21 Questions With Kirti Kana And Conscious Culture
As part of our ongoing craftHER Market, we recently launched 21 Questions—a series of short and fun questions designed to spotlight the stories, missions and personalities of our featured vendors.
In conversation with bbatx Communication Design Intern Eunice Bao, Kirti Kana, founder of Conscious Culture, chats about creative flow, cultivating community and her favorite coffee roast.
Photo courtesy of Conscious Culture.
ABOUT KIRTI KANA AND CONSCIOUS CULTURE
At the heart of her design, Kirti Kana is a visionary. She unites entrepreneurs, change-makers, and thought leaders to champion a positive movement, for the purpose of fostering community and sustaining Earth.
This vision is spoken through her online intentional community, Conscious Culture, which is two-fold. The first aims to bring awareness to different sectors of one’s life, through a variety of assessments, themes, workshops, learning experiences, and themes. The second is an ethically sourced coffee project that introduces new flavor profiles from around the world which rotate monthly.
Ultimately, Kirti envisions sustainable autonomous beta-cities of the future, with the structure, ethos, and integrity of Conscious Culture weaving its way into this movement for the people and planet.
HERE ARE KIRTI’S 21 ANSWERS:
1. What’s your day-to-day mantra?
Momentum—this simple word reminds me of the simplest action that motivates me and pulls me forward no matter what mental state I am in.
2. CONSCIOUS CULTURE in 3 WORDS?
Community, wellness, coffee
3. Why did you start conscious culture?
Conscious Culture stems from a project I’ve founded, Itopia Project, which involved regenerative autonomous beta cities of the future. Before the pandemic, I was living in LA close to sealing a deal for our first beta city outside of Santa Barbara, CA. Then, life happened.
The pandemic hit right when I was at home in Texas visiting family. I decided to stay and take a new and different approach in being able to transform people's lives without having the physical transformative environment. That is when I decided I’d start an online community centered around empowering individuals who are on the self-healing journey or the journey of transforming our world into a better place.
Coffee has just always been a part of my life, and it’s my way of giving back to farmers around the world that are doing it right. We’re planting the seeds of our larger products with coffee beans.
4. Craziest thing on your bucket list?
Motorcycle trip from Mexico to the tip of South America
5. The thing you most wish for the world is…
For people to have the option of living fully, authentically and happily with all of their basic essential needs met
6. What would you love to see more of from small businesses like yours?
Since we’ve just started (and I haven’t run any ads), I’d love to see more gals who are excited to change their social media diet and be a part of a community that is here to support their dreams and health and wellness goals.
7. No. 1 Muse?
Tulsi Gabbard, because this woman in politics makes me excited for our future.
Photo courtesy of Conscious Culture.
Photo courtesy of Conscious Culture.
8. First thing you think about in the morning?
Well, I don’t really think… I reach for my morning pages journal and write down my vivid dreams. From there, I do a whole page of lucid writing of whatever comes to me or through me.
This way, I’m able to see where my mind is and guide it consciously through the first moments of being aware of where my energy is, where my thoughts are and how to self-coach myself through the good and bad.
9. Best compliment you’ve ever received?
“You’re 25 and and got funded to build a beta city? No way that’s true.”
10. What have you let go of this year that’s made a positive change in your life?
I’ve let go of the part of me that had been craving social connection and feeling depleted. Instead of pouting around, I put myself out there (safely) and am now growing a community here in Austin that fills my cup every single week.
11. You want the future of Texas to look like...
Less diesel and more eco ;)
12. What’s one thing you learned about yourself recently?
I only noticed this while I was sitting at a traffic light yesterday… my mind constantly wanders thinking of innovations, re-creations and visions of the future of humanity and our planet.
13. Something new you’re trying?
If I don’t complete my goals and tasks of the month, my best friends have my Netflix and Prime account password where they’re allowed to lock me out until it gets done.
14. Favorite coffee roast?
Recently our Sidama, Ethiopia hits so good in the soul early in the AM.
I love to french press this one, add around ¼ of oat milk (Planet Oat because I don’t support Oatly’s connection to deforestation in the Amazon). I don’t even froth it. I stir it with a spoon—and voila. It’s my own version of a perfect cup of coffee early in the morning.
Photo courtesy of Conscious Culture.
Photo courtesy of Conscious Culture.
15. Currently listening to..
Anjunadeep 12 and KIDS album by Noga Erez (a Tiktok find that is GOLD)
16. How would you describe your creative and production process?
There’s this beautiful thing called “flow states” from Steven Kotler. I have triggers around my flow state creativity and rules. I don’t wake up every morning full of desire to create sometimes or even have the desire to output client work or my own work for my company.
My happy triggers are five minutes of momentum into the project or task (undivided attention even if I don’t want to do it), and I get into it with the understanding that I don’t have to complete the creative process. I just have to get it started.
Anjunadeep Youtube Set is always playing. I’ve got an essential oil diffuser to awaken or relax me, and I set a timer to break for the next project or task.
17. Best advice you’ve been given?
The biggest projects take the longest to be fully created.
18. What does a day-in-the-life of Kirti consist of?
Morning routines, booked out daily Google calendar, 1.5 hr gym sessions, nature time when I have the time, and work sessions into the late PM hours. I always reward myself with one episode of a show to unwind. I’m currently watching The Expanse (Holy bananas is it good!).
19. Proudest career milestone?
My biggest failures. Without them, I wouldn’t be pushing to my biggest dreams.
20. What are you most excited about in life right now?
The ability to finally be able to make friends in Austin, create community and share my smile with strangers in passing
21. What do you want people to feel when they buy/use your products?
The true essence of ethically sourced coffee, where someone can connect to the culture of where the coffee is coming from and actually appreciate it for its true form.
CONSCIOUS CULTURE is part of craftHER Market—our creative community marketplace nurturing homegrown artists, small business owners and designers in Texas.
Want to know more about our vendors? Our digital catalogue, crafthermarket.com, is open through April 30. You can browse 120+ vendors there online 24/7.
Some of Kirti’s favorites on the lineup are:
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