The power of YOU
You won’t know the power of your own story until you share it with the world.
Do I have a story? Do I have something of impact to share from my own experiences? Is my story worth being heard? Will anyone care about what I have to say? Better yet - are there people out there who would even benefit from what I have to say?
The answer to all of these is YES.
Think about it, there are billions of people in the world and I cannot even begin to emphasize the diversity between each individual human being within this large mass of millions that coexist on this planet we call home but out of all of this, each of us has a story to tell, unique to only us but beneficial to everyone. No one story is going to be exactly alike. Maybe there are stories that are similar in journey but no two will have the exact same experiences, obstacles, lessons, or outcomes due to the individual person’s interactions with it all. Recognizing each others’ diverse journeys in life is important so that we may gain perspective and reflect on how these perspectives may influence our own path. But the similarities in people’s individual stories are why sharing your story is important. You don’t know who out there it may resonate with, who it may inspire, who it may help and how it may, in turn, cause others to gain perspective and/or reflect on their own journey.
For too long, I have let excuses get in my way as to why I felt my story wasn’t one that would be worth telling, that my passion for being a creative wasn’t something I could turn into a realistic career. It’s easy to find excuses and sometimes they are solid but the majority of time, they are only as solid as you allow them to be. Making excuses a lot of time stem from being confronted with hard decisions and let’s be real, making an excuse is easier most times than facing the decision head on. I’ve began to challenge myself to start recognizing what excuses I’ve made in my own life for things that in truth were just cop-outs at a time when it was too hard. By holding myself accountable for my own self-made obstacles and reflecting on why I may have made them, I can start to break free of what’s been holding me back from living a life I love, and ultimately unveil the highest potential within myself.
I grew up in a small agricultural farming town on the east side of Washington state where there was little to no art scene when I discovered my passion for expression through various forms of art. I was happiest when I was creating and so I let this passion lead me through college in Seattle at the University of Washington where I explored my curiosity to learn different skills through an art major. However, coming from a small town with no art community to a large city with a booming one, I found myself overwhelmed and all of a sudden battling with an ‘artist stereotype’ that I felt I had to fit in to. Just like any other stereotype cultivated from years of society’s unconscious labeling – I felt I had to look a certain way or talk a certain way, I felt I was under pressure to have a certain kind of art aesthetic or I couldn’t consider myself an artist. I have been fighting with these preconceived notions for years and they have been a big part of what’s been stopping me from believing in myself and going for my dream.
The other big obstacle in my way has been myself – I have been too hesitant (aka [to be honest] straight scared shitless) to share what I love in this world for the fear that no one out there is willing to receive it and too critical of myself that none of it is worthy of being shared in the first place.
I’m tired of feeling this way about something I love. I’m tired of battling the stereotypes, the feeling of being unworthy, the feeling of not having anything to say because I do. I can’t be afraid to share what fuels me, what brought me to where I am in life, what’s leading me into my future.
My passion for being a creative has given light to my vision for Free Expression Studio over the years – to create a space that encourages a more mindful, expressive, and connected world. It all starts within each of us, on the most intimate level of rediscovering who we are. Making the shift for a better you individually, reflects and ripples into the collective consciousness of the masses of humanity contributing to a larger shift for a better world. I want to aim to highlight expression in all its forms and the fact that we as humans can greatly benefit from the act of expressing. My goal is to one day have a physical space where I can provide a storefront to sell, studio space to create and express, classroom space to learn and gallery space to enjoy. It is my hope that I can give back to smaller communities like my hometown by providing a safe atmosphere paired with a creative environment for people to experiment with and explore forms of expression and mindfulness practices while ultimately helping to build a conscious community for younger generations to get involved in and inspired by.
Free Expression Studio is bigger than turning my “past time” passions into a full swinging career and sharing the journey of this transformation, it’s even bigger than wanting to pass on what I’ve been learning along the way to help others heal and find self-worth while also navigating this matrix of life. To say it straight, it’s not about me OR you. It’s about US; it’s about | C O N N E C T I O N | Connection to self and to the collective number of other human beings walking this planet, connection to the earth under our feet and the cosmos above, connection to our purpose in this lifetime, connection to our most whole selves.
I’m taking the leap, throwing away all the negative energy/thoughts associated with failing and even chucking that stupid word “try” out the window because (thank you to Jason Segal in I Love You Man) ‘try’ is a word that implies the possibility of failure, get rid of it and replace it with ‘do’. Instead of ‘trying’ to do the things, I’m ready to finally DO the things. The first step though, is sharing who I am with the world and telling my story, being real with my journey and what it has to offer not only to myself but those around me. No matter what weight you think your story may hold or where your journey is taking you, you never know what may come of it being shared and the people you can connect with by simply starting the conversation. Don’t be afraid to inspire people the way you feel inspired by others. Don’t be afraid to be real so that others can know it’s okay to be real too. Don’t be afraid to open up to someone for openness is a beautiful vulnerable place to be. As I am working to push these fears aside and reach for my dream, I hope that you will join me in finding worth in your own story and what dream in the stars you may be reaching for because remember, you won’t know its power until you share it with someone.
Wanna talk it out? Let me hear your thoughts in the comments below!