🍬 Sugary Scoop: Believe In Something

Welcome to the Sugary Newsletter by yours truly.  🎉 😊

🍬The Scoop 🍬

• WHAT’S NEW?

• THE SUGARY EFFECT

• UPCOMING EVENTS

• AND DON’T SAY I DIDN’T TELL YOU ABOUT…

• ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

WHAT’S NEW?

The Anthem

Giving Tuesday saw the launch of the Empathy Project.

However, unbeknownst to most people, the occasion also marked the debut of a song that has become a rallying cry for the movement.

The song is entitled, “Something”.

Written by Mike Squillante of movie night and featuring additional vocals by Tish Hyman, the song is about hope, rising above the fray and believing in one’s capacity to affect positive change in the world.

It is a song that was first written almost 2 years ago and despite my best efforts to convince Mike to release the track, the song ultimately sat around in limbo until I sensed a perfect moment to marry a cause to a song.

I had asked Mike to perform the song for our fundraiser event without much chance for preparation, choosing instead to have the performance be unfiltered, raw and straight from the heart.

And the result was an incredible moment, where there was not a dry eye in the entire place. Everyone including Mike was overwhelmed by the experience and plans were immediately drafted that evening to make this song become the next featured release.

In a moment of inspired creative direction, I reached out to my longtime friend, recording artist, Tish Hyman to feature on the track. My thinking was that both artists were polar opposites in terms of genre and unique vocal stylings, Mike was alt rock, pop, and folk wild. Tish was hip-hop, soul and R&B…

Therefore, what better occasion than to pair these two together on a track!

Luckily, both artists agreed and we have the track we now have.

“Something” is a beautiful testament to the human spirit laced with powerful sentiment and ageless wisdom.

Please take a listen yourself, and I hope that it is inspiring to you.

“…don’t waste any more time, you’ve gotta believe in Something.”

Listen HERE

THE SUGARY EFFECT

Empathy (Part 6): You Got To Believe In Something

With the launch of the Empathy Project, I’ve had a lot of people ask me why I think this effort will work.

And my response has always been the same:

It’s a simple action to convey the right message at the right time.

I challenge you this very moment to go about your daily life and ask people randomly if you feel there should be more empathy in the world.

I’m willing to bet money that the response will be universally affirmative. It’s the vibration of the world right now whether we express it overtly or not.

The absence of empathy is felt even if we can’t put it into words. We all sense it’s missing and we long for it.

So what I’m offering is a chance…a chance to buy into a better vision for the future and all I ask is that people wear what they feel out in the open...and see what happens.

The thing is, I suspect the more you see “empathy” out there, the more real it becomes in your world both through discourse and action. You will ultimately help to create your own reality.

Sure, out of everyone that engages with this project at any level, some might retire the notion the very next day, some might consider it en vogue for the moment…

But then there will be a significant portion of those that walk this journey with us that are affected in a profound way and decide to take that deeper dive and begin having those conversations that matter most with their family, colleagues and friends.

And that is exactly the point.

That’s the spark we hope to generate to get the ball rolling towards a more compassionate society and we have a fair shot of doing it.

You got to believe in something right? :)

Together, we can make the active choice to put empathy first and generate the momentum to move ourselves forward and one of the simple ways to do that is to wear "empathy" and see what happens.

So here's 6 Empathy T-shirts you can choose from and join me on this journey!

UPCOMING EVENTS

December 2nd @12pm - Empathy Project x Shareity Kindness Event (Washington Square Park) We’re gathering to perform deliberate acts of kindness _{(Social Battery Level: HIGH Extrovert - Crowd Size 100+)}

December 14th @7pm - FAM 57 X Empathy Project Event (Williamsburg) We’re teaming up with the folks at 57 to discuss the work of Empathy Project artist Loan Chabanol and a deeper dive into her history and perspective as an artist. _{(Social Battery Level: HIGH Extrovert - Crowd Size 75+)}

_{(Space is very limited for each of these events so if you’d like to attend to any of these events, please hit the RSVP button below sooner than later!)}

AND DON’T SAY I DIDN’T TELL YOU ABOUT…

Gaia Collective

The power of song is evergreen in all its forms.

From the confines of an intimate shower to the brotherly chants at a ball game. From the drunken belts at a karaoke bar to the solemn choral hymns of a place of worship.

Ultimately, it is communion through sound.

This kind of kinship runs particularly deep because it is a universal language and vibration that everyone inherently understands. It permeates thoroughly and affects us from the inside out.

A perfect experience of this lies in the community of Gaia Collective.

This community, founded by Matt Goldstein and his team of dedicated instructors invite total strangers to gather in a safe space to explore community through song.

Absolutely no experience is needed and amateurs and divas alike are welcomed with open arms to participate in a variety of activities.

Among the activities to choose from include one day choruses, where a group receives a song in advance to learn and then subsequently gathers to sing in unison, or a circle sing where spontaneous unrehearsed singing is explored and encouraged.

Every moment is expertly guided by one of Gaia’s sonic sherpas.

I remember first seeing one of these moments show up on my social feed, and was captivated by the majesty and unbridled joy that these moments generated.

So much so that I sought out Matt directly and invited him to create a moment during the launch event of our empathy project, and it was an amazing part of the evening.

Being from the music industry, I have a deep appreciation for the power of the art form…but I gotta say… it’s never a bad thing to be reminded of the feeling and I swear it never gets old. Sonus vitae!

So do yourself a favor and check out Gaia Collective.

It is honestly nourishment for the soul and exactly the cathartic release you never knew you needed.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Loan Chabanol

Elegant. Poignant. Relatable.

This incredible French multi-hyphenate is an artist in the truest sense. A successful actor, model, writer and most importantly (for the purposes of this article) an incredibly gifted illustrator.

Her illustrations are deceptively simple, and feel remarkably accessible to audiences of all ages, yet what makes Loan’s work so amazing is her unique ability to distill complex ideas into concise forms without diluting the impact of the visual message all while maintaining a sophisticated grace in her line work.

Regardless of the selection, all of Loan’s illustrations will leave you charmed; delighting the young at heart while inviting us all to contemplate deeper meaning between the lines.

Stay tuned for much more from Loan, her journey is one of precipitous ascent and her flight will be nothing short of remarkable.

The Blue Boo (iconic piece)

Blue Period (lesser known body of work)

Mika Girl (newest piece)

Thank you for taking the time to read to the end!

I hope you found something inspiring and meaningful in my content and until next time, explore the possibilities of NYC.

-Sugary

🍰🍭🍩🍦🍫🍪🍨🧁

PS. Don’t be shy and hit reply and tell me how you’re doing!