A creative’s kryptonite is often sitting on an idea waiting for the perfect opportunity to come along.
(If you can relate, keep reading. We’ve got four tips below to keep you inspired.)
Truth is, the “perfect opportunity” rarely exists.
The right budget, the right people, the right time, the right venue, the right marketing—the stars won’t always align just right. But when you have something you know is gold, sometimes all you need is just enough.
“I’m doing what I can with what I have,” Charlotte-based musical artist Jessica Macks told The Block.
“I’m not about waiting to have something in order to do something. That ain’t me.”
Jessica Macks
And the same can be said for the team of creatives behind the For the People Party #HellaHohmeProject, an ongoing effort to help Charlotte’s Tent City residents. Macks linked up with the group last month to plan a BeneFEST to raise funds for homeless and transitional neighbors in the city.
>>See photos from BeneFEST.
In two weeks, BeneFEST was planned—21 performers, two stages, food trucks and drive-thru donations. By the end of it all, almost $4,500 was raised; enough to house another Tent City family for three months.
BeneFEST was no Coachella, but it didn’t need to be to make a difference. Sometimes we get so caught up in timing and the perfect set of circumstances that it delays us and, in the end, we don’t do a thing.
Here are four takeaways for every brilliant mind reading this who might need a little nudge:
1. Believe in your talent.
Calling herself “your friendly neighborhood hope dealer,” Macks is about doing all she can to uplift those around her.
“I challenge what’s in you. I’m not going to let you live at a certain level where you’re mediocre,” she said. “We are not regular.”
Macks is confident in this now, but that wasn’t always the case.
“For me, I had to harness my courage in knowing that what I do is special,” she explained. “I had to see that for myself. My tribe had to see it, too, and tell me, ‘What you do is extraordinary.’”
She added that, in creative circles, it can be easy to dilute yourself by thinking everybody does the same thing and therefore you aren’t special. But this only leads to the “death circle of comparison.”
“I had to step outside of myself and stop the comparison, find out who I really was and [believe in what I have] to offer.”
2. Pull on (and learn from) your circle.
For the People Party is a collaborative effort built by a powerhouse of community leaders and all of them are creative entrepreneurs of color.
Tierany Griffin-Purdie owns Suite Spot Communications. Greg Jackson is founder of Heal Charlotte. Travis Jackson runs the well-known HBCU Pride Nation. Ohavia Phillips is making major moves with “The Oh Show.” And Davita Galloway has multiple efforts helping protect Charlotte’s Black creatives, including CrownKeepers, Hue House and DUPP&SWAT.
“We’re all family. We talk to each other regardless. We’ve all been talking to each other about how we’re going to collaborate on something,” Greg Jackson said during a press interview when the Tent City ordeal first came to light.
“We all are respected in our community with our own lanes where we know we have a seat at the table,” he continued. “We can make some things happen without the powers that be.”
When it came time to plan BeneFEST, Macks pulled on her circle as well.
“In one way or another, I’ve worked with each person who participated—and cultivated those relationships,” she said. “Every one of them were in my phone.”
“That’s why character and being who you are, being honest and authentic is so important,” she added.
3. Be intentional.
A proud Johnson C. Smith University alumna, Macks was already connected to artists in the area and conditioned to planning big events. She immediately reached out to Galloway for venue help.
Though Macks was only looking to secure a space for the event, Galloway came back with sponsors as well, including Blumenthal Performing Arts Center and Camp North End—two well-respected and connected venues in the Queen City.
Macks was intentional about calling on Galloway because she knew they moved in similar ways.
“When we get something in our head, there’s no telling us ‘no.’ We get it done and we’re on to the next thing,” Macks said.
Most of the artists who participated in BeneFEST were also Charlotte natives and of color.
“This is the talent that comes out of Charlotte and they care about their community,” Macks said. “I wanted the city to see what kind of greatness comes out of it.”
If you’re trying to give an idea legs, you have to know what you want and be intentional about how you get it.
4. Keep your compassion.
It’s crazy what we can get done when we feel compelled to act. Everyone involved in this project saw a need and committed to providing a solution because they cared about the “why.”
“It was really hard to see Tent City grow from a couple of tents to hundreds of tents,” Macks said. “It’s important for us to take care of each other. … [For] our neighbors to be seen.
“At the end of the day, they’re just like me,” she added. “At the end of the day, [a lot of us] are one paycheck away from being down in Tent City.”
Greg Jackson and Heal Charlotte has taken on the motto, “If everybody does a little bit, nobody would have to do a lot.” Let that resonate the next time you feel overwhelmed or in a rut. Even if you don’t have all you think you need, try it anyway, big or small. It’ll all add up in the end.
Whether in Charlotte or elsewhere, you can help For the People Party efforts by donating. Physical items currently needed are bras, belts, shaving cream and razors. Get info on how to give here.
