{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Nelson Z\u00eaPequ\u00e9no of Black Men With Gardens and Cayetano Talavera of Hecho By Caye on why fashion needs to listen to nature\u2019s lessons on slowing down, tuning in, practicing patience & cultivating creativity to better center sustainability","description":"Episode 322 features Nelson Z\u00eaPequ\u00e9no, a Ghanaian-American Artist and the founder of Black Men With Gardens and Sustain Creative, alongside Cayetano Talavera, a fiber artist, zero waste fashion designer, and the creative force behind HECHO BY CAYE. Through \u2018Black Men With Gardens\u2019, a digital and print publication, Nelson spotlights the connection Black and Brown communities cultivate with nature through agriculture and the arts. He further exploring cultural identity and environmental stewardship through his Los Angeles-based studio 'Sustain Creative', his current body of works offer a fresh perspective on sustainable contemporary design. Based in Los Angeles, Cayetano transforms foraged plants, homegrown flowers, insects, and even food waste into natural dyes, for his designs in the cocina de su mam\u00e1. His journey into the world of sustainable design was shaped by his humble upbringing, where he discovered the importance of resourcefulness and waste reduction. \u201cCreativity is a way of looking at life differently, and by stepping outside of the way that we\u2019re seeing life or our own perceptions and experimenting, we\u2019re able to open up those new neural pathways and to reach these new places in life. For me specifically, I like to think that creativity is actually the solution not only to the mental health crisis that we\u2019re all dealing with, but to actually the sustainability challenges that we\u2019re facing. We need to embolden creativity in our culture and our communities so that people can look at the challenges that we have and come up with different ways of approaching it. We can\u2019t essentially just fix the problems that we face now with the same thought processes that led us here, and the only way to get outside of that actually is to be creative.\u201d -Nelson \u201cThe rhythmic movement that comes from making a craft \u2014 I find it to be very therapeutic. Whether it\u2019s stirring a dye pot, painting strokes, I think also just the physical aspect that goes into being creative plays a role in ... it\u2019s almost like you get so into what you\u2019re creating that you kind of escape from your worries and anxieties for a bit. Once I start working, I totally forget whatever is going on around me, even if it\u2019s for a split second. I am always encouraging people to just be creative; and don\u2019t let the insecurities take over. I host natural dye workshops and a lot of adults tend to be like \u2018but this isn\u2019t for me\u2019; \u2018my tie dye bandana is going to come out super ugly\u2019. And I\u2019m like "\u2018no, everyone\u2019s piece ends up looking really good and unique in their own way\u2019. And so I think there\u2019s fear that comes from being creative and I think people need to get over that hurdle first.\u201d - Cayetano MAY THEME \u2014 CONNECTING WITH NATURE TO UNVEIL WAYS TO REIMAGINE FUTURES Narratives today often separate humans from nature \u2013 think of statements like \u201cwe need to protect nature\u201d as if we aren\u2019t a part of nature. But we are. Even though we often live and spend a lot of time inside buildings somewhat \u201cseparated\u201d from nature, we are still intrinsically linked and woven into the natural world around us. As we have learned through so many of our guests this season, being connected to the world around us is not something new \u2013 it\u2019s something that has been cultivated by Black and Brown Indigenous communities across the world through culture and tradition and a reverence for the ecosystems that we as humans are a part of. This week\u2019s guests both interact with nature through their unique creative avenues \u2013 in very different yet overlapping ways. One works more directly with *fashion* through sewing and natural dyes, and the other not so directly with fashion but rather with plants and repurposing.  The myriad of ideas they share remind us of the many things we can learn from nature (when we slow down enough to listen).  What can fashion learn from nature to reimagine a better today and a more thoughtful tomorrow? Fashion folks, nature is calling, and it\u2019s time we tune in \u2026 Links from the conversation: Hecho By Caye Website Sustaining Creative Website Fast Fashion AD on SNL that Kestrel mentions Follow Nelson on Instagram Follow Black Men With Gardens on Instagram Follow Cayetano on Instagram ","author_name":"Conscious Chatter","author_url":"http:\/\/consciouschatter.com\/","html":"