I was sort of like a scout for Eric Bischoff if I saw people who had the talent. Sometimes I wouldn't bring people to him until they had the gimmick, like Raven.
I always will be a Raven. That's where I was kind of raised in the NFL. I did a lot of growing, and we did a lot of special things. That's something that can never be taken away, and it never will. There's a lot of love there.
In a pine tree behind me, an eagle waits out the rain, hunched into himself, brooding. Crows squabble, a murder chasing a raven. Seals cruise the lines of fishing nets bobbing in the water, hoping for an easy meal, the tender bellies of salmon.
They welcomed me like I have been a Raven my whole life. It meant a lot to me. I knew what I could bring to the team, on and off the field.
My first job was when I was eight. I did this opera, which was a Robert Wilson/Philip Glass opera, called 'White Raven.' That was a very confusing and trippy creation tale, and I was a kid who brought up the sun and rotated the earth. It was very empowering.
I've named a couple things after Edgar Allan Poe: the cat, and my garden upstate, where I only planted black flowers and purple flowers - and there's a raven statue.
I was a big fan of Raven Symone, when 'That's So Raven' was out. I used to say, 'Oh my God, that should be my show!'
When I buy something from Raven & Lily, I know that it is good, it is not harming anything, and the people making it are being helped.
If everyone had a business model like Raven + Lily, I feel like the world would be an awesome place to live in.
I believed then - in a deep, easy way that is impossible for me as an adult - that there was more to this world than meets the eye. Trees had spirits; the wind spoke. If you followed a toad or a raven deep into the heart of the forest, they were sure to lead you to something magical.
