The theme for this month's Creative Mornings talk was 'Rebel'. Andi Zeisler, co-founder and editorial/creative director of Bitch Media, was the perfect person to talk about this topic. Her magazine uses a conventional medium to critique pop culture, subversive from the inside.

She talked a lot about how the alternative compares the the main stream, and how the two overlap. For example, magazines used to be the main big media, but now the internet has taken its spot, leaving them to become the alternative. Similarly, big companies use underground movements like graffiti to market their main stream products. So then where is the divide? Its not always so obvious.

It was really interesting to hear her view point on print media. I always hear nowadays about how print is dying because of the internet, but she talked about how people used to say the radio was going to die because of movies. Or how movies would die because of tv. And now how magazines will die. None of those things died, they just focus their attention on more specific topics and a smaller audience, making them more specialized.

We seem to be living in a time where more and more things are becoming specialized towards one specific idea, and I think thats okay. I'd rather go to one produce store, one vegan store, and one general store to get all of my groceries and know they're all the best than to get everything in one place where nothing is as good. If that is the product of rebellion, its definitely not making the world a worse place.

Zeisler went on to say that if you define yourself as a rebel, there inevitable comes a time where you become engulfed into that thing that you are rebelling against. She made an important point about how working for money and working because you love it don't always have to be opposites. Just because you love it doesn't mean you should do it for free, but making money doesn't necessarily mean selling out. You can still maintain all of your alternative ideas while making money.

I think the overall message I am taking away is that the best way to navigate the movement of culture between mainstream and alternative is to stick to doing what you love instead of focusing on which category it lies in. You don't have to play into main stream culture, but being against it just for the purpose of being against it won't get you very far.

And, in honor of Valentine's Day, they had cute creative-themed candy hearts.

Creative Mornings talks the past two months were great too! Last month G Cody QJ Goldberg talked about building handicap accessible playground, and the month before Liz Forkin Bohannon talked about a shoe company she created employing woman in Africa in order for them to have money to go to school. The talks are always interesting and inspiring and I'm so glad something like this exists!