Was there ever a time you did something differently than what was expected of you? Describe the event. How did others take it? How did you feel about yourself?
Frequently. Can I name anything specific, though? Hmmm. There was that time I quit a really well-paying job because it was sucking the life out of me and even though I had, up until the minute I quit, wanted a long-term career with them, I walked out that day. There was that time I quit a different job, in order to open a yarn store with two friends. But were those things different than what was expected of me? Because nobody was telling me to do a thing and I did a different thing, that was just me living my life.
Is there something unconventional you always wished you could do?
Be a ballerina space pirate princess….? Again, I’m just out here living my life. It might be unconventional for some – living in a deeply rural area, owning my own craft business – but for me it’s perfectly normal. Ultimately, I would be hard pressed to think of something I’ve wanted to do, conventional or unconventional, that I haven’t either already done, or started doing.
Was there ever a time you regretted taking the unconventional route?
More like times I regretted being conventional. The times I tried to be the same as everyone around me, the times I tried to follow the timeline that society said I should (go to college; get a job; get married)… those are the times I’ve been the least happy in my life. The times when I wasn’t following my own heart are the times I felt least like my true self.
Have you ever felt stuck in a “box” of conformity? Did you feel safe? Comfortable?
Yes, I have felt stuck, and no, I did not feel safe. I felt constrained and imprisoned.
Do you believe uniqueness is a downfall, or a superpower?
Absolutely a superpower. Why would I want to be like everyone else? I wasn’t like everyone else even when I was in grade and middle school and wanted to be “the same” so I could blend in. By high school I realized being “the same” was a crock of shit and I’ve pretty much been that way since then.