A Positive Seed is the latest project by Christiana Smith. In addition to this project she’s still doing positive work with Michigan GRO (Girls Riders Organization) – inspiring, educating & supporting girls through action sports.
I had the opportunity to ask her a few questions. Starting with her inspiration for starting A Positive Seed, which was the positive response she received to a video she released two years ago.
What video?
Skating in a dress?
How old were you?
I was 18, I went to college for a semester after high school and took a video production class. Our final was to make a portrait on someone, like a mini documentary.
The idea came to me, like the whole dress concept and everything one night, so I wrote it down. I don’t even think I was thinking about the school project when it came to me; until I decided to use this idea for my final project and make it on myself growing up a skateboarder.
I wanted to make it to give people a glimpse on being a female skater like myself in a male dominated arena and to let people know that they are capable of doing anything that makes them happy, no one else’s opinion should affect the way you chose to live your life.
Minna Stess repping with her APS (A Positive Seed Sticker)
I agree that as long as we’re here we will be judged. That being judged is out of our control and that to be who we’re meant to be we need to let it go. What’s your advice for letting it go? And how do you deal with the haters?
I honestly have gotten to the point of not even acknowledging negativity. But my advice is to take it as a compliment! It means you’re doing something right if someone doesn’t like you for no reason. They are wasting their life/ energy hating on you, the best thing you can do is not waste any time of yours acknowledging it.
How do you think skateboarding helps you stay positive and spread seeds of positivity?
Skateboarding a awesome diverse community of people from all over the world. You can make friends with another skateboarder without even speaking the same langue as them, that common bond itself is such a powerful tool to make friends, be nice to one another, and have a positive encounter.
What’s it mean to be repping APS?
By repping APS it means you agree to plant positive seeds in your life and others in the things you do from the smallest thing to the largest. And by doing that you’ll inspire more people to do the same. Chain reaction! You agree to help moving the world forward in a positive direction!
Thanks Christiana for taking the time to answer these questions and plant seeds. If you want to share what seeds your planting – whether it’s through skateboarding or anything else – you can share your stories here or with Christiana.
You can email her at [email protected] or use these tags on IG #youCANshredwithus #aPositiveSeed #aPositiveSeedCo
Examples of planting positive seeds
- Helping out a kid at the skate park
- Teaching someone a new skate trick
- Hang out with someone who’s alone
- Help someone with homework (it’s stylish to be & admit you’re smart)
- Share what you have (take turns)
- Smiling
- Say Hi
Seeds aren’t big, they grow and become big.
