Being unapologetically yourself
Thank you
Happy Thursday! My last post about courage really seem to hit home for most. Thank you to all of you who reached out afterward, letting me know that it resonated. And, a special thank you to all of you who have continued to be supportive of not just me and my blog, but all of the creative people in your lives. I sincerely feel fortunate to have a group of close friends who create. Over the years, it has been inspirational to watch the creators in my life grow and build confidence. This evolution I’ve seen in others, lights an eagerness in me to see where my creative journey will take me.
Today’s post is a bit of a follow-up to the last one, but also could stand alone. Especially for those who do not consider themselves creators! This most my be self-exposure in my own little way. And… awayyyyyy we go!
Be yourself
Have you recently had a moment when you felt like your heart was literally lighting up? A moment when you felt so inspired or joyful it was visible?! Or maybe something resonated with you so much you felt like, ‘finally this is what I’ve felt all along!”?
Trends
The urge to conform or fit in, to succumb to peer pressure and to ‘sell-out’ can feel all too real sometimes. In life (at least here in the United States), it seems as though there is an consistent desire to ‘fit-in’. Outside of any political agenda’s that very clearly exist in other countries, one might think that the ‘land of the free’ would be immune to this desire for conformity. Based on the comments from my last post, I do not think think I am alone with this experience.
Having gone to a school which required uniforms during my teenage years; I was fairly insulated from fashion trends and the like. Interestingly though, somehow at that age, we found ways to express ourselves but only to go as far as being validated.
Why is it that it is human nature, to want to be liked? If anyone knows the answer to this question and has decent reading materials, let me know! This is where it becomes so important to be your authentic self. Not only with your clothing, but your expression overall.
Do you remember when Malcolm Gladwell’s book, “The Tipping Point” became a best seller?
This book fascinates me. It goes as far to make one realize that there is no ‘normal’. The trends we see appear can change at any moment. But also! EACH of us can easily create those trends instead of following another.
Storytime
Funny enough, the feeling I speak of above came over me while I was writing Monday’s blog post. As I was doing research and came across the work of Rollo May, each of his quotes lit me up inside. The appreciation and understanding he is able to express over the creation process, as well as his other pieces of work on love resonated with me in a profound way!
The feeling that overcame me was something I honestly hadn’t felt in probably too long. If you know me personally, you know that I LOVE school and everything that comes with it… learning, reading, thinking. In addition, I tend to be a very curious person. When my heart lit up it brought me closer to myself in a way. Memories of pouring over books, researching authors and their lives flooded over me. The intensity of being true to myself led me to wonder, why has it been so long since I’ve felt this?!
Perhaps it is situational – being curious didn’t really seem like something to explore while EVERYTHING was so uncertain over the past year and a half. Even still, the feeling of coming home to myself in a way I haven’t in years was heart warming.
Examples
Two creators (one more controversial than the other) whom I look up to for being unapologetically themselves are Jeffree Star and Julien Solomita. Both are living out their lives in very different ways, but authentically themselves.
Jeffree has overcome massive setbacks in life, extreme judgement and even mental instability. He leveraged his skills as a creator through many outlets, originally becoming MySpace famous. Now, he is a successful business person, YouTuber and inspiration to many communities. Although his approach, style and presentation are certainly not accepted by most; he still shows up everyday as his authentic self.
Julien on the hand is more of a ‘regular’ guy. However, his work is non conventional and he explores new ways of doing things consistently. The thing about Julien that inspires me the most is his endless search for uniqueness while maintaining excellence. He knowingly is a scatter-brain, however he hones that energy to provide fresh, beautiful content through his video production. In other ways, he contributes through live streaming and has learned the art of monetization which all of us as creators can learn from.
Who are YOU?
This leads me to wonder. Instead of asking, “What would you do if you had a million dollars?” Perhaps the real question should be, “What would you do if you knew you wouldn’t be judged by others?”
If you knew your work would be accepted. Or, your style wouldn’t be criticized. How would you show up to life tomorrow? Would you repeat yesterday or do something new? What lessons or skill would you learn so you could finally get up on stage? Perhaps, your voice would be more confident and you’d let your thoughts out? Truly think through this and take even a small step back toward yourself.
Keeping in mind, this isn’t about not trying. This is more so about actually being. Meaning, if you want to BE a singer, a step forward wouldn’t be getting on stage tomorrow. But instead, taking voice lessons and building your confidence. It isn’t about confirming to sound like everyone else, but BEING the best version of YOURSELF.
Thoughts?
Please share your thoughts down below in the comments, or on social. I’d love to strike up the conversation and hear from you all about how you can be more yourself! Also would love to know your role models in this space, as I’ve shared two of mine 🙂
LOVE, rose and bianca
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