Elevating Creativity: Our 4-Day Workweek Experiment

As an agency that was established to provide a better working environment and positive, caring cultural experience surrounding the creative process (even before we settled into our impact mission in 2012), we’ve decided we can’t let this ride. That's why Black Sheep has embarked on a 4-day workweek experiment to see how it affects the way we feel and the energy we can put into our work.

How our team is embracing a new way to work together

Regular

Here's a playlist curated by the Haus of Hoodoo with some certified bangers.

Homesick with Hoodoo

Knowing when to leave and start over is a superpower.

The Quitter's Guide to Boundaries

In the midst of another catastrophic rise in COVID-19 Cases, it's hard to feel inspired, again. Take a moment with us to find a few sparks of inspiration, from the olympics to good friends and close family. Let's be courageous together and find some inspiration.

Inspiration Dr.

Going to space is cool—but could it be a distraction tactic?

What do we need to go to space for? Why did a few billionaires spend billions to fly into space for a few minutes? What if Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are just playing us? Maybe there's something larger at play.

GOING TO SPACE IS COOL: BUT COULD IT BE A DISTRACTION TACTIC?

Fair warning, I love everything about the Cosmos;  the wonder, the vastness of space and all of the possibilities of the unknown. 

The Revolution Might Just Start with a Mirror.

It's easy to hate our bodyies, but they're pretty magical things. With the help of some self affirmations, and a good podcast listen from Glennon Doyle, learn to treat your body like the beautiful instrument that it is.

The Revolution Might Just Start with a Mirror

Our identity is based on the deeper meaning we find in our life. Meaning comes from examining your own beliefs and core values to learn what is important to you.

When speaking of meaning and identity, it is indispensable to understand that the principle of meaning is found in the purpose of any act or sequence of acts. Whether we are driving to the grocery store or whether we try to see the entire largely unknown course of our lives stretch before us, no action or actions make sense unless they are aimed at a destination. 

Crisis of Meaning

This is a blog about how human truth is found in both marketing and comedy, humor and satire.

It's funny because it's true

Comedy, like marketing, requires human truth.

TIMOTHY OMUNDSON (FT. SELMA BLAIR) (2020) | Inside of You Podcast w/ Michael Rosenbaum #insideofyou

It's hard to navigate stress, especially when you've got an autoimmune disease. Community Organizer Torey Brown writes about how she gets through tough times.

This Too Shall Pass

Stress is difficult to manage, especially with an autoimmune disease.

Annie Dillard says “how we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our lives." It's been a year since we had to change how we spend our days, how can we change our perception of time, and make it work for us?

Time by any other name

Sounds can transport us, help us heal, help us focus and help us wind down. Here are some suggestions of soundscapes you can bring into your daily lives to help your work, and your relaxation.

From Your Laptop to the World

How we can use the internet to shift our inner landscapes to affect our external realities

Snow days make for great memories, but in the wake of the pandemic, we're lacking those miniscule moments of bliss, like being surrounded by snow.

What's Your Version of a Snow Day?

It snowed last week in my home state of Virginia.

Condemned by the Puritans, lamented by the young and wealthy and avoided by all, boredom is now an easily-remedied nuisance of yesteryear. No longer must one twiddle their thumbs in a waiting room, make small talk in an elevator, observe the faces of one’s Fellow Man in the subway, or gaze tragically out the window at passing scenery in a long silent car ride.

Transcendental Nothingness

Our screens have "cured" boredom, but is that really a good thing?

Joan Morgan  - Hip-Hop & Feminism

Since the 1990s, Black women in hip hop have been outspoken within their sexuality, freedom, self-preservation and dismantling toxic ideals and narratives.

Hip Hop Feminism Saved 2020

For me, this year has been one of complete transformation—from the inside out. 

Written by a Gen Z Digital Storyteller

A reflection on the weird parade of life and grime that this obnoxious pandemic year has spurred.

Triumphs and Laments of 2020

A reflection on the weird parade of life and grime that this obnoxious pandemic year has spurred

With the election behind us and much to happen these upcoming weeks, it's important to take a mental moment for ourselves. Here's a playlist to help keep it chill.  

Keep it chill

My iPhone screen time was up last week by 86%. 

Manifestation doesn’t just come in the form of furniture you need showing up near an oversized trash can. Manifestation is bringing something tangible into your life through attraction and belief. If you think it, it will come.

The Magical Dumpster and Manifestation

Amanda Oleander's paintings encourage us to take a second and appreciate the little things. Let it ground you, let it feel special. Then wholeheartedly soak it in.

Grounded by the Little Things

In efforts to encourage the let’s-all be-happy-and-ignore-the-chaos-for-a-little-bit ways, this’ll be short and sweet.

NSL Bites: Yvonne Force Villareal on the Power of Public Art

Yvonne’s statements on public art providing accessibility inspires work that can guide humanity and create opportunities for pause in new ways as we enter this new creative period.

The Power of Public Art

I’ve been thinking about this clip of Yvonne Force Villareal and what she said about the power of public art leading up to my trip to Marfa last week:

Why Originality is Wildly Unpopular (According to Neuroscience)

Originality is the courage to oppose and the insight to see how that opposition can change what we see in front of us.

When we think of the word “originality,” we think of the act of creation.

No matter your impact space, the last few years have taught us that our causes are interconnected. Researchers are now dealing with what the White House calls “converging crises” across industries. As a purpose-driven organization, we’ve spent years discussing everything from environmental racism and climate change to education and housing. But until recently, we hadn’t yet looked into an issue that’s affected by all of the above: food insecurity.

Food insecurity affects millions of all ages and backgrounds across America, particularly impacting the BIPOC community and hitting kids especially hard after millions have lost access to free school lunches. 

The pandemic has only exacerbated the fragility of the inequitable American food system. In 2022, the Census Bureau reported a 41% increase in households saying they did not have enough to eat after Congress stopped pandemic relief programs. 

That's over 40 million people who are experiencing hunger—or the fear of hunger—on a regular basis. With rising food and housing costs, that number is only expected to grow. 

Food insecurity is the lack of consistent access to enough nutritious food to maintain an active and healthy life. This can include not having enough money to buy food, living in an area without access to healthy food options or experiencing disruptions in food supply due to natural disasters or other crises.

According to Feeding America, the causes of food insecurity are complex and include:

Systemic racism and racial discrimination

The devastating effects of food insecurity

Access to fresh, healthy food is a basic human need and a social determinant of health and wellness. Without equitable access, we see an impact on:

Health: Without nutritious foods, people are at an increased risk for chronic health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and mental health disorders—particularly as many turn to cheap, caloric-rich foods in lieu of fresh, prepared meals.

Education: Children who experience food insecurity are more likely to have lower academic achievement, be suspended or expelled and suffer from behavioral and emotional problems. 

Financial wellness: Food-insecure households often spend over 25% of their income on food, making it challenging to budget other expenses like housing, healthcare, education and utilities. This is more harrowing given that food-insecure households also spend more on healthcare due to their poor diet.

Words matter. Food deserts and food apartheid are related terms you have probably heard but are distinct concepts.

Food deserts refer to geographic areas where residents lack access to affordable, healthy and fresh food, often due to a lack of grocery stores or other food retailers. These food deserts can occur in both urban and rural areas and affect people of all races and income levels.

Food apartheid, on the other hand, refers to a systemic and intentional form of discrimination in the food system that leads to unequal access to healthy food based on race and income. This terminology recognizes that food access is not simply a matter of geography but a result of historical and ongoing inequities in the food system, including racism, poverty, and systemic inequality. 

There are organizations across most major cities to fight these issues, namely urban farms and dedicated neighborhood markets. However, given the multiple converging crises, issues like food insecurity are often overlooked in favor of more hot-button issues. That’s where all of us can step in.

What can social justice-minded people do to help solve food insecurity?

While food insecurity offers no easy solutions, there are many ways to get involved.

Poverty USA offers some smart systemic change recommendations:

Reduce food waste - we throw away 30% of the food we produce

Here are a few ideas you can engage with at the individual level:

Find your nearest co-op (like Plant It Forward) and volunteer and shop there

Call your representative to advocate for policies that support access to healthy, affordable food.

Support local farmers and community gardens

Educate yourself and others about the causes and consequences of food insecurity

Donate to organizations that are working to address food insecurity, such as Feeding America or the World Food Programme

Food insecurity is incredibly complex, but it’s one area we can actually make great progress on as individuals. Supporting these local, fresh food sources improves the entire community’s health—AND it means more delicious, interesting meals on your plate. That’s a win for everyone. 

What is food insecurity and what can we do about it?

Food insecurity is a complex issue affecting millions of Americans, with systemic factors like poverty, racism, and geography playing a major role, but there are steps we can take to combat it.

The Black Sheep blog is turning up the volume on community engagement, social media strategy, Houston happenings and what it means to lead a purpose-driven life.

The Black Sheep Agency | Social impact and nonprofit blog

We like to type as much as we like to listen.

We're not shy.

The Politics of Food Access