Many times we see the word professor, and some of us shudder at the mind-melting academic conversations and the post-traumatic stress of constant due dates and deadlines, but this professor that I had coffee with is not a normal professor of that kind; he is fictitious.
Definition of the word, fictitious: imaginary and mythical.
Dreams and the act of dreaming is an imaginary and mythical activity but slowly becoming a lost art form. Parts of our society, school systems, and sometimes family heritage esteems stability and safe future planning.
Dreams are imaginary and mythical in nature.
Dreaming is a risky business in that it calls and beckons our best selves to come forward, show up, and be present. Dreams make our hearts skip beats at times with fear yet serving as a reminder that we are alive.
Paul Kirz is the creator and the man behind Fictitious Professor. He received his name from a professor at Azusa Pacific University who felt that his grandiose talent behind the piano and his lofty beard was worthy of this title. The following year while still finishing his undergraduate degree, he was presented on stage as Professor Paul with all the other professors greeting students into the new school year leading 3 years worth of undergraduate students to believe that he was an actual professor from APU. Till this day, many APU alumni reminisce about this iconic memory.
As of current, Fictitious Professor has found more of who he is beyond his skills playing piano and his beard. He desires to deconstruct the journey towards success and fulfillment by embracing and being an active participant and celebrater of the imaginary and mythical, his dreams and the dreams of others.
His hopes are to create a platform that embodies a plethora of outlets, networks, and mediums of inspiration. His heart bleeds for creatives. He has many desires, passions, hopes, and dreams, but the one chord that permeated and constantly rang true for him through our entire “Coffee and Conversation” session is summed up in this simple statement that he said:
“Find yourself”.
He continued and broke down what the meant.
“There are many things I want to do that is on my heart, but not necessarily in my lane. My skill set has been shifting from music to creating spaces.”
He connects this phrase “find yourself" with the idea of “staying in his lane” as his mantra and muse to continue his journey of self-actualization, self-reflection, and self-development. It is not a phrase that excludes himself and others rather it is an advocate for inclusivity.
Finding yourself, staying in our lane, assumes the fact that we know what lane we are supposed to drive in. We know our strengths and our frailties.
We know our abilities and the abilities of others, and we know that staying in our lane helps us participate in a more meaningful journey.
His journey has intensified and deepened due to the passing of Kris Mark, a dear friend and business partner. This is the legacy Kris Mark left on Paul’s life:
“My business partner passed away, and he was the one that introduced me to Level Up, a co-working space specifically for creative entrepreneurs. He was very instrumental of putting me on board. I am still processing his passing since it happened only 2 weekends ago. It was sudden and none of us really expected it. He was only 31 just turned 31, too. That event as shitty as it was and is, has been a crazy catalyst for lots of things for Level Up. We have people reaching out and asking how they can help. Something about Kris Mark is that I never heard him say anything negative about anybody, and he was always super encouraging. If I ever posted anything on my Instagram about my music or life, he would always comment and respond. He was always big about “linking” and collaborating.”
He went on.
“The three of us (Kris Mark, Tops (a fellow co-founder of level up), and Paul) are musicians, and Kris would always say that we needed to jam, and unfortunately, we never got to do that, but I am choosing to take Kris Mark’s mentality as “Okay, I need to take opportunities” and be more intentional about really enjoying life and taking advantage of these moments. Life is precious, and we don’t know when our time on earth is going to be taken from us and come to an end. Pretty much everyone that knows Kris Mark now all want to come together and jam, hang, and collaborate. This is definitely the theme for me for 2019 is this idea of making the most of life.”
He continued.
“You know in Star Wars when Obi Wan dissipates into the force that is how I sort of see Kris Mark. Like the first week of his passing, I could hear his voice. This experience has been a very sobering and driving factor to continue to create and connect with other people.”
Paul continued to talk about how Kris Mark has impacted him on the necessity of collaborating with others with the idea of “finding yourself” and “knowing your lane” because there aren’t many things you can do by yourself. Giving others the opportunity to shine in their lane is a part of sharing the journey, the road, of success and operating in the abundance over scarcity mindset. There is more than enough opportunities for everyone, and if we all accepted and lived this out, there would be less burn out.
One of the final statements that Paul highlighted was the importance of focusing on the abundance that comes when we stay and know our lane:
“You cannot pour out of an empty cup.”
I asked how does someone fill their cup, and Paul answered my question with sharing a lifestyle commitment he has made to himself. Paul is a believer in the sanctity and power of taking a sabbath once a week, a day where there is no expectations and doing whatever it is that fuels you. He referenced Rob Bell’s definition of a sabbath as “existing on my time as opposed to someone else’s time”. Paul continued this advice:
“The sooner you can know yourself and be comfortable, the better, because you are the only person that has to spend your entire life with “you”. Finding what energizes you, recognizing your seasons, and staying curious about yourself will help you find your lane”.
Our “Coffee and Conversation” ended with the importance of not living in apathy and indifference with ourselves as people and the importance of self-care and finding ourselves by staying curious and current with where we are at in this journey.
“All I had was now, and now was enough. It wasn’t just enough, it was more than enough. ”
Please take the time to follow Level Up Co Work and Fictitious Professor on Instagram.
Fictitious Professor’s music can be downloaded through your preferred streaming service.