EVENTS 📆
How to take action without overthinking? (Stop Asian Hate)
Join us for a Kitchen Table Conversation on Clubhouse discussing how easy it is to sometimes overanalyze 🧐 the issues (Stop Asian Hate & Model Minority Myth). A better way is to take action while learning. 🚀 (2 hours). Note: Clubhouse only currently available to iPhone/iPad users.
Event happening Sun, April 11, 2021, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET
TRENDING 🔥
Video: How to design—and redesign—a PSA to stop Asian hate
"Sticks and stones may break my bones But words shall never hurt me."
-Alexander William Kinglake in Eothen, (variation written 1830, published in 1844)
Creatives Titania Tran, Jamon Sin, and Mimi Munoz at award-winning ad agency Wieden+Kennedy took this to heart by producing a public service announcement short film called "a word" (Watch here). Created in May 2020 because of violence against Asian people and misrepresentations of Covid-19 as "Wuhan Virus" or “China Virus", it was updated in March 2021 to reflect new anti-Asian racism cases.
Hollywood Loses $10 Billion a Year Due to Lack of Diversity, Study Finds
We don't need a report (click here) by McKinsey & Company to tell us Hollywood lacks diversity from the top down. Nevertheless, it's surprising the film and TV industry loses $10 billion annually from this shortcoming. The report cast light with hard numbers on the lack of Black representation in top positions. Let's see if Hollywood acts on the report's 4 recommendations.
Equitable workplaces require getting over fear of conflict
An article written by Mimi Fox Melton & Karla Monterroso affiliated with the non-profit organization, Code2040 argues the tech industry falls short of making necessary changes in their workplaces since the murder of George Floyd. They believe fear of conflict in the workplace disproportionately harms Black and Latinx women. The piece covers prevailing stereotypes as a big reason for inequity in the workplace and ways to curb them.
TIMELESS 🕑🔙
Film: 7 lessons on creativity from dance legend Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp, an American dancer, choreographer, and author has shaped and reimagined American dance for six decades. Her new PBS documentary, Twyla Moves (Trailer here), explores her journey as a dancer, choreographer, and director.
One of her many collaborators, David Byrne, spoke how his collaboration with Tharp made him better:
“In the same way she was driving the dancers, she was driving me, kind of pushing me to raise the level of what I had done. ...I’d never had anyone push me like that before. Turned out to be really good for me.”
FUTURE 👁️
How to reinvent yourself successfully post-pandemic
The last year was bad. But it wasn't all bad. As we turn the corner on the pandemic, sociologist and author, Tracy Brower, says it's an opportunity to feel a wave of energy, renewal, and reinvention.
Reflect on some questions this spring as you consider how to reinvent your future.
What surprised you about yourself in the last year? What were you able to handle that you wouldn’t have expected? What bothered you more than you would have thought? What energized you or helped you through? What have you learned? What have you learned about yourself? What makes you tick? What makes you angry? What gives you happiness? Finally, what elements about yourself and your capabilities are new that you wouldn't have predicted a year ago?
TOOLS 🛠️ ⚙️
Audio: Unleash Your Creativity With The Dailies
During the pandemic, it has become harder to develop routines and habits because we are in the same spaces with the same people day after day. It's easy to fall into a rut and become lost. Todd Henry, who runs Accidental Creative, writes about creating daily practices, he calls "Dailies". They need to be done, regardless of how stuck you get. Examples include:
- Read 30 minutes each day
- Go for a 60-minute walk daily
- Review my “Big Things” and objectives
Completing the Dailies every day provides structure, keeps you focused, and gives you a sense of accomplishment.
NEW RELEASES 📚🎥🎵🎮
Sting on New Album, Audio Memoir and Vegas Residency
Sting was interviewed by Edna Gundersen for his new album, Duets, by AARP and by Lulu Garcia-Navarro from NPR (audio). The reason for his long career over 4 decades is that he walks his talk. He listens to all types of music and finds a wide variety of musicians to collaborate with.
He credits his eclectic and diverse taste in music to growing up around BBC radio and listening to his parent's albums in a musical household.
Ask about music, Sting told AARP:
I'm lucky I make a living at something I would do for nothing. I can't imagine life without music, without singing, without songwriting. ... I need it.
POP CULTURE 🎥🎵🎮
Ruth E. Carter: Coming 2 America, Black Panther, Costumes
The Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter recently worked on Coming 2 America as the head of costume design. In an interview with BuzzFeed's Morgan Murrell, Carter reacted to receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and becoming the first Black costume designer is noteworthy. She said,
"We are a force in the industry and we deserve the same recognition and the same accolades. As generations progress, there's a desire to include all voices."
On collaboration, Carter speaks about the importance of inclusion by incorporating African designers affiliated with smaller companies who might normally not get this kind of exposure. Other memorable films Carter worked on are Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing, Black Panther, Mo' Better Blues, Selma, and many others.
NOTABLE PEOPLE📝 📖🖊️
Lou Ottens obituary | Engineer whose invention of the audio tape cassette brought joy to millions of listeners and performers
Anyone old enough to own a boombox ('ghettoblaster') or Sony Walkman has fond memories of 60 and 90-minute audio cassettes and mixed tapes. Lou Ottens is credited with inventing the portable audio cassette in 1962 at Phillips "simply out of irritation" with handling larger reel-to-reel tape. Keith Richards used his Phillips to record his first version of the Rolling Stones hit song, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.
Ottens didn't expect the portable cassette to be revolutionary but it was. Making my own mixed tapes and being free to go anywhere with my Sony Walkman brought me and millions of other music lovers a tremendous amount of joy. Ottens died on March 6, 2021.
BONUS 😮 😳
Video: When Korean kid meets American kid for the first time
This video is about a boy (age 10), and a girl (age 8) in 2019 from two different cultures and two countries, namely South Korea and the United States. It was made by ODG, a South Korean variety channel on October 9th, 2019, and was the first video in their 'Carson and Hyunho' series. It currently has over 60 million views on YouTube. Despite the language barrier, the two quickly find a way to communicate their interests, favorite food, songs, etc.
In an era marked by division, intolerance, and exclusion against certain minorities, this video demonstrates the value of listening, curiosity, and patience. Finding a way to get to know someone who is different from yourself is more important than ever today.
MOST POPULAR FROM PAST ISSUE 🔥
New book Together is a hopeful retelling of lockdown life
Covid-19 has changed more lives at a record pace than most other events in the past century. Not surprisingly, the pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of millions of people. Artists and other creatives have been a constant breath of fresh air.
Illustrated by Luke Adam Hawker and written by Marianne Laidlaw, the book “Together” is a simple yet moving set of visual stories about a man and his dog. Pets have become the companions and collaborators we have touched, felt, and hung out with since the pandemic started. According to Hawker, Together is a more hopeful take on the challenges of the last year. As people have been more divided in recent years, coupled with the plague, he believes, there is something "quite beautiful about how people were reacting as a whole.” The book is based on Hawker's dog and his late grandad. To learn more, watch Hawker's short video on how his grandad and dog inspired the book here.
LASTLY 🏠 ❓ ℹ️
If you're a new subscriber, welcome!
CFP News 📰 profiles people who work on cool projects together that are having an impact. They believe in the power of collaboration, diversity and social purpose.
📧 Flavian DeLima founded Collaborate for Purpose . We are 1/3 newsletter ✨, 1/3 podcast 🎙️ and 1/3 kitchen table conversation events🔥.
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How will you reinvent yourself as we approach AC (After Covid)?
We've been through a lot this past year. It seems like people are more awake and aware because they took some things for granted before. A dear friend once told me when life wasn't making much sense, "You're not alone. I see you. I hear you." We've collectively experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly. We've had deeper conversations about it all online.
Soon, you'll be fully vaccinated and feel completely energized and renewed. How will you reinvent yourself as AC (After Covid) approaches? In this week's issue, there's a short film on how words do hurt. There's a reckoning for the Hollywood elite and the tech industry to wake up to diversity and equity. We see the power of collaboration and diversity in music and film by two legends. We pay homage to the inventor of the audio cassette tape. Finally, we see how kids can teach us how to connect with someone different from ourselves through listening, curiosity, and patience.
-Flavian
*PS: If you like CFP News, please share it with two other people because we want others to see and talk about it. If you discover a story you want others to see in a future issue, please contact me.