,’ or ‘I watched it with my mom and we went out to the backyard and tried to jump rope.’” That aim to strengthen the familial bond and inspire everyone to move? As a Playlist host would say, “Knocked it outta the paaark!”

 Doubling Down on the Future

Kids will continue to fuel creativity within the brand when, later this year, Nike introduces the Nike Play Council, a group of young athletes and creators who all share a passion for making sport more fun, accessible and inclusive, and who will help bring Gen Alpha’s vision of sport to life. “It's our opportunity to literally give kids a seat at the table and co-create the future of sport with them,” says Jabaji. The confirmed council members: Sky and Ocean Brown, Brazilian kid skateboarder Rayssa Leal, kid football player Lorenzo Greer (aka Tekkerz Kid), and kid drummer Nandi Bushell (aka “the Most Badass Drummer in the World,” according to drummer Dave Grohl). Each member of the Play Council will consult and collaborate directly with Nike and also help inform and expand the future of the group. While Nike has always been committed to listening to the voice of the athlete*, the Play Council ensures that young athletes’ voices are heard loud and clear.

According to Jabaji, channeling that voice has been Nike’s greatest win in its new approach to its kids business. “If you look at the world through the eyes of a kid and put them at the center of your work, he says, “the potential of what it can unlock is limitless.”

*If you have a body, you are an athlete.

[creative-frequency]

Bar in Galahd: Part 2

@nyxulricweek Day 8 | Creator’s Choice Word count: 3909 Pairing: Nyx Ulric x Female Reader Warnings: SFW, alcohol, pining Summary: Nyx and Libertus fulfill their lifelong dream of running a bar, so what better place could your squad have for hanging out? Part 2 of 2. Read part 1 here.

It took weeks to find the time for your squad to gather again. Same crowd, same place, different drinks. Ever since the night you had turned eighteen, your heart had been restless, speeding up and slowing down completely at its own will. Or maybe it moved by the will of your secret thoughts, pushed to the furthest pits of your mind, only to be burst free whenever you laid eyes on Nyx.

You wished you had never allowed your drunken thoughts to take lead on matter of your feelings towards him. The thought had been so clear, so bright and relieving that you couldn’t let go of it.

Unfortunately, the only immediate outcome was more suffering and heartache for you, since the only thing that had changed between you and Nyx was found inside your head.

“Hey Nyx, how’d it go with Laura yesterday?” Corvin asked with a very evident waggling of his brow.

You blinked into your drink. Your heartrate sped up and there was an uncomfortable feeling of something strangling your insides. It wasn’t the first emotional heart attack ever since your mind blowing realization and it surely wouldn’t be the last.

Nyx let out a restrained chuckle. “It uhh, it went well.” With his eyes he tried to convey a message to his friend that it was not the time or place to talk about it.

“Aww, c’mon Vin. Not in front of the ladies,” Libertus said and motioned towards you and Selena, who was leaning over the table with a stern furrowing of her brows. She seemed undeniably interested in hearing more about this Laura person.

You didn’t know how to react. You wanted to throw in a snarky comment about Libertus calling you a lady, or joke about Nyx’s date, but the words got stuck into your throat.

So what if he had been out with someone? Why did hearing that make you feel so awful? You tried to swallow the rousing feelings with a mouthful of alcohol.

“Oh, so something did happen?” Corvin continued, ignoring Libertus’s comment.

You wanted to get up and go out for a breather, but your rear was glued to the chair.

“Not really…” Nyx said tentatively. Not like anyone believed him. He sounded like it was the last topic he wanted to discuss. The only reason he would answer in the first place was to make sure no one got the wrong idea from Corvin.

And so Corvin continued to pester Nyx and he kept offering short, dismissive replies. You tried to focus on your drink, but forced yourself to throw in a teasing comment or two just to make sure your behavior didn’t seem suspicious. With a few exaggerated yawns your act was believable.

It took long enough for the topic to turn from Nyx’s love life. No one had noticed your uncomfort, but it was only relieving. The situation wasn’t something you would want to experience again – which was more than likely – but you had managed through it.

It was hard to listen to, to put it mildly. Your heart stung and the relief you felt after moving forward from the topic was ridiculous. It was jealousy. And you had no reason, no right to feel that way.

Nyx looked as cool as ever, not bothered by Corvin’s lewd comments and invasive questions. You tried not to look at him. You looked at Selena, Libertus, glanced at Corvin, then at Selena again, but your gaze kept drawing to the happy smirk on Nyx’s face and inspecting the new tattoo on his cheek bone.

You were just about ready to give up for the night and head home, when Nyx informed that it was time to retire for the night. Before anyone could say anything, your mouth opened.

“I’ll help you clean up. I have nothing tomorrow.”

You were pretty sure it was a lie. In that moment you had no idea about the contents of your calendar, but spending some more time with Nyx… You needed it like you needed to breathe.

“Sure, thanks.” He flashed a smile to you that made your knees weak.

Instant regret and excitement flushed down your spine. Selena threw in some interested looks at you, but stayed her tongue. Maybe she knew you had obligations on the following day, which you had graciously forgotten all about.

It took some time for the squad members to actually leave. Libertus offered to walk Selena home, at Nyx’s silent insistence, and Corvin departed with shameless grins. Nyx would have to do some cleaning before calling it a night, but you promised to help him. Since you didn’t have anything planned. Hopefully.

You gathered the empty cups and bottles on a tray and followed Nyx into the kitchen. He held the door open for you. You almost tripped when you were too focused on his face instead of balancing the glasses.

The kitchen was annoyingly bright, clean and smelled super good. You passingly thought it was like another dimension. You placed the tray on the counter and turned to look at Nyx.

You were alone with him.

Suddenly it was hard to breathe and you had to force yourself to stay in motion and not freeze. Nyx was just whistling quietly as he put away the snacks and unopened bottles.

Astrals help you, his mere presence made your head spin and heart flutter. You hadn’t been alone with him in the same room since… since…

“Tonight was fun.”

“Huh?” you coughed and caught yourself staring at Nyx. None of what he had just said had been registered into your brain.

“Uh, it was fun. To hang out. It’s been a while,” he continued, suddenly an awkward undertone in his voice.

You forced out a cheerful laughter, but it just ended up into a high-pitched squealing. “Yeah, it was,” you said hastily to mask the failed attempt at sounding casual.

Why, oh why was it so damn hard to be in his company? All the years spent distancing yourself from the pointless daydreams flushed down the drain. You felt like a teenager again. And hated it. You were a grown woman, Astrals damn it. You should have been able to have a normal conversation with your best friend’s big brother.

No, you would have to say something. Corvin had said Nyx had been out with someone. You would have to make your move soon, before he would go and fall for some random chick. If that would happen, you would never be able to forgive yourself.

Nyx smiled tentatively. It was obvious on his face that he was worried about your odd behavior, but he just turned back to putting the stuff in place.

You stood still and cleared your throat. The situation was begging for you to act. You had him alone after a nice evening spent drinking and laughing. While you didn’t feel like you were buzzed, alcohol was most likely still coursing in your veins, giving the much needed encouragement for you to open your mouth. It was now or never. Then it would be over – one way or another.

“Nyx, there’s something I need to–”

The loud clatter of an empty bottle against the floor where it started rolling further from the table interrupted you.

“Oh, shit… Sorry, you were saying?”

Your gaze shifted slowly from the bottle to Nyx. His expression was gentle and mildly curious. “I, uhh, nothing… I forgot what I was gonna say.”

On second thought, maybe straight up confessing your feelings wasn’t the best idea after drinking. The shit Corvin had said during the evening was definitely influencing your choice of timing.

Nyx cocked a brow at you and chuckled. “Okay then. Lemme know when you remember.”

He turned away again and your cursed your indecisive ass.

Soon. You would tell him soon.

Truth or Dare

“Heyyy, looking gorgeous, girl!” Corvin said and eyed you up and down in comically grand motion.

“You always have eyes only for her. Tsk tsk,” Selena tutted, interrupting your intended reply of repulsion.

Nyx’s hand was on Corvin’s shoulder faster than he could aim a dirty compliment at Selena. “Seriously man, cut it off.”

“What?” Corvin motioned to you, “Just look at her. You’d be mad not take her out–”

“For the love of Eos, Vin, I’m not going on a date with you,” you snarled loudly.

Nyx shot a blank look at you and you tried to herd the group towards the table, hoping the topic wouldn’t be brought up anymore. Ever.

It was hard enough to push back the thought of doing what you had intended to do a while ago – you still hadn’t told Nyx about your feelings, and at this rate you probably never would. The more time passed, the more blatantly Corvin was throwing flirty remarks and hinting towards uncomfortable topics. It only made it harder for you to actually bring anything of the same theme up with Nyx.

Corvin was an idiot, it was nothing new to you, but you still knew he wasn’t trying to make you feel bad on purpose. He was just sometimes an asshole who didn’t consider other people’s feelings. Over the years you had gotten the brunt of it, as had Nyx and Selena. Libertus was surprisingly good at dodging his asinine behavior.

The guys headed to the kitchen to grab some snacks and drinks, so you and Selena sat down. You both were glad to have the squad together again. While a few years back you had felt like you didn’t have the time or opportunity to hang out with your friends anymore, the situation had started to turn upside down. The age gap felt smaller with each year into adulthood and your life situations and interests were again lining up with the guys.

It made you happy. Not only because of your long history together, but because you genuinely enjoyed the company of Nyx, Libertus and even Corvin, though you would never admit that aloud. Along with Selena they were like a family to you. All those years spent playing in the mud had to count for something and you felt like you were collecting the fruits of that labor now, over a decade later.

The evening went by as usual for the most part, but then Corvin decided it was time to spice it up a little and suggested drinking games. Selena thought it was a good idea, Nyx was interested and Libertus commented, “Why the hell not.”

All eyes were on you as you sipped down your drink. You hadn’t prepared getting drunk as a skunk, but you really didn’t have anything against it either.

“Let’s do it.” You sounded more eager than you felt.

Corvin started explaining the rules with heavy added commentary from Lib. You had never before played any drinking games, but it sounded like the gist of it was just to get drunk while having fun. It was innocent enough and you agreed to keep it simple and harmless.

Corvin spun the bottle and while everyone more or less held their breath, it stopped to point at you.

“Truth or dare?” he asked with a sly smile.

“Uhm.” There was one question you absolutely wanted to avoid at all costs and it was the one Corvin would shoot just to see you squirm. “Dare.”

He leaned back on the chair, arms folded on his chest and hummed in thought. “Alright. You’re gonna spend seven minutes in the cleaning closet.”

“What? Why?” you yelped, partly laughing at the bizarre dare.

“Because I say so. And you’re gonna choose someone to go with you.”

Your heart skipped a beat. You instantly turned to look at Selena. She was already getting up from the chair.

“I’ll go with Nyx.”

After freezing in the air for a second, Selena’s butt fell back to the stool.

It was a short moment that lasted until the fierce debate in your mind was over. You shouldn’t have said that. Why did you do it? Now everyone would know about your secret infatuation with Nyx. They weren’t that stupid.

You waited for a word of protest from anyone, but Corvin was just grinning at you like the Cheshire cat.

“The cleaning closet. Off you go,” Libertus commanded and pointed at the inconspicuous small door in the corner of the room.

When the door shut after Nyx, the brilliance and horror of Corvin’s plan dawned on you. Seven minutes locked in a tight space face to face with Nyx wouldn’t do well for keeping your thoughts straight. The only reason he could stand so motionless was his hunter training.

You wanted to apologize to Nyx, but you both heard the chitter and shuffling from outside the door. There must have been three pairs of ears glued on the wood. You swallowed. It would’ve been easier without the faint beam of light coming from the wide gap above the door. Your eyes adapted quickly to the extremely dim lighting.

“It was about damn time, I say,” you could hear Corvin laugh. Lib snorted. You wanted to facepalm, but that meant you might have accidentally touched Nyx.

“No way,” Selena protested instantly, “They’re not gonna do anything.”

Nyx was biting his lip, trying not to burst into laughter. It was easier when he had something else to focus on than your face right in front of him, just a slight lean away…

You shifted your weight and took the tiniest step back to have just a little more distance to Nyx’s shallow breaths. The proximity was making your heart hammer very uncomfortably.

Your heel hit a cleaning bucket and the light touch caused a mop to fall over. Nyx lunged forward to catch it, arm reaching out over your shoulder. He was closer than before.

“You okay?” he asked. The surprisingly husky voice sent a warm jolt through you. For a fleeting moment you imagined what it would feel like against your ear or neck.

“Y-yeah. Sorry,” you stammered nervously.

Nyx placed the mop back while you leaned away from his arm, eyes strictly on his chest.

How many minutes had passed already? Three? Two and half? You could hear his every breath, your every damn loud heartbeat. It was nerve-wrecking.

“Sorry about this,” you whispered, hopefully so quietly that the party behind the door didn’t hear.

Nyx shook his head and hummed in disapproval. More time passed in silence. Corvin was wondering were you already making out and Selena laughed at the absurd thought. You shook your head at them.

Nyx was staring at you. He really tried not to, but it was dark and you avoided his gaze. All those things Corvin had said were still making his blood boil in anger and frustration. It was one thing to joke about his failed date, but he couldn’t stand to see the uncomfortable look on your face. It made his heart chest feel tight, but his hands were bound. There was only so much he could do for his little sister’s friend without–

He was alone with you now. In a dark closet. You were standing right in front of him, trying to be just as still as he was, but he could hear how your heart was hammering.

You felt rather than saw Nyx shift on his feet and couldn’t help but take a glance at him. He was… smiling? Probably, since it was hard to see.

Wait. Was he leaning in?

“Nyx,” you breathed quietly.

“Time!” Selena shouted and the closet door burst open. Light flooded into your eyes, forcing you to look away.

“So?” Corvin inquired eagerly, trying to detect the faintest hint of guilt or anything else on your faces. You rushed past him, gasping for breath.

Just what had that been? You never would’ve thought you would want the situation to continue, but as you looked at Nyx, his cheeks were veiled in a hint of red too. What had he been about to do?

You sat down. Corvin, Selena and Libertus were squinting their eyes at you.

“It was hot in the closet, okay?” you heard someone else say in your voice. Nyx was silent.

You reached out for the bowl in the middle of the table, but your hand only found air.

“I’m gonna go grab some more snacks from the kitchen,” you said and fanned your hot cheeks. Blood was still roaring in your veins, demanding the abruptly broken moment in the closet to continue.

Nyx shot up from his chair faster than anyone could even nod. “We’ve got some new stuff, I’ll come show you.”

“Uh, no it’s really okay–” you tried, but he had already marched past you towards the kitchen door. Libertus and Corvin exchanged glances while Selena shot a confused look at you, which you decisively ignored. The evening hadn’t gone at all the way you had planned.

Nyx held the kitchen door open for you and once again it was like stepping into another realm. The kitchen was quiet and you became immensely aware of his presence right behind you. The same shaky feelings that had coursed through you in the cleaning closet, returned twofold.

You took in a deep breath, but your mind was already in overdrive.

“Hey, uhh…” Nyx said, making you turn towards him. He was closer than you would’ve thought, but the kitchen was small and you refused to back away from him. Your heartbeat went wild.

“Hm?” Your hand hit the counter behind you and leaned on it, grateful for the support since your legs felt like they would give out any second.

Nyx’s eyes darted across the wall behind you and he chuckled to himself. The smirk on his lips made you bite yours in anxiousness.

“Wanna grab a coffee or something later? Like, tomorrow?”

You were so relieved that you almost laughed. He just wanted to hang out. Nothing romantic, nothing more than friends. The stinging sensation almost hurt inside your chest.

“Sure,” you replied with a beam, “Did you ask Selena yet?”

Nyx’s expression muddled and he was opening and closing his mouth, trying to find the right words. He took a step forward and you furrowed your brows in reaction. Your rear hit the kitchen counter.

Nyx hadn’t been prepared to explain himself, but there was only one way to get the message out loud and clear. “No, I wanted to go alone… with you,” he explained in a hush tone.

During the seconds it took your brains to process the content of his request, your thoughts had never been rearranged so many times so quickly.

“You… can. I mean– I want to! Uhh.”

He looked amused. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m just… mildly shaking and excited,” you huffed and tried to laugh, but your throat was dry, “I should tell you something.”

With the way your heart was thrashing around inside your ribcage you thought you would fall unconscious at any moment. It had been a long way into this moment, but you were as ready as you would ever be to take the dive into the unknown – a time past your confession. He had taken the first step. You had nothing to lose anymore.

“Okay. What is it?” Nyx urged you to continue speaking.

You drew in a shaky breath, not entirely able to stop yourself from chuckling nervously.

“I… like you.”

There. You had said it. What should have been a wave of relief, felt only numb as you waited anxiously.

Nyx’s brows shot up, but he smiled. “I guess I should come clean about something too.”

“Which is?” You held your breath.

He leaned closer to you and cupped your cheek extremely gently. His thumb brushed over your cheekbone. The smile on his lips just melted you.

“I really like you too. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize.”

Your hands grasped the fabric of Nyx’s shirt as your noses brushed together. Your eyes closed, your mind went void of any thought. The only thing left was the bursting feeling of tenderness in your heart. You had never before really, really wanted to kiss him, but he there was now.

“Is this really happening…” you murmured right before Nyx robbed your ability to speak. He was warm. You were still shaking.

The door whumped open.

You both froze for the shortest beat before jumping away from each other. Selena was staring at you with her jaw on the floor. The kitchen door was swinging freely behind her. You could her Libertus’s booming laughter from the other side. The reality of the bar was bleeding into yours.

“Uh, what’s up, sis,” Nyx said in a voice that, thanks to some miracle, sounded normal and not at all like his little sister had just caught her brother kissing her best friend.

You couldn’t say anything, not offer a word of explanation. You just stared at Selena in horror with blood frozen.

She reacted with a second’s delay.

“Wha–? INFERNIAN’S HORNS. MY EYES,” Selena screamed, turned swiftly on her heels and left the door swinging wildly after her. It creaked slightly on its hinges.

After staring after her for a silent moment, you and Nyx turned to look at each other, confused horror beginning to crack into grins.

“Saved us the trouble,” you noted nonchalantly, which was completely opposite of how you felt.

“Yeah. She’s gonna flay us later.”

You stayed silent, examining the look in Nyx’s storm blue eyes. You didn’t know had you ever seen them so close up before, but they were breathtaking. However, what really had rendered you speechless was the look in them, full of ardor and hope, warm and excited.

“Does it bother you?” Nyx asked quietly.

You shook your head gently and moved your hand to cup his cheek. He had neglected shaving again.

“Mm no. But we better make this worth it then,” you purred and pulled him down from the chin.

“You and Nyx? Really? Really?” Selena cried, “Out of all people…”

You offered her an apologetic grin. It was the first moment without any of the guys within an earshot. You were surprised Selena had been able to keep it inside her for so long. It had been almost three hours since you had kissed Nyx for the first time. Your lips were still tingling and the warmth on your cheeks would probably never cool down.

Libertus and Corvin had instantly known something was up even though Selena hadn’t piped a word. The fact that you were suddenly gazing longingly at Nyx after years of trying to play it cool was not easily missed by your closest friends.

“Eww. Just… eww.” Selena shuddered excessively.

“If that’s all you have to say, I guess we’re good?” you said carefully, still peeking at her.

She shook her head in disbelief. “After all these years… I can’t even– no.” She sounded disappointed, accusing even.

Your stomach sank along with the corners of your mouth. “No?”

Selena quickly glanced up with widened eyes. “It’s just… unbelievable. That’s all. I can’t believe you never told me! Some friend you are.”

Your sigh of relief filled the silence that followed Selena’s words.

“Actually, no. It’s definitely believable. I should’ve known,” she continued in a lighter tone.

You grinned at her. “I’m sorry. Truly.”

Selena grinned back at you. “Yeah, yeah. Just know that I’m happy for you guys.”

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[maybrandon]

What Is Quantum Reiki Blindsiding Tips

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[buckywintersoldierbarnes2017]

Blood is thicker than water.

Request from @hopelessgarbage: Hi i just started following you but i hope i can request a fic? a fic where the reader's a hydra experiment she can make a sword out of her blood(like mirai from kyoukai no kanata) or make it really hot it can melt metal something like that and bucky was the one training her when she was in hydra and the avengers have a mission to raid a hydra compound or something and they find her? please? and thank you very much! sorry its long and sorry for bothering you

Note: I apologise if the Russian translation is wrong. I do not speak the language so had to rely on Google Translate so, yeah, hopefully it doesn’t end up being an insult or something! Also I have never seen the programme that was mentioned in the request so I hope I did okay and you enjoy what I wrote :)

Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier x Hydra!Reader

Words: 2,303

Warnings: Experimenting, pain, violence, blood and mentions of injuries.

Disclaimer: First GIF made by me others aren’t so all credit goes to their creators <3 One shows blood just to warn anyone who might be squeamish.

Three years of pain. One thousand and ninety-five days of agonising pain that left you barely even able to remember your name. From the very first day you had screamed out for help, hoping that someone would hear you, but with each passing day where no one came to your aid your hope faded until after three whole months passed you by you finally came to the realisation that no one was coming for you…..your family died the night Hydra had taken you, your friends no doubt taken care of too, so there wasn’t a single living soul that would even notice you were missing.

You were stuck here.

The only thing you could do was lay there helplessly as they pumped you full of unidentified substances time and time again until your body learned to accept what it was being given. Your whole DNA structure was ripped to shreds bringing you to the brink of death and back again on a daily basis and the group of males simple looked on in awe, jotting down notes on their clipboards every now and then, but doing nothing to make sure you would actually come out of their experiment alive.

Then the day came when the daily injection they gave you did nothing. Your body didn’t convulse, no screams of pain filled the room and threatened to deafen those around you, there was…..nothing. Whatever is what they had been wanting to achieve must have happened because your body was now accepting it.

“She is ready sir.”

“Well then let’s not waste any more time. It has taken us three years to get to this point. Get her testing out her abilities with the asset.”

                                            * * * * * * * * * *

He was the first person in three long years that you had been able to so much as communicate with but given his intimidating form you found yourself wanting to hide yourself in a corner rather than be face to face with him. A reaction he, of course, noticed straightaway….much to his amusement.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he simply positioned himself into a fighting stance before beckoning with his metal hand for you to come towards him. The whir of the mechanism was the only thing you could hear besides the thumping of your heart inside of your chest as you took a few tentative steps forward. You had no idea just what it was you were even capable of so how you were expected to do any sort of training with the male before you remained a complete mystery to you.

“Just listen to your body and you will know what it is you can do.”

Your body wasn’t telling you anything other than the fact that you were scared but you nodded in acknowledgement to what he said anyway as you ran your hands down both of your arms to try and steady your nerves. That was when you felt something you had never felt before…and you liked to think that you knew your own body pretty well. On the lower part of both your arms there was an opening, like a knife had sliced through the skin, but there was no blood escaping the two open wounds.

Immediately your brows furrowed as you felt something rush through your right arm. It came out of nowhere and the last thing you felt was in control when a blood poured out of the hole and began to pool inside your hand. 

You hadn’t panicked yet but the brunette stood just feet away from you could see that you were about to and so he took just two long strides towards you before he was able to wrap his hand around the top of your arm. It was his metal hand so the grip was strong enough to force you to look at him.

“DON’T stop it. Just watch……”

He was insane. He had to be. Here you were with blood gushing out of an open wound and yet he was telling you to simply stand and do nothing about it. You would have looked at him in complete bewilderment had you not felt a tugging sensation……oddly enough coming from the blood that was now outside of your arm. It was a feeling you couldn’t really describe and as the tugging intensified you looked down to see that the blood itself that should have been a liquid was beginning to solidify and mould into something.

“What?”

“That’s it. You were afraid of me so your body is reacting.” You may have been frightened of him at first but now all you wanted to do was punch him in the face as you saw the smirk growing on his face. Here you were wondering what the hell was going on and yet he was loving every second of it. “Make it turn into something you can use.”

You just wanted to hurt him, bad, that was the only thought on your mind so before you knew it the blood had transformed itself into what looked like a sword.

“Excellent. No co-“

He didn’t even have chance to finish speaking as you raised your arm and brought the sword your blood had formed down onto him. His metal arm quickly blocked the attack but it didn’t make you move away, instead you pushed the sword down harder onto his arm, determined to slice the damn thing off if you could, but then something else happened. As if being able to manipulate your blood into a weapon wasn’t enough you now saw smoke beginning to pour from the male’s arm as the sword began to melt the very metal it was made from.

His eyes widened in horror at this new bombshell and before you could do any serious damage to him he swung his leg out, sweeping it underneath your feet, and watched as you lost your balance and fell to the floor. The second your backside hit the concrete floor the blood lost its form and retreated back inside your arm.

“What the hell was that? They never told me you could fucking melt things with your blood!”

“Welcome to the club….I didn’t know I could do anything like that.”

Your voice betrayed the air of confidence you had been displaying just moments before as your confusion radiated through your words. Although the Winter Soldier was pissed at not being told of this he also knew of the vulnerability you were probably feeling right now and so with a roll of his eyes, almost as though he didn’t want to be all that nice to you, he knelt to be at your level as his sharp blue eyes bore into yours.

“You are going to be capable of some incredible things bоин крови (‘blood warrior’). Stick with me and you will be unstoppable.”

There was nowhere else for you to go so that was exactly what you did. You stuck with him…..and for years he trained you every day and when he was sent on a mission he would request that you were there with him. The two of you were invincible.

Then he disappeared one day and never came back….

                                             * * * * * * * * * *

It had been ten years since he left. The only person you thought you were able to rely on and trust in this whole organisation was gone. He had left you to face the horrors of Hydra on your own….you grew more angry than you had ever been before. The missions you went on were far more ruthless than they had ever been with the Winter Soldier. You didn’t kill because you were told to……you killed because you wanted to.

You wanted to draw him out. If he was still alive out there he would see how sloppy you were getting with your kills and he wouldn’t be able to resist coming back to berate you for it.

When that day came you would be ready for him.

“Buck are you sure this is the right place?”

The blonde Avenger’s voice was a hushed whisper as he kept his eyes trained on their surroundings. He despised coming into Hydra’s compounds, not knowing what traps may lay in wait for them, but his friend had been adamant that they came to this one in particular. The others were covering different areas of the building, making sure no agents slipped through their sights.

“Yes. My memory isn’t the greatest right now but this place keeps coming back to me. I think there is someone here that we need to help.”

You could see the two of them as clear as day but you remained in the shadows of the long corridor for now. Seeing the man you had once trusted again brought up emotions inside of you that you had never wanted to feel again. Emotions that, in your eyes, made you weak. Just another thing to add onto the list of things he needed to pay for.

“This person might not want our help. Remember that okay? You’ve been doing good lately, don’t want you relapsing if this goes wrong.”

A frown appeared on Bucky’s face as he refused to even respond to his friend’s comment. He may not have been 100% sure who it was that he had come here for but if there was anything he was sure about it was that they needed help….and if that was offered to them why would they decline?

“You shouldn’t have come here.” Your voice echoed out around them, causing both men to stiffen slightly, and as the blood trailed out from both your wounds you stepped out of the shadows with one sword aimed at the blonde’s throat and the other aimed right where the brunette’s heart lay inside his chest. Your eyes fixed themselves onto him and him alone. “…you are a traitor to this organisation and for that you are going to need to pay.”

Your face brought back the memories that had been so fuzzy for him this whole time and immediately he recognised you.

“Bоин крови?” It was the only name that had ever been given to you, you had never been known by anything else, and hearing it from his lips again made the hard look in your eyes soften slightly. “I’m sorry. I never meant to leave you like I did. Me and my friends here we….we can help you get out of here.”

“Why would I want to get out of here? These people never left me, not once, you did.”

The tips of the swords were beginning to creep closer to them and Steve swallowed nervously. He had his shield but there was no way it would reach you before you slit his throat.

“Uh, Buck? Mind telling your friend here to move whatever these things are that are magically growing out of her arms?”

It was like nothing he had ever seen before and he wasn’t entirely sure whether he should be scared or intrigued.

“You have your real name back?”

“Yes. You can too if you come with us. We can find it out for you and you will never have to do hydra’s bidding again. I will make sure of it. You can trust me.”

He showed no fear as he placed his metal hand onto your sword and moved it aside so that he could walk closer to you. No one had dared to walk so close to you in all the years since he had left and you weren’t sure how to deal with the sudden close proximity he was bringing between the two of you so you did the only thing you knew to do….attack.

Bringing your other sword away from Steve’s throat you forced it back inside your arm so that you could use your hand to wrap around Bucky’s throat as the sword that was still on show went straight for his metal arm as it had done all those years ago during your first training session together.

“Trust you? You left me!” Your grip on his throat tightened to the point where he was gasping for air and bruised were being left behind underneath your fingertips. The sword melted away at the metal causing his gasps for air to sound more pained. “You told me to stick with you and then you just left!”

Steve never panicked for long once he had the chance to defuse a hostile situation and as you put all of your attention onto his friend he held up his shield and charged straight at you, tackling you into the wall behind you so that you were pinned between the wall and the strange masked man.

“I’m sorry but if this is the only way to get my friend out of here in one piece then it needs to be done.”

You had no idea what he was talking about and realisation only hit you when you felt something sharp pierce into the side of your neck. Within seconds your whole body seemed to turn to jelly as your eyes rolled into the back of your head and you fell into a forced sleep. 

Steve moved away from you causing your body to slide down the wall but before you could hit the floor Bucky’s arms wrapped themselves around you and held you close to his body. His throat was sore from the hold you’d had on it and his arm would now need to be repaired back at Stark Tower but he didn’t care….all that mattered was that he could now make up for lost time and help take you away from the murderous ways that had been instilled in you by Hydra.

Permanent tag list (still open):@fallenfairy16​ @brieflybigwonderland​@frolicsomefawkes @psychicwitchphilosopher @elwenia​@imsecretlyromanburki @elaacreditava @marvel-fanfiction​@wantingtobekorra @fandom-rpblog @just-call-me-your-darling@deanwinnchesterisbae​ @gayvvarden​ @marshmellowgems11​@justreadingfics​ @cinema212​ @cassandras-musings@adellyhatter-blog​ @engineeringgirlcve​ @thewinterswimmer@buckyappreciationsociety@mizzzpink@hopelessgarbage@mary-is-a-sinner@fourtyninekirbygamzeegirl @noir-agneau @holywinchesterness @katie27hp @purplekitten30 @abbybills22

[emilielouizides-csm]

Modual: Kickstarter (Days 1, 2 and 3)

On Monday I started Modual, UAL’s digital collaborative workshop in partnership with Kickstarter. When I read back in June that the workshop would be comprised of collaborating to create innovative projects for positive change I immediately thought about how MA Applied Imagination aims to achieve this exact thing so I applied straight away. Once I was accepted I intended to approach the experience and participate in a way that would inform my master’s project. I’m only three days in to the workshop and it’s already been chock full. 

Day 1

The workshop began with a lecture from Fred Deakin, the leader of Modual. Fred is a creative in many aspects; he makes music, art, and he teaches. Below are some books mentioned by Fred that will be relevant to my research and practice as it moves into more of an entrepreneurial place and added to my reading list.

The day continued with a series of speed-round exercises that we did in pairs. The exercises resembled things I’ve already done on my MA course this year so they felt familiar and useful.

The first exercise focused on structural energy (which is clear and precise) vs generative energy (which is more free flowing). In pairs we took turns speaking about our work processes. While one partner spoke for two minutes the other partner listened. The idea behind this exercise was to get a different interpretation on how we all go about doing our work in order to step away from our own bias of ourselves so once the two minutes were up the partner who had been listening repeated back what the speaking partner had said from their point of view. Before hearing my partner repeat my work process back to me I worried that I worked a bit too generatively. I explained that I research from every possible source rather than only a few, that I don’t give myself hard deadlines and that while I keep a to-do list it often changes. My partner pointed out that my process is actually very balanced because while I work generatively by bringing in new ideas and concepts throughout the majority of my process I’m also working structurally in the ways that I eliminate whatever isn’t working. This exercise really got me out of my own head and helped me to feel reassured. 

In the second exercise we paired up with a new partner and discussed all of the things we have a broad understanding of (hobbies, interests, etc) and our specific area of deep knowledge. I told my partner that I know a bit about psychology, interior design, that I like to make collages and cook and that I occasionally like to draw. My deep knowledge lies in makeup artistry, makeup products themselves, and makeup as an industry. I explained my MA project a bit and told my partner about how I want to use makeup to help people understand each other and improve their communication. My partner thought that pairing makeup and psychology seemed like a no-brainer. It was extremely validating to hear this from a complete stranger who I had only spoken to for two minutes and it definitely gave me a boost of confidence in my work.

The third and my most favorite exercise began with the following question: What would you do to make the world a better place if you knew you couldn’t fail? Developing my research question throughout the course of this year gave me a very clear answer to work with from the start. I told another new partner that I want to change people’s perceptions of makeup -- what it is, how it can be used, who it can be for -- and teach people to use it to improve communication and understanding. I wrote my answer down on a post-it note which was put on the wall with answers from five other students who are also looking to disrupt systems that have been put in place by society. This continued into the second day. 

The day concluded with a presentation from Heather Corcoran, the CEO of Kickstarter Europe. By the end of this workshop each student will likely put their project up on Kickstarter. I’ve known about Kickstarter for years but I never quite realized that the company puts a real emphasis on backing specifically creative projects. With Kickstarter, a creator has the opportunity to reduce barriers, take risks, and build a community. Crowdfunding for my project wasn’t something that ever crossed my mind -- probably because I get so daunted my the money aspect of bringing a project to life that I disregard that part altogether -- but after learning about the user-friendly process and the achievability of a goal like mine I’m excited by my new inclination to move my project forward through Kickstarter. 

Day 2

This workshop is happening between students at UAL and Glasgow School of Art. Since the cohort is split between two cities the workshop took place virtually yesterday and today to give everyone a chance to collaborate. The group of students I was put into on day 1 joined forces with a group of students in Glasgow who have ideas along the same lines as ours. Through softwares Slack and Fuze we communicated over video meetings and chat rooms to brainstorm new ideas -- anything we could think of to better the world.   

Day 3

Today continued with brainstorming more ideas. In the end my group came up with over 100. It was at that point that I was really starting to feel skeptical about the workshop as a whole. I worried that my idea that I’m working so hard to move forward was getting lost in the mix of so many others and I definitely didn’t feel any better when it came time for everyone in our group to vote for their favorite ideas. We were each given five votes and I was certain that my idea wouldn’t receive any from anyone but me. It’s hard to feel confident about a makeup-related idea when I’m part of a group of people that includes sound designers, interior designers, and photographers. Makeup just doesn’t seem as credible as any of those other disciplines; just the other day I was in the CSM library looking for books on the history of tribal makeup but the only makeup books the library had were on stage makeup. But to my surprise, out of the 100+ ideas that my group had come up with, my idea to use makeup to improve communication and understanding received the most votes. This restored my confidence completely and I enthusiastically moved on to the next step of the process.

Three of the other 100+ ideas made it into a top four. From there our 12 group members chose their favorite ideas of the four and we broke into smaller sub-groups. I’m now in a group of four students and together we talked about my idea and mood boarded it out. It felt so good to bring people into something I’ve been thinking about for months and doing very much on my own. My next post is completely dedicated to the process my group and I went through.

[thesocialiberty]

Motivational Quotes and Captions

Motivational Quotes and Captions

Push yourself because nobody is going to do it for you. Don’t limit your challenges. Challenge your limit. It does not matter how slow you go as long as you do not stop. “Your time is limited. So don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs If you believe in yourself, anything is possible. Be a voice, not an echo. When you feel like quitting, think about why you started. Don’t wait for the right opportunity. Create it. “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” – Steve Martin Do not compare your insides with someones else’s outsides. “When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance to catch you.” – Lolly Daskal The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. Every morning you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams or wake up and chase them. Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain. We stopped chasing for monsters under the bed when we realized they were inside of us. Mirror mirror on the wall, I’ll always get up after I fall. And whether I run, walk or have to crawl I’ll set my goals and achieve them all. “Stay away from negative people, they have a problem for every solution.” – Albert Einstein Always deliver more than expected. “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Robert H. Schuller Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re probably right.Motivation quote for Instagram Mindset is what separates the best from the rest. The best view comes after the hardest climb. Look into the mirror… that is your competition. Be the best version of you. “You just can’t beat the person that ever gives up” – Babe Ruth In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. The key to success is to focus on goals, not obstacles. If you can dream it, you can do it. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up and never give up. When life gives you a hundred reasons to break down and cry, show life that you have a million reasons to smile and laugh. Stay strong! It’s going to be hard, but hard does not mean impossible. Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire. Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star. Nothing is impossible. The world itself says “I’m possible”. To live a creative life we must lose the fear of being wrong. Good things take time. There’s nothing wrong in being a beginner. No one starts at the top. You are your own limit. Sometimes we are tested not to show our weaknesses, but to discover our strengths. If you do not go after what you want, you will never get it. If you do not ask, the answer will always be no. If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place. Life is not about how fast you run or how high you climb, but how well you bounce. In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on. The direction is more important than speed. “Beauty is power; a smile is its sword.” – John Ray The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power. Fall seven, stand up eight. “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. ‘Til your good is better and your better is best.” – St. Jerome “The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity.” – Ayn Rand A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor. Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to always try just one more time. There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self. Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams. My biggest fear is being in the same place this time next year. Be brave. Nobody remembers a coward. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain Old ways won’t open new doors. It is often in the darkest skies that we see the brightest stars. All progress takes place outside the comfort zone. You may get the things you wished for. But you will surely get the things you worked for. If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. A year from now you will wish you had started today. “If you haven’t tried, how will you ever know if there’s any chance?” – Jack Ma “Challenges are what make life-threatening and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” – Joshua Marine You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one. Either you run the day or the day runs you. You don’t get the same moment twice in life. Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have. You only fail when you stop trying. “I am not here to change the world. I am changing the world because I am here.” – Lisa Wilson Be you instagram quote Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. Be crazy enough you know you can make anything in life. There is always a reason to smile. Your potential is endless. One year = 365 opportunities I tried to be normal once. Wort 2 minutes of my life. Don’t look for excuses look for results. “Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.” – John Wooden “Entrepreneurs average 3.8 failures before final success. What sets the successful ones apart is their amazing persistence.” – Lisa M. Amos “If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn Good things happen to those who hustle. Experience satisfaction, but never be satisfied! Believe. Achieve. Succeed. Your best teacher is your last mistake. The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it. If it would be easy, everybody would do it. Successful people are successful because they do more than the rest. When you are at the bottom, they laugh about you. When you are on the top, they are jealous. You cannot please everybody, So stop trying and focus. “If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress. A negative mind will never give you a positive life. Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. Treat the janitor with the same respect as the CEO. Don’t be afraid to lose people. Be afraid of losing yourself by trying to please everyone around you. Love is no what yo say. Love is what you do. F-E-A-R hast two meanings: Forget everything and run or Face everything and rise “Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.” “It takes two flints to make a fire.” – Louisa May Alcott “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” – Henry Ford “The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.” – Will Rogers “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” – Will Rogers Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life. Appreciate where you are in your journey. Even if it’s not where you want to b. Every season serves a purpose. There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking. Falling down is an accident. Staying down is a choice. “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decided to be.” – Ralph Warren Emerson It’s up to you to find beauty in the ugliest days. Sometimes it takes a good fall to really know where you stand. Good people are like candles; they burn themselves up to give others light. Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tiptoe if you must, but take the step. Some people will only check on you just to see if you have failed yet. Nope, I’m still winning! The trophy is earned in the hours that no one is watching. Your life is a result of your choices. If you don’t like your life, it’s time to make some better choices. One small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day. Sometimes when you’re in a dark place, you tend to think you have been buried; what if you’ve been planted. Throw kindness around like confetti. Failure is the condiments that give success to its flavor. Storms make trees take deeper roots. Trust that when the answer is no, there is a better yes down the road. When it comes to motivation, Gary Vaynerchuk is the master. Business and entrepreneur genius you want to listen to when feeling down. “Skills are cheap. Passion is priceless.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “There’s no reason nowadays, to do shit you hate. NONE.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “I’m just always looking forwards. I spend very little time, looking backward” – Gary Vaynerchuk “Legacy is greater than currency.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “You need to spend all of your time and energy on creating something that actually brings value to the people you’re asking for money!” – Gary Vaynerchuk “Stop whining, start hustling.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “There is never a bad time to start a business – unless you want to start a mediocre one.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “We are in control of the one asset that we all give the most f#%ks about, and that is time.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “Know the philosophy, know the details, and ignore everything in the middle.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “We only get to play this game one time…one life.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “Whether you’re 9 or 90, stop trying to fix the things you’re bad at, and focus on the things you’re good at.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “When it all comes down to it, nothing trumps execution.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “Your legacy is being written by yourself. Make the right decisions.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “A penguin cannot become a giraffe, so just be the best penguin you can be.” – Gary Vaynerchuk Prince Ea is also a famous filmmaker and creator who shares many life tips on Instagram. He has been featured on Forbes and he claims that love is his religion. Don’t rush things. They will happen when they are supposed to. Let things fall into place. Your mental health should be a priority. No matter how old you get, never stop holding hands, never stop dancing, and never stop saying ” I love you”. Anything that costs your peace is too expensive. If they act as they can live without you, let them do it. Good relationships don’t just happen. They take time, patience, and two people who truly want to be together. Decide what is what you want. Write it down, make a plan, and work on it every single day. Sometimes you have to unfollow people in real life. When you can tell your story, and it doesn’t make you cry, you know you have healed.” – David Wolf Happiness looks gorgeous on you. Be who you needed when you were younger. Physical attractions are common. A mental connection is rare. Three months from you, you will be in a completely different space, mentally spiritually and financially. Almost nothing you’re worried about today will define you tomorrow. Love is about appreciation, not possessions. Forget the past, but remember the lesson. The most valuable gift you can receive is an honest friend. Love is a verb, not a noun. You didn’t come this far to only come this far. “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” – C.S Lewis When life gets blurry adjust the focus. No one ever injured their eyesight by looking on the bright side. Don’t stop when you’re tired. Stop when you’re done. The harder you work for something. The greater you’ll feel when you achieve it. “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. The goal is to be rich. Not to look rich. Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right. The one who falls and gets up is so much stronger than the one who never fell. Not all positive changes feel positive in the beginning. You should tell people how important they are to you. Good conversations with the right people are priceless. The best revenge is no revenge. Move on. Be happy. Stay close to people who feel like sunlight. Sometimes it takes 10 years to get that 1 year that will change your life. Wasted time is worse than wasted money. Give yourself some credit. You’ve come pretty far. Hang out with people who make you forget to look at your phone. Be the reason someones believes in the goodness in people. Never underestimate the power of good morning texts, apologies, and random compliments. It only takes a few seconds to hurt someone. But sometimes it takes a year to repair that damage. Self-care is how you take your power back. You don’t gain anything from stressing. Do what scares you. You will never change someone. They have to change themselves. Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you. Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation. Good friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, impossible to forget. Read the full article

[avoidtheratracenow-blog]

How To Promote Clickfunnels As An Affiliate!!

To make money as a Clickfunnels affiliate, all you need is a good offer and the right training for both you and your referrals. And, with a bit of luck (or by reading this article) you’ll find someone who already has both and will let you leverage their own tools.

Out of all the affiliate programs and networks out there, it might surprise you to learn that Clickfunnels is considered by the experts as the most profitable of them all.

This software has dominated the market in record time thanks to its network of affiliates and its focus on providing them with tools and training to promote it.

Thousands of affiliate marketers have made millions through Clickfunnels alone.

And you can very easily become one of them. Would you like to know how?

In this post, I’m not only going to show you exactly how to promote this software, but I’ll give you access to a done for you affiliate funnel with which you can start earning commissions in only a couple of days.

If you’re already a Clickfunnels expert and only want a copy of the funnel, scroll down slightly!

A Brief Overview of Clickfunnels

Clickfunnels was created by Russell Brunson to simplify the act of building sales funnels, which before this software required a lot of technical expertise, coding, design, copyrighting, etc.

Russell became a master of sales funnels after he created a potato gun funnel in his youth. He has since helped a lot of big names, including Tony Robbins launch products profitably from day one by mastering this technique.

He successfully created a platform that allows anyone with little to no skill to create a highly profitable sales funnel in no time.

Russell’s approach to sales funnels is a process he calls “Funnel Hacking”. This consists of finding an existing profitable funnel in your industry and copying it. Building a funnel this way with Clickfunnels takes only a few hours and has led to the incorporation of the “share a funnel” link.

With this, you can copy a funnel with the click of a button. This is how you can just click and download this amazing self-promoting funnel I’m sharing with you and start getting paid even if you’ve never used this software before.

Click to Access Free Funnel + Free Training

Russell teaches all about Funnel Hacking and more in his book “Dotcom Secrets”, which I highly recommend to anyone who wants to build a successful business online.

But you’re not here to learn to build funnels, you’re here to make money promoting the software, which amazingly is also Clickfunnel’s biggest weapon.

The Rise and Domination of Clickfunnels Through Affiliate Marketing

Clickfunnels became the fastest growing SaaS (Software as a Service) company ever, amounting to 100s of millions in revenue in less than 3 years through the power of its affiliates.

Russell was the first to understand that by creating raving fans he’d be able to dominate the market without spending millions on advertising. He managed to beat all existing competition without any outside investment, which he calls “cheating”.

It should now be easy to understand why all of Russell’s efforts are aimed at having the best affiliate marketers promoting his software, how clever a tactic that is, and how that benefits you.

He then built the best tools and training around Clickfunnels in order to support them.

As much so that there is a training program with 3 of Russell’s experts called “The One Funnel Away Challenge” opening almost every month for only $100 which pays 100% commission to affiliates.

No. There’s no profit for the company there… except for the extra Clickfunnels fans (paying customers) they get, which is their final goal.

How Much Does it Pay and How Does it Work?

Alright, so Clickfunnels has two types of memberships:

Basic Clickfunnels for $97/month

Full Etison Suite for $297/month

And you get paid 40% of those recurring membership fees!

Which means that for any referral that hires Clickfunnels for $97 / month, you’ll get paid $38.80 for as long as that person remains a member.

But that’s not all…

Most Clickfunnels users buy lots of extra products, such as training or extra services for their business, which are promoted to them by CF and you get paid your 40% for every single purchase they make.

For example, there’s another software called FunnelScripts, which generates automatic sales copy for your funnel pages. Most business owners don’t like to write copy, and honestly, it’s almost impossible to do it better than the experts behind Clickfunnels.

For these reasons, this extra service attracts a lot of people who choose to pay an additional $497 / year. That’s another $198.80 / year for you at no extra work or cost or work…

Similarly, if a referral of yours eventually upgrades from the Basic account to the Full Etison Suite, your commission will go up from $38.80 to $118.80.

The Etison Suite provides some extraordinary features for advanced users, in-house email service specialized in sales funnels (actionetics), and your own affiliate center, where people can become your affiliates and promote your products / courses, etc (backpack).

I personally don’t use these features at the moment. For email marketing my favorite tool is GetResponse.

Feel free to read my GetResponse review here and learn why.

The Sticky Cookie and The Master Funnels

What’s a sticky cookie and why should you care?

A cookie is simply information saved by your browser about your visit.

Once someone uses a referral link of yours to one of Clickfunnel’s products, they’ll be “cookied” to you for 6 months.

Once a “cookied” referral makes a purchase, all other purchases will be also attributed to you.

As you can imagine, Clickfunnels experts are the top sales funnel builders in the World.

Good for them… and for YOU!!!

Once you get a referral through the door, which you can do for as low as a Free book where they only pay shipping, they’ll be sent through CF’s master funnels (including email funnels).

If in any of these, your referral buys one of their products or starts using the software, that’s your commission too!

Clickfunnels is an incredible software and once you get to know it and use it, start watching some of Russell’s videos and entering the Funnel Hacker’s community, you’ll surely feel like you’re a part of something important and will want to stay for life.

Your job as an affiliate is to bring the person in, enough to fall in love with the software and its perks, and of course the mission. Then, you’ll make passive commissions forever!

Tier 2 Commissions and Affiliate Incentives

I didn’t mention this before but Clickfunnels also pays a 2nd tier commission of 5%.

Another genius move of Russell Brunson’s inspired in Network Marketing.

With this in mind, you have an extra incentive to help your referrals succeed, and when they succeed they stick around, and you continue to get those monthly commissions. This leads to that extra reward of 5% for everything your referral promotes successfully!

But the most famous incentive and what attracts most amount affiliates is the Dream Car.

Once you refer 100 new Clickfunnels users, they’ll pay you up to $500 per month of your dream car lease (this can also be your current car payment), and this goes up to $1000 once you reach the 200 mark.

All of this, of course, on top of your affiliate commissions, which with 100 referrals would be at least (likely more) $3,880 / month.

The Two Comma Club Award

After he saw a marketer make over $1,000,000 in a day, Russell got inspired to start thinking big and growing his company.

This became such an important milestone for him that he decided to create the Two Comma Club Award for Clickfunnels users. This means that for every funnel that produces over $1,000,000, the creator of that funnel will receive an award.

I’ll let you listen to the story told by Russell himself, it’s inspiring!

How Can YOU Win a Dream Car and Join the Two Comma Club?

To become a Clickfunnels affiliate, all you have to do is create a free trial account.

Promoting Clickfunnels is actually easy. They give you most of the tools you need, trainings, etc.

But in order to become a Super Affiliate, win prizes like the Dream Car and make an incredible passive income, you need to go one or two steps further than just promoting it.

You see, Clickfunnels is a software and as easy as it might be to use, it still has a learning curve. And building profitable funnels is not that straight forward.

What most, if not all, Super Affiliates do is help their referrals learn to use the software. They create courses and support and most of the times give them away for free. Once they become highly successful, they make better courses and start selling them.

If you’d like to see how they do this, have a look at this free training from one of Clickfunnels’ top affiliates, and amazing coach (the best I know), Frank Hatchet.

CLICK FOR ACCESS TO FREE TRAINING + FREE FUNNEL

A Done-for-You Clickfunnels Promotion Funnel and Step-by-Step Formula

Since I started learning about digital marketing and how easy it can be to succeed online by following the right path, I became inspired to help others avoid the mistakes I made and started creating and leveraging tools to help people like you acquire financial freedom through online entrepreneurship.

After years of hard work and learning the ins and outs of affiliate marketing, I created a system that could be leveraged to build any business online and start earning in as little as a few days without any previous experience or knowledge.

A marketer called Frank Hatchet has now built an even easier system which I am giving you access to. This is the easiest and fastest way ever to start promoting Clickfunnels.

This done-for-you funnel will not only promote Clickfunnels for you but will show you how to find the people who are interested in using and promoting it themselves.

You can have this set up in as little as 30 minutes following the video tutorials included and start getting your own referrals with no extra work in the next couple of days.

But keep in mind what I mentioned earlier, promoting Clickfunnels is not profitable unless your referrals receive the support they need and have a good reason to continue using it.

What better reason than them becoming affiliates themselves? That’s what happens when you use your copy of this funnel.

You will then gain access to my community of honest entrepreneurs and my free training to help you build and grow your affiliate business to levels you haven’t even dreamed of.

You can also send your referrals to this community to help them learn and grow their own businesses or create your own community.

If you’re ready to become a Clickfunnels Super Affiliate, grab this FREE funnel right now and don’t hesitate to ask for help anytime. You’ll find all the support you need when you join our community (access inside).

CLICK TO GET YOUR DONE FOR YOU FUNNEL NOW!

[cloudydamage3]

It’s time for music and music technology to be a voice for migrants

From countries across Europe to the USA, migration is at the center of Western politics at the moment. But that raises a question: why aren’t more people who make music, music instruments, and music tech louder about these issues?

Migration – temporary and permanent – is simply a fact of life for a huge group of people, across backgrounds and aspirations. That can involve migration to follow opportunities, and refugees and asylum seekers who move for their own safety and freedom. So if you don’t picture immigrants, migrants, and refugees when you think of your society, you just aren’t thinking.

Musicians ought to be uniquely qualified to speak to these issues, though. Extreme anti-immigration arguments all assume that migrants take away more from a society than they give back. And people in the music world ought to know better. Music has always been based on cultural exchange. Musicians across cultures have always considered touring to make a living. And to put it bluntly, music isn’t a zero sum game. The more you add, the more you create.

Music gets schooled in borders

As music has grown more international, as more artists tour and cross borders, at least the awareness is changing. That’s been especially true in electronic music, in a DJ industry that relies on travel. Resident Advisor has consistently picked up this story over the last couple of years, as artists spoke up about being denied entry to countries while touring.

In a full-length podcast documentary last year, they dug into the ways in which the visa system hurts artists outside the US and EU, with a focus on non-EU artists trying to gain entry to the UK:

Andrew Ryce also wrote about a visa rate hike in the USA back in 2016 – and this in the Obama Administration, not under Trump:

US raises touring artist visa fees by 42%

Now, being a DJ crossing a border isn’t the same as being a refugee running for your life. But then on some other level, it can allow artists to experience immigration infrastructure – both when it works for them, and when it works against them. A whole generation of artists, including even those from relatively privileged Western nations, is now learning the hard way about the immigration system. And that’s something they might have missed as tourists, particularly if they come from places like the USA, western Europe, Australia, and other places well positioned in the system.

The immigration system they see will often come off as absurdist. National policies worldwide categorize music as migrant labor and require a visa. In many countries, these requirements are unenforced in all but big-money gigs. But in some countries – the USA, Canada, and UK being prime examples – they’re rigorously enforced, and not coincidentally, the required visas have high fees.

Showing up at a border carrying music equipment or a bag of vinyl records is an instant red flag – whether a paid gig is your intention or not. (I’m surprised, actually, that no one talks about this in regards to the rise of the USB stick DJ. If you aren’t carrying a controller or any records, sailing through as a tourist is a lot easier.) Border officials will often ask visitors to unlock phones, hand over social media passwords. They’ll search Facebook events by name to find gigs. Or they’ll even just view the presence of a musical instrument as a violation.

Being seen as “illegal” because you’re traveling with a guitar or some records is a pretty good illustration of how immigration can criminalize simple, innocent acts. Whatever the intention behind that law, it’s clear there’s something off here – especially given the kinds of illegality that can cross borders.

When protection isn’t

This is not to argue for open borders. There are times when you want border protections. I worked briefly in environmental advocacy as we worked on invasive species that were hitching a ride on container ships – think bugs killing trees and no more maple syrup on your pancakes, among other things. I was also in New York on 9/11 and watched from my roof – that was a very visible demonstration of visa security oversight that had failed. Part of the aim of customs and immigration is to stop the movement of dangerous people and things, and I don’t think any rational person would argue with that.

But even as a tiny microcosm of the larger immigration system, music is a good example of how laws can be uneven, counter-intuitive, and counterproductive. The US and Canada, for instance, do have an open border for tourists. So if an experimental ambient musician from Toronto comes to play a gig in Cleveland, that’s not a security threat – they could do the same as a tourist. It’s also a stretch of the imagination that this individual would have a negative impact on the US economy. Maybe the artist makes a hundred bucks cash and … spends it all inside the USA, not to mention brings in more money for the venue and the people employed by it. Or maybe they make $1000 – a sum that would be wiped out by the US visa fee, to say nothing of slow US visa processing. Again, that concert creates more economic activity inside the US economy, and it’s very likely the American artist sharing the bill goes up to Montreal and plays with them next month on top of it. I could go on, but it’s … well, boring and obvious.

Artists and presenters worldwide often simply ignore this visa system because it’s slow, expensive, and unreliable. And so it costs economies (and likely many immigration authorities) revenue. It costs societies value and artistic and cultural exchange.

Of course, scale that up and the same is true, across other fields. Immigrants tend to give more into government services than they take out, they tend to own businesses that employ more local people (so they create jobs), they tend to invent new technologies (so they create jobs again), and so on.

Ellis Island, NYC. 12 million people passed through here – not all of my family who came to the USA, but some. I’ve now come the other way through Tegel Airport and the Ausländerbehörde , Berlin. Photo (CC-BY-ND “>A. Strakey.

Advocacy and music

Immigration advocacy could be seen as something in the charter of anyone in the music industry or musical instruments industry.

Music technology suffers as borders are shut down, too. Making musical instruments and tools requires highly specialized labor working in highly specialized environments. From production to engineering to marketing, it’s an international business. I actually can’t think of any major manufacturer that doesn’t rely on immigrants in key roles. (Even many tiny makers involve immigrants.)

And the traditional music industry lean heavily on immigrant talent, too. Those at the top of the industry have powerful lobbying efforts – efforts that could support greater cultural exchange and rights for travelers. Certainly, its members are often on the road. But let’s take the Recording Academy (the folks behind the Grammy Awards).

Instead, their efforts seem to fixate on domestic intellectual property law. So the Recording Academy and others were big on the Music Modernization Act – okay, fine, a law to support compensation for creators.

But while the same organization advocated on behalf of instruments traveling – domestic rules around carry-on and checked instruments – but not necessarily humans. So it could be that there’s more interest in your guitar getting across borders than people.

I don’t want to be unfair to the Recording Association – and not just because I think it might hurt my Grammy winning chances. (Hey, stop laughing.) No, I think it’s more that we as a community have generally failed to take up this issue in any widespread way. (I sincerely hope someone out there works for the record industry and writes to say that you’re actually working on this and I’m wrong.)

More than anything else, music can cross borders. It can speak to people when you don’t speak their language, literally. When music travels, emotion and expression travels – artists and technology alike.

It’s personal – isn’t it for you?

I personally feel the impact of all of this, now having been seven years in Berlin, and able to enjoy opportunities, connections, and perspective that come from living in Germany and working with people both from Germany and abroad. I feel hugely grateful to the German state for allowing my business to immigrate (my initial visa was a business visa, which involved some interesting bureaucracy explaining to the Berlin Senate what this site is about). I’ve even benefited from the support of programs like the Goethe Institut and host governments to work in cultural diplomacy.

I’ve also had the chance to be involved writing in support of visas and financial backing for artists coming from Iran, Mexico, Kazakhstan, and many other places, for programs I’ve worked on.

And all of this is really a luxury – even when we’re talking about artists traveling to support their careers and feed themselves. For so many people, migration is a matter of survival. Now that we’ve lived the system, we have an added obligation to make it work for them. Sometimes the threats to their lives come from geopolitical and economic policies engineered by the governments we come from – meaning as citizens, we share some responsibility for the impact others have felt. But whether or not that’s the case, I would hope we feel that obligation as human beings. That’s the basis of international rule of law on accepting refugees and granting asylum. It’s the reason those principles are uncompromising and sometimes even challenging. Our world is held together – or not – based on that basic fairness we afford to fellow humans. If people come to where we live and claim their survival and freedom depends on taking them in, we accept the obligation to at least listen to their case.

Those of us in the music world could use our privilege, and the fact that our medium is so essential to human expression, to be among the loudest voices for these human rights. When we live in countries who listen to us, we should talk to other citizens and talk to our governments. We should tell the stories that make these issues more relatable. We should do what some people I know are doing in the music world, too – work on education and involvement for refugees, help them to feel at home in our communities and to develop whatever they need to make a home here, and make people feel welcome at the events we produce.

That’s just the principles, not policies. But I know a lot of people in my own circle have worked on the policy and advocacy sides here. I certainly would invite you to share what we might do. If you’ve been impacted by immigration obstacles and have ideas of how we help, I hope we hear that, too.

Some likely policy areas: Supporting the rights of refugees and asylum seekers Supporting refugee and asylum seeker integration Advocating for more open visa policies for artists – keeping fees low, and supporting exchange Advocating the use of music and culture, and music technology, as a form of cultural diplomacy Supporting organizations that connect artists and creative technologists across borders

And so on…

But I do hope that as musicians, we work with people who share basic beliefs in caring for other people. I know there’s no single “community” or “industry” that can offer that. But we certainly can try to build our own circle in a way that does.

Some examples from here in Berlin working on refugee issues here. I would argue immigration policy can find connections across refugees and migrants, asylum seekers and touring musicians, as everyone encounters the same larger apparatus and set of laws:

Photo at top: CC-BY Nicola Romagna.

Source: http://cdm.link/2018/11/opinion-immigration-music-advocacy/

[omgktlouchheim]

Word Vomit Wednesday - Comedic Complicity

Welcome to Word Vomit Wednesday! A series of blog posts about a specific topic from current events that I, and sometimes the rest of the Internet, ruminate obsessively about. All thoughts/opinions/experiences are my own; I don’t claim anything that I write to represent anyone other than myself.

I’m starting off this series, probably appropriately, with Tina Fey. (I’m pretty sure my use of the phrase “word vomit” began shortly after watching Mean Girls). Recently, Tina did a bit on SNL’s Weekend Update commenting on the events in Charlottesville, VA, which has garnered quite a bit of criticism. Before I get into what was said I want to point out that constructive criticism, especially for things/people we love and enjoy, is important. No one is perfect and we’re going to get things wrong. When it comes to art, in all its forms; music, comedy, film, videogames, fine arts, etc., we are being presented with a microcosm of what is happening in a larger context. We are also dealing with a particular perspective, which is immediately directing that particular microcosm. And what that all means is that, no matter what the intentions of the creator are, the things that are still fucked up (privilege, implicit biases) are going to show up and by being put out there for the public, those sentiments will then be reinforced.

Despite all the bullshit happening, that has actually been going on for way too long, a majority of us are working toward breaking down white, hetero-patriarchal institutions, ideals, and behaviors within society. In order to keep doing that and progressing forward we need to be able to call out problematic sentiments and be listened to rather than policed by people who hold more privilege and don’t understand how a joke can be damaging. Now, without further ado, let’s get into it.

Problem #1: Weaponizing the bodies of drag queens.

Drag queens are fierce as fuck, but that does not mean they should in any way expect to be the front line of defense. Portraying them as if they need to be feared only marginalizes their communities more. Which leads me to…

Problem #2: Weaponizing/creating fear around black men’s bodies.

Again, perpetuating fear of black men only makes black men more vulnerable. We already see how some cops, people that are supposed to have their shit together and protect everyone, lose their goddamn minds over seeing a black child in a hoodie. How is it that people are still equating black men with being inherently violent? Let’s cut that shit out. As enjoyable as it is to imagine people beating the shit out of Nazis, we really don’t have to sacrifice black men to do it. These fucking snowflakes give themselves strokes just by thinking about Fearless Girl.

Problem #3: Sally Hemings.

It took me three times of watching the clip to finally catch this part of her bit, mostly because all I heard was muffled noises from having so much cake in her mouth when she said it. And if it weren’t for the POC in my news feed talking about it I would not have gone back a second and third time to try and figure out what she had said. When it did come through for me, I just felt really confused and uncomfortable. I’m still confused and uncomfortable. This is just me, and I feel like I’m lacking some education as to how that joke was 100% connected to everything else she was saying, but to refer to a woman who was enslaved and consistently raped by one of the most powerful and influential men in our history as a throwaway joke at the end felt really off.

What I did think she did well, but which also upset many people, was the whole “let’s sit back and eat cake” thing. For me, this felt appropriately aimed at white women on the right and left alike. The ones who don’t want to get involved and just want everyone to be kind. The ones who think it’s enough to say they’re not racist or anti-Semitic but don’t do anything to back up those claims. The ones who think it’s enough to spend money at Jewish-owned this and POC-owned that, as if their spare change is going to do anything when those storefronts are attacked by mobs and those families forced into camps, or hiding, or murdered publicly. The ones who felt like it was in their best interest to elect a white supremacist, sexual predator and con man to be the 45th president of The United States.

White women have a reputation for phoning it in. The allusion/comparison to Marie Antoinette seems scarily accurate. Pointing to many white women’s delusions of what is happening and how it affects people and pointing out their inability to see any need to act even when their own heads are on the chopping block. White women are at once, beneficiaries of white supremacy and oppressed by the sexist and misogynistic attitudes underlying it. Seeing all that on display in a comedic context is understandably upsetting.  Mostly because it’s hard to know if the audience it was aimed at satirizing (complacent white women) was able to even recognize it. And it’s terrifying for those of us whose existence in this world is revolutionary in and of itself. Slavery, the Holocaust, the Civil Right’s Movement are all in recent memory. Those of us born with these legacies know that all of these things happened because our white neighbors either turned their heads or were participating in the physical violence.

Furthermore, and I can’t believe I have to lay this out but here it goes: If something someone says or does brings up feelings (positive or negative) it’s totally valid to say, “Fuck, this made me feel (fill in the blank).” The thing that’s not ok to do, is to retort with, “It’s a just a joke, that’s what satire is supposed to do.” If this is you, I have some words: you’re missing the point and you’re being an asshole. Jokes can still be funny when they’re not at the expense of marginalized people. I saw a lot of POC get policed about their feelings about these jokes. I saw a lot of Jews get policed about their feelings about these jokes. WHITE PEOPLE, YOU NEED TO SHUT UP. When marginalized people express concern about something, that’s your cue to take it seriously, put aside what you THINK you know, and listen. It’s an opportunity to see another perspective, and learn some empathy. I’m not saying you’re not allowed to have your own opinions, but fuck, could you please just stop hijacking conversations and making them about you? You don’t know everything and policing the thoughts and feelings of marginalized groups who do have more experience in these arenas is white supremacy in action. It’s called a micro aggression. Get used to hearing that term. You do them. A LOT.

On another note, I would like to point out how much harsher the treatment of women is in any field. In comedy, right now it’s Tina Fey while a few months ago it was Kathy Griffin. There are plenty of men out there who say heinous shit and are not called out on it at all or, if they are, they’re given a slap on the wrist or a career boost. The double standards need to go. If we’re going to put such an intense microscope on a brilliant comedian like Tina Fey, let’s be just as critical with everyone else.

 Katie Louchheim likes cake, but likes the end of white supremacy even more.

[meditativeyoga]

7 Reasons Every Yogi Should Try Traveling Alone

Ever imagine taking a trip alone, yet have trouble shooting? Taking a solo trip could be difficult-- and also really feel selfish with the common a laundry listing of obligations that monopolize daily life. Travel can be the best reset switch to push you outside your convenience area and also blend up your routine. Even top yoga teachers, that invest a lot of the year taking a trip to lead teacher trainings, retreats, as well as workshops, need a little solo adventure from time to time. So we asked them regarding the worth of traveling alone for yogis. Several of their solutions could surprise you. (And also, select up travel-perfect pranayama, poses, meditations and also pointers for a based, motivating experience on the roadway.)

1. It offers you permission to concentrate on yourself.

Perhaps most apparent, yet additionally crucial: Stepping away from the day-to-day work, and also releasing those you leave creates area for you to support and also concentrate exclusively on yourself. "My husband, friends and family are the most effective, however when I'm with them I'm constantly worried regarding their well-being and also can not appear to manage that propensity," states Colorado Institution of Yoga exercise creator and instructor Gina Caputo. "Solo journeys are the only time I'm entirely liberated from that worry. As well as if you go somewhere that the wifi is weak or non-existent, also far better! It gives me an opportunity to deeply nurture myself."

Gina Caputo's travel tips:

' Purchase a fantastic pair of noise-cancelling earphones, always have a multiple-use canteen to remain hydrated and also stay clear of alcohol. If you want to sleep, attempt a CBN (cannabinol) spot instead.'

2. You're a lot more available to new friendships.

Not having a pal to count on can be terrifying at initially, however traveling alone can encourage you to open your heart to brand-new individuals you fulfill. "I normally like business on my experiences, but would certainly recommend anyone flight solo for a yoga exercise resort," claims Kathryn Budig, instructor and also writer of the brand-new book Aim True: Love Your Body, Eat Without Anxiety, Nourish Your Spirit, Discover True Balance!. "I claim this since I have actually seen timid, worried students walk away with friends after a mere week. The resort setup is an important location to attach as well as produce long lasting bonds."

Kathryn Budig's best travel posture:

' Malasana! I enjoy this posture pre- and also- blog post travel as it launches my reduced back from being in cramped chairs and relaxes my hips from grouchy hip flexors.'

3. You get to see who you are, with no support.

Stripping away outside resources creates an excellent chance to removal internal. "You reach sign in with yourself completely," states Vinyasa 101: The Principles of Yoga exercise instructor Eddie Modestini. "You start without any friends, no acquainted foods, smells, or places. All there is, is you. In this kind of environment you obtain to taste your truth and also have the room for incredible representation. It gives you the opportunity to assess exactly what is and also determine the direction that you have to expand in."

Eddie Modestini's favorite poses as well as pranayama:

' To stay based, integrate mild pranayama methods throughout your day. Find some location silent to rest or exist down pleasantly, and also method Viloma Pranayama on breathing. Breathe in one 3rd of the way, time out, then one more third, pause, as well as the last third. Full a slow, smooth or even exhalation out. Kick back as long as you can and find comfort in every area in your body. You can pause 3-5 times on the inhalation as long as it's comfortable. Exercise this for 5 mins each day to strike the reset switch.' ( Note: To see this pranayama, have a look at the India Video on our Facebook page, where Eddie's educator Arun shares this technique.)

I love Virasana, when I am really feeling worn down in my legs, and Sirsasana to focalize my consciousness. (Tip: Sirsasana needs to be come before by Downward Canine and is a great asana to exercise in the personal privacy of your resort area.)'

4. It scares you.

Yes, you review that right-- fear can be a good idea if you harness it. "Taking a trip alone can be daunting, or even frightening, and also that's specifically why I prefer to do it," says teacher as well as blog writer Caitlin Turner, aka @GypsetGoddess. "It supplies a remarkable area for me to discover how strong and capable I really am. As I effectively issue address and also navigate unforeseen situations alone, I understand that there are couple of things worth truly hesitating of and an entire world available to uncover."

@GypsetGoddess's packing tip:

If you deal with traveling stress and anxiety or homesickness, bring your pillow with you. "I find that despite exactly how challenging my day is, just how unpleasant the bed is, or exactly how far from home I really feel, recognizing that I a minimum of have my very own comfortable pillow constantly appears to help," she says. "If taking a trip with your cushion seems as well troublesome, then transport your inner kid as well as bring a packed animal or little covering to cuddle with. If cuddles typically aren't your point, a perfumed candle from house could make points feel a bit a lot more familiar too."

5. It can solidify personal transformation.

If you have actually simply undergone a major life shift, traveling alone could assist you absorb, process, as well as convert that experience right into a brand-new direction. "I want to take solo trips after times of huge personal makeover, or I'll add a day or two throughout of a training to simply be alone, hear and also link to myself," states Pillars of Power trainer Leah Cullis. "This area permits me to absorb my experiences, discover my feelings, integrate my knowings, and also pick exactly how I wish to progress."

Leah Cullis's travel tip:

Take your journal all over and compose as high as you can. "I journal every morning as well as evening, and also as long as I could in between. On solo trips I try to be as silent as feasible and also take the time to go internal. I create to secure my experiences, vision progressing, share new affirmations and also objectives, as well as to just track exactly what I see as well as listen to along the road."

6. It's liberating!

It's easy to keep ourselves boxed right into the way of thinking that we have (" my" country/language/customs and also the "other" is anyone/thing different from us). "In the United States, we often tend to be a little America-centric: we anticipate everyone to talk our language, to provide the foods we're utilized to, making us feel risk-free," says teacher and also founder of Embodied Understanding, LLC, Bo Forbes. "This is our survival impulse, however it also limits us. When I'm educating in the U.K., Europe, or the Center East, I usually take a trip solo. It's disjointing and also yet, exceptionally releasing on all degrees. I surrender a little a lot more to the culture, to the means traveling could break me open as well as subject the inmost variation of myself. Solo travel aids me really feel that feeling of interdependence, it chips away at my concepts of 'self' as well as 'other,' helping me realize that we are all one.

Bo Forbes's digestion meditation and also pointers:

' Travel is exhausting to the worried system. It constantly hits me in my 'stubborn belly brain'. The brand-new regimen, various food, and anxiety of being displaced adjustments things in the intestine microbiome. For me, this means stomach discomfort, lowered prana, and digestive system distress. And since the state of our stomach brain likewise impacts state of mind as well as immunity, every little thing could go a little haywire. I sign in with my stomach every few hrs to make certain I'm not tightening without realizing it. Generally, I'll do something like this Embodied Stomach Meditation. Sometimes I do balanced job in my inherent core muscular tissues, as well as adhere to that up with some stamina structure. An everyday must-do is a Piriformis launch making use of yoga exercise treatment spheres. As well as I'll finish up with an abdominal massage therapy to launch connective tissue, which additionally promotes vagal tone as well as constructs anxiety strength.'

7. It's even more like yoga exercise than you think.

When you really go, you'll most likely recognize that traveling alone as well as exercising yoga by yourself typically aren't so various. "When I fell for yoga exercise it had not been due to the fact that I wanted to do complicated poses," claims instructor and blogger Jacqueline Smyth, aka @TravelingMats. "It was due to the fact that every single time I tipped into my floor covering, I found out something new regarding how I turned up on the planet. Every one of the 'I can not do this', or 'I ought to have the ability to do that's', the ego, and also the judgment appeared. But exactly what my practice gifted me was the understanding around those restrictions that I had established for myself. When I found out to be a lot more mindful, I obtained the option of revealing up as who I wished to be. Traveling alone does the similar thing. The even more you venture right into the unidentified, the much more pieces of on your own you discover in the process. Layer by layer, you get to drop in love with parts of the world, and also much more significantly components of on your own that I guarantee you really did not also know existed."

@Travelingmats' traveling meditation:

' My favorite best reflection tip is super easy, and also constantly accessible. Three actions: Close your eyes. Calmly say to on your own as you take in: I am breathing in. As well as calmly claim to yourself as you breath out: I am breathing out. Easy? It transforms your breath into a meditation unifying your body as well as mind.'

[breath4soul]

An Apology and A Confession

This post is my confession and apology for anyone that cares to listen.

I was angry and bewildered and more than a little defeated in the wake of S4 of Sherlock. I wrote a couple posts expressing my frustration. Nothing terribly acrid, but I did that (frankly childish) thing of thinking it was all about me or ‘us’ as an audience so those posts had a tone of accusation towards the show’s creators for what I saw as them ‘wasting an opportunity,’ ‘failing’ and ‘betraying’ us.

Hurt people hurt people. I am sorry for that.

This past week I have looked around and seen a community turning on itself; people attacking each other, emotionally kicking others when the other person is already clearly broken, hurting and bleeding on the floor… We were appalled by John’s actions when he beat the obviously emotionally out of control Sherlock in the morgue but how true a reflection is that of what I saw happening around me - people with old, unhealed wounds lashing out in violent, hurtful ways. Pain begetting deeper pain.

Hurt people hurt people.

I took a good look in the mirror and realized that is not who I want to be.

Arguing with reality never accomplishes anything.

Long before John said it in S4 I had the habit of telling myself, “It is what it is” when it came to the things I cannot change nor control and the second half of that saying has always been for me, “I can only control how I react to it.”

So this is me walking away from that hurt and anger and embracing the person I want to be - getting back to why I came to this community.

In 2015 my world shattered. I lost ‘my person’. It came on the heels of two other people I cared deeply about dying, which I had never let myself properly grieve, and so my world was thrown into darkness and I was deeply alone. All my wounds and scars were on the inside and no one could see I was shutting down, going dark, slowly dying. I was numb and I couldn’t even begin to connect and work through all that pain. My natural inclination with emotional pain has always been to soldier on, to shut down all feeling and do what needs to be done for the sake of others; survive now and grieve/panic/breakdown later - then running so hard towards the next thing that later never comes. But this time, set adrift and severely and irreparably wounded, my demons had waited long enough. I couldn’t outrun it anymore; it was too big this time, if I closed down I knew I was not going to come back.

That’s when I found Sherlock and the emotional subtext hit me upside the head. It actually felt like a physical blow to the chest, that restarted my heart - I fell in love (more truthfully, deep empathy) with the chatacters - their story; their strengths and weaknesses, and their dynamics… and how they reflected my own truths.

I hadn’t written for personal pleasure in years prior to that. I really had choked off most forms of expression in an effort to keep myself under tight control and appear strong. But I started writing Johnlock because I could feel a little something when I did write. A little joy, love, hope, sadness, passion, rage, pain, grief, frustration, fear, etc. in small doses I could control and manage - then resolve. It got those things out of my head where they were insurmountable. It kept me alive and human when it would be easier to shut down.

I shared my works because I hoped it would connect and take others on a journey as well. I found that when people responded - when they connected and shared their observations - it challenged me, gave me a better perspective, and helped me continue to evolve.

I described my writing process to a co-author as taking a lantern and following these characters into a dark forest. I can’t see the path, only what’s immediately revealed in front of me. I don’t always know what I am looking for, what I might find, or where I’ll end up... but it is always a revelation. John and Sherlock have given me the courage and the way to run into that darkness - that frightening tangle of emotions I would prefer to keep locked down - and then find my way out through them. That is a complete credit to the beautiful work of art developed by the show’s creators in those first 3 seasons.

As an artist, I should have had more empathy for the creators - a bit better perspective on this. Creating art is an act of exposure and vulnerability. You can’t hide. It can only be a reflection of yourself; your likes, your desires, your demons, the things you fear, you hate, you want and deny. No matter what form it takes, it is limited by you; your thoughts, your blind spots, your prejudices and lack of perspective. You are the filter. It is the world passing through the lens of You and that lens always has grit on it - there are always imperfections and the unique distortions that reveal the truth of how you have been made. Everyone learns to look past these things, but putting your authentic work out there for others to see exposes the truth of you, opens you up to rejection and deeper harm than just about anything else… and that takes courage.

When I create, I do so first and foremost to feed my own soul; to create some joy, exercise my own demons, to discover my truths and realize my own potential so I can evolve. I share knowing that it is vulnerability, inviting you into my head and heart to take a journey with me. I think about the times someone has commented negatively on one of my stories and how badly that stung and I can only imagine Sherlock’s creators having to withstand the kind of potent vitriol of so many hurt and angry people who wanted their work to reflect their own vision and truth.

The creators of Sherlock took and made their vision and shared it for all to see and now are under relentless attack. To think of that kind of intense, heartless scrutiny aimed at me… well, I am not sure how I would hold up.

Whatever their reasons, whatever their intentions, whatever their pain and personal experiences, this was what they needed in their journey. This is what they created to exercise their own demons (or shove them back into the closet) to ask and answer the questions most important to them and to find their own path out. Who am I to say that that is wrong? Who am I to demand something different - prioritise my vision and needs over their own? We have been privileged to share in their journey thus far and found it aligned with our own but I, for one, am not the person I want to be if I tear down another for their efforts at bringing something into this world and for inviting me into their journey when, in the end, I find I didn’t end up where I hoped and that my journey is still incomplete.

I have deleted my critical posts and I apologise to the creators of Sherlock S4. In the heat of the moment, I somehow forgot that the work you create is yours; your vision, your journey and your truth. You have the right to take whatever path you wish in getting to whatever you want to accomplish.

Sherlock’s creators owe me (and the world) nothing. They already saved me once (and likely will never know it). They gave me hope and kept me human through a year of hell. Now the rest is up to me.

I, for one, am going to try to bring some light into the world by continuing to write and draw all the things that I need to get out of me and into the world. I hope you, reading this right now, continue to be the brilliant, lovely, unique person you are and that you share your gifts with the world in every way possible.

Things out of our control happen, but we choose how we react and the way we choose to act in those darkest moments determines who we are - our character.

I hope we can pull together and support each other realising that all of us have stories and wounds we hide beneath our skin, all of us have dark moments where we do things that are ugly and hurtful. All of us have made the mistake of hurting when we are hurt.

In the end, I have this terrible suspicion we are all human.

We are all on a journey… We are all stories. In the end, make yours a good one.

[momentsinsong]

Moments in Song No. 001 - Justjuwit

“Moments in Song” asks people one simple question, “What are you listening to?” We believe that you can learn a lot about someone and their experiences based off of the music they love. For every installment we ask a someone to make a playlist of 5 to 10 songs they’re listening to, whether it be something new they stumbled upon, or a song they’ve always loved, and explain the story behind their choices. The person’s playlist is then uploaded to our Spotify account, giving them the chance to share it with others. Each post aims to profile someone from a different walk of life, whether they be an artist, a student, the mailman, a school teacher, an athlete, a nurse, your next-door neighbor, anyone with a love for music; showing that no matter where we come from, what we do, or what we look like, music has the ability to bring us together.

Our first post covers our very own Justjutwit, a DJ based out of Baltimore. He started DJing parties while attending the University of Maryland, and has since moved on to DJing throughout the DMV as well as uploading and sharing his mixes online. He started Roundabout with his friends in an effort to create a community for everyone to come and share their thoughts and feelings on music. Aside from music, Wit also works as an educator at a non-profit organization in Baltimore, working with elementary school students.  

Tell us the thought process behind your playlist.

“My playlist is mix of old favorites like N.E.R.D. and Tyler, the Creator, to new artists I’m feeling, like DAISY, Hayleau, and Gabriel Garzon-Montano. I first really got into music around the middle of middle school/beginning of high school, and made the transition from just listening to what was on the radio, to developing my own personal taste. In the beginning, 90% of the music I listened to was Hip-Hop, which explains the Kanye, Blu, and Kid Cudi on the playlist. As I got older, the internet started playing a bigger part in the release of music, and it introduced me to all kinds genres. I started listening to Alternative, Electronic, R&B, Dance, Pop, from both big name and lesser known artists. To me, music has always been a way to help put my emotions and thoughts into words. I’m not the best at articulating what I’m feeling/thinking, so music helps give me a sense of clarity to all that. With any emotion I’ve felt, whether it be joy, depression, excitement, anxiety, or frustration, I’ve had a song that helps express it. A lot of the songs on this playlist have an emotion attached to it, whether it be from the lyrics or production.”

Can you pick one song on your playlist and tell us the story behind it?

“Alright so lets rewind to the year 2011. I had just graduated high school and was balancing my first semester at community college, working part-time, transferring to UMD, and on top of all that, figuring out who I was as a person in that awkward transition phase between the end of high school and the beginning of college. Needless to say, it was a stressful time. ‘Below the Heavens’ by Blu and Exile came out in 2007, but it wasn’t until then that I actually sat down and listened to the album. It’s themes of enduring, learning, and growing from hardships, struggling with self-doubt, and discovering what truly matters in life were all things I could relate to during that time. Even today I find myself going back to that album whenever I need a reminder of the lessons it taught me. The track ‘Below the Heavens Pt. 1′ is a nice summary of all that.”

Listen to Justjuwit’s playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.

Connect with Justjuwit:

https://twitter.com/justjuwit

https://www.instagram.com/justjuwit/

http://bit.do/justjuwitsoundcloud

Connect with Moments In Song.

Written by Julian

Photos by Tayo.

[endenogatai]

From Twenty Minute VC to 20VC, Harry Stebbings launches a micro VC off the back of his popular podcast

Podcasts are becoming big business — in part because of how well they can attract and keep audience at a time when so many other media formats are finding it hard to pin down that elusive metric of engagement. Now a podcast host who has built out a popular series around the world of startup investing is leveraging that growth to build out an investment vehicle of his own. Harry Stebbings, the 24-year-old London-based creator and host of Twenty Minute VC, is launching a micro VC fund of $8.3 million. Called 20VC, the plan is to invest in US startups across various stages alongside “tier 1” co-investors.

Stebbings spends a lot of his time talking to investors and about investments, and this is his second foray into actually putting money where his mouth is. He’s also a partner at Stride.vc, a firm he co-founded with Fred Destin in 2018 (joined later by a third partner, Pia d’Iribarne). He says that 20VC is scratching a different itch. The older fund focuses on investing in the UK and France, has an inclination (but not exclusivity) towards e-commerce disruptors and earlier stages of investment.

Stebbings’ newer effort, on the other hand, focuses on the US, and is positioned within what seems to be shaping up to a typical micro fund profile. Micro funds, as the name implies, are usually not huge, but they aim to pack a punch by offering other skills in the mix with their smaller investments. The concept has been growing in popularity over the last several years. (“I don’t know anyone who isn’t involved in at least one $5 million micro fund,” one former VC said to me.)

In the case of 20VC, it hopes to get its foot into the door on deals other VCs by offering Stebbings’ own set of skills in building and scaling companies as the selling point in exchange.

Typical deal sizes will range from $100,000 to $300,000 ($250,000 is the typical check size), and although Stebbings is announcing the fund today, some 12 investments have already been made out of it (Nex Health and Spiketrap are the only two that are public so far), investing alongside Sequoia, Index, Founders Fund, a16z.

20VC’s tie to the name of the podcast is intentional. The podcast has developed a brand of its own in the world of tech, with some 200,000 subscribers and 80 million downloads to date of the twice-weekly program. And 20VC isn’t just trading on Stebbings’ own experience as an entrepreneur: it has tapped the network of people that have been on the show, or know him because of the show, to assemble LPs.

There are some 64 of them in all, including founders and current and former execs from Atlassian, Yammer (David Sacks), Plaid (William Hockney), Superhuman, Airtable, Calm, Cazoo, Zenly, Alan, Spotify (Shakil Khan) and Tray.io; GPs from Kleiner (Mamoon Hamid), Social Capital (Chamath) Thrive (Josh Kushner & Miles Grimshaw), Atomic, Founders Fund (Brian Singerman), Coatue, Index (Danny Rimer), True Ventures (Phil Black), and Beezer Clarkson, among many others. Having a popular podcast that highlights interesting investors and startups turns out to be a good way of networking to build a fund. Stebbings said that the call out was oversubscribed three times over within four weeks.

Boy VC

Stebbings’ entry into the world of investing in startups is something of a typical startup story of its own.

He came up with the idea for his podcast at a time when he was already intrigued by the world of venture capital, but was actually on the road to something else, with a place as a law scholar at Kings College in London (in the US you start law school as an undergraduate).

He says started the podcast with the idea of working on something that interested him, but more specifically to make some money. His mother has multiple sclerosis and she was having issues paying for her healthcare. Stebbings decided to start the podcast use the money it made off advertising around it to help cover his mother’s medical bills.

He was a nobody in tech, but he had a very specific plan, and a lot of smiley and positive enthusiasm, for how to get from zero to hero.

It started with finding just the right first guest, someone who had a high profile and respect but also appeared to be nice enough that if you got the approach right, you might get an agreement to be interviewed, or as Stebbings described it, “low hanging fruit.”

For Stebbings, that person, it turned out, was Guy Kawasaki. In addition to getting the interview, Stebbings also asked Kawasaki for three recommendations of people he should have on the show next, and what he should ask them. Stebbings followed that up with asking those three for their recommendations, and so on. Pyramid scheme with purpose, I guess you could say.

“I view distribution quite scientifically,” said Stebbings — who I interviewed sitting in a bedroom, although I think he normally podcasts these days sitting in a studio as pictured, above. “I’m bringing as many people as possible to help in the content creation process.”

The whole format of “20 minutes” also stemmed from a calculation Stebbings made. He told me he used to struggle with his weight and finally managed to lose some pounds using Tim Ferriss’ 4-hour Body. It got him thinking about how timing is important, and on top of that he knew that the typical commute in London was around 30 minutes, and decided that 20 minutes was a reasonable amount of time to expect someone to listen regularly. (Spoiler: most of the podcasts these days are not 20 minutes, but longer.)

Things started to shift from interesting side hustle to main hustle after he featured Arielle Zuckerberg, Mark’s sister and a tech persona in her own right (she’s currently a partner at investment firm Coatue). That podcast saw 100,000 downloads, and all signs pointed to 20 Minute VC taking off. So he quit university to focus on the podcast full time. It was four weeks into his first term.

“I decided I love VC and all of this,” he said about his choice to drop out of school. “I decided that I’d rather have my shot at this than trying to live the life I didn’t want to live. It was a big decision. I was 18 and very unemployable at the time.”

As for his mother’s medical bills, they are still being paid for by the show, he said.

“There’s advertising at the beginning and end of the show. It’s fine, not lights out, but it pays for my mother’s healthcare and that’s all I need it to do.”

The show, and Stebbings himself, have benefitted from a perfect storm of circumstances to grow.

Podcasts have been around for years, but it’s only been in recent times that they have properly taken off in popularity. Leveraging mobile phones and apps for listening, they fit naturally into our multitasking, information-hungry routines; there is a huge variety out there, a podcast for every taste; and they’ve bettered the talk radio format by being there right when you need them. Having a very predictable program in that format — Stebbings’ show has been running twice a week, every week, for five years now — is not to be underestimated.

There is also the subject matter to consider. There has been a huge explosion in the role that technology is playing in our modern society and economy, and that has meant an audience that consists not just of those already working in the world of tech, but those with ambitions to be a part of it (like Stebbings himself), and simply a lot of enthusiasts.

Within that, venture capital has seen a veritable explosion of money, and while some believe that it’s the technical talent that fuels the startup engine, others would make a strong case for the funding that enables them to work holding that role. In any case, money has always held a lot of allure.

“VC is becoming more popular, and cool, and I think that had a lot to do with us getting to this size,” he said.

Stebbings himself is also a part of the formula. He’s not a journalist, and at a time when we seem to be seeing a lot of wariness and tension in the relationship between media and the tech industry, his position as an informal reporter and conduit of information and messaging, who remains friendly and non-combative with his guests, may see him getting a lot warmer of a reception from his target audience of guests and listeners.

Harry doesn’t seem to remember this, but I first met him several years ago, at a tech event in London, where he was working the room very smoothly, smiling and chatting and knowing enough people already that he was able to continue the momentum introducing himself and presuming familiarity with those he was just meeting for the first time. I remember being struck at the time by how young he was mingling amongst quite a lot of middle aged types.

When I recalled this and asked Stebbings if he ever felt like he’s found a place in this scene precisely for this reason — being around younger and flattering people sometimes makes older people feel less old, and possibly more important — he said he thought it was more that it’s about himself feeling natural in that environment.

“For me, it’s always about building relationships,” he said. “I was always like the 50 year old in the room when I was younger and I didn’t have many friends. I’ve made by best friends through the shows.”

Ironically, he says that these days he does get pinged by his older — that is, young and past — acquaintances who are hoping for connections to his powerful network to push whatever tech enterprise they are pursuing these days.

That’s not the only bit of irony in 20VC and Stebbings’ latest venture: the whole of his podcast was built from the ground up, funded by ads and not a penny of outside investment. It means that the lesson from Stebbings is not just how to grow and scale, but how to do so with no VC involvement at all.

That’s not the norm, however, and so this will be about bringing more along that proverbial check.

“Everyone in the valley has money, but very few have been part of an enterprise that has scaled to include contact machines and brands. I’ll have thousands of tips and lessons on scaling and customer acquisition costs. It’s about the cadence and distribution, and how ton build a brand.”

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8204425 https://ift.tt/2WvdqYR via IFTTT

[cynthiadshaw]

Perspective & Advice for Those Facing Insurmountable Odds

Throughout our journey with Voyage, the one thing we have learned over and over is that hidden within every challenge is a blessing or opportunity. It’s up to us to determine whether a challenge we face will be a step back or the catalyst for a step forward.

We had the honor of connecting with some of the city’s brightest leaders and role models and we asked them our question of the month: What is the best advice you have for someone who feels like they are facing insurmountable odds.

Below, you’ll find their advice and links and other info so you can learn more about them, their work and how to connect with them. We’ll be interviewing many of these amazing individuals in the coming weeks, stay tuned.

Bryan Gonzalez | Athlete | Trainer | Nutritionist

Every one deals with their own insurmountable odds, but not everyone knows how to handle these situations. For me it’s simple, the only time you fail is when you stop trying. No matter how hard it gets or how impossible something may seem you must continue to fight and maintain a positive outlook. Just remember there’s always someone out there who has it worse than you, be grateful and keep fighting. Life is a battle but the real battle is within yourself.

@_bryan.gonzalez

Victor Uzoigwe | The bearded Champ

For every odd that you face that is too great to overcome, look at it as if it is something ta you have been through already and then disciple your mind to teach yourself for odds that are too great it can be resolved cause at the day of the day is either you fail or you succeed but the choice of failure or success is left to how much you want to overcome those odds.

@iamvctor

David F Wilson | Car Enthusiast

Life is full of ebbs and flows, realize even a tsunami ends in a calm ocean. Break down the insurmountable odds you’re facing into smaller chunks, and remember to keep your faith- & know this too shall pass.

@dfwscars

Ian Bartlett | Photographer & filmmaker

I have built an ongoing friendship with some of the subjects in my Bikelife project and have chatted with them on this very subject.

First of all I would say without hesitation that we have all experienced a situation or period in our lives that we felt we could not overcome. Its important to know this because in the age of social media it could ‘appear’ that your peers are having a wonderful life when you are going through difficult times and nothing could be further from the truth. Feelings of depression and anxiety are certainly more common than we are led to believe but just by opening up the subject up for discussion helps break down the misconceptions that you have to deal with these feelings on your own.

I feel that talking is the best form of helping you to process your thoughts. Find someone you don’t mind sharing your thoughts with. It can be a person you confide in or better still a professional, trained with the skills to help decipher what it is you’re going through. This needn’t be a financial burden as there are charitable organisations out there such as the Samaritans that will listen to you or help you find a group session.

There are some self help practises you can do which really have really helped me in the past. Mindfulness is a great technique to help you keep a positive mind. Most feelings of insurmountable odds are just that. Feelings, and all cases, there is light at the end of the tunnel…

In this day and age, its easy to get caught up in other peoples lives via social media platforms. This can have an extremely negative effect on your thoughts and drive you to a negative place. I would suggest turning off notifications or even temporarily removing social apps. By doing this you can eliminate some of the causes of your ill feelings and focus your attention to more productive, positive goals. The aim is to find a solution to the issue at hand but first you must make your mind healthy.

Its important to take a break once in a while. Exercise, walk, run, cycle etc. For me, cycling and photography is a great form or meditation because it takes my mind away from what can be an otherwise stressful life.

@bartlettville @thebartlett

Angel Williams | photographer and visionary

My advice for someone who is going through something insurmountable would be to take it one day at a time, don’t stress over what you can’t control, and trust and believe that God wouldn’t put them through anything they couldn’t handle. You have to go through a couple storms here and there to appreciate the rainbow.

eyeconicimages.zenfolio.com @eyeconic.imagess

Tammy McQuirk | Chief Visionary Officer & Owner and Antonio Morales | Managing Director

CEI J Photography

Antonio and I have been in the janitorial/facilities business for a combined 30 years of experience.

Starting our own company and breaking away from Corporate America was extremely scary! We have faced several challenges along the way so this question is very close to home.

Our advice for anyone facing insurmountable odds, personally or professionally is to: Seek out the positive in every challenge, learn and grow from it.

Take the risk, there WILL be challenges and if you feel overwhelmed it is because you are strong enough to handle it.

Consider these challenges to be tests of your strength and don’t let yourself down.

Make sure your circle is filled with positive, supportive people.. personal cheerleaders. Persevere in Prayer.

Look at each challenge as an opportunity.

At Tamrak, we believe quality drives probability..so keep swimming!

tamraksolutions.com @TAMRAKSOLU @TAMRAKSOLU Tamraksolu@gmail.com

Sydney Asafu-Adjaye | Creator of Lit Therapy Candles

Do your best to focus on gratitude, love, and humility. There is always something to be grateful for. Life is a beautiful blessing in itself, (especially when you’re abundantly healthy!) so make a conscious effort to focus on the beauty that is effortlessly all around – nature, laughter, good comfort food, creative expression, shelter, clothes, friends, family, animals, taking that cloud nine nap(lol), listening to your favorite song, random acts of kindness, dancing … the list goes on! Remember that like attracts like, so be a magnet for good by being good to the best of your ability each day. You are so loved, heard, seen, and cared for always. Xoxo~ Stay Lit!

@lit_therapycandles @littherapycandles Etsy.com/shop/LitTherapyCandles

Hunter Wilson | Portrait Photographer

If you are in a season where you feel like you’re sprinting in the fog, seeking clarity, and you have no idea how you’re going to find your way… The best advice I can give is to know what outcome you want to happen. You have to have a vision for what true north looks like for you. If you feel lost or overwhelmed, ask yourself these three questions to get unstuck: 1. What do I want? Why do I want it? How am I going to get there?

HunterWilson.Photography

Dan Maitland | Commercial Film Producer At Meticulous Image inc.

Whatever insurmountable odds you face, it is okay if a victory of those odds benefits you positively, but it is exponentially more motivating if it helps others who deserve the ability to excel. Ask yourself, do your actions lead to elements that are inherently righteous and beneficial to not only yourself but also others? Compile these motivators as fuel to propel yourself and other forward.

Meticulousimage.com @themaitlandimage

Neko Savvy | Rapper | Singer | Songwriter

My best advice to people who are facing insurmountable odds in whatever it is they may do is to dream like crazy, live in the now, and keep the future organized. Stay consistent in your work & true to your belief system. Stay confident but humbled. Never stop learning even when you think you know it all! Put your happiness first and make sure to love yourself through the ups and downs. What are downs without ups? Stay persistent and consistent. Be YOU! Be understanding. and last but not least, stay patient.

@nekosavvymusic @nekosavvy Neko Savvy on all streaming platforms (Spotify, Youtube, Apple Music, etc) youtube.com/watch?v=KgxgJ5QZY4k soundcloud.com/nekosavvy/neko-savvy-808-prod-icon-south

John Lee | PMP – senior program director of job recruitment company and life long fitness athlete

There are people alive today who accumulated more wealth in 1 lifetime, with companies they started in basements, comparable to entire generations of iconic family dynasties.

There are doctors with law degrees, and lawyers with medical degrees.

There are single moms running corporations, and single dads operating restaurant chains.

There are world champions from dirt poor neighborhoods, and spelling bee champions raised in 3rd world countries.

I can go on and on, but needless to say, we, as people, are meant to overcome insurmountable odds. We don’t have to look far to find people of every background who became wildly successful even if it looked as if they lacked the tools, the time, the opportunity, or the luck to accomplish much.

Insurmountable odds are only insurmountable at the time, but every changing second could bring a change in circumstances, resources, mindset, and opportunity. As long as you continue to become the best version of who you can be, while staying open-minded to the changing world around you, the right opportunity will present itself.

Valerie Munday | Plus-Size Fashion and Lifestyle Maven

Photo Credit: @irinaand3dogs

When it feels like everything is against you, it can be so easy to cave in. It’s important to remember that under the heaviest pressure and most difficult circumstances, we are given the opportunity to grow. Always, always take that opportunity, even if it isn’t the one you thought it would be.

valorelai.wordpress.com @valorelai @valorelai

Dr. Scott Silverii | Servant Pastor & Author

Some of the best advice comes from hard-earned life experience. After surviving an abusive childhood, twenty-six years in law enforcement, and standing on the brink of suicide, my best advice for someone who feels like they are facing insurmountable odds are these three truths:

1. I want to encourage you to anchor yourself to people who are invested in your well-being.

2. Prayer makes everything possible.

3. My anchor promise for better days is Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

scottsilverii.com @scottsilverii @BrickBreakersChurchForMen

Nitae | Musician | Stinger | Songwriter & Performing Artist

@its_thatguyphat

I’ve always been told, “When you feel that nothing’s working for you, take a step back, be still, breathe, pray, and know things will always work out for the good of you.” There’s no task or obstacle put in your path that you cannot conquer. When odds are against you, you be still, analyze things, find another way to kick it’s but, but one thing you never do is give up. Life is only trial & error, so in the great words of Aaliyah, “Dust yourself off & try again!”

@Iamnitae @Nitaenitae music.apple.com/us/artist/nitae/1350029554

Jacob Rangel aka ScuddiCutz | Barber

My advice would be to never give up always believe in god and let him handle your tribulation, let that trouble make you stronger ask for help and watch god do his work.

dapperbarber.co

Trichelle Mcafee | Photographer at Specialtee Photos

The best advice I can give for someone who is facing insurmountable odds is to not give up. Your journey may seem hard but the journey you are on is shaping you to become the person you need to be.

@specialteephotos

Kishan Patel | Digital Content Creator for 360 Wraps

@MeltingMiniMedia and @KBPatel228

This quote was in my senior yearbook when I graduated high-school in 2014, and it has been in my mind ever since. I moved to Dallas in August 2018 not knowing anyone but a few family members, and worked at a job I grew to hate after a year of being there. I picked up a camera in November 2018 and taught myself anything I needed to know to get to where I am at now. If you keep working hard and just be a good person, then the sky is the limit. You should never be scared to ask for help, I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for the friendships that started by me simply asking “How do you do that?”. There is always someone out there that can help you improve. Assuming you know everything is the last thing you want to do because that shuts your mind down to new perspectives and ideas that actually challenge you to do better. There is always a brighter side!

@MeltingMiniMedia MeltingMiniMedia.com

Jessica RyAnn | Model

DK Productions

From experience I would have to say stay focus and retain a consistent level of confidence . It can definitely be hard with the world of social media and it may seem like everyone is doing what you want to do and they are reaching certain levels that you aren’t. I’ve been hard on myself about this plenty of times. One thing that I’ve learned is that you can’t compare your journey to someone else’s. That’s what makes us special, our individuality. Gods timing is everything! Remain focus, stay consistent, and know that at the end of every storm there is a rainbow.

kollectiveye.com

Melissa Wise | Holistic Massage Therapist & Teacher

When life happens, and it will, make sure that you have a strong faith in God, Creator, Universe whatever you believe in, be open to love and support from your friends and family and remember that NOTHING is permanent. Stay true to yourself, listen to your intuition and allow change. Whatever it is that you are facing is not life working against you, it is not God punishing you, it is the impermanence of existence happening and how you respond to it will have a lot to do with your survival and outcome. I personally was led to massage therapy, the study of meditation yoga and Ayurveda (all Eastern modalities), Reiki and Sound therapy. Meditation was the biggest game changer for me. A teacher once said, “praying is talking to God and meditation is listening to God.” I realized I had been doing the talking all of my life and when I sit in meditation on a daily basis, (8 years now) I have been guided by the messages from God. I believe mediation is the core to ones healing. It may be the one trauma or life event that ‘wakes us up’ or gives us PTSD but meditation is a process that peels the layers of trauma, pain and dysfunction that may have been stored in the body for a lifetime, to heal us on a soul level. Meditation does for the mind, what the gym does for the body. ~ Melissa Wise

wisebodmindsoul.com @wisebodymindsoul @wisebodymindsoul

Taylor Schmitt | Photographer

Facing insurmountable odds happens to everybody, you must accept them and take them as experience and lessons.These hard times prepare you for the future to progress for what you will become. Outlook and attitude are everything in the times you viewed as insurmountable, you must look at the positives of these moments and take lessons from them to better your future in life.

@txsvisuals

Latice Williams | owner and cake decorator of Sweet Tooth Custom Cakes

The best advice would give anyone that’s in an insurmountable offs. Is to keep your eyes on the prize. If you get knocked down down cry about it but get up and keep going. Rejection is just Gods way of say not yet. For all the no’s you get 1 yes will trump them all. #KeepGoing.

sweettoothcc.com @sweettoothcc

    Becky Fernandez | Artist Manager | Creative Director

Adversity is a good thing. It is an opportunity to learn and grow. Facing hardships brings out an inner strength in you that you otherwise would of never known you had. We all go through life where everyday is not promised. We will have setbacks, failures and disappointments along the way. I know that God will never give me more than I can handle and I’ve learned to live life a day at a time. Talk to people who maybe have gone through something similar. Take a deep breath, be grateful and find a reason to celebrate the small things. And most importantly, trust God.

Soundartmedia.com @beckyfernandez @soundartmedia

John W Preston Jr. | Husband | Father | Artist & Realtor

Keep facing it. Show up every single day, and face whatever stands between you and your greatness. I do not believe in anything being insurmountable if you consistently give all you have within. Will times be hard? Yes. Will you walk alone at some point? Yes. Will their be naysayers? Of course. Think about it this way, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and wiser. Everything that you face will subside. They say the storm runs out of rain eventually, but you won’t know if you give up. Everything you desire is right on the other side of your consistent effort. The late Nipsey Hussle conveyed a powerful message through one of my favorite songs entitled “I don’t stress”. The message that is: Don’t stress out, poke your chest out(meaning have courage), and when it’s your turn bring the best out.

shotbyjwes.com @jwes_

Jamie Lynn Moreland | Newborn and Family Photographer

My advice would be to simply show up in whatever way you can. Every day is an opportunity to show up for yourself creatively and professionally, to do the best work you can, and to be an example for your family or community that no matter what success means to you, it’s also an ongoing series of choices that shape your journey. Even under perfect circumstances, success takes vision, persistence, and the faith to keep working toward your goals even when it seems like they might be out of reach. So even if your circumstances are less than perfect or the trajectory of your path has changed, there is always a benefit in showing up and continuing to put one foot in front of the other in the journey towards your goals.

poppyandbellephotography.com @poppyandbellephotos

Daniel Gunn | Artist & Architect

Photo Credit: Daniel M. Gunn

The best advice I could give someone that feels like they are facing insurmountable odds would be to first take a step back and analyze what the obstacle is in their life or situation that is impeding them from moving forward. I believe that it is common for everyone at some point in their life to encounter odds that they feel are impossible to overcome. Taking a step back allows one to see the bigger picture, break it down and bring the issue into greater focus. The next thing that I would suggest to someone is to have faith that the insurmountable odds that they are facing will shift in their favor. Never give up and be persistent no matter how much the odds seem to be stacked against you. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. My faith in God has helped me to overcome many obstacles throughout my life whether it was in my career, personal goals, or other areas. With the faith in size to that of a mustard seed anything is possible to accomplish.

danielmgunn.com @dgunnart

Marci Allen | CEO & Creative Director

@oralallen82

While there may be situations in life that may feel like they are insurmountable, there will always be creative ways to solve the problems you are facing.

Whenever I begin to feel overwhelmed or feel that there is no way out, I remove myself from the moment and look at the problem from a different perspective. Sometimes a simple change can make a huge difference.

Regardless of how hard or impossible something may seem, each of these hurdles or obstacles can teach us something; look for the lesson in the challenge. Remember to be kind to yourself, ask for help, change your perspective, analyze the issue, come up with a plan, and then execute said plan (rinse and repeat as needed). Your biggest hurdle today can be your greatest victory tomorrow!

hirunadesigns.com @hirunasoaps

Steven Nguyen | Pharmacist

I feel like it’s best to break up the task into small goals that can be accomplished. Aim to complete those small goals a step at a time and before you know it, you’ve conquered something that was insurmountable!

@dapper.qd

Jacqui Daniels | clinical herbalist & botanical glass engraver

I don’t know that this is “the best” advice, but these are things I turn to when I feel like I am facing insurmountable odds. When facing insurmountable odds we tend to feel alone in our struggle, so I find it helpful to look to ancestors for guidance. My grandmother in particular is one I turn to most often. She was the picture of strength, compassion, and guiding light, and always made me feel like there was nothing I couldn’t do. I have an old picture of hers, with a common saying on it, right by my bed as a reminder:

Give me the strength to change the things I can, Accept the things I can’t, and wisdom to know the difference

I also have a practice of writing down all of the things that no longer serve me that I wish to change or get rid of in my life and then on another sheet I write down all of the things I would like to manifest. I then burn the sheet of things that no longer serve me and then plant the sheet of things I wish to manifest. It is now a seed that will grow as long as you continue to nourish and feed the things that you wish to grow in your life. It is a nice physical thing you can do to literally get rid of, grow, or transform the things in your life you wish to.

nettleguruherbs.com @nettle_guru

Zikeyah Austin | Fashion Model & Actresses

I feel like you should never give up. We all have experience down falls within our life. Some people can’t overcome. They hold on to the pain. But for most, to break though and keep fighting , against all odds shows tremendous courage. I been there. I believe having faith, ambition and heart you can achieve your dreams.

@rayalvarde @experienceellie

Michelle Knight | Health and Wellness Coach, Speaker and Consultant

For the question of the month. Here’s my response: 1. Use your strengths. 2.Remember, you have survived your worst days. You can get through this challenge too. 3. Rally support – get caring people around you who can guide, assist and support you. 4. Take it one day at a time.

realsolutionscoaching.com

Joseph Williams and Ebony Williams | Conscious Love Strategists

Joseph Williams

Acknowledge the pain, your doubts, your present lack of faith. Feel it. Then ask yourself, what is this here to teach me? Know that EVERYTHING unravels in your favor. It is not happening to you, but for you. Shift your point of reference and your point of view will soon follow.

jandecoaching.com @jandecoaching

Obioma Faison | Head Chef B.Y.O. Chef LLC

This takes me several years back when I thought I’d lost everything. I felt powerless as life made decisions for me. Through all the uncertainty only one thing made sense, food. In the midst of my odds, cooking became my place of solace, healer of my hopelessness, and my source of strength. With a heart filled of fierce passion I realized I was destined to share my culinary passion with the world. Embarking on my journey I transformed my passion into my craft; modernizing and rebirthing any traditional dish I could get my hands on. And now, I am happy to say my journey has taken me from the darkest pit to beyond the stars. From weddings, to city sponsored events, to culinary competitions I never imagined any of this was possible. No matter what you encounter in life, you must realize it’s only for a moment, someday you’ll look back to see the reward of your perseverance.

@byochef

byochef.catering

Rafael Garcia | 3D Artist and Videographer and Latin Recording Artist

The key to success is failure—You’re not going to succeed at every single thing that you do and that is absolutely okay. The important part in life is that when the time came, you tried. Go out there and try.

rafael.works spoti.fi/2SGGF9U @yorafarafa

Chris D. Bentley | Broker | Owner of Bentley Fine Properties

Take a step back and ask for help. Believe me, if you’re going through something, someone else already has and there is a really good chance that they’re willing to help you.

ChrisDBentley.com BentleyFineProperties.com Facebook: Chris D. Bentley youtube.com/c/ChrisDBentley-LuxuryHomeSales @chrisdbentley

Eliseo Mendoza | Wolfshot | photographer

My best advise would be to never give up on your style and vision and keep being weird. Now in days every photographer edits the same. It’s really amazing to see some of the new photographers put out some weird awesome content.

@wolfshot15 eazyymendoza8.wixsite.com @wolfzy15

Crystal Rippers | BAND

Rip it and Grip it!!!

open.spotify.com/artist/4cjEMPImJ7hT0L1vsIt8Zz?si=l1eoxFUuQOWZMAZYfp8KKQ youtube.com/watch?v=BP2yhRYrLec crystalrippers.com

Lauren Vaughn & Browning Vaughn | Professional Organizers

We would be lying if we told you we never get overwhelmed on organization projects. There are days we feel it won’t get done. What gets us through our toughest days, both at work and in our personal lives, is keeping perspective on the situation in front of us. All of us are guilty of blowing things out of proportion and feeling overwhelmed. Take a step back. Take a deep breath. What steps can you take to change the situation that is overwhelming you? Make an action plan. We are big believers in to-do lists. Worrying about the situation will not make it go away. We also cannot stress enough the importance of a positive attitude. Even in our lowest moments, we often force ourselves to smile and laugh at ourselves. It gives us an extra boost of energy that gets us through the tough days. Give yourself a break every once in awhile! You seriously deserve it!

liferefinedco.com @liferefinedco @liferefinedco

Saryan’s Arthur

It’s a bad day, not a bad life. Stay positive and this shall pass too.

@Saryansarthur @saryansarthur saryansarthur.com

Summer Elliott | Makeup Artist

The best advice I have for someone facing a challenge that feels insurmountable is knowing that you are growing and changing and there are so many good lessons that come in hard times. I am a firm believer that challenges change us for the better- if we let them. It’s so easy to focus on the negative and feel sorry for ourselves and our situation, but when we choose to switch our perspective and see the challenge as a lesson, we gain strength, wisdom and confidence. When you make the decision to push through the pain, and don’t give up, you realize just how strong you really are and every day becomes a little sweeter. Focus on the good- in yourself, in others and especially in the challenge.

makemeupsummer.com @makemeupsummer

Audrey Soler | Aspiring model and business owner of skinbyaudrey

I know this sounds cliché but my advice would be to never give into failure. No matter how many obstacles are stacked against you, never doubt yourself and what you are capable of achieving. I myself have had times in my career as a model where I wanted to just quit because I thought I would never succeed. However, giving into those thoughts will only delay your process. To overcome your odds you have to first change your mindset. You have to believe you can achieve whatever it is you want because if you do not, then no one will.

@itsaudredre

Amber Trujillo | Fitness model | Athlete and influencer

@crossfitswashbuckle

My advice would be to accept the challenges that life throws at you and in doing so you will learn your strengths! Growth and self-improvement is not found with out adversity.

AmberTFitness.com @amberfitnessmodel @amberfitnessmodel

The post Perspective & Advice for Those Facing Insurmountable Odds appeared first on Voyage Dallas Magazine | Dallas City Guide.

source http://voyagedallas.com/2020/02/17/perspective-advice-facing-insurmountable-odds/