Alicia Navarette - Creative Strategy, Culture Shifts & New Paradigms

Hello and welcome to the Glow Up Fabulous Conversations with Innovative Minds. Today, we're talking with Alicia Navarette of Cheechable. Alicia, welcome, and thanks for joining us. Thank you, Nathan. This is really exciting to be a part of The Glow Up.

Alicia can you tell me about Cheechable and the work that you do there?

Yeah, I would love to tell you about Cheechable we are a community of digital creators and ethnobotanists and we are working together to create a symbiotic life. I think some people call it solar punk. But really we're just looking at our natural environment and these like really amazing tools that we have at our fingertips

Amazing. So on The Glow Up, Alicia, we talk to people a lot about the innovation journey that they're on. Can you share the journey that you've been on the last few years with Cheechable?

Oh, yeah. I think it's one of those, components of a founder's journey that you kind of know is coming, but you don't know, when you start off and you start off strong and everything's going great, and then like all of a sudden, like there's a global pandemic and then like things shift, so the past three years have really been about rebuilding We set off pretty strong from the jump, which was in 2017. We were really just a group of folks that we didn't really align with hyper corporate opportunities, really not finding ways that weren't stifling our creativity, even though we were utilizing our creative, talents and resources on a regular basis. So that's kind of really how Cheechable began. And then for the past three years, we've been repositioning and refocusing to make sure that we're still maintaining the community that we want to build and that can be supportive of one another. I'll share a little bit about our mission and why we started. it started as a creative outlet, a place where I could also facilitate conversations and creative projects around social inquiry. So, there's art and social practice. That's kind of where we live. And at the time that I started Cheechable, I was, 2017. I think mixed reality was kind of just creeping in. And so I was really fascinated by these capabilities and writing them into everyday life. And also I feel like a lot of people in this. We're kind of navigating possible futures, right? And so we wanted to see, okay, so here are some new themes of digital technology. Here are some new themes of agriculture and social justice and really questioning where all of these components intersect. Immersive reality was really one of those things that helped bring that out we were working in print, we were working in video but it add that extra dynamic. The thing I loved about it, it's like when you bring somebody to a magic show and they have that moment where they suspend disbelief, right? When you get folks in that mindset, they can really just open up to a lot of different possibilities, which is great for facilitating creativity and new inspirations that, maybe people wouldn't even consider. We really just started utilizing augmented reality specifically to meet people where they're at and open their minds.

Oh, I talk on this show and others so much about how, Usually with, spatial computing experiences, there is this moment where if you haven't experienced it before, you have some sort of meaningful interaction. And just like you said, it opens you up not only to the ideas that you're experiencing, but then this other layer of possibility usually people see an experience and then immediately they're like,"wait, how could I do this? Where could it fit into my world?" Alicia, what's a core problem or one of your big focus areas for what Cheechable is working on this year?

We are, looking at a whole gambit of problems or opportunities and spaces where we can really challenge the status quo or challenge the buy in to some of these things, because, while they may be great for this instance or purpose down the road there might be some larger consequences. So we always want to be really mindful about our approach to problem solving and creating as well, right? They go hand in hand. We have this all encompassing kind of inquiry, but one community really showed up, and that was the emerging cannabis legal community. They're looking for, a place to really fit in because you have this, whole system that's operating in a subversive space, right? We have, everything from trade, to commerce, to even healthcare that is going on underneath the surface of what, the majority of folks are interacting with. It shows that it's possible. To have these independent networks of health care and support. Right? So there's, there's financial, and then there's health care. So, just being inspired by the ways that people have had to navigate these very human problems and have to remain just underground or, no paper trail kind of a lifestyle. Having that community resurfacing or surfacing for the first time and then looking at all of these, systems that are supposedly like working for the status quo, they're going into these spaces and having real challenges with them. Finding, it to be really, tough to integrate banking is one of those. Which is a really cool problem for the 21st century, right? Because we have DeFi and we have a community that has been so cash dependent and as many states rule they must remain cash dependent where we have also the status quo trying to eliminate cash dependency. So there's these really cool conversations and it goes across the board and kind of dips into a lot of different social intersections While we have an independent media platform we also work with clients to develop organizational, structures and systems, as well as their own voice and brand presence. As those all work together, and so we're very holistic at our approach. That's really where we saw just so many opportunities for folks. They have all of these amazing experiences and insights in these spaces that are really pretty dynamic and scrappy and I think diverse in their solutions. And so that's been a really surprising and welcome, kind of treat from our audience.

I love, looking at a specific audience, a specific community like the cannabis industry as innovators really, right? Disruptors, if you will, not only in cultural norms, but in healthcare in medicine and agriculture and how Important things like policy, like community awareness can be to some disruptors and entrepreneurs, that, that may even force you to work against convention in a gray or black market in order to, get that cultural adoption to get that governmental understanding awareness policy in place. Not often, held up as like the first example of like disruption or innovation necessarily. But as you mentioned, working outside of the system means you have to get real creative and interesting to hear that the connection of that creativity that culture, that technology all coming together, that, that one audience.

In this specific audience, because, we work with a wide variety of industries and clients but I do keep coming back to this one audience because, there's just, a great diversity in backgrounds and experiences and, they're all kind of working towards the same thing, right? Which is access and sustainability. Right? And I think we could all agree on is that we're all working towards that. That fact that there's, you have to work outside of the box. And, it kind of is that space that is gray where. You have a real opportunity to guide the space and, and where you want to see things like policy and regulation. It's been a fascinating journey since 2017. I was, teaching at this local university and seeing the next generation, talk about this in a sense of a real career, and, and it wasn't, something that I promoted in these younger spaces, but it is a real option for folks who are entering the workforce in five, ten, and beyond years. This is also a really cool opportunity for folks who are trying to make an impact in those spaces where they intersect social justice, environmental to get into this space where policies are being constructed and have a rich and deep impact throughout.

Your mentioning impact brings me back to something that I hear over and over currently, that when I'm talking to folks who are in the labor market, who are thinking about their careers,"how can I make an impact?" and"how can I be successful in business?" It feels like a binary choice that people have to move between, but this seems to be kind of working in these gray areas seems to be one of your sweet spots. Can you talk a little bit about, this balance between business and values and how do you find the right customers who also share those passions and values?

That's really been a huge component of Cheechable is building that community and through community building, you have an inherent trust that you need to maintain, right? And so, that's really where I place a lot of importance is, first developing the community, creating a safe space, a place where people can share their ideas and thoughts no matter what your background is, and that's where we can really identify, common and core values. And in those, that's where problem solving, is needed and welcome. And so from there, I mean, our community is really comprised of creators and entrepreneurs. So, we already have those folks built in

Right in the mix.

Yeah, and we have just a good network of folks who can tap into each other for resources and support and in a sense, are vetted through this community involvement.

Amazing. How are you looking at the future? What areas are you looking to glow up or elevate in your Cheechable communities and work in the next six months?

The name of the company,"Cheechable" you may have heard people say"teachable" moments. So we are very heavy on education and access and access to education. So this past year we started a talk show prior to that though, thank you, and definitely come see the, season premiere with Nathan. I know I loved having you on, that was a wonderful spot.

So fun!

And you've been really supportive and just, you've been along for this journey. So, we have a regular quarterly magazine that comes out. It's also available digital because, hi, we are, we are available in a lot of places, but sometimes it's nice just to have a piece that you can hold and just connect to while you're being disconnected and in your own personal space. And so, along with that, we have a lot of other supporting marketing, platforms that can just help folks navigate how to access things like contributing a story and if you have a visual piece does that fit the theme that we're exploring for this quarter? Every quarter is different and we try to just tap into, Futurist style frameworks. So, with, signaling and just kind of paying attention to what people are talking about, what do people really care about in the subtext? And then kind of coming, up with a theme from there. And then really just grabbing folks from the community and asking what their perspective is on that. We have definitely reached we have a global audience, which has been fantastic to grow from, local here in Portland, then to see a lot of folks in, South America or Europe or, Asia, and South Asia, and just people really connecting to what we're doing and what we're talking about.

I want to make sure to capture this idea that you said, which is, by focusing on creative engagement, by focusing on looking at the community, both, the close community and the larger global community. That as creatives, as creative entrepreneurs you're tied into the trends the needs, the desires of what the consumers are looking for in a way that's very hard to get to if you're not really living and breathing and if you don't have that deep connection and trust. I see the answer to most, troubles within innovation, within technology is not engaging creatives soon enough deep enough, asking them to make things look pretty rather than how do we connect with people in a way that they really care about? And loving to see that. Sort of flipped in your model and starting with community, starting with creative as a way to build into that innovative space.

Guess I can, I have something to actually say about that, because I think you asked me where, Where the pain point was to start this, right? And I think one of those components was being a creator and having the research process basically kind of cut off and taken away from you, but, just here, we're going to hire you and just do it. Okay. And you're like, okay, well I actually, I actually need to. Understand what you're trying to convey. I need to understand who your audience is. I need to understand the context in which you operate and you're delivering such thing that I am supposed to create, right? And so yeah, that really facilitated creating a platform where the research was just a constant. And so we're just keeping a constant flow of, just keeping ourselves tapped in and being engaged, with this community, we're kind of aware of what folks are engaging with just through conversations and then once they bring us on with a creative job or contract we can really dive into any, quant kind of stuff and then kind of go from there. But yeah, it was really tough to understand What folks wanted from their creative, and they did not want to see that on the contract, As a research line

so outrageous. Like we'll, we'll easily spend thousands of dollars. So a developer can have like a wraparound monitor because that scene is like a core tool of their job. But the idea that you would ask people to design a product, design an not, but actually miss that key design tool, which is research and that engagement with the audience that we're trying to reach. Love it. I'm always inspired right when innovation comes out of a pain point and bravo for making that space, making that, And how do how do how you know that you've made it in the future of Cheechable? What is what is the successful future for Cheechable and the work that you're doing today?

I think that we throw around the word sustainability a lot in the work that we do. I think, that really is something that I still strive for. Is the ability to sustain that creative edge and the operational stamina that it takes to, produce a show, produce a print magazine, So that's one of the things that I've been really doing for the past, I want to build this into a dynamic publisher. So we started publishing authors outside of our organization last year. So you'll start to see some. Books come out but the next stage of that is really becoming a dynamic publisher which is incorporating augmented reality and mixed reality into our video and print offerings. So really that's what I'm talking about when I say operational stamina and, being able to support all of the production that goes into making these pieces. Because the goal is to become a resource and a dynamic resource that's community generated. And feeds back into the next generation of community and, create that cycle.

So many gems in there, right? The building into the business that, the, frameworks and patterns that creatives need to stay engaged and to be creative. We hear so much about creative burnout and how folks really push, push, push, to create, to make, to deliver. And then walk away from the game. That's hard to feel like a win, right? So I love that, being ready for the call is sort of part of your vision of the future. We want to be at the cutting edge and to be there we have to be healthy, inspired, connected. So,

Yes, definitely.

Is there something that you're looking for in your journey with Cheechable right now? Is it help growth in your network, research, things you're hoping to learn about in the next few years?

Yeah, well, I think that that's one thing that we really welcome is the diversity in our community. And so I would love to see more tech companies get involved. I would love to see more consumer products get involved. And involvement looks like a bunch of different things. So we have publishing and we have multiple platforms that we're publishing and creating on. But we also do events which are really integral into community building. And that's one place where a lot of companies and businesses can get involved and really just get connected with the community of creators and entrepreneurs that we've cultivated. We are a group who over time has, vetted each other, And like I said, we create a safe space. So we love to welcome new people in and we're always just really supportive. So that's really what I'm looking for now is just, spreading our wings a little bit and welcoming some more people in. We kind of do it in a metered way, but that is again, it's to create a safe space, I think there's a misconception about being accessible in communities is that, if a community is accessible, the doors are wide open and everybody can come in. But that's not exactly sustainable for community building. People aren't on the same wavelength or, have respect in spaces. And so that's really what we've worked really hard to create this community. And we meter it out so we don't get overwhelmed with, bad actors, right? Tip over into the kind of negative space, but I want to be real about some things that we interact with. And so that's one thing that's really cool about the space that we've cultivated is that people can, can come in and really feel supported and seen.

I mean, that's one of the challenges with community always, right, is that, If a community is not relevant to the members, if, there's not a reason to connect, what are you connecting in? And especially, the last seven years of social media has pushed this idea, especially as influencer is now, like, America's most desired job, from teenagers. This idea that everything needs to be viral, that everything is going to be, suitable for an audience of millions and millions I think a lot of people have wasted time and money assuming that the whole world is their audience, is their community, is their customer, and, What I'm hearing from you is that, that focus on real connection, that focus on authenticity, is, is what gets you a sustainable community, a sustainable, org, community. A sustainable audience that feeds, cyclically back into the org, back into the audience, back into the community. And that's that kind of flywheel that I think so many people are searching for when they say they want to go viral. And really what they want is repeatable engagement with the people that care about them, right?

Yes, exactly. So I finished my Graduate program in collaborative design. So really heavy on facilitation and innovation and just getting right in there and solving problems. And, one of the things in 2015 was you got to be a unicorn, shine. And, I think it's the same vein as that. And then there's the going viral, right? Where it's like, okay, but how realistic is that? Right? So, out of all of the football, high school football teams in America, how many people actually make it to become an NFL player? Right? And then how many consequences do they have? Do these children face trying to get to that journey of excellence or whatever that standard is. So yeah, I got out of that program and I was like, okay, I gotta be a unicorn, and then, I did it all. I did the damn thing. I like, I mean, look at where we're at, right? So I, I'm doing, I'm at the helm of a lot of this, right? So doing the engineer work back end and developing, and then also, having some really strong chops in fine arts and in digital arts. And, so all of these things, and then, I have a really weird and cool background, but like, there's, I was a professional musician and I was in the law field and, so it's like all of these things, I'm like, yeah, I got this, that's a lot, it's a lot to do. And it's a lot to maintain. But then there was this term that came up shortly after, and people were talking about looking for zebras and that was, a person who was, had a practical skillset and came to the table and could actually, like I think like a plumber is a good example of a, a zebra. Hey, everybody's going to interact with some sort of plumbing issue. It's just a thing that humans in the 21st century are interacting with on a regular basis, right? Okay, cool. Plumbers, we need them. If we don't have them, or if your plumber is so occupied on being like a viral influencer in the plumbing space, maybe they're not paying so much attention to what they're actually doing. And so I really liked kind of trying to figure out a balance. And I think that that's really the difference between, letting all those multifaceted gems of talent shine, but then also being really practical and pragmatic about how we deliver that and being a weight in the work creating a way to model that as well. Because I want people to realize, we utilize public, we go to the library for a lot of resources, we're on public access for a reason, we want people to see that that's a resource, we work with local art communities and studios, if we produce something, If we have a product, we're working locally and or in a public resource. So that's really what, what I want people to see is just that you don't have to blow things out of the water and the chances that the, million plus people who watched your content. actually paying attention is very slim, and so that's really what it comes down to is who's paying attention and then what are they doing with that information beyond.

Thank you so much. That's amazing. Shout out to Zebras Unite, right? The idea that we need more sustainable, ethical community oriented businesses, right? Zebras band together for the good of the herd. They don't stand out. Love that metaphor. Amazing. Alicia, it has been such a pleasure chatting with you and learning about your entrepreneurial journey. I'm curious, how can people learn more and how can people get involved with all the different online, offline, and blended reality opportunities that Cheechables got?

Yeah, well, we have our website, Cheechable. com, and that is where you're going to find our Futurist blog and opportunities for contributions. So, written, visual, and then also now we have books. So, if you have a pitch for a segment or want to feature your work, then definitely reach out to us there. We're really active on Instagram, and we're also excited are exploring some other avenues of social platforms, but we have really decided to focus on Instagram as our, our main channel for social. So that is@cheechable_world so that's one thing that we keep on pitching. That's the dynamic publishing building that world where we're going to, create. And that's Cheechable World and that's where we can all create together. So join us there and stay up on what we're creating.

Amazing. Thank you so much, Alicia. This has been Such a fascinating conversation. I love, so much that we talk about entrepreneurialism through the focus of creativity and community and the values and engagement that will sustain those things. What a wide ranging conversation through community, through innovation, through sustainable creativity. I love how everything that you do is so focused on really understanding and making meaningful connections with audiences and I can't wait to see how you continue to push this dynamic publishing that you're working on. Thank you so much for joining us here at the Glow Up.

Thank you, Nathan. Thank you so much.