We asked folks we admire to share one piece of conventional advice that they disagree with.

Rev. Dr. Katie Hays | Founder & Lead Evangelist

 

Progressive churches that practice the expansive love of God for all people often take a broad approach in their invitation to prospective members. “All are welcome!” they say, and then churn out programming for every possible demographic of human identity. But Galileo Church practices the gift of specificity. We have narrowed and clearly defined our missional priorities — that is, our reason for existence. We have certain core commitments that don’t satisfy everyone who walks in our door, and our aesthetic isn’t for everyone. But those who stay are deeply attached to our weird way of being, and trust that we’ll remain true to our quirky vision, even if it means we’re not as broadly appealing as some expect us to be. I’m always happy to help a dissatisfied newcomer find a better fit with another church; what we’re doing here is truly a niche ministry, and we’re happy in our little corner of the world. Read more>>

Camille Todaro | Freelance Writer & Entrepreneur

I’ve never felt like you have to find your path in one set thing; if you’re exceptional at multiple things, why not pursue those and see what comes of it? I’m a writer at heart. I have a print media background. For a long time I felt like I had to be one or the other. I struggled with how to define myself. I knew I liked the freedom that came with freelancing, like being able to write an article for a magazine based in L.A when you’re on the other side of the country. I had a brief stint at an advertising agency and I felt like I was dying a slow death; the office chatter, the gray cubicle aesthetic, waiting for the clock to hit 5:00 so I could go sit in traffic for nearly two hours; I didn’t want any of that. So I set out to create more streams of income in addition to writing. What happened was three e-commerce brands, each an extension of myself. Read more>>

Erin Willis | Executive Chef & Owner

The customer is always right. Being in this business for as long as I have and particularly now owning my own restaurant, I couldn’t disagree with this statement more. I have found that some people feel entitled to be bossy, all knowing and rude to not only myself but to my staff. Our goal at RM is to create a dining experience in a wonderful, small neighborhood, one like no other. We give a great experience from the time a customer walks in the door to when they leave. Yes, we do make errors and yes, we mess up on food. What we don’t do is take rudeness for a mistake. We are in unprecedented times and my staff is my second family. They depend on our customers and don’t need an added insult or an ill-mannered customer making their life harder. If there is something wrong, we want to remedy it on the spot. Read more>>

Justice Cole | Fashion Designer

That one must lose sleep in order to be successful. I’ve had my fair share of all-nighters and know I may have to pull a lot more in the future, but I think that the idea that you have to be on “grind mode” or working 24/7 is unhealthy and unrealistic. We need rest, we need to take care of our bodies to be able to function and perform well creating our art. A well rested body is just as important as a hard working hard body. Read more>>

David DeGrand | Cartoonist

Advice I used to hear a lot was that the only way you’re going to make it as an artist is if you spend every second of every day constantly drawing and never stopping until you’re happy with your work. This is ridiculous advice for several reasons. First, as much as I love drawing, I have to take breaks for however long I feel I need to or else I would have burned out years ago. Of course it’s important to be disciplined if you want to improve but you also don’t want to suck all of the fun out of drawing by turning it into a dreaded chore. Second, I don’t think there’s a single artist out there that will ever be 100% happy with their art, so learning when to just be happy enough and moving on to the next piece is important. Read more>>