Trying Isn’t Failure, It’s Creative Strategy.

Not long ago, I recorded a video where I said something that had been sitting heavy on my spirit for a while:

“I’m just trying sh*t.”

I didn’t say it with a plan or some big marketing message. I said it because it was the truth. Because that’s where I am right now, and honestly, that’s where a lot of people are. We’re in a season of experimentation, of stepping into things that might not work, but doing it anyway. And there’s something sacred and necessary about that.

This year, I set a personal theme: F*ck up the canvas. That mantra came from my desire to return to painting, literally. I’ve always had an art background, and being in front of a canvas was one of the first ways I connected to myself creatively. But life happened. Work happened. Hustle culture happened. And the paintbrush sat still for years.

“F*ck up the canvas” was my permission slip to return to creativity without the pressure to be perfect. It meant stop waiting for the perfect moment, the right conditions, the flawless execution. It meant create anyway, even if it’s messy, even if no one sees it, even if it doesn’t become a thing.

Ironically, I still haven’t painted that much this year. But I realized I have been painting, just not with brushes. I’ve been painting with ideas, with experiences, with events, with content. Everything I’ve been doing, from building out new brand activations to testing new event formats to speaking publicly about creative risk, has been part of this larger canvas.

Right now, I’m in the middle of testing and trying things that don’t have guaranteed results. I’m building and experimenting with new concepts like Drink and Think (RSVP HERE), Future Billionaire (Coming Soon) and some new concepts during Afrotech, all of which I’m really excited about. These are creative experiences that I feel called to explore, and they represent the kind of work I want to keep doing: smart, intentional, community-driven, and original.

What’s wild is that people often ask how I stay consistent, how I stay confident, how I move without fear. And the truth is, I’m not fearless. I just don’t let fear run the show. Of course I think about how I’ll be perceived. I’ve had anxiety about how I look on video, how an event will be received, how my ideas might be misunderstood. But at some point, you realize the only way to get clarity on whether something has value is to release it into the world.

I believe that if God gives you an idea, it’s not random. It’s not a fluke. It’s not just “cute.” It’s a call. And ignoring that call because of fear or anxiety isn’t humility, it’s avoidance. It’s resistance dressed up in logic. And I’ve learned that anxiety often shows up the strongest right before a breakthrough. It’s not a signal to stop. It’s just a hurdle to move through.

This season for me has been about moving anyway. It’s not always clean. It’s not always pretty. But it’s honest. It’s obedient. And I’ve grown more through my “tries” than I ever did waiting for the “right time.”

If there’s something on your heart to create, test, or explore, let this be your permission slip. You don’t need a perfect plan or a green light from the world. You just need to start. Start small. Start scrappy. Start scared. But start.

The canvas doesn’t get better by staring at it. It comes alive when you move. So go ahead and f*ck it up a little. That’s how the masterpiece emerges.