Christina Hug: Unleashing Our Creativity And Inner Maker With A Community Focused On DIY, Design And Technology
Release Date: 02/13/2018
Vitina Blumenthal: Blending Travel And Wellbeing To Create Transformational Experiences
Drown the Noise
Vitina is living the entrepreneurial dream. She's figured out how to combine her love of travel and wellness and make a career out of it. Cool, eh. But that wasn't always the case. She basically had to have a breakdown of sorts - or breakthrough - in order to see that the life she was living for years, wasn't fulfilling her any longer. At the time of this transformation, she had been working in advertising in the music industry - working over 80+ hours a week - and consistently going to the best events and parties in town. To a lot of outsiders, she was living a dream life even then. But it's...
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Kim McDonnell: Building A Business Around Gratitude To Improve Overall Happiness And Wellness Around The World
Drown the Noise
They believed in their business so much so, that they packed up their family and moved around the world to bring their vision to life. Founder of social enterprise and global lifestyle brand, , Kim McDonnell and her husband spent many years just trying to trademark the concept. Their mission: tapping into the science of positive psychology, Thankful creates opportunities to provide Thankful Moments via an innovative business model that merges a product licensing program, global cause awareness campaigns, and a nonprofit arm. Creating the first multi-product, multi-cause social impact...
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JP King and Kirsten McCrea: Connecting Audiences With Innovative and Creative Art Communities Around The World With Papirmass
Drown the Noise
It’s amazing to see couples blend their creative talents to create a thriving company, while still maintaining their own interests. JP and Kirsten McCrea have managed to do just that as partners in business and life. When they met, they were both working on their own creative pursuits – Kirsten had her own business as a muralist and artists, as well as founding on her own, while JP was a teacher, design professional and writer. When they got together, JP was really intrigued by what Kirsten started with Papirmass, that he knew he wanted to help it grow. What started out as a passion...
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Clinton Bopp: Using Cultural, Political and Social Observations To Create Works Of Art That Withstand Time
Drown the Noise
Clinton Bopp knew from an early age that he loved art. It was almost as if he was born with the talent. But he never thought he'd make a career out of being an artist. It just wasn't practical. And to be honest, the career kind of happened a bit by chance. He couldn't afford to go to art school, so he decided to take a job teaching art in America. Which was a far cry from his New Zealand roots. Once he got to the states, he just never left. Something about his surroundings kept keeping him there. Over time, he's become one of the most sought after muralists and street artists in L.A; but his...
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Kirsten Dickerson: Building A Sustainable Lifestyle Brand That Supports Marginalized Women Around The Globe
Drown the Noise
Before founding her own sustainable fashion company, Kirsten Dickerson was working as an art director in the film world, as well as holding various jobs within the global non-profit leadership realm. Raven and Lily's origins began with Kirsten calling together some of her friends in the L.A design scene to create a non-profit focused on offering women a more sustainable livelihood within the fashion industry. They wanted to help guide and train these women to create garments that people all over the world would desire and seek out, and provide them with security and a sustainable living. Once...
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Cait Flanders: Teaching Others How To Slow Down, Live With Less And Find More Purpose In Their Lives
Drown the Noise
Do you think that if you lived with less that you would be happier? This was the questions Cait Flanders posed to herself a few years back. Not one to shy away from setting personal challenges, she decided to do a self-imposed shopping ban for a year. All she could buy were necessities, like groceries, toiletries and gas for her car. Everything else - including coffee- were off limits. And she will be the first to tell you that it changed her life for the better. It definitely wasn't easy. And the self-development/reflection that came up throughout the year was extremely difficult at times;...
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Edison And Cassandra Lee: Educating And Empowering Communities Affected By War
Drown the Noise
These two were destined to create positive and lasting change in the world. They may not have always been personally aligned; but essentially, their values and morals were the same. Cassandra worked in development, while Edison toiled away in investment banking and consulting for companies working in developing regions. Eventually, they realized that their visions were intertwined, and what was once a friendship, blossomed into a romantic relationship and an eventual life partnership. Now, they work on their own NGO, , where the goal is to empower communities affected by war through proper...
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Ben Brown: Creating A Platform Where Young People Get A Seat At The Table In The Political Arena
Drown the Noise
Ben Brown wasn't always super political. He was political in the sense that he got out to vote, but that was about it. He wasn't one to vocalize his political opinion to friends or family. Until one day he couldn't get this idea out of his head. He recognized that there wasn't a lobbying voice out there for young Americans, and so he began thinking about what that might look like if there was an group that would fight for youth on issues that affected them. Like student debt, climate change and criminal justice. What would the future look like if the 3 billion dollar lobbying industry was...
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Mary Neely: Exploring Strong Female Storylines Through Film And Creative Projects As An Actress, Writer And Director
Drown the Noise
Mary Neely grew up in the entertainment industry. Not only is she a native of L.A; but both of her parents also worked in the industry. So she's no stranger to the glitz and glam of it all. From an early age she wanted to be an actress. She got her B.A. in acting + Scandinavian culture from UCLA's School of Theater, Film & Television, wrote a screenplay that became a top 40 finalist in The Academy's Nicholl Fellowship and then wrote, directed, produced, edited, and starred in her first short film THE DRESSER. The thing about Hollywood, is that you could wait your whole life to be...
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Samatha Paige: Uncovering Her Truths And Rising Strong As An Activist, Artist And Founder Of The Last Cut Project
Drown the Noise
Samatha Paige has had her fair share of 'bad' things happen to her in her lifetime. Enough to make a person ask "why me?" over and over again. But instead of dwelling on that, Samantha has turned her own heartache and trauma into something that's released her truth and vulnerability. After being diagnosed with cancer at 21 and then told she had the BRCA1 gene in 2008, Samantha decided to take matters into her own hands. Those experiences were tough and created a lot of change in her life; but they shaped her worldview and showed her how to literally and figuratively make those 'last cuts' in...
info_outlineLife doesn't always turn out how we plan. And that's OK, because everything we do is a learning experience. When Christina Hug moved from Toronto to San Francisco to work in the tech and startup field, she hustled to land a 'dream job.' The experience and knowledge she gained from that career opportunity was invaluable; but it was also leading to burnout and a lack of social life.
To counter that feeling, she made a pack with herself to get out once a week and have a 'date night' with herself, forcing her to get in touch with her creative side, which would ultimately bring out her inner maker. She signed up for drawing classes, paint nights and DIY programs that taught her a new skill. The opportunities were endless.
However, upon returning to Toronto, she knew that she wanted to continue with being apart of a maker community; but it wasn't so clear how to do that. So she researched, spoke to local makers to find out their needs and launched Makers Nation - an online platform that designs resources to expose people to cool maker communities around the world, as well as unique events that bring together innovators, thinkers and doers to collaborate and learn together.