How I Work: Jocelyn Florence, Partner, Parallel
Jocelyn Florence watches birds on her commute. Image: c/o Jocelyn Florence. Design by Barbara Cadorna.
Jocelyn Florence has a brilliant idea that never saw the light of day: a comprehensive study of how exit signs are a hindrance to creativity, obviously. To be clear, Florence has no evidence to back up her hypothesis about exit signs killing creativity. But in her aesthetic dream, visual signs for “transactional public spaces” would not exist.
As a partner for Parallel, Florence collaborates with others to build and invest in content for various businesses. The team has worked on all kinds of projects, including Oscar-winning films, Broadway shows, and podcasts (including This Little Light with Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers). Below, Florence shares how she works—in the company of blue herons along her commute, why a certain George Saunders quote informs the way she moves about her space, and, yes, more on that exit sign philosophy.
Rise and Shine
I live two minutes from the Silver Lake Reservoir and walk it most mornings. I like smiling at the other regulars, much like how during my NYC commute days I’d see the same group on the subway each morning. Currently, there are great blue herons nesting there. I’m no birdwatcher, but I spend a ton of time watching *those* particular birds.
Work Uniform
For conferences and the like, I have this sack-like dress from Cos that my friend Caitie gave me. We call it the Cossack. For a normal work day, anything but sweatpants. Growing up, my (otherwise pretty chill) mom didn’t allow us to wear sweatpants to school, and now it’s kind of a mental signal: elastic waistband = not working. So I have to wear real pants.
How I Structure My Day
I block ninety-minute HOLD slots in my calendar every day to avoid a day of back-to-back meetings. Sometimes, they get scheduled over, but I think that naming them “HOLD” in aggro caps at least gives me and my team pause when we schedule over them. Other than that, no real structure—I like to keep it a little more fluid.
Playlist Favorites
We recently launched the podcast This Little Light with Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea, so it’s an obvious favorite! But actually, it’s hard for me to get work done while listening to podcasts. Sometimes the most fun and easy move is to throw on the Radiooooo site to get a sense of what, say, Finnish music in the 1930s was up to.
Tools of the Trade
We’re big Airtable heads at Parallel. Our Head of Operations, Katherine, set it up and it runs everything we do. Basically, Airtable is the boss of us all. Other than that, there aren’t any revolutionary tools I rely on…but after reading past ‘How I Work’ interviews, I’m thinking I should give Superhuman a whirl.
Dream Studio
A house with no exit signs, fire doors, or fancy corporate furniture. I say this only jokingly, but I think the visual signals of “transactional public space” can stymie creativity. To be clear, I have zero data to back this up.
One Unique Thing About My Work Process
I spend a lot of time talking to people about not-work-related stuff. I’m generally pretty social, so I like to get to know the people that I’m working with. It can be tough in an era of back-to-back thirty minute Zoom calls, but in our work, trust from our partners and authentic alignment with our mission are critical, and both can be hard to feel out on a quick Zoom call. So before we make any investment or partnership decisions, I try to build in some time for agenda-less conversations with founders or potential partners. Plus, it’s what makes work fun for me, so “productivity” be damned…
Mantra
“What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness.” I think a lot about this quote from that George Saunders convocation speech ten years ago. Not a mantra per se, but something that informs the way I engage with the world—or at least how I try to.
My Bright Idea that Never Saw the Light of Day
Obviously my comprehensive study of how exit signs are a hindrance to creativity.
To-Do List Item That Keeps Me Up At Night
Texts I haven’t responded to. As mentioned, I’m pretty social and spend a lot of time texting with…everyone. Sometimes I’ll suddenly remember I didn’t respond to a text and I’ll have to get up and do it (because *obviously* I don’t sleep with my phone next to my bed, I got that digital hygiene routine down pat).
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