A brief conversation with scottie.
by Bennett Bennett.
How would you describe yourself since launching Alter Planning Co?
- In a word? Evolved? I’m not sure how to properly sum the ways I’ve been changed since 2019. Of course, in part to APCo. but also, life and living through a pandemic and the recent societal shifts, I am no where near the same bright eyed 25 year old that created the first version of the Annual. My priorities are different. My focus is..sharper and getting sharper. Still battle the occasional imposter syndrome but..at this point it’s one of my growing pains. Fighting for the belief in my self to live in my body. To take root in my muscles. (This is absolutely a reference to the OA lol)
Your vantage point feels different when you consider planners and journals as a product—it’s creative-centric, and you took pains to keep that at the forefront. What do you think your perspective has brought to the making of this product?
- Oh it is. Even more so than when I started. You know, originally APCo. was heavy on designing for creatives and those wanting to break out of..may be what is expected. Now? It’s shifted, but still different, I think. I’m less focused on making things for creatives and time management and just want to make things that help people grow …while also innovating and challenging the boundaries of a “planner.” There is so much that can imagined in this space. There is so much life to notate. To plan. To archive. Life is a sweet gift, that comes with a lot of bullshit. But those moments of pleasure, of joy, of pride and ambition..even the ones of stillness. Those are all moments worth documenting. Those are all things worth investing in.
You’re getting more collaborative with your process, working with skincare experts recently for the CMPLXN planner. What does an ideal partnership look like?
- Ehh.. Collaborative. I think the word for me is cooperative. The recognition that all ideas in my head cannot be solely executed me. There are places where my skillset ends and someone else’s shines brightly. Can we both be supportive of this? Can it be less about ego and more about creating something that surpasses all of us involved. Partnerships for me are birthed in inspiration. The women I’ve worked with on journals were women who inspired me long before I thought of the journal ideas. They are so dope and insightful and brilliant in their own ways. And then thought of them, when the formal idea for the journal came. I don’t care to produce, for the sake of production. I want to create because inspiration is…unrelenting and I have little choice but to move.
What makes a special edition like CMPLXN different for you, process-wise?
- CMPLXN isn’t even almost comparable to any other project I’ve worked on. Oh goodness. It is the combination of my graphic design skillset, my experience building curriculum, and my gift for transmuting information and giving to people in ways they can understand. It took so. Much. research. Like if I never have to read another scientific article…I’d actually be sad. I’m a nerd. But still. A massive amount of reading, and then time. Time to sit with information and understand how to give it to other people. It’s a passive process, but was so necessary for this project. CMPLXN is unlike any other journal out there. There was no blueprint to twist and make my own. Nayamka, Eden, and Star were so supportive in helping me figure out how to relay information and what info was crucial to pass along. This journal would be so much less without them. However, through this experience, I feel like I have a deeper understanding of my intelligence and how to possibly do something similar with other topics/lifestyle habits.
Word of mouth has helped the APC annual to show up in quite a few remarkable places, including the Beyonce Black Parade Market on Juneteenth in 2020? What’s it like knowing that Beyoncé (insert New York GIF here) could be getting her routines right in an APC book?
- LOL That Beyoncè moment. I still kind of freak out about that. It was like..8 months after the brand launched. I was…not taking this super seriously. LOL. I think that was my wake up call. Okay just for the record, I do not think Beyoncè is using my shit. I won’t ever til it pops up in a photo with her. But yes, the celebrity shout out have been incredible to witness. APCo. was..very much just a side hobby/passion project. A place to play that was outside my branding/marketing client work, you know. So, the fact it’s gone as many places as it has is so wild. Like..the picture that ended on Beyoncé website was me, in my office...like 20 minutes before my mom picked me up for us to do Thanksgiving things. LOL. It was a playground. I do think the moments that hold more weight are the messages from every day people telling me how one of the products has changed their life and helped them feel good and stable in life. The messages from the nuerodivergent folks who feel this helps with their executive function. Those messages make me tear up. Those keep me motivated when the business side of things feels overwhelming
- LOL...I guess that Beyoncé one. But also this iteration of lifestyle planners feels..different. I'm excited to see what comes of it.
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