024. Benjamin Von Wong on Fantasy Creating Positive Impact

Feb 11, 2021

Listen to artist Benjamin Von Wong enlighten Heather on how fantasy can be used to create positive impact, especially when climate and environmental statistics can be shocking and daunting enough to make us look away. Von Wong’s work Mermaid Swims in 10,000 Plastic Bottles tells the tale of how plastics have impacted not just the planet, but also human health. In this episode, he brilliantly articulates how to create for something bigger than yourself.

In this episode, we discuss: 

• How to shift from creating for the sake of creating over to creating because you want to have an impact.
• Why once we start seeing something we can’t unsee it.
• How fantasy can ignite a sense of curiosity, give new permissions and bring our attention back to an important issue that we’ve looked away from.
• Mermaid Swims in 10,000 plastic bottles as a metaphor for how plastics have impacted our lives and health.
• The great Pacific garbage patch.
• Why Von Wong likes to start with the hardest part of the project first.
• The difference between a universal Why and a project Why.
• The role of collaboration in creating for impact.

Benjamin Von Wong is an artist focused on amplifying positive impact and the host of the Impact Everywhere Podcast. Von Wong's work lies at the intersection of fantasy and photography and combines everyday objects with shocking statistics. It has attracted the attention of corporations, like Starbucks, Dell, and Nike and has generated over 100 million views for causes like ocean plastics, electronic waste, and fashion pollution. Most recently, he was named one of Adweek's 11 content branded masterminds. 

Heather Grzych is the author of The Ayurvedic Guide to Fertility and the host of the Wisdom of the Body podcast. A board-certified Ayurvedic practitioner, she bridges the worlds of conventional and alternative medicine to help women and men heal their physical and emotional lives. Heather is on the board of directors for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and has consulted with doctors, governments, and insurance companies. She offers virtual consultations and programs worldwide. www.heathergrzych.com  

Connect with Heather:

Instagram.com/heathergrzych

Facebook.com/grzychheather

 

This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only.