BJ Panda Bear’s Gregarious Roots & Conscious Spirit
“Accept pragmatism but also embrace the unique.”
Source: Instagram
BJ Panda Bear is a consultant, editor, and the co-founder of QooA.Space.
What was the Lightbulb Moment that inspired you to fully dive into what you do?
I have always needed a sense of community within the reaches of fashion, art, and pop media as well as a need for the equilibrium between epicureanism and the grand devotion to wellbeing. The cultures often come a bit detached so I do really appreciate the points which they intersect. My Lightbulb Moment was truly the pandemic and the forced need to hold back, reflect, and respond.
I will always love the glamour and gregarious background I was so well cultivated in, but the happenings of the world keeps placing a perspective upon me and enlightening this activist spirit which has in turn made me want to dive deeper into what we all as individuals need. This has been the backbone to my QooA.Space project as well as the conscious approach I take to all my various projects.
What’s the most unexpected thing you’ve learned in your current career?
Patience and learning to adapt and collaborate with others in a way that combines and never drowns out anyone’s voice. It is also so vital to learn when to assert your voice and champion projects. Accept pragmatism but also embrace the unique.
What often sparks your creativity or gets you into the creative zone?
Coffee and some techno to hype up.
What is your unfiltered advice for anyone looking to break into your industry?
Within any creative career, you need a strong foundation built off of a like-minded community followed by a strong sense of visual language cultivated from taking in any and all points. This is the most important basic piece of advice.
Oct 13, 2020
By Natalie Alcala