…and the fight to stay true to you.

Previously on… 📺

I never want to assume people know what’s going on in my life so before I start, i’m going to quickly recap what’s happened in my life over the past few months.

So, in October 2021 I found out I got accepted into a program that would move me to Tulsa. My husband, Jordan, and I moved our whole lives from Los Angeles after living there for almost a decade in November 2021 to stay in Texas with our families while we bought a house 4 hours north. We moved into our newly bought house at the end of December 2021 and now it’s mid February 2022. Sheesh! That’s a lot.

So it’s pretty easy to say we have been in an elongated transition of 4 months. Four months of moving cross country (3 times in 1 week… that’s a fun story for another time), relearning how to interact with non-LA people (IYKYK😛), sleeping in beds not our own, not working out, not eating our normal food, and stopping all essential creativity simply to handle the emotions of uprooting your life after years of the same thing. Wowwweee!

Last bit of information to help paint the picture of my life for the sake of this blog, I am a social media manager/brand strategist by day, meaning I am on social media ALL DAY LONG. Ingesting content of all kinds, acting on them, and immersing myself in multiple worlds to understand my clients better. Now that’s out of the way. Ok! Let’s start…

The battle for creativity

My only past time lately during this transitionary time is filling my mind with art. It’s the only thing that is driving me into the lane I want to be in. The beauty of transition is the shift in your life’s path. It’s inevitable. So i’ve been ingesting art of all mediums. Graffiti, street wear, fashion design, interior decor, etc. I think that’s all i’ve been able to do since October. I’ve been trying to steer away from ingesting the content of the people I follow on Instagram that doesn’t align with the place i’m headed and turning the wheel toward curating my visual consumption to things that I admire for the growth, brilliance, and design. Content that pushes me to be better, think different, and expand my talent.

Examples of exploration

For the past 8 years, I’ve spent a lot of time trying different ways of life, different mini careers and balancing the psychological effects of those undertakings. Talk about an emotional experiment 🙃. I always said to those who asked “what is your dream job” that I want to do a little bit of everything. Who even knows when asked that question as you’re graduating college? Hilarious. I couldn’t answer with one thing, or even two… or three. It was always “to do everything.” However, i’ve deeply admired those that had one creative passion. But I knew that wouldn’t fulfill me. That wasn’t my story.

After trying many titles like tv host, wardrobe stylist, personal shopper, podcaster, studio manager, brand strategist, etc., it wears on you to try new things and not be “the best” over an elongated period of time. Growing up, I was one of the best at competitive dance, in all styles. I was one of the best at my studio, in my city, then continuing at my college. For 21 years I was one of the best in my field. I knew I was an expert and I was safe in that thought/feeling. For the last 9 years however, after moving to L.A. and deciding to try all those new careers, I have definitely NOT been the best and it’s been extremely taxing emotionally and mentally. But one thing I learned most from all of it is now I am quite possibly the most objective and well rounded person I know because of it. That’s a superpower only acquired from a decade of emotional torment. 😆

Novice Level: Unlocked

So as I reflect over the past years of starting at the bottom of each new trade I start, I can confidently say it was worth it. Because the in depth experience I learned from each of them can be used to create something immaculate in the future. I will keep trying new things, experiencing different walks of life, and living in an inevitable humbleness that some would call crazy. It’s not for the weak!

Maybe now i’ll be able to call myself an expert at one thing: being a novice. Cheers to you who do the same. We are a small and unique crew of people that need to come together and support one another. If you aren’t already, follow me on the social app i’m always on here: @itslauralanders. And if you’re looking for a “sign” to do things your own way, even if the industry you’re in tells you that there’s an algorithm to keep up with… here it is. Do your own thing in your own way. Even if it feels backwards. It’s your story, not the algorithm’s. You’ll be so much more fulfilled and joyful. Feel free to connect with me if you’d like to chat further about this. Much love.