An Introduction:
My name is Quinlan and I will be a contributing writer for SPORK! starting….now! I’m very excited to lending my voice and views to this movement. After I told my mom about what SPORK! is and what I’d be writing about the first question she asked me was, “will you be using your own name? or will I use a alias?”
Yes, I will be writing about my personal life and opinions but I would feel wrong in not owning up to my own words. So here I am, my name is Quinlan, I am 26 years old, a Chicago native, I’m a women, artist, vegan, and I’m complex and unique in many more ways. I hope the words I write do some good to those of you reading. Yes, it’s going to be scary letting all of those reading know my weaknesses and or faults but the truth is we need to help each other. Knowing we’re not alone in our struggles or views is important. We have to appreciate when people put their truths out there for all to see. Too often is our first reaction to do anything else but applaud the people who are courageous enough to do this.
Sometimes you tell people your disabilities and from then on they treat you like your fragile. This is why I fear telling people about my own struggles. I’m a person who doesn’t want to be tip toed around or looked at like I have limits. I’m a very strong person.
I want everyone to give me their all, don’t hold back!
I may have challenges in my life but that doesn’t mean I have limits!
I will always be shooting for the stars no matter how much I have standing in my way!
I want to grow, so give me all you got. If you allow people to treat you fragile then you’ll miss out on some big adventures.
There’s a saying, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” but I think what people don’t know is that it’s a choice you have to make. You have to let what doesn’t kill you make you stronger. It is a hard thing to do because easily you can make those things that don’t kill you weaken you and keep you from trying anything again. You don’t always see a positive in a setback or failure because it’s not the easiest thing to do, but you have to try and get something out of everything and keep on going.
There will always be people standing in our way of doing something. The important thing, that has taken me over 26 years to realize, is that you can’t let yourself be one of those people. Don’t stand in your own way.
Malcolm Gladwell just wrote a great book entitled “David and Goliath” stories about underdogs and the secret powers they poses. You have to let what most say is a disadvantage be your advantage. I feel like we grow up thinking that being unique and or different is bad. Most of us learn from childhood that conforming to the masses is what will make us happy and successful. If you look at some of the most successful and world changing individuals in our world you’ll find that they are those things because they thought outside the box. They weren’t afraid to do what no one else was doing and not afraid to think in ways no one else was thinking.
I’m one of the luckiest ones because I have great parents who have always supported me and helped me do whatever I want to do. In my next few articles I plan on talking about depression, being a women in a man’s world, and being an artist.
Being born a vegetarian, this means I was a vegetarian way before being green and vegetarianism were cool. Also meaning I was a vegetarian long before people understood or accepted it as a lifestyle. I can remember going over to friend’s houses in elementary school and my friend’s parents asking, “So what can you eat?” I also can remember my amazing mother bringing me a veggie burger when we had hot lunch days at school so that I wouldn’t feel left out.
I’m an artist, always have been. I’ve never wanted a “normal” carrier. This being said it means I have always been faced with the people who think that because I’m an artist I’m not very intelligent. The stigma of artists being druggy, stupid, and having bad social skills has always surrounded me. I’d like those who are reading this to know I’ve never drank alcohol or done drugs, I’m very delightful in social situations and I am intelligent.
Being a woman I have constantly run into people thinking I’m not capable of many things. I’ve always been the anti-damsel in distress. If I don’t know how to do something…I figure out a way to learn so I can do that thing myself. As well as I never pretend not to be able to do something just so a cute guy can do it for me.
At the end of the day I’m one of those people who you’ll probably see only once in your life, if you’re lucky! In writing for this wonderful website because I hope to encourage and enlighten people. I don’t want anyone to think I have my life under control. Everyday is a challenge. I’m working very hard to be happy and move forward in my life. Something I think to note though is that if life were perfect it wouldn’t be worth living. Perfection is boring! The bumps, nails, and skeletons in our paths make things interesting.
We love our weekly TV dramas but when it comes to our own life dramas we tier and complain. Maybe we should learn to look forward to the twists and turns in our own lives as much as we do in our weekly dose of the Good Wife or Downton Abbey?
…Just something to think about.
Follow Quinlan on Twitter: @UncagedWonderer