Topaz Adizes: Storytelling and Human Connection In The Digital Age
I met the award-winning writer and director and the founder of The Skin Deep Topaz Adizes at a yoga and QiGong training, which he was documenting. He struck me with the depth of his presence, and a few years later I found myself at Grace Retreat, an immersive 5-day experience that he designed. To say it was life-changing would be an understatement, and you can feel it in my vlog about it.
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In this episode, we cover:
- Why Topaz calls himself a “storybreaker”
- How technology affects the emotional experience of life
- Dating in the digital age
- What we can learn from how The Skin Deep videos where shared on social media when it went viral
- Why business skills are vital for an artistic person
- How The Skin Deep created 170K in revenue in under 1 year with their 2-person team using Shopify
- The transformational power of storytelling
- What happens at Grace Retreat
- An appreciation jar ritual to capture memories with your coworkers and loved ones
Mentioned in this episode:
- The Skin Deep on YouTube
- Shop The Skin Deep Card Decks
- Ksenia’s Grace Retreat video
- YouTube channel about YouTube growth that Ksenia recommends
Related episodes:
Connect with Topaz:
- www.topazadizes.com
- www.theskindeep.com
- @topazadizes on Instagram
- @the_skindeep on Instagram
- @grace_retreat on Instagram
About Topaz Adizes:
TOPAZ ADIZES IS AN EMMY AWARD WINNING WRITER, DIRECTOR & EXPERIENCE DESIGNER. HIS FILMS HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO CANNES (BOY), SUNDANCE (TRECE AÑOS, LAREDO TEXAS, {THE AND} MARCELA & ROCK), IDFA, SXSW, CINÉMA DU RÉEL, AND OTHER FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD.
HIS INTERACTIVE DOCUMENTARY {THE AND} WON THE EMMY FOR NEW APPROACHES TO DOCUMENTARY 2015 AS WELL AS THE WORLD PRESS PHOTO AWARD FOR BEST INTERACTIVE DOCUMENTARY 2015. {THE AND} WAS ALSO A VIRAL SENSATION REACHING #1 ON REDDIT AND BUZZFEED AND EXPERIENCED BY OVER 70 MILLION USERS, FEATURED ON THE CBS MORNING SHOW AND GOOD MORNING AMERICA AND SELECTED TO NUMEROUS INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL STORYTELLING COMPETITIONS. HIS SECOND INTERACTIVE PROJECT, THE DIG, ALSO WON THE TOP PRIZE AT WORLD PRESS PHOTO FOR IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING. TOPAZ’S FIRST VENTURE INTO VR PREMIERED AT IDFA WITH {THE AND} VR EXPERIENCE.
TOPAZ’S WORK HAS EXHIBITED AT THE CENTRE POMPIDOU IN PARIS, THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM AND UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK, AS WELL AS FEATURED IN THE NY TIMES AND THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE. HE HAS ALSO DIRECTED COMMERCIAL WORK FOR CLIENTS INCLUDING NETFLIX, MOUNTAIN VALLEY SPRING WATER, DELOITTE, AND VOGUE. EARLY IN HIS CAREER, TOPAZ HAD THE VALUABLE EXPERIENCE OF LEARNING UNDER THE TUTELAGE OF RIDLEY SCOTT, STEVEN SPIELBERG, AND PT ANDERSON.
THE LAST FOUR YEARS, TOPAZ’S PRIMARY FOCUS HAS BEEN AS THE FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SKIN DEEP – AN EXPERIENCE DESIGN STUDIO FOCUSED ENTIRELY ON HUMAN CONNECTION IN THE DIGITAL AGE. {THE AND} IS THE FIRST EXPERIENCE CREATED BY THE SKIN DEEP. SENIOR ORIENTATION, THE WINDOW, THRESHOLD, TSD UNCUT, {THE AND} VR AND THE DIG ARE THE SUBSEQUENT PROPERTIES RELEASED BY THE SKIN DEEP.
TOPAZ GRADUATED IN 1999 WITH A BACHELORS DEGREE IN PHILOSOPHY FROM UC BERKELEY AND OXFORD UNIVERSITY IN THE UK. HE HAS WORKED AROUND THE WORLD RANGING FROM MEXICO, SWEDEN, ZAMBIA, JAPAN, VIETNAM, ALBANIA, CUBA, AND SPEAKS FOUR LANGUAGES – ENGLISH, HEBREW, SPANISH AND SWEDISH.
Connect with Ksenia:
- kseniabrief.com
- Ksenia’s email list
- Instagram @ksenia.brief
- YouTube Ksenia Brief
- TikTok @ksenia.brief
- Subscribe, rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts
- Follow the podcast on Spotify
Quotes by Topaz Adizes:
“My medicine is in creating a space where people can tell their story.”
“Grace retreat is where we share on a soul level the trail notes of our lives.”
“Share the magic of your life to remind someone else of the magic in theirs.”
“What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made that changed your life for the better?”
“It’s not about what I’m doing, it’s about who I’m being.”
“It’s not about others’ judgements, it’s about how I perceive them. Get rid of that sh*t.”
“There are stories everywhere. You just have to ask the right questions.”
“Maybe you can’t have your gifts without the weaknesses.”
“It’s not the awards that matter, it’s the relationships you’ve built with people along the way.”
“What am I doing that adds to the field?”
“There’s an intrinsic value in my work no matter how many people see it.”
Transcript of this episode:
