Meet Stevie Klick | Project Manager & Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stevie Klick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stevie, how do you think about risk?
I love this question because it’s so complex and even the definition of the word itself is foreboding. While everyone’s perception of risk is very different, I personally would categorize myself as a valorous risk taker however I am not frivolous or erratic. I always have some sort of calculations running in the background and a plan. Part of taking a risk is understanding that there is a chance of failure and usually the greater the reward, the higher chance there is of failure.

As a risk taker, I have experienced failure more times than I can count but at the end of the day, I have never regretted taking chances because there was always a valuable lesson to take from the experience. I think knowing what failure looks like first hand gives you the drive to push through more challenging endeavors and ideas and it teaches you how to be resourceful. While the idea of failure may sometimes seem daunting, I believe wholeheartedly that I would not be standing here today the person I am if I had not failed personally and professionally in my life. If I had been ‘successful’, I would still be in corporate finance. When I left years ago, it felt like I was failing at the time. But had I not taken the riskier option and decided to leave the safe secure finance world for a bartending gig over a decade ago, I may still very well be puttering away at a job that my barefooted, free-spirited nature loving self really despised. Reflecting back, I am grateful for every risk and failure that I experienced because it brought me to where I am today. Was the road bumpy? Yes, definitely but I wouldn’t change a thing. It has turned me into a problem solver and solution focused individual who thinks outside the box. To do anything new, to start something, to invent something, to stand up for something or to affect change, you have to be at least a little bit crazy and willing to accept failure as a lesson for constructive criticism.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I was born an artist, it is not something that I chose to be. I remember being in kindergarten and not understanding why the kids weren’t colouring in the lines, wasn’t it obvious? I remember being gifted calligraphy pens and origami paper and before I even knew what they were, it was as if my hands knew more than my brain. I rejected the artistic side of myself for many years deeming it useless when it came to career choices, so I think my greatest challenge was not lack of talent but overcoming myself and my own beliefs about what I am capable of producing. When I thought art, I thought visual art and I hadn’t yet discovered all the other possibilities.

I think what sets me apart is my willingness to go to lengths to try something new or find an answer. Is ‘insert obscure client request’ possible? Just because it has not been done before does not mean it is impossible. I think what got me to where I am today is experimentation, educated risks and taking a chance in believing that others will see and want to support my vision. I also think my genuine curiosity is something that allows and ignites curiosity in others.

When I first tried to raise funding for my business idea, the response from everyone (financiers) was “I’m sorry, you want to do what with moss?” It took a lot of convincing, standing up for myself and facing people who straight up told me my idea is not going to work and that nobody would ever fund an idea of this sort. Was it hard you ask me? Yes, I was alone with my ‘unique’ ideas having limited resources, no money and not a lot of ‘proof’ that my idea will work other than an enthusiastic belief in myself. How did I overcome this obstacle? I did this by hard-headed. I requested new financial representatives when I didn’t feel like I was talking to someone who was listening and wanted to help me. I refused to take no for an answer without a reason, I sought as much constructive criticism as possible and took with a grain of salt any advice from those who had never attempted a creative endeavor or who had never owned a business.

What I think is most important about my brand and my story, is that it was born from an idea that we urban city dwellers can do more to make our city greener. I essentially want to creatively use, plants and art to help people connect with nature, with themselves and with their own inner creative. It is through these individual personal interactions that we can slowly start to implement environmental changes. Scientists have been studying the effects of biophilic design in recent years. So if we now know that simply going on a fifteen minute walk through the park can lower your blood pressure significantly within the first five minutes, then imagine what IS possible if we all played a part in the solution? Do I tempt your curiosity yet? My brand is not just about the moss and the plants, it is not just about aesthetics; it is about changing the way we build cities (from the inside out) so that we can learn to live in harmony with nature instead of directly against it. I will leave you with a quote by natural science author Janine Benyus which I find inspiring. “When the forest and the city are functionally indistinguishable, then we know we have reached sustainability.”

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to the CN Tower! Just kidding, the CN Tower is nice but I don’t think it would be my first choice. For this, let’s time travel back two years to when concerts, parties, events, festivals and activities were running normally. Toronto is a really fun city, especially in the summer. I am a part of a very active community and there seems to be no shortage of fun activities, events, parties and wonderful people. I am pretty physically active as well and love spending time in nature so I can often be found taking advantage of the water and the parks. It’s fun to sail to the island, there’s a fun beach that is a popular summer party destination. I really enjoy paddle boarding on the water or picnicking with friends in the park. Toronto is very diverse and multicultural; a lot of different types of food, shops and communities can be found and it is really fun to visit different areas and try new things. I also really love exploring the thrift stores and some of the unique local shops. Toronto is the type of city where it takes a minute to find the hot spots but when you do find the right people, the opportunities are endless.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Thank you to the Center for Social Innovation for providing me a place to call home, a place to develop my idea and a place to find resources. Shoutout to my friends at the Annex who were the only outside human interaction through the pandemic.

If there were three people I owe my success to my father would be one of them. He has been an incredible support throughout the lowest periods of my life and as an entrepreneur himself, his advice has been valuable. To my longtime best friend, who has never once wavered in her loyalty and love. We have been through all of our silly and ridiculous youthful stages together, often at varying in synchronicity and never once did we let it move us. She has jumped in to save me more than once and has enthusiastically believed in me the whole way through this process. You might also catch her making your moss terrariums and lifting heavy things here around the studio. And to my dear friend and ‘big brother’ who has stood up for me, believed in me challenged me. He has helped me push beyond what I thought I was capable of and exceed my limits and boundaries.

Website: https://theindoorforest.ca/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theindoorforestcanada/

Image Credits
Joseph Saraceno Inna Krochek