Writing in Creative Boom, Katy Cowan has a fantastic interview with creator Frank Chimero. I love this concept.

Good trouble is questioning and re-imagining the status quo, and having your actions stand in contrast to the norm. Maybe it’s society’s status quo. Maybe it’s your own — all fair game. There’s usually a fair amount of cleverness in it. Civil disobedience for social causes is good trouble — consider the criticism offered by the peaceful protests of MLK, Gandhi, and their supporters.

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world”, and all that. But that’s a big form of good trouble, and I just have my little life, so I’m particularly interested in the small version — how the smallest thought can get under your skin and make you re-evaluate, you know? It’s the mischievousness of changing how you think by finding a new lens.

This last bit of advice is just perfect.

…slow down, find a quiet place, and create time for solitude so you can hear yourself. It’s so noisy out there. And find the good ones around you — the patient, compassionate, and interested — then elevate the conversation as often as you can. The things that nourish you are also the things that will nourish your work, give it purpose, depth, and soul. It’s hard to say what those things may be, but life has taught me over and over that, you don’t need to know if you are willing to ask.