Woody Roseland is a natural-born entertainer constantly socializing and telling jokes, much to the chagrin of virtually every teacher he ever had. He works as a professional filmmaker, photographer, and comedy writer.
A recent speaker at Point of Departure, on any given day you’ll find Woody with his head in the clouds at Cheeseman Park. He enjoys living out of his backpack in random corners of the world and likes bikes very, very much.
Here we talk about creativity, tough times, and groundbreaking menu items from Taco Bell.
You spoke at a TEDxMileHigh event more than four years ago with the message of “You are here.” How have you applied that to your life since then?
That’s a tough question. Somedays it feels like I’m doing a good job of living that message. Other times, not so much. You gotta take the wins when they come and try not to get too discouraged when you’re on the downswell.
What are some of the lessons you’ve learned since you last graced our stage?
You learn a lot more from not being able to pay rent than you do from nice YouTube comments. I’d like to think I’m more antifragile than I was a few years ago.
Can you tell me about a personal point of departure in your life?
At the top of my list are: getting cancer at 16, having my Leg amputated at 20, moving to Austin at 21, making Breathless at 22, meeting Mackenzie at 23, and, most recently, when Taco Bell released the Naked Chicken Chalupa—a true game changer.
Do you have a favorite TED talk?
Elizabeth Gilbert’s talk, “Your elusive creative genius,” is a Banger with a capital B.
