Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrew Gibson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Andrew, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Creativity flows through us, so I think the main thing we can do to keep creativity alive is to listen to ourselves. I listen to my body and spirit to tell me when to push and when to take a break. I work to make a clear plan and to-do list for myself each day. I’ll usually focus and work hard for an hour, then take a break by sitting outside, talking to a friend, or reading, then repeat. Now when an idea or some creative energy strikes, I take advantage of it regardless of what my schedule or original plan may be for the day. I am grateful to work in creative fields where I have space to be self-directed and inject my creativity into most of what I do while still having to use the left side of my brain to hit deadlines and work analytically.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
As a musician and community organizer, my work centers on the arts, education justice, and dismantling white supremacy in all its forms. I’m the Executive Director of Freedom Arts & Education Center, a youth arts organization that supports families with Black and POC students through decolonized educational resources, in-school advocacy, and after school and summer arts training programs.
I’m also the Director of Partnerships with Faith For Justice, a coalition of activists who connect people of faith to Black-led movement orgs, training opportunities in anti-racism and anti-capitalism, and campaigns that confront white supremacy and imperialism.
And with all of that, I’m an active performing and recording musician, which is what I think really led me to my community organizing work. Music was my focus in high school and college and the more I grew as an artist, the more I saw how those same passions and skills translate directly to correcting oppressive systems and structures. It all goes together for me, and I’m grateful every day to be able to do meaningful work that I love.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Be teachable. Be inventive. Be disciplined.
I have always had a hunger for learning, and I’ve surrounded myself with people who are smart and successful in what they do so I can learn from them. I’m blessed to have a caring community of teachers and mentors who will correct me when I need it and also show up to celebrate successes with me. Being teachable has allowed me to avoid a lot of missteps and learn what I need to know.
And while I’m learning on this journey, there are obstacles and setbacks that require invention and re-invention. Things may not go according to plan, so we have to be able reinvent ourselves and our strategies. Maintaining creativity and flexibility has been vital to continuing.
As I’ve learned and grown, and reinvented myself more than once, I’ve worked to maintain the discipline of the mission I’m on. The work may slightly change, the methods may have to shift, but the vision as never wavered. That takes a lot of discipline.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I think it’s best to build a team, no matter what you’re doing. This way, everyone can play to their strengths to get the job done and the team is well-rounded instead of trying to make sure that you as an individual can do everything. There’s a lot of reasons I believe this, and the one that comes to mind right now is — who has the time to do their work and focus on turning every “weakness” they have into a strength? Professional athletes are called to do that, but I can’t think of any other field where there are resources for that. Yes, work to have strong skills across the board, but focus more on leaning into your strengths and relying on your team for the rest. Spend time building a team and let everyone do what they’re best at.
Low ego, high impact.
And to go far, go together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/agstl
- Instagram: instagram.com/agstl
- Twitter: twitter.com/agstl
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/agstl
Image Credits
Nate Burrell Nikki Ellis
