OK, first of all, we know the question you're asking: why are we talking to Terry Crews on a design podcast? We first spotted him on the scene during this year's Milan Design Week and then again in NYC for NYCxDesign... and that got us thinking the same question as you—what's he doing hanging around the design scene? Well... besides being a former NFL linebacker, and an actor, writer, and many other things, Terry Crews is also a talented artist and a design patron.

As you can imagine, we were excited and we knew we had to get the scoop.

In this episode, Terry recounts his adventures in furniture design, including the genesis of his new design label Amen & Amen, cofounded with fashion designer Nana Boateng (see pics below). In the process, he slings some serious wisdom and infects us with his super-contagious lust for life. His high-octane enthusiasm and charisma is like jet fuel for your brain.

Terry also gets candid about his childhood ambition to escape the trap of his bleak hometown in Michigan.

He expounds on his duality as both a tough athlete and sensitive artist. Listen above to find out more about how he discovered his talents and used them to keep himself afloat in hard times.

Check out his artwork, which he recently shared with Jimmy Kimmel:

On a personal note, this was one of the most inspiring conversations we've ever had. Terry is deeply connected to his feelings and philosophies and in the process of explaining them, he was able to not only get us psyched up for the future of this podcast and all of our other life and career endeavors, he also shared a mind-blowing nugget of motivational advice that, well, that pretty much changes everything.

In The Secret Garden by Amen & Amen, designed by Ini Archibong. Booth in Milan at Salone Satellite.

Want more Terry Crews? Check out his website at terrycrews.com. You can also follow Terry on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. See more from Amen & Amen here.

In The Secret Garden by Amen & Amen photos courtesy of Ini Archibong. Read more about this Amen&Amen collection on Design Milk.

Thanks to our sponsors, Freshbooks and Be Original Americas, for supporting this episode of Clever.

If you want more Clever, sign up for the newsletter to get notified of new episodes as they're released. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And most importantly, please spread the word to anyone who you think would dig it.

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, SoundCloud, or subscribe using our feed:http://clever.libsyn.com/rss via your favorite podcast app. And please, if you like us, give us a rating!

Special thanks to Chris Modl of Yore Studio for editing this episode.
Music in this episode courtesy of El Ten Eleven—hear more on Bandcamp.
Shoutout to Jenny Rask for designing the Clever logo.

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