#11: Meg — Rollerskating, Creativity, Comedy

"It feels very superhuman, just gliding over the earth..." 🛼

Meet the secret agents of taste. Learn what lights them up, where they find inspiration, and what they think we should all be enjoying right now. This edition: Meg Johnson, a multimedia producer and content strategist, and fellow member of Jay Acunzo’s Creator Kitchen.

When Meg is in her Peter Parker mode, she deals in graphic design, video editing, and marketing. But then she tosses her computer aside, lets that red hair fly, and turns into a rollerskating baddie. Meg has found her freedom on wheels and is currently in the midst of a quest to skate every day for a year. Rollerskating connects Meg to a creative community and helps her find and nurture her own ‘zone of genius.’ It’s also a key piece of her physical and mental health regimen. 

The other thing I love about Meg? She is in pursuit of positive energy. “Every day I'm just trying to make myself laugh, that's where I find joy in my work,” she says. “In the Creator Kitchen, Jay’s always talking about the metrics that matter. The metric that matters to me is: did I really enjoy this?” Read on to see what brings Meg joy, rollerskates and all.

Why are you so obsessed with rollerskating?

I've loved roller skating since I was a kid. I actually broke my elbow rollerskating at someone's birthday party, and I feel like that kind of crushed my young child rollerskating dreams because that was not fun. But then when the pandemic happened, I was just looking for a way to get outside. I'm not a big gym person. I don't like running. I think it comes from being something I really enjoyed as a kid. It's a way for me to embrace my inner child as an adult. It also gets me out of my head.

How does it make you feel?

It's going to sound crazy, but it really makes me feel like a superhero. It feels very superhuman just like gliding over the earth, especially doing it consistently every day. I feel my confidence getting better. I almost prefer to go backward; it probably took me like seven months to even think about going backward in any capacity, never mind preferring that. 

You're skating for 365 days and you’re about a third of the way through. What's your daily goal for this project?

It’s really just about making time for myself for something that I purely enjoy that's not geared towards capitalism. It's not for any gain. It makes me happy, and I love the people that I meet through the sport. It’s a way to hold myself accountable for being active on a regular basis for my mental health. Working from home can be very isolating, so having an activity that gives you a reason to get out there is nice. 

I'll be honest, it does feel like a chore on some days, but every time I actually get in my skates, I'm so happy I did. Even if I just get on my skates for literally a minute. I count putting on my skates and going back and forth in my garage a couple of times — that's a good skate, you know? It changes my environment, and the way that I’m thinking and being, and makes me more present in general.

Do you listen to music while you skate? 

This changes depending on what type of skating I'm doing. In my garage, a roller rink-type of situation, I love disco. I mean, it's like made for that. Very fun like ABBA and Queen. I love that kind of retro vibe. 

When I'm park skating — I really like going on ramps and stuff — I do like to feel a little more badass, so I'll be listening to rock or meta. There's this band that I listen to called Gloryhammer. They are a metal band that's basically like a giant D&D campaign. Every song is like this epic battle or tale, pushing the plot along. 

If someone wants to start skating, what kind of skates should they get?

My first skates were Moxi Skates. I love them and still wear them all the time. There are other brands, like Impala — that would probably be my starter skate. They're a little bit cheaper than Moxi Skates. You can get a pair for like $90 and then it's worth it to see how much you want to invest in this activity.

Do you have any other things that you're as passionate about as skating? 

Everyone is creative — that's something that I'm extremely passionate about. Part of what I love about rollerskating is that you can be so creative with it, whether the type of skating you're doing or what you're wearing. It brings together a creative crowd. I love learning about how people are creative and going down the rabbit hole with people about stuff they're hyped about. I will listen to them talk about anything because I'm just like, if they're that jazzed, I want to know!

That's how I feel too! How would you encourage someone who thinks they're not that creative to find what it is that lights them up?

That's a good question. I actually was just editing this podcast episode where someone made a weird reference…so I Googled it, it's called the “zone of genius.” You have these different zones. You can be like really good at something, but it doesn't bring you energy. Versus your zone of excellence is something that you're great at but also really gives you energy. So I think that finding your zone of genius is where you find your creativity.

Alright, so what are you recommending to us today?

📚 “Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama” by Bob Odenkirk

I have always been so inspired by people like Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, and I’m loving Bob Odenkirk’s memoir. He's just so funny, and he's done so much great work, even prior to “Better Call Saul.” His book is about demystifying getting into showbiz and the creative process around being silly for a living. One thing that has stuck with me so far was the fact that he put the exact same amount of effort into the things that totally flopped as the things that did super well. So much of it comes down to circumstances and things you can't control.

🎭 “Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today’s Top Comedy Writers” by Mike Sacks

Anyone who's ever written anything funny, if they're still alive, they're here. People who have written for The Office, SNL, Curb Your Enthusiasm…they’ve got these little blurbs of advice. I find it so interesting because that's how I get really inspired. I don't get inspired by listening to VC podcasts or marketing podcasts, because it just feels like work. So I'd recommend both of those books because they're hilarious, and they've taught me so much about writing and storytelling in general. 

🍝 Gordon Ramsey

I love to cook and bake, and I love anything with Gordon Ramsay, including “Next Level Chef” on Hulu. I just love how extra he is about everything. I would also check out the “Kitchen Nightmares” YouTube channel — whoever is writing their YouTube titles, it has to be a Gen Z person because they're hilarious. 

🍿 “The Platform” on Netflix

It’s a Spanish film. The premise is that there's this prison that's 100 floors. There's like a platform of food that they get and it goes through all the floors and so it starts at the top and then basically whatever is left at the bottom is for people at the bottom. It's all about class and things of that nature, and I think Gordon Ramsay's team saw this extremely deep, dramatic movie about class and are like ‘Let's make that a cooking show.’ 

🗑 Trash TV

I love formulaic reality TV shows like America's Next Top Model (so problematic). Full House — anything that it's like it's just a comfort. Jersey Shore. Love Is Blind. Melt my brain.

Do you think of yourself as a tastemaker?

I don't know. I don't really like to because I'm always worried about sounding narcissistic, even when I'm making art and stuff. I just wanna make this for me…then my marketer hat comes on and I’m like what audience is this for and all that [laughs]. 

I definitely have my own personal style, even prior to the crazy red hair. I’ve always liked wacky, bright clothes. I've been told my artwork has too much enthusiasm. That was an actual critique. It's now an inside joke with my friends; that's gonna be like on my tombstone or just exclamation points or something. I don't think there is such a thing as too much enthusiasm!

You can follow Meg on Instagram and Substack, where she writes the “Sorry I Missed You” newsletter about how creativity drives memorable experiences.

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In case you haven’t noticed, I love people with good taste! In fact, I have a podcast about it for Flipboard. Check it out! 

More Mia’s Queue: Sadia • Kel • Tracy • Theresa • Vasha • Eva • Sarah • James • Adi • Letitia