Aubrey and I first reconnected, after about 5 years, on a phone call from me to her on the last day of January in 2024. I was mid-flight on a new creative project called “A Letter For” and had no branding or design work for it. A bolt of lightning ⚡️ hit me that morning - I should call Aubrey, she’s the perfect person to help.
The A Letter For project is part creative outlet and part therapy for me. It’s an effort to be more in-tune and outward with my feelings, particularly for people in my life regularly (Whether I actually know them personally or not) who I have a hard time telling those feelings to. Aubrey has this energy and aura and worldview to her that is more connected and ethereal in feeling than anyone I've ever met. She believes she is the universe and that the universe is her.
When that lightning bolt struck, it was a connection of the concept of the project to this exact piece of her. When the thought arrived I immediately felt both confident that she would execute the work and find a real connection to it herself.
So I picked up the phone and just tried her - she picked up.
[insert video clip from first episode of LTC where I talk about about this moment and how special it was and how much shame I felt at the same time for not staying connected to her all these years]
I’m so glad she did.
But this project didn’t start with that call, it started with our second call. I was driving down to Las Vegas with my son for a soccer tournament when I had an idea for the project and gave her a ring again. She picked up again.
The call started with lots of energy, meandered about a bit, and then went into this territory I rarely experience. It was two people communicating on the same wavelength. A synergy. A connection that can only happen when two people, no matter how dispersed, can be in the same place at the same time in a moment.
Towards the end of the call I just said “gosh, I wish we had recorded this call so we could remember it”.
That moment was the first seed planted for Laugh Think Cry that germinated. It opened up a new world of creativity and expression for I think both of us.
That was when this collaboration really kicked into gear
The next day Aubrey sent me this poem, inspired by our conversation the day before
It was magical to me. She took my words and thoughts and feelings and made art from those ingredients.
The good vibes that come from receiving that from someone are incredible. I physically FEEL it, rushing through my veins and to the dopamine receptors in my brain.
I think that’s when I realized I love collaborative creativity. Sometimes it’s intentional and sometimes it’s not.
With Aubrey, it’s intentional, we’ve agreed to do this together.
With others it’s not, I treat people I gain knowledge and inspiration from as collaborators too. I think that’s why I attach myself so meaningfully to those people - Rick Rubin, David Ogilvy, Joan Miro (thanks Bri 😘), Ben Gibbard, Jeff Arcuri, Jerrod Carmichael, John Lurie, etc. (it’s a long long list).
This is my first post on here. It’s only possible because of this collaboration with Aubrey.
For that I am very deeply sincerely grateful and thankful. 🙏