(1973, Oakland, CA. My younger self, dipped in denim, excited about life, not much changed)
If “Week 7” of quarantine was about all of us finally hitting “Zoom Fatigue” then I’m declaring this week my discovery of “untapped creativity and imagination week.” I have been in a healthy mix of “mad scientist” sequestered in my WFH westside lab meets faithful servant and student of the mysteries and wonders of life. While the world and even things in my own family are going through chaos, I have miraculously found a reserve tank of curiosity, creativity, and inspiration and I want to share it with you.
This is for those of you struggling and thriving, some of you doing both at the same time. I truly believe in the power of possibility and potential in a world of uncertainty. Not to mention I have a major milestone 50th birthday next Tuesday and this is usually my birthday week when I do the most reminiscing. I don’t know about you but the last seven weeks have been a non-stop exercise of “digging in my (personal) crates.” So let me share a little bit of my story.
Sweet Home Palo Alto
I was catching up with Lisa Lowy, an old friend from Palo Alto High School examining the unbelievable time period we grew up in. To be a kid in Palo Alto in the ’80s meant living in a playground of great investigation for me. I explored El Camino Avenue from Mountain View to Atherton on my bike like a new world pathfinder when I moved to South Bay from Oakland. In Palo Alto every odd comic book store, interesting street, unique technology store, and of course the campus of Stanford became a treasure trove for me as a pre-teen on a dope ass Huffy. It was this curiosity that had me plotting and sneaking into Stanford’s Meyer and Green library to see what was behind all of those stacks and private study rooms. This is where I discovered computers that connected with other computers which we now call “the internet.” I was far from the “traditional” high school student nor did I do well at the style of teaching and learning my formal education gave me instead I used my curiosity and the entire city along with it’s prized jewel Stanford University as my learning safari.
As a budding entrepreneur I started a window-washing business, had a newspaper route, and of course my infamous “fake-ID” empire which gave legions of teenagers access to Peninsula bars and San Francisco night clubs. My life has been a steady stream of learning and curiosity despite not fitting into the typical academic cage. At UCLA I took on an internship at Columbia Records and decided to drop out of my last year to go full steam ahead in the music business. I have continued this kind of “figure it out as you go” approach leading all the way up to the last three years. I decided that after working in a career in senior marketing roles in music, fashion, technology, and advertising and selling two companies that my third act would involve supporting new businesses, advising founders, and helping good capital meet great companies. After moving to LA to build a venture studio and launch a fund with a partner I’ve had to pivot 2-3 times, lose a couple of business partners but managed to come out of it a body of knowledge on the venture capital and investment space.
All of this experience in the hustle & pivot has made the last 8 weeks feel very familiar and though full of question marks, this chaos is where I thrive. I give this to you not to brag but to say I’m here in the trenches with so many of you. I can’t stress the importance of imagination during these times. Not sure where I would be without it not only today but even when they cute kid with the afro was freshly dipped in denim.
All creation begins with a thought. When we become aware that we don’t have something we want, we naturally experience the emotion of lack from not having what we desire. This is how we begin creating through our imagination. It is our natural, innate propensity to be creators at play. The more we think about these things and imagine what it would be like to have them, the more our brain naturally starts creating pictures and images of what our future could look like. This is what it means to dream the dream of the future. -Dr. Joe Dispenza
My network is my net worth and I’m extremely fortunate to have built The Authenticated, a global niche community that I have called home base for many years. This week I was asked on a panel, “where are you searching for new opportunities.” For me it’s simple, I have a network, I trust their opinions, intros and perspectives and that’s the well I drink from. Find your crew I guarantee your pivot, your next job, your angel investor and maybe a roll of toilet paper is right in front of you.
The Authenticated is now open for new member enrollment. Please email andy@authenticated.la for any questions. Let’s be “Creators At Play” and build the future together.
The Authenticated Member Spotlight
Tracy Christan is a member of The Authenticated and a force as a Hollywood agent and President of TCA. We share a fondness for our Bay Area roots, a love of 80’s and 90’s music, and most important careers that were shaped by hustle and grit.
Media diet:
I’m only now getting into podcasts. When they became popular years ago I purposely didn’t participate as I didn’t want to get addicted. Mostly I listen to True Crime and business podcasts. I follow about thirty different blogs covering the fashion, food, décor, and work out spaces. IG wise heavy on the fashion and my clients.
Last great book:
The Color of Love by Marra Gad
What am I reading now:
Truthfully the Bible to quell my anxiety. In the last two weeks we’ve had earthquakes (plural), pandemic, and somewhere I heard is dealing with a locust infestation.
Best non-famous app on my phone:
My friend’s app called Flute that allows you to send drinks to other friends while they are at clubs around the world. How cool is it to send a bottle of Dom to a client in South Africa while I’m in bed. Also I’m addicted to Wordscapes.
One place everyone should visit post quarantine:
Ha! Send everyone to Disneyland. I am an introverted hermit so no way I’ll be visiting any Disney properties. I am cold chilling laying in my hammock in the backyard with a pina colada. When everyone else was grabbing Lysol I made off with crème of coconut, rum, and pineapple.
The first time I heard this song it made me feel ….
There’s so many.
“Call Me” by Prince.
Prince shot the video for this song in Los Angeles and a friend who was involved invited me over. No drama on the set. No extra personalities; just his royal badness and magic.
“Moody’s Mood For Love” by King Pleasure
That song feels like an embrace.
“Les Fleurs” by Minnie Riperton
I was a little girl and remember standing in the kitchen when my grandmother’s radio announced Minnie passed away. The song is so beautiful sometimes I tear up when listening to it. If song could have a fragrance this song is Ylang Ylang and geranium.
What are the projects I’m most passionate about now?
Well I can’t really talk about my client’s projects that are in development and currently in the marketplace. Personally I’m excited about rebuilding my koi pond and the changes that will come about in our industry because of Coronavirus. We have an opportunity for incredible growth. Our business is like an Etch a sketch that we all now get to collectively shake and redraw our future. Hard work but also inspiring.
A Gift To Me And You For My Birthday
(my grandmother “nonna” loved me to pieces and can still feel her impact)
So as I prepare to turn 50 years old next Tuesday, I want to do something special for myself and for the community of people who are in my network, read my text messages and for YOU who take this time to read this newsletter and share it with friends and colleagues
May 15-June 15th will be dedicated to the 50 People, Ideas, Cities that truly inspire me. I will be doing a series of video interviews with some incredible people who have helped me on my journey. There will be names you recognize because of their fame or industry recognition and some will be people you have never heard of. Like my favorite DJ’s, just sit back and listen, I promise to curate an incredible journey for you and in the same breath give a proper salute of gratitude to a few people that made me who I am. All of them have wisdom, game, and big hearts, you are in for something special.
In full transparency this will be a dress rehearsal for our Culture & Code Masterclass In Hustle Kickoff in June. Think about the school you’ve always dreamed of with all the courses, guest lecturers, business cases, collaborative assignments on things that you wanted to explore deeper and learn about. This is a virtual campus for the curious. More on this later, excited to share.
The best way to stay in touch with me is via text. If you are interested in Culture & Code, our weekly virtual dinners, monthly summits or my random pop-up DJ sets you should text me 415-843-8100