Category: creativity

creativity

Wonder: The We Love You Project

Christa Avampato

13680939_1715062572089654_4204151035333704265_nWe can all do extraordinary things, especially during times of adversity and difficulty. To put it bluntly, the black community in America is under siege, and they have been for far too long. As a white person, I cannot even begin to comprehend the challenges that the black community faces on a daily basis. What I can do is extend my hand, my help, my support, and my voice.

I learned about the We Love You Project from Vanessa Ford, who will be one of the first two guests, along with her husband JR, on the Breaking Bread Podcast. I have about a million and one questions to ask them and one of the topics I can’t wait to dive into is their activism on so many fronts including race, supporting the local communities where we work and live, LGBTQ, and the challenges and triumphs in education, health, and food equity. We may need to do a multi-part series just to hear all of the interesting conversation.

One project that they recently participated in is the We Love You Project. Started by Bryon Summers, its message is powerful and elegant:

“A simple but powerful reassurance to our black boys and men that even though it feels like they are being murdered and destroyed constantly, we’re still a part of a larger community that loves and supports them.

The images we see in main stream media depict us as less than human – thugs, suspects, and even more, dead and discarded. These are the images that brainwash us into believing there is truth behind them. We’re not worthless. We’re not trash. We’re someone’s son, brother, cousin, uncle, or father. We’re HUMAN!

Through the art of photography we can see just how human and how special we really are. Images can be powerful reinforcements. They can be examples of who we are and aspire to be. WE LOVE YOU, will share portraits of the Black boys and men in our communities showing each other as well as the world that we’re not only human and should be treated as such but we’re LOVED.”

It sent a shiver down my spine to read this mission. It is so needed, especially right now. So far, the project has taken place in New York and D.C. I hope to have Bryon on a future episode of the Breaking Bread Podcast. For now, I’m thrilled to use my blog and other social media channels to support and praise his work!

Check out the We Love You Project at http://www.theweloveyouproject.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theweloveyouproject.

creativity

Pickling, a random forest, elastic stories, and the importance of stretching your mind

Christa Avampato

When we started talking about pickling, a random forest, and elastic stories at work, it wasn’t a conversation about life off-the-grid; it was about writing code. My brain was stretched, expanded, and twisted over the next 2 hours as I furiously scribbled notes and googled terms I didn’t know so as not to disrupt the flow of the conversation. When it was all over, I felt like I’d taken a ride on the Kingda Ka rollercoaster at Great Adventure. Where were my land legs safely rooted in the world of design thinking, ROI, and NPV analysis?

This kind of experience, as confusing as it may be, is so critical for business and product people because we have to understand the underlying work that brings our ideas and decisions to life. Programmers are wizards of the humblest order. I marvel at what they do, and when I say that out loud, they say anyone could do what they do. That’s simply not true; they are talented beyond words.

This is exactly the world I love—drop me off in a foreign land where I don’t speak the language, and give me a deadline and a limited budget that I have to use to get back home to the world of designing something that delights a customer. And that’s exactly where I am right now. Home is on the horizon, and until I get there, I’m going to enjoy the journey and learn, learn, learn.

creativity

Wonder: Your example is everything – a lesson from Paulo Coelho

Christa Avampato

“The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” ~Paulo Coelho

I listened to Krista Tippett interview Paulo Coelho this week. I was struck by the sadness of his early life followed by the triumph of his success as a writer and philosopher. What surprised and inspired me most, was his lack of bitterness. Not once did he sound like he felt sorry for himself, even when he was raw and honest about his brutal childhood. It made me look at his beautiful prose in a whole new light. His stories come from within. He doesn’t think the world owes him anything. He’s not afraid to love. He doesn’t look to anyone or anything external to define him. There is a sparkle to him that comes through in every word, in every medium. To me, he is the prime example of a life well-lived and well-loved.

creativity

Wonder: Take a chance

Christa Avampato

I love this piece in the New York Times about taking chances. The bottom line is we don’t take enough of them. We’re so likely to coast, content to be comfortable with routine even if we’re unhappy. We worry about what it would take to make a big change, even one we’ve always wanted to make. We have to toss away fear and embrace the risk of falling flat on our face, in front of everyone, and then we have to get up again and look everyone in the eye. Sends a shiver down your spine, doesn’t it?

And I say, “Do it anyway.” Go out there right now, into the world, and do exactly what you want to do. Don’t settle, don’t shrink, and don’t take the easy way out. Do what’s difficult for no other reason than because it’s what you want to do. You’ll find that everyone who really matters is cheering you on, and you will inspire them to follow their own journey of impossibility. You can do this.

creativity

Wonder: How to know what someone’s like

Christa Avampato

“If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” ~J.K. Rowling

I’ve been thinking a lot about how we really get to know who someone is. A few of my friends have recently come to terms with discovering that people they thought they knew they actually don’t know at all. When you are authentic and straightforward, you think everyone else is, too. And sadly, that’s not always the case. So how do you get an accurate read? How can you tell, as early as possible, if someone is actually presenting themselves honestly? JKR gives us some very solid advice in this quote. Don’t look at how they treat their friends or their boss. Pay attention to how they treat people on the street. How do they talk to children? What are they like with animals? And especially pay attention to how they treat people in customer service – at a store, restaurant, or bar. Good or bad, those observations speak volumes about someone’s character that they will never tell you themselves.

creativity

Wonder: Olympic inspiration from Under Armour

Christa Avampato

We aren’t Olympians but we can carry that spirit in everything we do. Under Armour started a marketing campaign a few months ago that features Olympic athletes. It shows pieces of the daily routines of Olympians and ends with the tagline “It’s what you do in the dark that puts you into the light. #Ruleyourself. #Iwill.”

Though we aren’t Olympic athletes, that discipline and determination can inspire us on whatever our chosen path is. It’s about the hustle. It’s about finding what we love and going for it with every ounce of effort and energy we have. It’s about finding the focus and courage to take us from good to great to unstoppable. The world doesn’t owe us anything; our future is in our hands. Use them to build the life you want.

creativity

Wonder: A heart that belongs in two places—D.C. and NYC

Christa Avampato

I love my life in D.C. I feel lucky every day that I walk out my door and see the Capitol building. It inspires me. It’s an easy city to live and work in. I’ve been blessed, and continue to blessed, my incredible opportunities at every turn. And loads of wonderful friends. I am lucky to make my home here now.

And yesterday I had my first New York City pang. Just one and it was small. I saw a mention of Riverside Park and I was transported back to the Upper West Side, a neighborhood I called my home for seven years. It was my dream neighborhood. And I thought about the breeze off the Hudson as it floats over Riverside Park. It’s where I adopted Phineas. It’s where some of my very best friends still live. I was, and remain, a New Yorker to the core.

And then I had to remember that I was in love with a New York City that is largely no longer there. I’m in love with the place that New York had in my life and the lessons it taught me. And what was there now, what will always be there, is its energy and all those memories. Those are always worth revisiting. I suspect it’s time for a visit soon. I need a fix from the homeland.

My dream life has always been a life in which I could split my time between these two amazing cities that are so different and yet also have so much in common. I am a ways off from there but I continue to believe in its possibility.

creativity

Wonder: The fish rots or thrives from the head down

Christa Avampato

The fish rots, or thrives, from the head down. The trouble with leaving a poor work environment with very poor leadership, which I recently did, is that you have to go through some recovery and detox time.

Yesterday, the red line of the metro was slow and I got to work about 15 minutes later than I would have liked because of the delay. I apologized to my current boss for my delay, and she said, “Don’t ever apologize for that. That is not the realm we work in. Our only goal is to build cool products that help people. That’s our focus.” I was astounded.

I’m still in a bit of a detox mode from my last job. But I’m slowly but surely coming out of it thanks to my new, wonderful job, and a boss who is a 180 degree difference from my last boss. I’m glad to be in a place that is so focused on thriving and supporting its people. Competent leadership makes a world of difference.

creativity

Wonder: Doing what you’re meant to do

Christa Avampato

What an exciting night at the Olympic Games! Swimming and gymnastics are two of my favorite sports to watch. I love the passion and the split between individual performance and team achievement. It is an incredible pleasure to watch people striving for greatness, to see them doing exactly what they’re meant to do, what they’ve trained so hard to accomplish. No matter what we love, no matter where we find greatest happiness, let’s do it in that spirit—to put in so much effort, energy, and love that our success is inevitable.

creativity

Wonder: Don’t stay the same

Christa Avampato

“Longevity means we have to evolve. We have to be able to change.” ~Wolfgang Puck

In a few weeks, my latest piece for The Washington Post is going to be published. It’s an interview with a young man my age who had three strokes within a week. over our hour-long conversation, I was in awe of his strength and courage.

His final statement to me, and the final line in the piece is something that I have not been able to shake. This young man still deals with legacy issues from his strokes. He’s unable to work, he is often tired, and he has memory issues. After almost two years, his doctors told him that he may never fully recover. He may never be exactly the way he was before the strokes. Rather than feel sorry for himself, he said, “That’s okay. I don’t want to be the way I was before. I want to be better.”

His willingness to change and be changed by his experience has brought him this far. I have no doubt that he is poised to go so much further. If the ability to evolve indeed leads to longevity, then this man has a long life ahead of him.