Artist and poet G Yamazawa grew up Asian-American and Buddhist in the southern Bible Belt, where he often felt as though he didn't belong. But insecurity transformed into a love for the stage and performance. G Yamazawa gives his Brief but Spectacular take on art and creating a safe space for young people to cultivate their own voices.

Christopher Ategeka grew up with the devastating effects of not having health care access, having been orphaned by HIV/AIDS and losing his brother to malaria. But he got the chance to go to school and become an entrepreneur, and now he's using his influence to recruit health professionals to work in underserved parts of Africa. Ategeka gives his Brief but Spectacular take on health care for all.

Wanuri Kahiu's films and stories don't need tragedies. Her "Afro-bubblegum" art is fun and even frivolous, and rejects the idea that she needs to grapple with dark, violent problems. At the same time, she has come to see her work of representing herself and her community as a political statement, by putting black people in front of the camera. Kahiu gives her Brief but Spectacular take on her art.

Who people tell you they are is often different from how they act, says award-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras, whose latest film, "Risk," looks at WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. By observing subjects like Edward Snowden make decisions in real time, she gets to experience the immediate drama of her story and change her opinion. Poitras gives her Brief but Spectacular take on making documentaries.