Wednesday, September 11, 2024

"Take a moment every day to listen to a kid": A Conversation with Brad Montague

͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more

You’re reading A Year of Mental Health, a 3x/week newsletter on purposeful productivity. If you find it helpful, click the “like” button at the top or bottom and share the post with someone who might benefit from it. 💚

"Take a moment every day to listen to a kid": A Conversation with Brad Montague

It's time for a new interview! Next up: Brad Montague, bestselling author, illustrator, speaker, and creator of the hit web series Kid President.

Sep 11

READ IN APP

Our interview series features interesting people with something to say that the world needs hearing. Let me know what you think—we’ll continue to experiment and evolve along the way. 🙏

Introducing Brad Montague

I’ve known Brad for more than 10 years, ever since we first connected at my annual event, the World Domination Summit. Since then he’s gone on to produce a number of incredible projects, including a global movement called Socktober which helps millions of people each October, as well as a series of illustrated books that are read by children of all ages.

This week he has a brand-new book out on the topic of failure. 📕

(Side note: for years I’ve wanted to do a book on failure, too! But Brad beat me to it, so I guess this is a failure I should fail-a-brate? Hmmm.)

Here are a few highlights from Brad’s bio:

Brad Montague is a New York Times best-selling author/illustrator of books for kids and former kids. A highly sought-after speaker and performer whose encouragement brings hope and humanity to a wide variety of communities, Brad is the creator of the hit web series Kid President, the bestselling picture book The Circles All Around Us, and the creativity-packed Fantastic Bureau of Imagination.
Brad is also part of the team behind Zip and the Tiny Sprouts, a new animated series on YouTube Kids. The series features a wonder-filled world and charming characters designed by Brad, with direction and voices from the smash hit Bluey. Montague has been involved heavily behind the scenes in several projects for television, including The Kindness Project, a special Brad hosted for Chip and Joanna Gaines’s Magnolia Network, available to stream on Max.
His commitment to childlike wonder and joyful rebellion has led to collaborations with The Disney Channel, Jim Henson Company, Pokemon, The Metropolitan Opera, Hallmark, Rivian, and the United Nations—just to name a few. He lives in Tennessee with his wife and collaborator, Kristi Montague, and their two children.

Naturally, we’re more interested in the person behind the impressive bio. And since this is 🌻 A Year of Mental Health, I’m interested in how people think about wellbeing in general.

So let’s have some questions and answers with Brad Montague (There’s also a short audio recording from him—scroll down for that.)

Qs & As with Brad

What does mental health and wellbeing mean to you?

So much of my personal well-being is about finding a balance between passion and peace. Like, I know I’m in a healthy place when I feel excited or engaged with my work or projects because they are such an extension of everything I love and care about. I have also learned how much I need to step back and enjoy downtime.

Something I’ve noticed about pretty much every single time travel story, whether it’s Back To The Future, About Time, Outlander, or whatever — they might travel to the distant past or blast into the future. Still, the big takeaway for the hero at the end is always how much of life is about being present.

A giant flag for me with my mental health is when I’m spending too much time obsessing about something in the past or worrying about something in the future. That means it’s time for me to seek presence. Whether I’m creating or connecting with people right in front of me or simply taking a breath, these become part of my pathway into presence. I’ve been discovering this kind of peace can be found regardless of external circumstances, highs, or lows of creative life. Presence is possible.

What is your primary or most important message?

I once heard singer Warren Zevon being interviewed by David Letterman. It was very close to the end of Zevon’s battle with illness. Letterman asked him a question about what he’d learned about life. Zevon’s advice: “Enjoy every sandwich.” Those three words floored me. So simple, but powerful. It seems silly that we need such reminders, but we do. My message to the world, whether it’s through a picture book, a little illustration in a magazine, or a speech on a stage, is generally always a reminder that joy is possible. Joy is worth it. Joy is waiting. Seek it. Live it. Share it.

My latest book, Fail-a-bration, is about how joy can be found even in setbacks. It’s something I’ve been discovering through interviews with CEOs or drawing demonstrations in elementary art classrooms: acknowledging and celebrating our imperfections can lead to more authentic and joyful experiences. I keep finding that joy can be found if we playfully and creatively respond to whatever life brings.

What’s something contrarian or highly unusual that you passionately believe?

Look, I don’t want to stir up any divisive drama in your corner of the internet, Chris. But here it is—I think it’s okay to like things. There, I said it. Pineapple on pizza? I’m OK with it! Candy corn? I love the stuff. Do I get why people might not like it? Maybe. Still, I like it, and it’s okay to like stuff, ok?

Brad Montague’s Audio Recording 🎙️

I usually ask our interviewees to make a short audio recording in addition to the written questions. This isn’t a long podcast interview, it’s just two minutes long—so you don’t want to skip it. Here’s the one from Brad! ⬇️

Listen now · 2:05

Okay, back to some more Qs and recommendations!

What’s difficult for you right now? What are you struggling with?

I struggle to find balance amid an overflowing plate of projects and commitments. There are so many things I’m passionate about and so many things I’m eager to make happen. I’m involved in a variety of creative endeavors, and while it’s exciting, it can also be overwhelming.

To help with this, I’ve been spending a lot more time seeking clarity on what to prioritize when. In the same way, I might create a book map to develop a picture book; I’m learning there are ways I can better shape the story I’m living. The challenge is managing my time and energy effectively so that I don’t lose sight of the joy and purpose in each project, each person, each day. It’s an ongoing journey and an ongoing story!

What is a simple thing (or 2-3 simple things) we can do to be better?

Embrace imperfections. Enough with trying to be perfect or avoiding mistakes. That’s a life lived in fear. Operate from a place of love not for love! Allow yourself space to show up, mess up, and grow up. Learn from your failures, then share your wisdom. Grow and help others grow.

Listen to a kid. Take a moment every day to listen to a kid. It might be a child in your life you care about. It might be your inner child. It might be taking in a picture book. Spend some time in your day honoring the humanity of young people, and it’ll lead to wonderful places in your heart and life.

Wave to a stranger like they’re Beyoncé. Will it confuse them? Possibly. We need to be confused sometimes.

All these things help bring me to a place of peace, play, and presence.

Lastly, what are a few things you’d like to recommend to our community?

Books:

“Pepper and Me” by Beatrice Alemagna is a marvelous and strange little book about a girl, her knee, and a scab. It perfectly captures the wonder and terror of being a kid— scratch that— not just being a kid … being a person.
“Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien” by John Hendrix is a dream of a book. I’ve always deeply admired John’s work. This, though, is so obviously a book made from a place of deep devotion and passion. Holding this book and taking in the love he poured into each page is a joy.

Substacks:

Soul Boom Dispatch. One of the great joys in my life was working with Rainn Wilson and the team at Soulpancake, where we delved into deep and meaningful conversations. Rainn’s recent dispatches continue this tradition but with an expanded scope that explores even more vibrant and complex themes. I’ve loved seeing Rainn continue seeking spaces for dialogues like these and thoughtful expressions on what it means to be alive.

Moonbow. I first stumbled upon Taylor’s work while searching for articles about one of my all-time favorite author-illustrators, James Marshall. I found far more than just a shared admiration for Marshall; Taylor’s Substack reveals exceptional taste and deep appreciation for children and people who make things with children in mind. One might call Moonbow a newsletter about children's books. It’s more than this, though. It celebrates bold, courageous art and the artists behind it. It’s a reminder that there’s a world of beauty waiting to be discovered — whether it’s books, poems, films, or groundbreaking ideas— and often, these things are birthed out of a desire to create a better world for children.

Song: