Building Creative Empires for Social Good

Hello. Hello. Hello. Hi everyone. Welcome. What a day. What a room. Welcome to the final session of what I hope has been a phenomenal day at Canva Create. Give yourselves a round of applause. Thank you so much for being here to help us close it out with a bang.

My name is Lilly Workneh. I'm a media executive, a journalist, and a long-time advocate for using storytelling and creativity to build power and impact, which is why I'm so honored and thrilled to be here today with two women, two powerhouse women, who are doing exactly that. Women who are not only shifting culture, but who are building creative empires for social good. So, without further ado, please join me in welcoming the phenomenal Issa Rae and Aurora James. Welcome, ladies. WELCOME. HELLO. I KNOW. GIVE THEM another round of applause.

What a time. This is so exciting. How are you both feeling in this moment?

Amazing. Yeah.

Yes, beautiful faces. Truly. Yes, indeed. I love it. So, I know we are all very familiar with both of you and your incredible work, but I think their accomplishments are so amazing and significant that they deserve to be named. So, bear with me as I just do a formal introduction and name some of the things you all have been up to.

So, Issa, we'll start with you, okay? You are a trailblazing creator who first captured our hearts with the award-winning web series and now New York Times best-selling book, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. All right.

She has gone on to create and star in the award-winning and critically acclaimed HBO series Insecure, WHICH IS CELEBRATING 10 YEARS. 10 YEARS THIS YEAR. She's also the founder and CEO of Hoorae Media, a production company on a mission to create, inspire, and reflect culture through film, television, digital content, music, and talent development. It's a lot. You're doing a lot. That's amazing. She's also the co-owner of the Black Owned vegan hair care brand Sienna Naturals and has starred in some of the biggest and you know, most amazing blockbuster films, Barbie, Spider-Man, and American Fiction. So, that's Issa.

We also have the incredible Aurora James. Now, Aurora

Aurora's a visionary designer and entrepreneur who founded Brother Vellies, a luxury lifestyle and accessories brand that was built with the goal of keeping traditional African design practices alive, which I love, and also creating and supporting artisanal jobs, which is awesome. In 2020, she launched the 15% Pledge, a bold initiative calling on major retailers to dedicate 15% of their shelf space to Black Owned businesses.

She is Thank you. She is also the author of the powerful memoir Wildflower, and her leadership has earned her recognition from the Time 100, the Bloomberg 50, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. So, let's give it up for Aurora.

Incredible. All right. So, we're here to talk about how to build creative empires for for for social good. So, that means not just achieving success as ourselves as individual creators, but really creating opportunities for others to succeed as well, which I think the two of you have done a phenomenal job of doing.

So, Issa, I'll start with you, and I I have to start with one of my favorite viral internet moments of yours, which you have many, okay? You have many. But, I think the one that stands out for me and maybe most of us is when you proudly proclaimed on the red carpet that you were there rooting for everybody Black. Which we love. Which we love. And what I believe is that, you know, not only I think both everybody Black and everybody everywhere is rooting for you right back, okay? I hope so.

And that I think that it speaks to something special that I think is, you know, your love for the audience and the loyalty you receive in return has kind of been there for you from the beginning, you know, of your journey from your web series days now you running a media machine, right? So, when you're looking back at your journey, I'd just love to know like more about your purpose. What has changed and what has stayed the same for you over the years in regard to your purpose?

The purpose has pretty much stayed the same. I've wanted to create characters that reflected my circle, reflected the people that I love and admire, and that featured them primarily. Um, I love Black centered stories, and I grew up watching Black centered stories, and it gave me so much confidence in the the even the just the wherewithal to pursue this this passion of mine. So, that has stayed the same, but project to project, obviously, the goals kind of get bigger, and um and that's only happened because of the success of of each project. But, yeah, I even say now, even though the industry change has changed so much in the industry ebbs and flows in terms of keeping our stories a priority, like our mission to to center Black stories will never ever change.

I love that. Cheers to that. Well, I think you you spoke to something important, which is that you have always been committed to sort of challenging norms, right? And I think especially with Hoorae, Hoorae I think is challenging the industry norms around so much. So, you know, and that is not only just with the work you're creating, but the work you're creating for others and opportunities you're building for diverse storytellers. And that's a big shift from being just a creator to now being an ecosystem builder, a builder of opportunities that you are providing and creating pathways for others. So, was there a specific moment that sparked the idea from going from being a creator to being an ecosystem builder, you know, or was that always your intention to build something bigger than yourself?

It actually happened um when I was creating Awkward Black Girl or or when I saw the response to Awkward Black Girl as it started growing, and then and then I was uh an another group of creators reached out. They founded Black & Sexy TV, and they were like, "This what you're doing is amazing. Um, we're also trying to do the same thing." And then we did a collaborative partnership to launch a series, and that ended up being really successful. And then I was like, "Oh, we're building a channel of like stuff that I like and that I want to see and that people really want to see and they want to enjoy. And so, then we had another uh partnership with uh woman named uh Jamila who had a series called First, and that was like a beautiful Black love story that I just got chills watching, and and she grew her own audience. They just have a movie. Now they have a movie on Amazon. Um, and so, that was planted in my head early of like, we could all win and we could all eat. And so, by the time Insecure came along, even before Insecure, I going through the pilot system for another ABC series I had uh or a pilot opportunity was really discouraging. Um, and so, I had the idea of like, we can maybe we can do the Awkward Black Girl model where you get audiences excited about a project, and then networks come to you. And so, I had an idea to do like a pilot program that we called Color Creative, and that ultimately was about like giving opportunities to other writers, funding their pilots, and hoping that, you know, networks would choose them. And now Color Creative transitioned into a management company, but it's been in the ethos. It's just like I want to support the people that I'm fans of just because you know, like I just as a genuine genuine lover of the arts and what we create.

I love that. That's awesome. Let's give it up to that.

Aurora, I'd love to get into your journey a little bit, too. Um, and I have to know like a lot of your designs for Brother Vellies were also featured in Insecure, which I think is amazing cuz we love a creative crossover. But, let's start at the beginning of your journey with Brother Vellies, before the accolades, before the movement, what was it that you wanted your brand to say to the fashion industry and maybe even to the world?

Yeah, so my mom always sort of raised me with the understanding every day that talent is distributed equally and opportunity and access is not. On the other side, she also taught me to understand that well, there's a Nigerian proverb that goes, "Until the lion has a historian, the hunter will always be the hero." So, she would say, "We have to look for women's histories in unexpected places because they haven't really been archived." And the great way to do that is through fashion. So, I really learned about fashion through an anthropological lens. She would teach me about Danish clogs. She would teach me about um mukluks and moccasins and beading patterns in Kenya and Ethiopia and and and vegetable dyeing and all of these things. So, I really thought about fashion as a cultural exercise. And so, um my father passed away when I was very young, and he was um born and raised in Ghana. And so, when I was in my 20s, I saved up the money that I had and just kind of sort of started like backpacking kind of through Africa. And I fell very much in love with the traditional Southern African shoe called a veldskoen or a vellie for short, um which was one of the very first shoes that originated on the continent. It started with just leather that people would wrap around their feet, and then it became three pieces of leather tacked together, which eventually got a rubber sole, and when British people came to Southern Africa, they saw this shoe, they fell in love with it. They renamed it a desert boot and launched the company that we all know today as Clarks.

But that is a traditional Ooh. T. We love the history lesson. You know, just saying.

But, you know, back to my mom's Nigerian proverb that she shared, right? Until the lion has a historian, the hunter will always be the hero. So, when you look at items through fashion, it's important to track them. Where did this come from? Who inspired this? Which culture made this possible? So, I was very much in love with this shoe, and I was seeing that there were only a few artisans left in Southern Africa that were actually able to create the shoe. Um largely American-donated products have really killed a lot of the fashion industry across um sub-Saharan Africa. And so, I took my the rest of my life savings at the time, which I used to say was $5,000 and my accountant's like, it was 3,500 to be clear. Felt like 5,000.

But um So, I took that money and I just sat down in Swakopmund, Namibia and worked with a group of artisans and learned how to make a shoe from scratch and made a batch and brought them back to um the Lower East Side of Manhattan and to a flea market stall called the Hester Street Fair. It was $70 and that's how I launched Brother Vellies. And the goal for me was really just about this is an incredible shoe. How do I tell the story of this shoe? How do I help people understand that the continent of Africa and also a lot of the diaspora plays a huge role in fashion that we don't pay attention to, right? And that these are incredible products and this story needs to be told and this, I believe, is its own type of couture, right? And just because it's made by people who aren't in Italy or aren't in Paris doesn't actually mean that it's not just as valuable and I need to share that message. So, that's why I started.

That's amazing. Thank you. Sorry, that was long. No, it's detailed, but it's deep, you know, and I think that it's an act of reclamation. You're redefining what is couture and you're also honoring the authenticity and heritage that's associated with these designs, right? And thank you for sharing the history lesson with all of us cuz it's very enlightening. You know, so I think you've also followed that same passion and purpose around authenticity and responding to moments and and needs when you launched uh the 15% Pledge in 2020. And that was at a time when there was a lot of, you know, big racial reckoning happening, a lot of deep pain, a lot of deep anger, but also I think a deep desire for people to act and respond, which you did by launching this pledge demanding that retail retailers give up 15% or, you know, provide 15% of their shelf space for black-owned businesses. So, can you take us back to that moment? Like, how did that idea land for you? And then what gave you the courage to sort of act on that?

Well, if you all remember, I mean, we were stuck in our homes. Yes. And I'm a shoe designer. I sell shoes. The girls weren't buying shoes in the pandemic. We had nowhere to go. So, I had some time on my hands, you know, so I was answering the phone when, you know, random people would call me and say like, "Hey, how do I deal with this issue that's happening? You know, I want to donate money. Where do I donate it to?" Just people were spiraling during that time. Um and you know, again, what my mom taught me about opportunity and access always stays in the forefront of my mind. Also, you can teach a person You can give a person a fish and feed them for a day, teach a person to to fish and feed them for a lifetime, also, right? So, as we're all locked in our homes, 44% of black-owned businesses were estimated to be closing. 90% didn't get access to the first round of PPP money. So, this was a real disparity that was happening for communities of color and their small businesses. We know that small business is the backbone of America. Whatever community you're from, the small business in your community is the backbone of your community. So, I had to do what.

We We love small business, to be clear, right? So, I was acutely aware of what Brother Vellies had done in my life, in the life of my staff, in the life of the thousands of artisans around the world that we had worked with, and I was just watching all these other small businesses fold. So, when someone called me on behalf of major retailer, they said, "You know, I don't know, they just donated $10 million and they really love black people." And I was like, "What does that mean?" Questionable. Yeah, it was like, "What does that mean?" And I wasn't trying to be rude, I just truly didn't understand. What does it mean to be a corporation that truly loves black people? I just never contemplated it, to be honest with you.

And she was like, "Well, I just told you, they just donated $10 million to the NAACP." And I was like, "Okay, cool, but black people spend more than $10 million like any given day at Target." Sorry. at the store. So, she was like, "Well, what would you want them to do?" And I was like, "Look, black people are almost 15% of the population. I believe that we should all do the thing that we do best in service of those who have been historically excluded." She's like, "What the hell does that mean?" I'm like, "Well, if black people are almost 15% of the population, this store is really good at selling things. They should consider committing some of their shelf space to black-owned businesses so that these businesses can sell their product." And she was like, "No one's going to do that." And I was like, "Okay, well, you can tell them that's what I said." And then I hung up the phone. And I sat down and I thought about it. I thought about the impact it would have across the American economic landscape if major retailers started committing in that way. I thought about how it would affect private equity, venture capital, even your local bank because people would start realizing that there's real opportunity and demand for black-owned businesses in a way that there hasn't been before. I also realized that all ships rise with the tide. So, once you become more intentional about thinking, how am I allocating my capital, how am I allocating my shelf space, how am I allocating my time, my resources, my own wallet share, you're not just going to think about black businesses, you're going to think about female-owned businesses, you're going to think about LGBTQIA businesses, you're going to think about whatever the causes are that are important to you. So, I wrote this all out furiously in the notes section of my phone, which is where I like to say all of our brilliant ideas are kept.

And then I did the thing that we normally don't do, which is I screenshot it, I posted it to Instagram, and then I tagged a bunch of CEOs and businesses. Bold move.

I promptly My agent called me and she was like, "BLAH, BLAH, BLAH." AND I hung up and then I turned my phone off because I wasn't trying to catch that smoke, but when I woke She was like, "Please, not Sephora." But But anyways, so so We were working on a really nice project together. But listen, the thing is is that's what privilege is for. I was sitting It's true. I was sitting in my brownstone in Brooklyn, you know, I was fine. There were a lot of people that were not fine. I could afford to lose work at that moment. There were people who were not going to have work if I didn't speak up in that moment. Was it going to be uncomfortable? Yes. Was I going to lose friends? Yes. Was I going to lose money? Yes. Was I potentially even going to lose my business? Yes. But what am I here for if not to trade in that social capital in that moment? If I know you and I know that there's something that you can do, I'm going to ask. Yes. Because that's my responsibility. Yes.

And thank you for sharing that in such great detail cuz yes, that I I agree and I think that requires a big transformation. Maybe not for everyone in this room and maybe not for you cuz it seemed like it was a natural next step, something that was a no-brainer. This must be done. No, it was terrifying.

I'm Yes, I'm sure it was. horrifying and terrifying and I thought I was going to lose everything. But sometimes, you know, the only mode of transportation you have is leap of faith. Absolutely.

Well, that that's what I want to get to then is like the shift that's required, right? Both in mindset and or in practice for both of you. So, this is a shared question that I left for both of you to answer. From being, you know, just the creator of Brother Vellies or Insecure or, you know, Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl to becoming movement builders, ecosystem builders, right? Like, you have to face some courage, have some courage, face your fears, but how would you name the shift that it requires for you in identity, in in mindset, in practice?

Um for me it was like I I I was constantly coming up with a lot of excuses and I didn't know that they were excuses. I thought that they were legitimate. Like, I don't have money. I am broke. I don't I don't know necessarily how to do this. I um it's not I'm not good enough yet. I don't have these resources. It's not going to turn out the way I want it to if I do it. Um and then shift the mindset shift was Oh, here's what I do have. Here's what I can do. I have I don't have money, but I have this location. I have this friend who owns a camera. I have this, you know, I have this uh another friend who's trying to break into acting. I have this pool of people. And so, the the shift was to stop finding all the ways that I couldn't do something and find the ways that I could, find all the yeses, um and and just kind of make it happen and realize like, oh, I can do it this way and it it won't be what I thought and then what I actually wanted it to be, but it'll be good enough to start.

That's amazing. I love that. Thank you.

Is there anything you'd like to add to that, Aurora, in terms of any shifts beyond what you've shared?

I mean, I have a lot of social anxiety. So, just doing something or getting in front of people or asking people for help Mhm. or asking people to change or asking people to care, I find that hard. Yeah. Um, and I do that best if I'm doing it on behalf of other people versus myself. Um, but, you know, even fundraising for me was so hard at this organization cuz I just There's a It's just I just find it so hard and I and I was raised in a situation where, you know, we didn't talk about money a lot. We didn't have a bunch of money. There wasn't anything to talk about, you know, so It just wasn't You know what I'm talking about. We got you. So, it just wasn't natural to me. Yeah. Um, and now I've had to make it natural to me and I've had to learn about it so that I can talk to other women about it and so that I can invest in other women that look like me. Yes.

I love that. I love that. Well, let's let's talk about your impact in in a bit more detail cuz I think it it it's helpful to hear from your own words, right? And the work that I think you're doing goes beyond visibility and representation, which matter, right? Still matters to make people feel seen and to make them feel good in what they're wearing and and how they show up in in in TV and film, etc. But, you're going beyond that with the work you're doing now. And so, when you look at the impacts you're building and have built, from your own perspective, what are some of the achievements you're most proud of? How would you quantify or qualify them just in your own terms? What are you most proud of?

Any story you can get made, honestly, is is like a source of pride cuz it is getting harder and harder and you constantly do have to justify We have to justify our existence on so many levels and justify our stories, but I mean, hands down, my my proudest accomplishment My my proudest accomplishment is Insecure just for the doors that it opened for so many other writers and and creators and producers and people who are doing amazing things now. Um, and even most recently, like being able to make a studio movie, you know, that that producer studio movie from a writer that I love, um, Sarita Singleton, and like in a time when studio comedies weren't get getting made and having the pressure of if this doesn't work, then they're not going to make any other black comedies, especially, you know, one starring two black women, and being able to make $50 million in theaters and now having other opportunities to create more films and to in a sense bring comedies back. Like sitting down with studio Some white studio heads who were just like, you know, I couldn't I couldn't get a comedy greenlit and now I can pull this script out uh that I've loved for years and and produce it and take a shot at producing it. And I'm like, damn, you white people can do it. But, great.

I think that's I wanted to follow up on that because John Chu said this earlier in the previous discussion, right? That like Hollywood often makes decisions based on precedent, right? And you have to be the one to challenge or try to change that. But, that requires real conviction. But, it also like the It requires precedent, but it also has a Dory type memory cuz it's like, we just We just proved it 5 years ago. We proved it last year. And you're like, well, I don't know. That was a fluke, you know? So, it's still It is excuses and it it it can be frustrating, but it feels like we're constantly proving the same metric while they don't understand that their system is broken and their metrics are are up. And that's kind of why Hollywood is scrambling now, but I could go on and on and on and on. I love it. But, you're able to build, you know, you're trusting your creative vision, which can be challenging at times. So, is there any advice you have on that and on how you're able to hold on to your vision and be truly believe in your concepts? Is it just cuz you know that they deserve to exist?

Uh, one of the things that I learned a little too late was they're hiring me for me. Mhm. And I always used to come into these rooms and be like, what can I do for you? What do you need? What What What's What are you guys looking for? What do you And they're looking to me to be like, this is what I want to do. And And even now being on the other side of it, whenever I meet with a creator, like, I want their strong point of view. I'm I'm in the room with you because I like what you've done already. I like um, I I I think that you have the potential to to ascend to another level and I want to to utilize your voice to to build a bigger platform for you cuz you're incredible. And I never thought that someone meeting with me would think the same about me, which is insane. Um, and so, I spent a lot of time trying to understand that or or dispelling that in my own mind that I that my voice was worthy of of being purchased, of money, of of a grander vision. And as soon as I that finally clicked, like, oh, I'm me. Mhm. That changed my mindset. As simple as it is, like, oh, nobody thinks like me. Nobody sees the world like me. Nobody has lived the experience the exact experience that I've I've been through. Nobody likes the same jokes or tells jokes the same ways that I do. Like, that that is distinctly me and I need to use that and take advantage of that as best as I can. And so, in that way, it has given me the confidence to be like, I know what the I'm talking about cuz it's my you

Yes, I love that. Love it. That's that's it. That is I love that. Is So, the conviction and persistence are things required. Your words would seem the same for you, right? For like for 15% Pledge, you First, I would like to know from your perspective, what impact are you most proud of and achievements that you've made through that movement? And what skills do you think were required to be able to make that to achieve those those achievements?

I think intentionality is a really good word and I think also in listening to you talk and just even my own memory of your work and how you involved other valleys and you're really thoughtful always about how you wanted to build the thing that you were building. And I think so often people get an opportunity to build something and they are so focused on having it be a win, they're not really focused on continuing to bring other people with them in the journey. Yes. Because they want to just use other people that everyone else has been using for their own benefit.

Exactly. And and and their own safety, right? Like, oh, let me hide behind this other person that already has an Oscar or, you know, CFDA award or whatever, right? And so, it takes a lot of courage and a lot of conviction to still say, no, I'm going to bring all these other people with me. Um, and it means sometimes that you have to work harder, that people are going to doubt you more, all of these things. But, I think it's worth it in the end because the the work product is just so much more meaningful. When I was a kid, I used to run track and I freaking hated it. Hard pivot. But, I loved relay, you know? And my mom would say, well, you don't like winning alone. Your mom is wise as hell. Full gems. But, that's why, you know, in a lot of ways I also started the 15% Pledge because like, what what are we doing if we're not doing it all together, you know? And everyone in this room is so lucky also to be a creator and to have been able to figure some really hard out, right? No, seriously, congratulate yourself. Because you have a platform and passion is contagious. I mean, all I did was post on Instagram and then see it through. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I was really building a plane while I was flying it. There is no world of the day before that someone was like, hey, want to create a non-for-profit organization that's going to be the largest mover of wealth to black individuals that's ever existed in America? I'd be like, hell no. You know, because that's just not what I I don't know anything about that. But, we figure it out, right? And the thing that's great about creators is we are people that figure things out and that are passionate and are great communicators. And you have to use that. Whatever you care about, whatever is important to you, let people know, right? Because that's how change happens. People care about what what they think is in the zeitgeist, what they're hearing about, what lights them up. They'll gravitate towards the things that are also lighting you up. And I just think so often we find ourselves in these situations where we just feel helpless and hopeless. Yeah. I talk to people every day that feel helpless and hopeless, which I totally get. There's a lot of reasons to feel helpless and hopeless. But, there's also, just like what Issa said, so many things that we have. Yes, we might be broke. Yes, we might be in pain. We might We might feel unloved. We might feel whatever we're feeling, right? But, you have to also reach for what you do have and figure out if there's a way to use it. Absolutely.

Even if that thing is just community. Okay.

True audacity, right? It requires the audacity to be able to just make the leap of faith and act on it, which you both have done. And as you've done that, right? You're You're navigating not only being creators, but now also entrepreneurs, right? And that introduces a whole new landscape, a whole new way of frameworks that you need to be thinking through, new decisions that are, you know, weighted differently. You're thinking about money and values and growth and partnerships. There's a lot you have to juggle. And so, for those of us who are in that stage, or are, you know, looking aspiring to become entrepreneurs, you know, about through our creative power, let's talk about that a bit more, and how you're navigating that with integrity. And so, Issa, for you with Hoorae, you know, you're creating film, TV, digital shows that are centering black audiences that you believe are not niche, and have proven can be sold to global audiences, right? And I want to also congratulate you for announcing just last week she's released a first-of-its-kind micro-drama with TikTok, which I think is incredible. Let's give it up for that. It's a return, I think, to like your digital roots, right? And I think, uh, just proves your innovation. But, how do you navigate that when it comes to business and maintaining the creativity and the integrity of your projects while also, you know, positioning them to success at scale?

Um, by arguing a lot. Honestly, uh, again, it still goes back to the conviction. I'm very collaborative. I just want to be clear, but there there are times when you just I I know when I'm right, and I am happy to open the floor when I'm wrong. Like, I just I was telling a story that I had a conversation the other day, uh, with my COO, where he was convincing me of um, a really schedule that I didn't necessarily agree with, and had expressed that I did not want to do. Um, and he was like, honestly, it's the the platform thinks this is best, and they have the data to support it. And I was like, I know, but we always talked about doing it this way, and what's good for their business isn't necessarily best for our business. And I care about our business. And he was like, you know, respectfully, and I I love him. He's great. I don't want to tell this story like, uh, I'm against him cuz he's our CEO, and he's great. But, For the record. But, and he was just like, you know, I'm I'm always going to be with you when I'm with you, but I disagree with you here. And I'm like, okay. I was like, let me sleep on this. I respect you, obviously. And I was I was hot, but I was like, I need to sleep on this. And even your solution to it, I don't think it's the right solution, but I'm going to let you cook. I'm going to sleep. Yeah. And so, I called, uh, afterwards, I called two other, um, members of our team, and I was just like, look, this is how I feel. This was my grand plan. You guys have been part of the process. Tell me that I'm wrong. And, um, they gave me their perspectives, and I had to listen, and I had to understand, and I had a new understanding of why this might be the best way. And I was genuinely glad that I called them. And I called my CEO back, and I was like, look, I don't need to sleep on it. You were right. He was like, I'm sorry. And I was like, no, no, this is for the best, and I'm going to rock with it. And, you know, I hate everybody involved. I hate to be in wrong. But, I'm just like, I need to there there there comes a point where I like I when I know I'm right, I'm right, but I also have to listen to the people around me. I think that's best because I don't want to dig my own I don't want to dig the hole for my own my own grave. I don't want to say that. That felt a little more A little morbid. Cuz this is just business at the end of the day, but it's my business. Right. It matters. It matters.

I love that. Well, thank you for sharing that cuz it does, yeah. That's what I think those are the skill sets required for good leadership, right? In entrepreneurship and business making. Like, you kind of have to, uh, it's worth listening to your team, and and and owning when maybe, you know, the decision you made is not best. Um, Aurora, for you, in talking about business and mission, right? We know the 15% Pledge has created real economic shifts in retail and and beyond. Um, but as your organization is growing, there can be pressure, right, to scale and be more efficient. So, I want to ask you, you know, the goal of the organization to move has always been to center, I think, small owned black-owned businesses. How are you ensuring that those decisions and the decisions you're making continue to center those businesses, and especially founders who may not have the capital, the visibility, the representation, right, that's often required to succeed in any space? How are you ensuring that?

Well, to be completely frank, I mean, a lot of my goals have changed because of the socio-political landscape that we're in. And the work that we do now has been categorized, you know, as domestic terror. So, Right. Laughing out loud. So, you know, I mean, the goal really is to exist, which seems really dark, you know, but a couple years ago it was really easy I don't want to say it was really easy, but it was manageable to fund this work. You know, we gave out over a million dollars in grants last year. We're in a different world. We're in a very different world. So, I'd say right now what I'm really focusing on is making sure that the organization's okay. Making sure to the extent that we can provide resources for businesses that we can. Making sure that, uh, policy and legislation doesn't get any worse than it is, right? We should be able to give grants or opportunities to different groups of people based on their individual needs, and create safe spaces for people who need spaces where they had can have their unique situations addressed and dealt with. I don't think that there's anything wrong with that. So, I think continuing that mission and supporting small business across America, whether it's black-owned businesses, or, you know, an- any any specific niche, I think it's really important. Um, and to the extent that I am always able to continue doing that work, I will. But, I will just say that the landscape has really really really shifted. Yeah.

It absolutely has. That's undeniable. Um, I work for a black media nonprofit, and we're facing those same challenges, too. And so, I'm sure you're facing it in the industry, right? Like, naming things black is a challenge. Um, but I think for you, Aurora, like, your your business, the 15% Pledge, is a business that is built around building other businesses, right, and supporting them. And so, and that's a big and real responsibility. So, how are you navigating, you know, power and profit and purpose? You know, how do those things merge for you in the decisions you're making, and, you know, how has it shaped how you're leading in this moment?

Yeah. Well, the Pledge is a nonprofit, which is important distinction because it belongs to the people, right? And so, you have that obligation. I think, separately, when I think about access to capital, one of the things that was very early for me, and if anyone read my book, they know that I almost lost Brother Vellies a bajillion times cuz I just took the worst loans. I knew nothing. I almost like, it was horrible. I was just I made all the mistakes you could make. Um, and so, one of the things for me was just really about figuring out how does private equity work? Because we know that black women are not getting that capital. And so, I needed to see inside the belly of the beast so I can figure that out. Because at the end of the day, we can get a million different opportunities for businesses to get on shelf, but if you can't get them funded, if they don't have access to capital, you have a whole other set of issues, okay? Secondly, I grew up in the girlboss era, where it was like, break a glass ceiling, raise a billion dollars, like, do it, be pregnant on the cover of a magazine. And I get a lot of No. Yes, truly, they Like, so I get a lot of anxiety from that because that's also not how That's not how I created Brother Vellies. That was never going to be a business where I could make a billion dollars and break a glass ceiling, right? It was about supporting people that I felt deserved job opportunities, dignity, and their story to be told, right? And so, for me, I think it's, A, how can you build a business structurally that's going to be able to support itself without needing outside capital? That should be everyone's goal. Because once you have an investor, you have to answer to those people, and you have to return that capital. That's its own kind of hell. Right? So, if you can Seriously, I mean, three to five X the money? No. So, if you can find a way just to build whatever it is that you're building, so that it's sustainable, and so that you can own that thing, so you can make the decisions to work with the people that you want to work to cover the content that you want to cover, to tell stories the way that you want to tell stories, that's the best case scenario that you're going to be in. And as we were seeing the success of the Pledge, it meant that there was a lot of other businesses. Denessa Myricks, The Do Tone, you know, your business, 850 businesses, to be frank, that got onto the shelves of the retailers that we work with that were black-owned. Thank you for that. Like, if there's not capital there, it's it's it's just not possible. So, I started also working in private equity, and we've allocated over a hundred million dollars in capital to black-owned businesses that I personally have oversaw.

So, that's been a lot. I'm really appreciating the honesty, the transparency, the vulnerability. I think that goes a long way, and hopefully it's landing for all of you in the audience that it is useful for you in your day-to-day creation and decision-making. And with the few minutes we have left, I want us to get into a bit more practical wisdom that the both of you can share with the audience today, which is an audience filled with creatives, builders, designers, you know, dreamers. Um, so let's, you know, my my first question on that is, what's one piece of advice that you wish someone had given you earlier that might have saved you time, money, or energy?

Uh, my girl Maya said, when when people show you when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. Shout out to Maya. When people when someone when people. That's my girl. But that is like when you if you have a feeling, obviously, your gut tells you everything you need to know. And sometimes like I've I've had situations where I have tried to give someone the benefit of the doubt, but I knew in the back of my mind like, "Oh, this person makes my shoulders tense." Or there's something that I just saw that might not be great, but I might be tripping. If you see that one thing, if you see something, believe yourself and save yourself the headache. I've I've given too many chances, and I do that more in business than I do in my personal life, which is kind of backwards, because I want to have, you know, faith in people. And um I not trusting yourself is the worst thing you can do.

That's real. I mean, honestly, the thing that I wish that I knew earlier on was just to like really wholeheartedly believe in myself. Because that's something that we hear from when we're a child, obviously, right? But it takes a long time to actually learn that and to feel it in your bones. You know? And I think for me, I spent a lot of my earlier years trying to make other people happy, trying to please people, whether it was partners or friends or you know, parents or whomever. And at the end of the day, like you have to be true to yourself. And whatever your idea is, whatever you're passionate about, just go for it. Cuz you have, you know, you can't betray yourself in that way. You have to just follow your dreams and believe in yourself. I know it sounds very Disney, but It didn't mean it doesn't. That's an honest truth.

There cuz there's a lot of expectations we have to navigate, right? And I think we're often told, "Oh, we have to wait for permission or ask for permission." Or, you know, follow the traditional path, right? Cuz it's safer. I know, you know, some parents, my parents, you know, expected me to take that path, too. But it does require you to kind of believe in yourself enough to break out of that mold and live by new rules, right? So, in terms of rules, what are what's a What are some new rules maybe that you live by now? And what are some rules that you have completely, you know, eliminated from your life and how you and how you live it?

Well, I didn't follow the path. I don't think the path wanted me. I dropped out of high school. I had never made it through college. I didn't do any of the things that you're supposed to do. Um didn't get married, didn't have kids, partner very out-of-the-box, you know, romantically and personally. All these different things I think I just do it in a very unorthodox way. But I can't be miserable. Yeah. Because I'm not going to create anything that's worth anything if I am. Yes. And if I can just find a way to actually wake up every day and feel good about what's on my plate, I know I'm going to do a million times better job at it. Mhm. Um so, whatever those things are, I mean, I definitely spent a lot of time being like, "Oh, I have to have a kid at this age. You have to get married at this age. I have to make this much money. I have to own a home by this age." None of that is right. None of it worked. None of it was good. Mhm. None of it was good.

No, seriously. I mean, I got divorced early at 23, but like, you know what I mean? You got to try it. If it doesn't

Work, quick, quick to throw it out. Mhm. Not saying people, but whatever, you know. Engagement rings, whatever you got. If it's not working, just let it go. There's no lesson in flying. Yeah.

If the business isn't working, let it go. Mhm. Right? But also, think to yourself, what does working mean? Sometimes working doesn't mean that it's making a ton of money. Maybe it's just making you feel good. Yes. Right? Maybe it is putting the roof over your head. Maybe it's not. Maybe it's your hobby. Maybe it's your full-time job. Like redefine what working means for you. Redefine what success means for you. Because you're just chasing another person's idea of success, I promise you you will not be happy when you get there.

I love that. Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes, which is, and I don't know who said it, but I know Oprah repeated it, which is that I don't win or lose, I win or learn, right? And like there's a lesson in everything, right? Wins or fails. And so, I think we need to embrace that. We have less than a minute left, so I do want to get to some rapid-fire questions that I think also incorporate some practical wisdom and as much as you're able to share it. So, um as we close out, you know, we've covered the big ideas, but I do want to end on, you know, on a high-energy note and and, you know, have a little fun.

Okay. I'm going to put these out there for both of you to answer, and um yeah, just answer them as as as you wish. So, first up, what's your go-to hack for unlocking creativity when you feel stuck? Gardening. Uh taking a walk or having a procrastination day. A procrastination day? Okay, we just put everything off? Put everything off. Love it. Love it. All right, next up, what song, artist, or playlist instantly puts you in a creative mood? Um I have a mix of my now Chromatics, El-P, Choker, and Yebba. Okay. >> Oh, wow. >> Love it. Okay, I um play the harp. And >> [laughter] >> I know, it's like very nerdy. Aurora. I play the harp, and I listen to this amazing Nigerian harpist named Dorothy Ashby. Put us on. >> Yeah, and someone knows her? Amazing. >> sitting in your house? Yes. Oh my god. Very whimsy. We love that. Um so, when I wake up every morning at like 7:00 a.m., I turn on Dorothy Ashby on all of my Sonos, which includes the outdoor Sonos, so all of my neighbors hear it, and everyone that's walking their dogs. >> [laughter] >> Sounds like a fairy tale. I know, that's what I'm jealous of. Oh, princesses. That's amazing. >> There's definitely people who are walking by being like, "This girl's delusional." It works, though. >> it. Sets your day off right. I love it. Okay, what's the best productivity or creativity tip that you've learned recently? That I learned recently? >> Or any time. >> life I've been really big on like a day planner. Like every day just writing down everything that I need to do in that day. I have to get it out of my brain and onto the page, and that's what helps me. Love it. And I pick up the day planner that I really love. So, I that it's cute, and I like to carry around with me so I don't forget it, you know, Louis Carmen. >> to make you feel good. Yeah. Love it. I don't know. I I'm in my favorite thing to do to feel productive is make a to-do list and like put the first thing on the list as to-do list, and then I check it. >> [laughter] >> Just so I started. It works. It's You can't stop dying. So, okay, you know. Awesome.

What's your favorite self-care indulgence? Something that you do just for joy. I love running now. I You ran a marathon recently. >> Okay, listen. That's a big deal. I love a little morning. I haven't been able to do it in a minute cuz I hurt myself, but that is literally less my peace. I feel disgusting because I haven't. Yeah, it sucks. Okay. Oh, now you're a real runner. >> [laughter] >> Own it. Okay, mine's kind of weird. So, I reserve like money every week to have my favorite person come over who's uh name is Cam, and she's a massage therapist. And so, she'll come over to my house, and she'll give me a massage, and we'll listen to audiobooks. >> [laughter] >> So, like the person not listening to the harp. No, no. No, I can't listen to like music during a massage. I need to listen to like the Britney Spears memoir or like the like some weird self-help book or like a crime thing or, you know, we listen to like random crazy stuff. I mean, it's an hour and a half once a week, so we get through all of it. Something mentally stimulating. >> through all of it.

All right, and last one, what's one habit that every creator should start tomorrow? Uh one of the things that I'm doing now is like I I I write in different mediums. Like I love writing a whatever, a TV show, whether it's a film, whatever it is. But now I'm doing different art. Like I want to sculpt, and I want to figure like I want to just I'm a terrible I can't draw, but it still is therapeutic to learn. So, I want to learn something outside of my preferred medium just to exercise the creative muscles at all costs. That's amazing. That's great. That's great. Um >> [laughter] >> I'm going to learn the harp now. Right? Add that to the list. You just watch. >> [laughter] >> Um I would just say like doing something that gives back within the community. I think it just really fills your cup up in a huge way. Whether it's just having neighbors over, volunteering somewhere, you know, anything that you can do, even if it's just a little thing. I mean, for me it just it it's what makes me feel full. I love it.

Well, that's why we're here today, and that's the conversation that we hope to have with you all, and I think you all did a great job sharing, you know, from your heart, really, your journeys, and hopefully inspired you all in the audience about how you can take your own work >> [applause] [cheering] >> and help build. I'll take that as a yes. I hope yes, that it's helped left you with some inspiration. And so, thank you all for being here with us today. You know, it's not a conversation just about, you know, what we build, but really who we build it for and how we get it done. So, thank you all for being here with us today. >> Thank you. Thank you, Lisa. >> [cheering] >> Thank you, guys. Keep building, keep creating, and happy Canva Create.