Today, we’re sharing some insights from my recent conversation with Camille Gerrick. Camille is a neurodivergent artist living in Charlottesville, Virginia. And while her narcolepsy and ADHD present challenges to running a business and doing all the normal things grownups are supposed to do, she prefers to think of these conditions as her artistic superpowers.

What does it mean when someone is neurodivergent?
Being neurodivergent or neurodiverse means that the brain is wired differently from everyone else’s. Some conditions that might fall under this spectrum of neurodiversity are ADHD, autism, and dyslexia. When you think about neurodiversity, it’s important to acknowledge that just because that brain is different, it doesn’t mean that it’s any less than a neurotypical brain. Instead, it’s more about focusing on the strengths that neurodiversity will bring to the situation. For example, people with ADHD may be notoriously bad with time management, but they can also be very passionate and driven. And when we’re interested in something, we can spend hours on it and not even realize it—thinking of our differences as strengths. 

You grew up as a kid in the 80s and 90s; how has that affected your art style?
I remember having a lot of really obnoxious outfits like these crazy patterns with squiggles and triangles and loud colors. The big scrunchies, the side ponytails, and I guess I just never really grew out of that, to be honest. Colors just make me happy. When I was a kid in elementary school, Lisa Frank was a big deal, and everybody had the folders with the cute rainbow animals and the trapper keeper for all their school stuff. And I just never grew out of that phase. Maybe it’s childish, but it’s fun. And it’s harmless.

I just started reading the Aesthetics Of Joy by a designer named Ingrid Fetell Lee. The premise of the book is that we’ve been taught through ancient traditions that the source of joy lies within us. But, a growing body of research is starting to support the idea that tangible objects can also spark that feeling of joy. In the book, Ingrid embarks on this study to find out what things spark joy, and color was one of her findings.

How did you get started?
It always sounds cheesy to say; I’ve been creative since I was a child. But there’s really not a time I can remember not being enamored with drawing or painting or the creative process. Growing up, we had this little kids’ table with chairs that had pockets on the back full of all our crayons and markers. I remember sitting at that table and coloring away. My dad is a writer and a musician, and my mom is a teacher, so it’s just something we grew up with, being encouraged to be creative. My mom was very anti-TV as well so that probably helped, if we can’t watch TV,  maybe we’ll make something. 

As a kid, I was always given craft special interest books like learning calligraphy or origami with a dollar bill, and oftentimes, they came with all the supplies you need to do what was in the book. Specifically, there was one book about macrame friendship bracelets, and I latched on to that book; I learned how to do all these different knots. I actually started my first business when I was in elementary school, selling macrame friendship bracelets on the playground. I would take my little box of embroidery thread and pull custom colors for people to make them custom color friendship bracelets during recess. Around this time, my grandfather, who owned his own landscaping business in South Florida – landscaping was a big deal – started having conversations with me about charging for my products. He’d say you need to think about how much it costs you to make it and make sure that you charge the right amount so that you’re not losing money. And then you need to decide what percentage of what you make you’re going to invest back into materials or growing the business and what percentage do you want to save. So from a very young age, those conversations about entrepreneurship were had through my grandfather.

You’ve mentioned throughout your story (you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out more) that you also cope with chronic issues like pain; how do you do art while dealing with those issues?
Yeah, I have a lot of chronic pain from when I was in the military and art helps me cope with that. With art, I get into that flow state where your sense of time, like physical sensations from your body, kind of cease to exist, and you’re 100% in the moment, focused on what you’re drawing or creating. I need that in my life on a very regular basis. It helps me feel sane. It’s something that takes my mind off these health issues – it’s a mental escape from really anything adulty in life.

Where You Can Find Camille:

• Website: www.camilovescolor.com
• Facebook: camillegerrick
• Instagram: @cami.loves.color
• TikTok: @cami.loves.color
• LinkedIn: camille-gerrick

This podcast and all past episodes are available to listen to now. You can also subscribe to Get Under The Surface podcasts on all major platforms (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc.).

Want more from Cuppa SEO Web Design?

The post The Challenges of Being an Artist, Mom & Business Owner with Chronic Health Issues — Camille Gerrick appeared first on Cuppa SEO.

Today, we’re talking with Janine Kwoh. She’s the author of “Welcome to The Grief Club,” a book she wrote after realizing how hard and complicated grief when she lost her partner, Nap. Janine is also the owner and designer of Kwohtations, a Brooklyn-based stationery company.

You wrote about feeling the need to grieve less, more privately, and move through it more quickly in the book. Can you tell us more about that? And how to deal with these expectations?

These ideas came from my own experience with grief the questions and struggles I faced. Is my grief valid? Am I grieving too much or grieving incorrectly?

I experienced grief at a young age; my partner, Nap, died when we were both 28. And he was the first person I loved, who died, and I just had no idea what to expect. And at the time, not many people in my peer group had experienced a significant loss. So I felt like my friends wanted to be there for me, but no one really knew how. So, I looked to external cues. But, as a society, we’re not good at talking about grief or making space for suffering, and in turn, it made me feel like I was taking it too hard. People don’t necessarily talk to you about your grief because they don’t want to make you feel bad, or they don’t know what to say. For those of us who work in an office, there’s no federally mandated bereavement leave, or it’s three to five days, which can be another signal that the worst of your grief should be over in less than a week, which is perfect for anyone who’s gone through it. I think the impact of that can make it feel like it’s time to move on and stop talking about it. And that can be really hard.

You never get over grief. You just learn to carry it, and it changes over time. Permitting yourself to grieve is necessary because losing someone you love is so hard. Putting judgment on your feelings is too much for one person.

What if someone wants to be present and supportive? To someone who’s grieving? What’s the best way to approach being supportive? So it’s helpful and doesn’t come off as condescending, insensitive, or sounding like you think the grieving person’s person should suck it up? 

I think the most important thing is to say something. It doesn’t have to be the most comforting or the perfect thing to say. In some ways, there is no perfect thing to say; there’s nothing we can say or do to take away that person’s grief. There is something crucial in acknowledging what they’re going through; it goes a long way in helping them by feeling seen and less alone. So even something simple, like I’m sorry for your loss, and I know this is hard, but I’m here is the most important.

That said, there are things to avoid saying.

• At least statements – At least you got to say goodbye, they were old, etc. I understand people just want the person to feel better or look on the bright side, but a lot of times, those statements can inadvertently minimize that person’s loss. 
• Comparisons – Comparing a loss can inadvertently minimize that loss for that person because every loss is different; even if you lost the same person, your loss is different, and your grief is different.
• Everything happens for a reason – This is probably everyone’s least favorite statement.

As long as you stay away from those, there is nothing you can say that is wrong.

What are acceptable times and places to cry?

Anywhere and anytime. Many of us feel like we need to compartmentalize our grief, like, I have to go to work and can’t be a grieving person at work; I have to be a productive and functional person. I remember thinking, I will grieve when I get home. But grief is not something we can easily slot in at a convenient time. We can’t control it, and we shouldn’t; we need to co-exist with it, alongside everything else in our lives.

This podcast and all past episodes are available to listen to now. You can also subscribe to Get Under The Surface podcasts on all major platforms (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc.).

Learn more & get in touch with Janine:

• Website: kwohtations.com
• Instagram: @kwohtations and @welcometothegriefclub

Want more from Cuppa SEO Web Design?

The post Welcome to the Grief Club, a Discussion on Loss and the Grieving Process — Janine Kwoh appeared first on Cuppa SEO.

Today we’re getting under the surface with Scotty Russell. Scotty is the side hustler’s coach helping creatives turn their side hustle into a full-time dream hustle. He offers coaching programs, boot camps, one-on-one coaching sessions, and free resources to help people get started on the road to improvement. Scotty is also a speaker and host of The Side Hustlers Perspective podcast. His passion to coach creatives stems from being an artist and designer himself, giving him the ability to understand first-hand the challenges and struggles creative individuals face. And today, we’re going to hit on some topics that include what it means to be the side hustler’s coach, embrace the suck, and how being selfish can be the best step to creating a ripple effect of selflessness.

I’m also a big believer that we should chase something new every year, something that excites and scares us. At every level, there’s a new devil. So every year, I find one new thing I can suck at that’s gonna push my business forward. In the beginning, it was sharing my artwork, just creating and sharing. I sucked at it. Then it was sharing my voice through microblogging on Instagram. I sucked at that. But then I learned I had more to say, so I decided to suck as a blogger, a public speaker, podcaster, coach, and now live streaming scares me the most, so I’m going to suck at streaming podcasts in front of a live audience. I’m just willing to suck at something new each year. 

F.U.D.
I do what I do because there’s so much Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (F.U.D.) in this world. There are so many things outside of our control, but what we do have control over is what we build for ourselves. You have to be selfish to find your gift so you can selflessly give it away. I want to teach people how to build something on their own to hedge against an uncertain day job, geoeconomic, or geopolitical climate that we’re all a part of but are outside of our control. What is in your control is how you show up, pouring yourself into something that you truly love, honing your craft, providing value, going all-in on yourself. It’s the idea that you can create a rippling impact way after you’re six feet deep in the dirt.

I ask myself, how can I make a lasting impact on people within my circle or influence people in different pockets of the planet? And then, set a great example for your kiddos and create generational wealth and change for my family tree. That’s what fires me up. Why live as the sad sappy Scotty who feels sorry because of my circumstances growing up. Life is about choices and perspective. There are so many people that would kill to be in this spot and kill to be in this spot.

This podcast and all past episodes are available to listen to now. You can also subscribe to Get Under The Surface podcasts on all major platforms (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc.).

Learn more & get in touch with Scotty:

• Instagram: @coachscottyrussell 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachscottyrussell 
• Podcast: https://coachscottyrussell.com/side-hustlers-perspective 
• Website: https://coachscottyrussell.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThePerspectiveCollective/

The post Creative Side Hustling, Embracing the Suck, Fear, & Fatherhood — Scotty Russell appeared first on Cuppa SEO.

I’m excited to share that this week my new podcast launched!

It’s called, Getting Under the Surface (GUTS), and it’s about digging into the connection between mindfulness, marketing, self-care and relationships — including the relationship you have with yourself.

In the first episode, I share how this podcast started manifesting over four years ago, and how my wife’s health issues caused me to take a deep look at how (poorly) I was practicing self care.

We’ll also discuss some of the topics you can expect to be tackled on the show, including resistance, acceptance, trauma, fear, awareness, and self perception. Taking it one step further, episodes will also cover how our personal experiences affect our professional life.

Whether you’re a parent who runs their own business, a leader who is strapped for time, or someone who is struggling or overwhelmed, you are not alone. The goal of this podcast is to provide a safe space for diving into mindfulness, meditation, marketing and professional life (which is all part of the ball of wax of your existence), self care, and relationships — including the relationship you have with yourself.

This podcast (and forthcoming program) debunks the “work/life balance” myth, and helps each of us look at life more holistically.
 
The podcast is available on all major platforms (although some may still be in the approval process), and you can listen here right now.

The post Introducing the Getting Under The Surface (GUTS) Podcast appeared first on Cuppa SEO.