Catalyst Collab: Britton Smith | Make Water Work 048

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I'm Isaac with 120 Water
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>> and I'm Chelsea with Rogue Water and
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we're excited to welcome you to the Make
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Water Work and Catalyst Collab.
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Well, hello everyone. Welcome to the
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Make Water Work Catalyst Collab. I'm
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your host, Isaac Pellerin with 120
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Water. Um, and this has been a really
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fun series to do alongside Chelsea
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Boozer and Rogue Water Lab. Um, who has
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such a such a knack for creating a
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unique experience for um, for conference
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attendees for their upcoming conference
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and and previous conferences. That
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really invites water professionals to be
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present and open up the aperture a bit
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to um to accept new ways of thinking. is
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that there's more creativity and more
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problem solving and ultimately more
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connection. Um because communicating is
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really important to the work that that
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we all do and um yeah so it's um this
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year it'll be in San Diego. Last year it
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was in Milwaukee. I had the honor of of
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being an attendee last year. Um, and so
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I got to experience our upcoming guest,
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um, Britain Smith, who is the founder
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and lead artist of Britain and the
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Sting. Um, and he
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he had an incredible way of inviting all
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of us to be present, let our guard down,
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create a safe space for us to um, to
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just connect. And so, Britain, it's a
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pleasure to get to have this
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conversation with you.
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>> Yeah, man. I'm excited to be here. Thank
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you both, you and Chelsea, for having
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me. I appreciate it.
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>> Yeah, absolutely. And um because this is
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a water industry podcast, most of the
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time I start by asking folks, how did
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water find you? And it has more of a
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connection to how they got their career
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in water. Um but I'd love to ask you
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that same question. Um because um you
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got to create an experience around water
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and art around water. So Britain, how
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did water find you?
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How did water find me? Well, I'm a
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Scorpio, so water's always been Yeah, at
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least in my astrological life. But I
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never really tapped into
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much of that astrology or water to be
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honest until October of 2024.
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Um, as you mentioned, I'm an artist. I
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make music and um a lot of our music
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feels like people call it like church on
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Mali. Like the church they always wanted
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like this big experience that feels like
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>> community meets music meets like
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>> an atmosphere where everyone can really
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be themselves beyond doctrine. like
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whatever you believe you can come have a
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churchlike experience which is just kind
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of
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>> permission to be yourself, permission to
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feel free,
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>> permission to be around other people
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across differences. And so our music and
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our gatherings create that type of
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>> feeling and um we've been doing it now
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in New York for about 10 years. Three
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years ago, I think that was three years.
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2024 two.
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>> Yeah. Yeah. Two two years. We're we're
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heading into three.
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>> We're almost three. So about 3 years
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ago, I was commissioned uh by a theater
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on the water called Little Island. And
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um they were starting to a new like
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program. Uh and like commission for
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people who don't know means like uh a
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theater or an institution or a museum,
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somebody with money is like we're going
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to give you money to create something
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for us. And so I was commissioned by
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Little Island, this amphitheater on the
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water on um on the Hudson to make
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>> a new work of music that felt like this
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church-like experience.
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>> And I just thought it was clever to
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write about water because the
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amphitheater sits on the water. And so I
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was like, I'm going to write about
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water.
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>> And then as I began to
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um do research about water and get super
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nerdy about the science of water of like
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how did water first come on our planet?
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What is water really made of? like, you
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know, my water knowledge was basically
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like H2O,
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you know, it was very elementary and I
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really found that not only is
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water incredible uh element that we
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need, but I think and believe now that
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the water is actually a map into how we
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should be living our lives more
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sustainably. Like if we were able to
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live our life like the water, I think
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our policies would be different. How we
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view ourselves would be different. How
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we treat life, how we treat others, how
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we vote. I mean really if we like looked
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to this element with the level of
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respect it she who I call mama really
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deserves.
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>> Yeah.
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>> I think our whole world would be
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different. So, I I'm also um a big um
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enthusiast for liberation and justice.
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And sometimes it's hard to get people
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who are so divided to even think
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>> one thing alike. And so to find water
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was also like a oho hold on hold on hold
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on. We all need water. We all know we
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need water. So it's also
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>> we're all made of water.
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>> It's Yeah. to to use water as uh as a
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catalyst, for lack of better words.
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>> Yeah.
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>> To bring people together
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>> was just a big aha moment. So, I will
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forever be a a water nerd. It's just
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kind of filled the hole of so many
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spaces that I'm interested in.
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>> Yeah. Yeah. I love it. And it's it's um
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I think what I loved about the the
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experience at Catalyst was you know
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getting a bunch of water professionals
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together who do spend time thinking
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about the chemistry or how we
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communicate those things and like very
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much in the science um of water. It was
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it was taking it apart into um and
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helping us dive into the the uh the
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spiritual aspect of water and how it's
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it's a connected um it's a connected
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system. And I mean, I just found myself
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just thinking like all sorts of things,
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you know, based on your prompts like it
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carries things like it it carries good
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and bad, contamination, non-contaminate,
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like like it it forces it's a medium
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that flows and it it had like Yeah.
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Every word that you use ends up having
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symbolic meaning in so much of our art.
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Um,
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>> and so yeah, like what what was it like
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going into
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diving into an element and and
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discovering the uni like the depth and
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the um universe of water?
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>> Yo, well, first of all, I grew up super
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Christian, super religious and in Texas
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>> and um uh it was never the most we
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talked about water was baptism.
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>> Yeah. you know, never like ritual, but
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in so many cultures around the world,
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water is used in a major way. And um
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when I was doing this work with this
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commission, I learned that inherently my
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black body, my African lineage, my
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bloodline knew how to use the water for
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more than just drinking. Like they knew
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of its aliveness. They knew of its
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ability to participate in the community
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as a relationship as a as a member of
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the community. And when you talk to
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indigenous people, they're like, "Bro,
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absolutely."
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>> Yeah.
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>> Absolutely. We talk to the water.
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Absolutely. And it's just kind of like
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so to be having a spiritual experience
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and building a relationship with water
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and then bringing it and bringing this
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aha moment to these like very technical,
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nerdy, scientific, brilliant minds who
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are like
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um
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doing great work for the water but not
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with the water. like watching them go,
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"Wait, I can collaborate with this with
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the essence of this element I'm working
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for."
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>> Absolutely. Absolutely. You're working
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for something that's alive. You're
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helping people live and there's
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aliveness in the water. So it's been
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really it's been really cool to offer
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this artistic somatic framework to the
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technical mind but also it's been really
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nice to hear from the technical minds
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where is impact because I don't just
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want to sing about water. I want
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everybody to feel in relationship with
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it because I think it'll help how we
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think about our pipes and our and and
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our and our crises that we are having
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around the country. I mean around the
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world. And so I feel like I'm meeting
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people who I need and they need me. And
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so it feels like a new
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>> like coalition of people who need to be
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together and I don't want to be the only
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artists in the space. And I know that
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I'm not. You know, there are other
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artists
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>> who also offer this. And so it's been
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really really cool to be around some
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other water nerds who can talk about
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water all day and kind of inspire me.
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It's inspiring.
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>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It is. It is. It is
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for me too. like I you know um I was
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talking to another guest that we just
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had who was a documentary filmmaker um
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and um she was she was talking about
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exactly what you're saying the indig
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indigenous tribes and I believe it's in
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New Zealand they've granted water
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personhood um because it's it's a per
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it's part of the community and so and so
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especially tribes with traditions that
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go way back they they think about it not
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as this is just a resource to use.
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They're like this is a part of our
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community and we have to we therefore we
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honor it in different ways than just
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saying what can we get out of it?
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>> Yes. Yes. And
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to use something like the water that we
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need to live to be in practice with. How
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can I support you and not extract you?
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How can I not just use you? Is this a
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good practice for how we treat earth
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ourselves and each other? So I really
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think if we can learn relearn to do it
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for the water it'll help us in society
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not do it to others like you don't just
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take from others either like
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>> don't just take the element you need
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from your job you know how can you pour
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in how can you participate how can you
00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:15.030
recycle need and give and take like the
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water does every day.
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>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And this this is a
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this is a fun unique conversation
00:11:22.079 --> 00:11:24.949
because we get to talk a little bit a
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little bit broader than than I do with
00:11:27.040 --> 00:11:31.350
some other guests. But um yeah, I I've
00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:35.750
been at policy conferences and um things
00:11:35.760 --> 00:11:40.230
in in DC where we talk about um what
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water carries. And I think about like
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there's that book the body keeps the
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score and we kind of know that it's like
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there's also this like element of like
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the water keeps the score and when we
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understand how we organized around it or
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how we have like the to get into the
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justice aspect of like there are times
00:11:58.560 --> 00:12:01.110
periods of time in our country where we
00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:03.670
only allowed certain certain folks with
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means and certain skin color to live
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>> upstream of the water where we're
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producing stuff And the chemicals that
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would go downstream,
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>> well, the folks who we would bring in to
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work in those factories, they got to
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live downstream and and bear the impact
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of what was carried in the water. And
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like I remember that just blowing my
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mind. And it was like it was in DC at a
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panel
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>> with folks from the EPA and I like this
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is big. Like
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>> it is big. It is big. And it's so linked
00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:41.430
to so many of those issues. Like water
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as a source of life of course is
00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:45.590
connected to education. Of course is
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connected to systemic racism. Of course
00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:49.670
it's connected to all of these things
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because
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>> if you don't believe I mean and this
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this is a country where my ancestors had
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to fight to even be considered a human.
00:12:57.600 --> 00:12:59.350
You know they were considered like a
00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:02.069
third of a human. It's like whoa. So if
00:13:02.079 --> 00:13:05.990
that is true back not too long ago not
00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:09.269
longgo they would not really be
00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:12.310
considered in the where well let's put
00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:14.150
them where the pipes are the best. Let's
00:13:14.160 --> 00:13:16.550
put them where you know we know they can
00:13:16.560 --> 00:13:19.030
be cared for. No that this is a people
00:13:19.040 --> 00:13:22.310
who had to fight for so much. And it
00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:24.310
it's true. The most vulnerable
00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:26.790
communities will have the least access
00:13:26.800 --> 00:13:28.150
to mama.
00:13:28.160 --> 00:13:30.710
>> Yeah. And that's tragic. It's so sad.
00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:32.230
the most vulnerable communities will
00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:34.790
have the least access to education.
00:13:34.800 --> 00:13:35.269
>> Yeah,
00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:37.910
>> that's sad. You know, it's like, wow.
00:13:37.920 --> 00:13:38.870
>> Um,
00:13:38.880 --> 00:13:41.829
>> and get the most benefit from the the
00:13:41.839 --> 00:13:43.990
lifegiving aspect that water can have,
00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:45.990
but it can also have detrimental
00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:47.829
aspects. And I think that's I think
00:13:47.839 --> 00:13:50.470
that's the the thing that's interesting
00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:53.829
is watching the water community like we
00:13:53.839 --> 00:13:57.110
have there's that um kind of
00:13:57.120 --> 00:14:00.389
juxtaposition of like water is life when
00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:03.189
it's carrying the nutrients we need when
00:14:03.199 --> 00:14:05.350
it's doing this. It also is destructive
00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:09.110
when it comes in
00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:12.470
>> like oceans rise storms go through like
00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:14.470
it it it's both.
00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:17.030
>> Yeah. two a year maybe a year and a half
00:14:17.040 --> 00:14:21.269
ago I went to Florida Sarasota Florida
00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:23.990
to do Mama the concert
00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:25.829
>> for a community of people who had just
00:14:25.839 --> 00:14:27.750
had their homes like 400 people who were
00:14:27.760 --> 00:14:30.629
just wiped out by hurricane
00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:32.790
>> uh I can't remember I want to say Irene
00:14:32.800 --> 00:14:35.509
or Eileen like that it was awful awful
00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:37.590
awful and I was like you want me to come
00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:40.069
to this place and sing water songs to
00:14:40.079 --> 00:14:41.590
these people who have just gotten their
00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:44.150
devastated by the water and they
00:14:44.160 --> 00:14:45.910
were like Yes, because these are people
00:14:45.920 --> 00:14:48.069
who move to the water because they know
00:14:48.079 --> 00:14:49.750
how beautiful it is. Who need to be
00:14:49.760 --> 00:14:52.069
reminded that the water got two sides,
00:14:52.079 --> 00:14:54.389
bro? The water has two sides. And you
00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:56.790
have to love and care for all of its
00:14:56.800 --> 00:14:58.710
sides. Like you because you love the
00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:00.230
water, you should also think about
00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:01.430
climate change.
00:15:01.440 --> 00:15:03.430
>> Because you love the water, you should
00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:05.110
also think about who doesn't have access
00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:06.949
to it. You can't just sit by the shore
00:15:06.959 --> 00:15:09.509
and love it without it being impacted.
00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:12.069
Like a it is a personhood. It will give
00:15:12.079 --> 00:15:14.470
you its good qualities. And if you make
00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:17.269
her mad by not taking care of her,
00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:20.230
>> she may ruin your million-dollar home.
00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:22.550
>> Let me sing my water songs to you, you
00:15:22.560 --> 00:15:25.269
wealthy ass people whose
00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:27.189
just got messed up. And I'm sorry,
00:15:27.199 --> 00:15:28.870
that's devastating. No one deserves
00:15:28.880 --> 00:15:29.590
that.
00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:31.509
>> But also remember, the thing that you
00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:33.269
love is also
00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:35.110
>> maybe a little sick.
00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:36.629
>> Yeah. Yeah.
00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:38.710
>> And asking to be cared for.
00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:41.189
>> It is begging to be cared for. It really
00:15:41.199 --> 00:15:43.509
is. And it's like, oh man, that's so
00:15:43.519 --> 00:15:46.069
right. And people, we forget. We forget
00:15:46.079 --> 00:15:47.750
that like
00:15:47.760 --> 00:15:51.350
>> there are many sides to the water. I
00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:52.790
think that's why personhood is
00:15:52.800 --> 00:15:54.710
important. I mean, it's been really
00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:56.790
easier for me to remember to care for
00:15:56.800 --> 00:15:59.030
something with a name like mama because
00:15:59.040 --> 00:16:00.790
I'm already conditioned to care for my
00:16:00.800 --> 00:16:04.069
mother. Like, so to put the water in a
00:16:04.079 --> 00:16:07.269
framework of familiarity
00:16:07.279 --> 00:16:09.509
>> um was helpful for me to be like, "Oh,
00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:11.590
okay. You got to call your mom every now
00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:12.790
and then. You gota check on her. You
00:16:12.800 --> 00:16:15.749
gota or she gets pissed.
00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:16.150
>> Yeah.
00:16:16.160 --> 00:16:18.790
>> And like it's the same. Yeah.
00:16:18.800 --> 00:16:22.870
>> Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I love it. Now, let's I
00:16:22.880 --> 00:16:25.670
I kind of want to take us back to last
00:16:25.680 --> 00:16:31.350
year. So, um so catalyst is this um this
00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:33.590
experience, annual experience bringing
00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:36.550
water professionals together. Um take us
00:16:36.560 --> 00:16:39.350
back to your session and what was your
00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:41.110
intent? What did you want to do with the
00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:43.430
room? Because whatever you did, it was
00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:45.670
pretty fun. Um, and pretty pretty
00:16:45.680 --> 00:16:48.389
impactful. Not just fun. Um, I want to
00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:50.870
make make light of it. It it was a
00:16:50.880 --> 00:16:52.550
moving experience. Um,
00:16:52.560 --> 00:16:53.670
>> yeah, man.
00:16:53.680 --> 00:16:56.150
>> Yeah. Take us back to what happened.
00:16:56.160 --> 00:16:59.990
>> Yeah. So, a part of my artistry
00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:03.269
uh beyond composing and performing and
00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:06.630
writing and singing and is uh
00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:09.750
facilitation. I love facilitation. I
00:17:09.760 --> 00:17:13.350
love to be like I love to know who's in
00:17:13.360 --> 00:17:16.309
the room. What are they like? What do
00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:19.270
they need? And how can the tools and the
00:17:19.280 --> 00:17:22.949
life experience that I have lived create
00:17:22.959 --> 00:17:25.270
a series of questions for us all to like
00:17:25.280 --> 00:17:29.190
sit with and um I don't have answers but
00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:31.830
I bet in this room of however many
00:17:31.840 --> 00:17:35.830
people um we can at least wonder
00:17:35.840 --> 00:17:38.630
together. we can at least like lean in
00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:40.710
together. And so I love to create
00:17:40.720 --> 00:17:43.669
opportunity for collective lean in. And
00:17:43.679 --> 00:17:46.549
so Chelsea was like, "Yo, I I know that
00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:50.549
in this water space a lot of people um
00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:53.750
we are conditioned to wear masks."
00:17:53.760 --> 00:17:55.909
>> And I was like, "Oo, tell me more." And
00:17:55.919 --> 00:18:00.310
she was like, "I feel like I have to um
00:18:00.320 --> 00:18:03.590
uh um be a different person sometimes."
00:18:03.600 --> 00:18:06.230
And I was like, "Tell me more." And and
00:18:06.240 --> 00:18:08.950
as we began to talk about this personal
00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:12.150
story to to to Chelsea, I was like, "Yo,
00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:14.549
I understand that. I know
00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:17.270
>> how I've been asked to be less queer in
00:18:17.280 --> 00:18:19.990
spaces, less black in spaces, less loud
00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:22.150
in spaces, and
00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:24.070
>> there are things that tell me if you
00:18:24.080 --> 00:18:26.230
want to advance, you actually may want
00:18:26.240 --> 00:18:29.270
to turn that down." And so I I know what
00:18:29.280 --> 00:18:33.110
it feels like to put on um belonging or
00:18:33.120 --> 00:18:36.310
put on things that create that and take
00:18:36.320 --> 00:18:39.270
off things that may disrupt
00:18:39.280 --> 00:18:43.029
my chance to belong. And I a part of my
00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:46.630
own practice is um and the sting has
00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:48.789
helped me a lot with this is like how
00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:52.150
can I be fully me at all times? And it's
00:18:52.160 --> 00:18:55.510
truly work. like it's not always easy in
00:18:55.520 --> 00:18:58.070
the barberh shop in a weird neighborhood
00:18:58.080 --> 00:19:00.710
and like and but I I'm like yo can I can
00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:01.909
I stay
00:19:01.919 --> 00:19:03.909
>> inside of who I am and so I was like I
00:19:03.919 --> 00:19:05.990
would love to do this because honestly I
00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:07.669
want to know how others are dealing with
00:19:07.679 --> 00:19:08.230
it
00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:10.710
>> and so I was able to use the room to ask
00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:13.029
some of these questions specifically in
00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:14.310
the water space what are parts of
00:19:14.320 --> 00:19:17.270
ourselves that we leave out and why and
00:19:17.280 --> 00:19:19.510
what's at stake when we leave out parts
00:19:19.520 --> 00:19:21.110
of ourselves. Is there a part of you
00:19:21.120 --> 00:19:24.390
that's more humorous at home than you
00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:27.830
are at work? And does the water need
00:19:27.840 --> 00:19:30.070
your humor? Like what if the water what
00:19:30.080 --> 00:19:31.909
if all the work you really are caring
00:19:31.919 --> 00:19:34.390
about actually needs your humor? Like
00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:36.789
imagine that. What if the work needs
00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:38.310
that part of you that you're leaving at
00:19:38.320 --> 00:19:40.470
home? And so it was really beautiful to
00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:42.630
see that not only did Chelsea feel this,
00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:44.310
not only did I feel this, but
00:19:44.320 --> 00:19:46.789
>> it's a part of our work culture. And so
00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:49.190
I could have done this in any
00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:51.029
>> industry and I'm sure people would have
00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:53.190
been like yeah but specific to the water
00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:54.470
sector
00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:58.630
>> um we can use the water as uh as a
00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:02.150
mirror really like um you know we are
00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:05.029
all working in the water. What parts of
00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:07.430
>> the water is she leaving behind?
00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:10.710
>> No, she comes full and so how can we be
00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:12.630
more like the water and how we show up
00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:14.870
to work? Uh, and it was fun. And it was
00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:16.789
fun when we were we were doing the wave.
00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:18.470
We were laughing. We were singing
00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:19.510
together.
00:20:19.520 --> 00:20:21.270
>> We got deep. We were crying a little
00:20:21.280 --> 00:20:23.430
bit. I had just hold up finger like,
00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:25.350
"Hey, hold up five fingers if this is
00:20:25.360 --> 00:20:27.590
how you feel." You know, and like Yeah.
00:20:27.600 --> 00:20:29.909
Yeah. And it moved people to tears to
00:20:29.919 --> 00:20:32.230
when they could see around and see how
00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:34.149
other people
00:20:34.159 --> 00:20:37.350
>> feel that same level of I don't feel
00:20:37.360 --> 00:20:39.190
like I can be myself or I feel like I
00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:41.110
need to hide this part of myself or how
00:20:41.120 --> 00:20:43.190
strongly do you feel this? Um,
00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:45.590
>> yes. And I've done this in situations,
00:20:45.600 --> 00:20:48.390
bro, with like huge CEO groups, like at
00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:51.510
major companies. And it's amazing to see
00:20:51.520 --> 00:20:54.710
>> how universal that really is. I mean,
00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:55.669
it's
00:20:55.679 --> 00:20:57.029
>> it's
00:20:57.039 --> 00:20:58.789
>> it's honestly kind of beautiful to see
00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:01.909
that, oh, we're all just like babies.
00:21:01.919 --> 00:21:05.029
>> Yeah. We're all just baby grown-ups
00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:06.070
trying to like
00:21:06.080 --> 00:21:06.630
>> Yeah.
00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:08.149
>> survive and belong.
00:21:08.159 --> 00:21:09.909
>> Yeah. We're just putting on our suits
00:21:09.919 --> 00:21:12.149
and, you know, like it it's fun. It it
00:21:12.159 --> 00:21:15.430
can be fun. I'm like I I love playing
00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:17.430
playing dress up like anybody else.
00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:19.510
Like, you know, but like sometimes if I
00:21:19.520 --> 00:21:21.669
have to go to go somewhere and put on a
00:21:21.679 --> 00:21:23.830
suit, I'm like, oh, this this is a fun
00:21:23.840 --> 00:21:25.990
costume for today. Like like
00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:27.590
>> yo,
00:21:27.600 --> 00:21:29.750
>> I can play with it. Um,
00:21:29.760 --> 00:21:31.430
>> knowing that underneath I'm like I don't
00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:32.789
know. We're we're all just
00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:35.190
>> trying our best, man. All of us.
00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:35.669
>> Um,
00:21:35.679 --> 00:21:36.310
>> yeah.
00:21:36.320 --> 00:21:37.909
>> But yeah, it was a good experience. I
00:21:37.919 --> 00:21:40.470
really I thought I think that what Catal
00:21:40.480 --> 00:21:42.149
Catalyst is doing and I've been to a
00:21:42.159 --> 00:21:44.070
number of conferences now I mean it's
00:21:44.080 --> 00:21:46.149
kind of crazy. I didn't even know these
00:21:46.159 --> 00:21:48.870
conferences existed. Like truly
00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:50.789
>> I didn't even know when I tell people
00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:52.070
I'm going to a water conference they're
00:21:52.080 --> 00:21:54.149
like what's a water conference and I'm
00:21:54.159 --> 00:21:54.870
like
00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:58.390
>> oh right I didn't know either
00:21:58.400 --> 00:22:00.549
>> and there are many of them. Many.
00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:04.630
>> Oh yeah. Yeah. There's like a WWE Ace
00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:06.630
that had like 15,000 people. I'll be
00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:08.710
going to Weft in
00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:10.149
>> Week in October.
00:22:10.159 --> 00:22:11.270
>> New Orleans.
00:22:11.280 --> 00:22:13.190
>> Yeah. New Orleans. Yeah. Yeah. New
00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:14.230
Orleans.
00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:19.029
>> Like, you know, 20 25 30,000 people. Um,
00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:23.029
and so and I I think that this is like
00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:25.029
one of the things that's fun about uh
00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:30.390
that I think is um is cool and humbling
00:22:30.400 --> 00:22:33.990
is you spend a lot of time getting a lot
00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:36.149
of people who you know they they
00:22:36.159 --> 00:22:39.190
invested their life degrees where like
00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:42.630
lot of engineers really intelligent and
00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:45.669
at the same time everyone in the world
00:22:45.679 --> 00:22:48.789
experiences water like
00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:51.270
it doesn't matter how much knowledge you
00:22:51.280 --> 00:22:54.789
have, you still get to experience it. Um
00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:57.190
there are definitely some that like
00:22:57.200 --> 00:22:59.830
invest their time, effort, and energy
00:22:59.840 --> 00:23:02.070
into like making sure it gets places,
00:23:02.080 --> 00:23:03.909
gets clean, gets taken away when it's
00:23:03.919 --> 00:23:07.669
dirty. Um all those. But um yeah, but
00:23:07.679 --> 00:23:09.909
it's just like we we can't we can't ever
00:23:09.919 --> 00:23:12.870
think that we're so smart that we have a
00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:16.070
special experience with water that isn't
00:23:16.080 --> 00:23:17.909
just available to everyone.
00:23:17.919 --> 00:23:22.149
>> Yeah, I can see that being a challenge
00:23:22.159 --> 00:23:24.470
in the space.
00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:24.870
>> Yeah.
00:23:24.880 --> 00:23:28.789
>> Yes. It's the same for like lawyers who
00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:30.950
are going to Columbia Law School or like
00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:34.310
Harvard for law. And if they're not in
00:23:34.320 --> 00:23:35.830
relationship with the people who are
00:23:35.840 --> 00:23:38.710
most vulnerable to the law, they're not
00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:41.110
going to fully understand the law. No
00:23:41.120 --> 00:23:43.909
matter how degreed up they are, if
00:23:43.919 --> 00:23:45.990
they're not in proximity to the people
00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:48.070
most up by the law,
00:23:48.080 --> 00:23:49.909
>> they're not going to fully understand it
00:23:49.919 --> 00:23:51.430
cuz they're only understanding the head
00:23:51.440 --> 00:23:54.070
and the and the gavvel of it, not the
00:23:54.080 --> 00:23:56.470
day-to-day of what that law is doing to
00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:58.390
these communities or to these people or
00:23:58.400 --> 00:24:00.789
to, you know, and so it takes a certain
00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:03.110
type of person who really wants to
00:24:03.120 --> 00:24:05.750
understand the full body of the law even
00:24:05.760 --> 00:24:08.549
with a degree at like a prestigious. So
00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:10.710
I could understand and I can see like
00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:13.430
you know you can tell like oh wow you
00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:14.950
really
00:24:14.960 --> 00:24:17.510
>> know a lot about the water. You really
00:24:17.520 --> 00:24:18.230
do
00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:21.430
>> but how proximate are you to the
00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:24.950
fullness of the scope of what water
00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:26.630
touches you know
00:24:26.640 --> 00:24:28.549
>> um and you have to be willing to do that
00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:30.390
because in a lot of spaces I don't think
00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:31.350
people
00:24:31.360 --> 00:24:33.269
>> really need you to have a full scope.
00:24:33.279 --> 00:24:35.750
You have to want to like
00:24:35.760 --> 00:24:36.950
>> know more,
00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:38.230
>> feel more,
00:24:38.240 --> 00:24:39.830
>> be more approximate.
00:24:39.840 --> 00:24:40.230
>> Yeah.
00:24:41.360 --> 00:24:43.110
>> Yeah. Yeah. And Chelsea talks a lot
00:24:43.120 --> 00:24:46.070
about this at the at all of her anytime
00:24:46.080 --> 00:24:47.590
she gives a talk or something, you know,
00:24:47.600 --> 00:24:50.070
she talks about the the overcoming the
00:24:50.080 --> 00:24:53.350
curse of knowledge that um that is the
00:24:53.360 --> 00:24:56.870
aspect that that so many professionals
00:24:56.880 --> 00:24:58.870
no matter what what you're in, you just
00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:01.190
have to like remember that no one is
00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:03.669
asking you, especially if you're a water
00:25:03.679 --> 00:25:05.669
communicator who's like working for a
00:25:05.679 --> 00:25:07.510
city and you have to address like, oh,
00:25:07.520 --> 00:25:09.269
there's flooding, there's this, like you
00:25:09.279 --> 00:25:11.909
have you have to
00:25:11.919 --> 00:25:14.549
speak in ways that are empathetic,
00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:16.710
curious, and accessible.
00:25:16.720 --> 00:25:17.110
>> Yeah.
00:25:17.120 --> 00:25:18.789
>> No one's looking to say like, "Wow,
00:25:18.799 --> 00:25:19.990
you're really smart. You know what all
00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:21.830
those words mean." They're like, "Please
00:25:21.840 --> 00:25:23.750
just let me know when when is the water
00:25:23.760 --> 00:25:26.149
coming back on? When is it going away?"
00:25:26.159 --> 00:25:28.070
Like, when are we fixing this? Like,
00:25:28.080 --> 00:25:30.710
>> when are we smart?
00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:32.149
>> I don't care how smart you are. I don't
00:25:32.159 --> 00:25:33.350
have water.
00:25:33.360 --> 00:25:34.390
>> Yeah. Yeah.
00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:36.549
>> No, it's true. It's true. And our
00:25:36.559 --> 00:25:39.029
insecurities sometimes can can compel us
00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:41.750
to be like, I'm in a tricky situation.
00:25:41.760 --> 00:25:44.710
Like I I totally empathize with with
00:25:44.720 --> 00:25:46.070
water communicators as well. It's like
00:25:46.080 --> 00:25:47.430
when you're in the hot seat and it's
00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:49.350
like oh the cameras are on and they're
00:25:49.360 --> 00:25:50.789
looking to you for an answer. You could
00:25:50.799 --> 00:25:51.510
be like
00:25:51.520 --> 00:25:53.350
>> let me give them all the like let me
00:25:53.360 --> 00:25:54.870
make sure that they know that I'm smart.
00:25:54.880 --> 00:25:57.269
That way maybe that'll make folks feel
00:25:57.279 --> 00:25:59.830
and it's that aspect and this is what
00:25:59.840 --> 00:26:01.269
you walked us through is like
00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:03.669
>> it's not necessarily getting to showing
00:26:03.679 --> 00:26:05.510
people how smart you are. How vulnerable
00:26:05.520 --> 00:26:06.950
can you be
00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:10.070
>> to say I'm experiencing this to you?
00:26:10.080 --> 00:26:11.750
>> Well, you know what, bro? Not to get too
00:26:11.760 --> 00:26:13.269
political. I don't know what the belief
00:26:13.279 --> 00:26:15.990
systems or politics are here, but people
00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:17.830
are over smart people. That's why we
00:26:17.840 --> 00:26:19.590
have the president we have.
00:26:19.600 --> 00:26:20.149
>> Mhm.
00:26:20.159 --> 00:26:23.590
>> We We don't want that. We No one is
00:26:23.600 --> 00:26:27.510
wanting that overly smart knowit all. We
00:26:27.520 --> 00:26:29.669
want somebody who's going to like feel
00:26:29.679 --> 00:26:32.950
and kind of be disruptive to that.
00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:35.590
>> Yeah. not curse of the knowledge person
00:26:35.600 --> 00:26:38.310
or that like the way it is kind of
00:26:38.320 --> 00:26:40.470
person. And so yeah, I do feel like
00:26:40.480 --> 00:26:43.430
we're in a particular moment where
00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:45.990
whoever tells the best story will win
00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:47.590
even if it's not true.
00:26:47.600 --> 00:26:49.350
>> And if you're telling a story of facts,
00:26:49.360 --> 00:26:51.990
people are going, even if they are true,
00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:53.430
they may not go over, but if you're
00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:55.990
telling a story of personal experience,
00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:58.310
belief, and if it feel I think people
00:26:58.320 --> 00:27:00.390
will be like, you know what, he didn't
00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:01.990
know everything I wanted him to know.
00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:03.190
She didn't know everything I wanted her
00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:06.390
to know. But I get them. I think that
00:27:06.400 --> 00:27:08.789
person will win. Um,
00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:10.549
>> and we're seeing that happen politically
00:27:10.559 --> 00:27:13.110
even with lies. Like
00:27:13.120 --> 00:27:15.750
>> that's not even true. And we believe it
00:27:15.760 --> 00:27:18.710
because whoever tells the best story
00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:19.590
wins.
00:27:19.600 --> 00:27:20.070
>> Mhm.
00:27:20.080 --> 00:27:20.630
>> Period.
00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:22.789
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And kind of to the
00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:25.190
point is like, you know, the the beauty
00:27:25.200 --> 00:27:29.990
of the um working with art art and art
00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:32.710
craft in the way that you um that you're
00:27:32.720 --> 00:27:34.549
using it is like you're saying, "Hey,
00:27:34.559 --> 00:27:36.470
how do we give water a voice? How do we
00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:37.669
make sure that we're listening to the
00:27:37.679 --> 00:27:39.669
voice of water um and the story that
00:27:39.679 --> 00:27:41.590
it's telling?" Because
00:27:41.600 --> 00:27:44.390
>> um it's telling a it's telling a
00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:47.909
compelling story. Um,
00:27:47.919 --> 00:27:50.390
and are we willing to listen even if
00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:53.430
even if the compelling story isn't like
00:27:53.440 --> 00:27:55.110
a feel-good story? Um,
00:27:55.120 --> 00:27:56.389
>> yeah,
00:27:56.399 --> 00:27:59.909
>> it's still telling us truth. Um,
00:27:59.919 --> 00:28:01.990
>> bro, I think the key is willingness. I
00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:03.909
really do. I think willingness is just
00:28:03.919 --> 00:28:05.110
so
00:28:05.120 --> 00:28:06.070
>> Mhm.
00:28:06.080 --> 00:28:09.430
>> big in everything and in interpersonal
00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:11.669
relationships in in work in the
00:28:11.679 --> 00:28:14.310
community and organizing in the work
00:28:14.320 --> 00:28:15.590
that so many of these water
00:28:15.600 --> 00:28:17.669
communicators and workers are doing is
00:28:17.679 --> 00:28:21.029
like this willingness to like fully
00:28:21.039 --> 00:28:23.750
participate. Uh
00:28:23.760 --> 00:28:25.750
I think if we can get that from the
00:28:25.760 --> 00:28:27.269
majority of people, I think we really
00:28:27.279 --> 00:28:29.510
would be in a better place, you know, in
00:28:29.520 --> 00:28:30.870
instead of indifference or like
00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:32.310
whatever, I don't even care. I'm not
00:28:32.320 --> 00:28:34.389
even willing to participate. If we can
00:28:34.399 --> 00:28:36.630
get people to like be charged to be
00:28:36.640 --> 00:28:38.630
willing,
00:28:38.640 --> 00:28:40.070
>> we'd be in a good place.
00:28:40.080 --> 00:28:45.110
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I I totally agree. Um
00:28:45.120 --> 00:28:46.149
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:28:46.159 --> 00:28:49.110
>> Yeah. Yeah. And I I think, you know, I I
00:28:49.120 --> 00:28:50.710
think that's that's kind of a good place
00:28:50.720 --> 00:28:53.269
for us to kind of land this conversation
00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:56.310
is like that that's what we're asking of
00:28:56.320 --> 00:28:58.630
ourselves. That's what we're asking of
00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:02.230
our of our communities is um willingness
00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:04.950
to to lean in. And I, you know, I can't
00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:06.950
thank you enough for the way that you
00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:10.789
got our our uh small corner of the
00:29:10.799 --> 00:29:13.510
community of the world of us water nerds
00:29:13.520 --> 00:29:17.590
to to unlock and lean in um last year.
00:29:17.600 --> 00:29:20.389
And um yeah, I'm really grateful for for
00:29:20.399 --> 00:29:23.190
the work you do. Um, please tell us like
00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:26.310
how where can folks um find you, find
00:29:26.320 --> 00:29:28.149
your music? Um, yeah.
00:29:28.159 --> 00:29:30.549
>> Um, g give us a little bit a little
00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:33.029
taste of uh of where to find more
00:29:33.039 --> 00:29:33.830
>> more of your work.
00:29:33.840 --> 00:29:36.710
>> Uh, yeah. So, the the band is called
00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:40.950
Britain. B R I T T O N and sign the
00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:43.190
Sting like B Sting. Britain and the
00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:45.029
Sting. And we're everywhere. Apple
00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:48.310
Music, Spotify, YouTube, um um um
00:29:48.320 --> 00:29:51.990
Instagram, and uh the album that we're
00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:55.190
talking about is called Return to Mama.
00:29:55.200 --> 00:29:59.750
>> And um we're doing uh a six city tour uh
00:29:59.760 --> 00:30:02.149
right now. Um and we're trying to go to
00:30:02.159 --> 00:30:04.389
cities that need the water the most. Uh
00:30:04.399 --> 00:30:06.549
TBD on announcing the rest of the
00:30:06.559 --> 00:30:08.870
cities. Um we just were in San Antonio
00:30:08.880 --> 00:30:11.590
with the river rally earlier this year.
00:30:11.600 --> 00:30:15.590
Um and um yeah, every year we do a world
00:30:15.600 --> 00:30:18.389
a free world water day concert in New
00:30:18.399 --> 00:30:21.110
York, which is like in March. And um
00:30:21.120 --> 00:30:23.029
yeah, we do a lot of shows in New York.
00:30:23.039 --> 00:30:25.510
Uh our next show here is at Lincoln
00:30:25.520 --> 00:30:27.430
Center. It's like a theater complex in
00:30:27.440 --> 00:30:30.789
New York. Uh in September, uh we'll be
00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:33.350
we'll be doing some of these songs. And
00:30:33.360 --> 00:30:37.590
yeah, if you are listening and you are
00:30:37.600 --> 00:30:40.789
excited by music as a way to mobilize
00:30:40.799 --> 00:30:45.029
and gather and my cat crying, uh then
00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:47.750
then yeah, reach out to me, please.
00:30:47.760 --> 00:30:51.830
>> Yeah. Yeah, we'll we'll do. Um yeah, and
00:30:51.840 --> 00:30:55.750
thank you all um so much for for joining
00:30:55.760 --> 00:30:59.510
in on this on this conversation, this um
00:30:59.520 --> 00:31:02.070
you know that being part of the Catalyst
00:31:02.080 --> 00:31:04.630
community um is really special and so
00:31:04.640 --> 00:31:08.470
I'm grateful that um that Chelsea has
00:31:08.480 --> 00:31:10.789
has uh allowed us to have this
00:31:10.799 --> 00:31:12.470
collaboration
00:31:12.480 --> 00:31:16.149
>> um and uh and very excited for what
00:31:16.159 --> 00:31:18.470
Catalyst in San Diego this year holds.
00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:20.630
So, um, thank you for joining us,
00:31:20.640 --> 00:31:23.750
Britain. Thank you for, um, for jumping
00:31:23.760 --> 00:31:25.669
on, having this conversation.
00:31:25.679 --> 00:31:27.350
>> Yes. Yo, thank you, Isaac. This was
00:31:27.360 --> 00:31:28.710
great. Really great. I could talk about
00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:30.470
water all day, so thank you for charging
00:31:30.480 --> 00:31:32.630
me up. I feel good. Awesome. Feel
00:31:32.640 --> 00:31:35.279
>> really good.