Recommended

Dessa

Minneapolis-based rapper and writer, Dessa, describes how poetry led her into the world of hip-hop, how she faces the imaginary critics in her head, and the positive creative culture she found with the indie hip-hop group, Doomtree.

Clayton Cubitt

Clayton Cubitt, NYC-based photographer, filmmaker, and writer, talks about his roaming childhood spent between Nevada and New Orleans, dropping out and running away at 16, the luck that helped him escape poverty, his first big break as a photographer, and taking the long-raod approach rather than chasing trends or cash.

Paul Octavious

Ryan and I had the pleasure of meeting Paul in person shortly after we moved to New York over two years ago and we’ve been wanting to interview him ever since then. Turns out we’re not the only ones—we’ve received multiple requests from readers to have Paul on TGD and, now, we’re making it happen. I finally had the opportunity to catch up with this designer-turned-photographer and find out more about his path. Surprisingly, photography was an accidental discovery, but an immediate love for Paul, who shares his story thus far in this week’s issue. Read on and be inspired! —Tina

Veronika Scott

Trust me: you don’t want to miss this week’s interview with Veronika Scott, the 24-year-old entrepreneur and product designer behind the Detroit-based nonprofit, The Empowerment Plan. Born out of a class assignment, the idea quickly evolved into something much bigger after Veronika spent time researching at a local homeless shelter. In this candid conversation, Veronika opened up about how The Empowerment Plan came to be, how the nonprofit is changing the lives of the women who work there, the people who have rallied around her efforts, and why her endeavor hits so close to home. This is more than an interview—it’s an incredible story of hope, second chances, and what can happen when one individual dares to believe that anything is possible. —Tina