Strands of Genius: The Wisdom of Willie Nelson, How to Stop Overthinking, Save NYC Nightlife

Guest curated by Nikki Hirsch

Jun 10, 2021

:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, NIKKI HIRSCH ::

LOCATION: Atlantic City-ish, NJ
PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT: Self-Employed

Hello reader, Nikki Hirsch here. I’ll be your curator today, writing in from southern New Jersey, where I work as a solopreneur and serial monetizer of hobbies. These days, most of my billable hours are spent running a one-woman music/entertainment consultancy where I create strategic partnerships between brands and talent. I am also a certified wellness coach, partner of Brooklyn-based music venue, Friends and Lovers, owner of irreverent greeting card company, Junk Punch and creator of jewelry brand, Rocks and Stars. (It sounds like more than it is).

I met Rosie when I was handling music strategy for Translation and she was schooling the agency on how to effectively get social. Rosie and I clicked immediately, and throughout our working relationship, I was always impressed by her drive and knowledge of culture. And then I met Faris! No platitudes, but I have to say, I admire both Rosie and Faris’ fertile Gemini minds, thirst for insights and appetite for adventure. I also love that they maintain such a large community of diverse and interesting humans. Meeting their people is always fun, and I hope to meet you someday too. For now, I’m honored to be curating this week.

Editor’s Note (Rosie): What Nikki said is true! What she failed to mention is that she is also my adopted big sis. I’ve loved being the big sister to my littles, but I have also always wanted a big sister of my own. Nikki has been there for me personally and professionally for more than 10 years now, and I’m so thankful for our friendship. She’s always up to something that’s ridiculously cool and/or inspiring, and what she’s doing to help save nightlife in NYC is no exception. Nikki, thanks so much for guest curating today and can’t wait to give you a hug in real life sometime this summer <3

:: THE LINKS ::

THE WISDOM OF WILLIE NELSON

Elder wisdom is so important to culture, especially when said elder is outlaw country icon, Willie Nelson. In this manifesto, Uncle Willie shares his 10 rules for life, which arrive on the heels of his 88th birthday and 71st studio album. But first, a couple Willie fun facts: Before making it big as an artist, he sold bibles and vacuum cleaners (not at the same time). Legend also tells us that his 1980’s hit “On the Road Again” was penned on an airplane barf bag. Neither of those tidbits are in this article, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know about them. (WePresent)

HOW TO STOP OVERTHINKING

Where my overthinkers at? Following mental health awareness month, metacognitive psychologist, Dr. Pia Callesen, shares her unique strategy to beat the incessant, unhelpful thought addiction that plagues us in these modern times. Her research is based on the premise that “worrying and rumination - is a learned strategy that we choose, consciously or unconsciously, as a way to try to deal with our difficult thoughts and feelings. It’s not a fixed trait, but a habit that we fall into, and we can learn to change it if we want. Whether you just worry a little more than you’d like to, or you suffer from an anxiety disorder or depression, metacognitive strategies can help you reduce the overthinking that contributes to your symptoms.“ (Psyche)

SAVE NYC NIGHTLIFE

Prior to the pandemic, the nightlife and hospitality industry was New York state’s second largest employer, providing more than 730,000 jobs. Post pandemic: 300,000 of those jobs have been lost, 50% of nightlife establishments were forced to close, and amongst those aforementioned establishments, 40% are Black-owned businesses. Recognizing a dire need to save these important cultural spaces in NYC, a group of likeminded industry professionals joined forces to create a 501c3 called New York City Nightlife United. As a proud member of this team, we are a volunteer-only organization seeking to raise disaster relief funds that will support BIPOC and LGBTQIA-owned businesses that provide safe spaces for New Yorkers. Through our initial brand partners and generous individual donors, we have been able to assist 60+ venues. Now, we are entering into the second phase of our outreach, where we are also offering mental health support and job resources, in addition to financial grants. Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you work with any brands that may be interested in aligning. Individual donors may use the link on the website. We appreciate any and all support during these difficult times. Many thanks. (NYC Nightlife United)

Looking for more from Nikki Hirsch? Those enrolled in The School of Stolen Genius will receive a deep dive from her in their inbox shortly! You can access all our expert interviews for SOSG here.

:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::

:: Game :: Craps

:: City :: Margate, NJ

:: Book :: I am forever searching for my favorite book. Haven't found it yet. Just read "Where the Crawdads Sing" and enjoyed it.

:: Podcast :: The Hilarious World of Depression (currently cancelled due to Covid, but older episodes are still live), and Dr. Mark Hyman's The Doctor's Farmacy

:: Album :: There are 40,000 songs uploaded to Spotify every day. I can't choose one. Currently in heavy rotation: Royal Blood "Typhoons"

:: GUY BILLOUT, FRENCH SURREALIST ::

"When three people tell you you're drunk, go home and lie down." - Talmudic Proverb

I’d love to connect! Find me on Linkedin for biz or IG if you think you might enjoy sporadic health tips, #saladporn and my step-son’s half-sister’s Doberman, Blue.

Nikki Hirsch

nikhirsch@gmail.com

linkedin | instagram

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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.

Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.

Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)

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