EVENT RECAP: The Brunch Club - Presence & Precision
On the 12th of June we gathered for the 10th edition of The Brunch Club.
THE SUPPORT BEHIND THE BRUNCH CLUB
As always, the event simply would not have been possible without the support of all the collaborators, sponsors and helping hands.
A big thank you to our panelists Alanna and Michael for letting us into their creative and inspiring minds, to Lara’s Brunch for the incredible brunch buffet, to Ana for the pictures, to The Lacustre for the space, Heleen and Fabio for being such a huge helping hand, to SIRADIS and Swiss Impact Store for the goodies in our goodie bag… and every single one of you for coming!
Now onto the event recap…
THE BRUNCH CLUB BEGAN WITH A PRESENCE YOGA FLOW
THE BRUNCH CLUB CONTINUED WITH A PANEL DISCUSSION
The topic of this Brunch Club was: Presence & Precision. We spoke with Wildlife Documentary Filmmaker Michael Becker and Béjart Ballet dancer Alanna Archibald all about the balance between creativity and precision, flow state, handling fear and finding balance when pursuing your creative passion as your work.
If you missed the discussion, here were some of the key takeaways:
Although both speakers said the successful development of their career came about naturally, both also attributed success to discipline and focus.
When it comes to flow state, Alanna says hers often comes about when she reaches a breaking point of fatigue. When she feels like she hardly has anything left to give, she’ll all of a sudden find herself succumb to the music and in a state of flow. There’s definitely something to be said about flow state catching you at the point where you relinquish control, where you almost give up and in turn release. A parallel can be drawn with how many say transcendental states come about when fasting or reaching peak levels of fatigue.
When it comes to fear, Michael prefers instead framing it as being in “comfort” and “discomfort” - a less emotion-ridden view. He says that states of discomfort are not to be ignored, but to be taken seriously, especially in his line of work where small mistakes can prove fatal. Therefore when in a situation of discomfort, Michael takes it as a sign that something needs to be addressed, changed, tweaked and if nothing can be done; aborted.
When asked about how to maintain motivation, Alanna shared that she finds it easier to stay within routine than to fall out and have to get back into it. This is why even when it off season, she prefers to stick to her routine, keep it up and let it remain as a “non-negotiable”. It’s a lot easier to not have to question “should I” or “shouldn’t I” she says.
Both speakers maintain lives that heavily revolve around their passion which is also their work and their livelihood. When asked how they manage to balance their lives while being extremely successful in their field, they similar but also varying points of view:
Michael expressed how what he came to learn was that if you’re going to make it, the product has to be the most important part of your life; more than relationships, wellbeing or any other endeavours. Those who were extremely successful in the past made their work their #1 priority, and if you wish to compete with them, you need to do the same. He explains how this isn’t a particularly healthy balanced approach to the life, but the question then poses itself; how bad do you want it?
On a similar wavelength Alanna expressed her identity as a dancer and how this is an identity that she maintains and holds on to strongly. By doing so, she doesn’t question whether she “wants” to practice or not, it is part of her being, it’s the reason she was put on this Earth. However she also emphasises the importance of listening to your body, being honest with yourself and practicing enjoying the journey not just the destination.
AFTER THE MOVING, TALKING & BREATHING… CAME THE BRUNCHING
We enjoyed a beautiful vegetarian brunch by Lara Brunch. I’ll let you drool over the spread…
With our bellies full of good food and minds & hearts full of inspiration, we left with goodie bags full of goodies from SIRADIS and Swiss Impact Store.
SIRADIS filled the goodie bad with healthy snacks from Deliciously Ella, Primal Pantry, Rebel Kitchen and Ape Snack and Swiss Impact Store gifted us each a sustainable bamboo toothbrush from TerraMavi.
