PROGRESS REPORT

Art: Marques Oden

Marques Takes Over

Find me at the office eating my second serving of lunch, at the gym, or spending time with those close to me.

Role

Designer

Current Location

Brooklyn, NY

Hometown

New Orleans (born) + The Bronx (raised)

What “Progress” Means to Me

Progress means continuing to fail.

Even when I start to feel uncomfortable, I push myself to get better, whether personally or professionally. That discomfort has the opportunity to lead to new breakthroughs.

Recent Article That Expanded My Worldview

BBC journalist Adam Curtis on the dangers of self-expression.

“If you want to make the world a better place, you have to start with where power has gone. It’s very difficult to see. We live in a world where we see ourselves as independent individuals. If you’re an independent individual, you don’t really think in terms of power. You think only in terms of your own influence on the world.”

Quote I Live By

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”— Annie Dillard

It reminds me that I can't expect change to happen by accident. Achieving a goal or change in my life is a conscious decision that will happen when I decide to take the steps needed.

Fact I Learned This Past Week

Most pennies produced by the US are given out as change but never spent.

“This creates an incessant demand for new pennies to replace them…A conservative estimate holds that there are 240 billion pennies lying around the US—about 724 ($7.24) for every man, woman and child.”

Tactic I Use When I Need to Make Progress

I remember my long term goals and ask myself “does this align with both who and where I want to be in life?”

Implementing what I learn is what leads to progress. I can’t expect to get new results with the same habits or thought processes.

Songs That Represent My Past, Present, and Future Selves

• Past: “A Milli” by Lil Wayne. I constantly heard this song in my neighborhood the year it came out. That was when Wayne was in his prime, and it reminds me of summertime and being a little kid.

• Present: “Momma” by Kendrick Lamar. I love the storytelling and personal reflection Kendrick raps about on this song. I think everyone can relate to feeling conflicted about themselves and their identity.

• Future: “Blessed” by Wizkid. I love everything about this song. It's a timeless, feel-good track. It represents my future because I hope to be blessed.

Something I’ve Changed My Mind On Recently

My degree of attachment to my identity.

I don’t want to let my upbringing, or who I am surrounded by, dictate who I am. I want to give myself the freedom and grace to evolve as a person as I continue to gain more life experience and meet new people. Being too attached to an identity is limiting.

About Progress Report

Progress Report is a bi-weekly newsletter of business considerations, cultural conversations, and fun recommendations from around the world and web.