A Moment of Honesty

So I’ve come to realize something lately.

This blog, my life, my goals, everything–is nebulous. All things, my perspective, my mood, the environment, is changing constantly. However, this blog was originally a way to keep myself on track.

Lately, I’ve found myself straying from the track, wandering onto other people’s tracks, running along with them at their pace, then forgetting I even had a track in the first place.

Moment of honesty: this seems to be the way I’ve always lived my life, or at least the way I find it most convenient to live.

I know I’m not alone when I say that I tend to define myself by the standards and habits of others.

However, truth be told. I’m really not like others. As anyone who has come to know me and ESPECIALLY those who have had the…experience…of living with me can attest to–I am pretty dang unique. When I’m truly myself, I’m boisterous, blunt, pure, sincere, spontaneous, passionate, zany, emotional, chaotic and a force to be reckoned with.

I have done a rather stand-up job at hiding this TRUE part of myself from most everybody that I knew growing up, believing that I was wrong/overwhelming–that I didn’t deserve to take up space in the way that my (frickin’ huge) soul so desperately wanted to.

However, I am coming to realize that if I want to conquer the world with love, I’m going to really have to embrace my authentic self and open that to the world first.

One step at a time, eh kid?

That being said, I do apologize for the long break between posts/interviews. I am currently in an interview with myself, gathering strength and knowledge of what I have to offer the world before I can give unconditionally.

I am learning the difference between wanting to do something and choosing to do it.

I want to provide people with a venue to explore their true selves and share it with others. I want to observe teachers and learn to become the ultimate mentor. I want to change peoples’ lives.

I know that I am more than capable of doing all of this.

Whether or not I choose to…well, that is the question isn’t it.

You have my word that I will work on that.

 

Connection, Movement and Transcending Obstacles

Aaron interview <——Click Here to Listen 

Perhaps it was the fact that I was sipping pure melted chocolate in a cozy café on a particularly rainy night, but my interview with Aaron Kapin felt more like a fireside heart-to-heart than a traditional upstanding inquiry. Then again, when it comes to Aaron, that’s usually how things go.

Aaron has been a close friend of mine for less than a year, and in that short period of time, I’ve come to know him as a person surprising depth, insight, humor and wit. A massage therapist, and dabbler in emotional and mental therapies/healing, I have scarcely known someone so self-motivated in personal growth.

Before you listen to this interview there are a few key terms that are tossed around that you might not be familiar with.

NLP: Stands for Neuro-Lingusitic Programming. In laymen’s terms, NLP basically boils down to the words, ideas and experiences that formulate the way you see the world, react to things and learn. NLP has had various uses in the past. However, the one that Aaron is most interested in, provides a means to study why people who possess an incredible skill are so gifted in that area. What’s the neurological process that they go through when they are in their activity of expertise? By understanding that process, people who have no skill in that particular field are then able to learn it, simply by copying the process.

Byron Katie or “The Work:” Well, in order to truly understand Byron Katie you should definitely check out her book, “The Work” or visit her website. Byron Katie is a magnificent woman who came up with a process of inquiry—a way of dealing with issues and pushing past mental and emotional obstacles in life. Since Aaron has introduced me to her, I’ve used her technique and my life has been transformed.

Craniosacral Therapy: A field that Aaron is currently training in, it’s a form of physical, mental and emotional therapy which focuses on the nervous system.

My interview with Aaron, accompanied by an orchestra of rain-swishing-cars passing by outside, and espresso machines screeching in the background, is one of great value and I highly recommend that you give it a listen.

As I’ve listened several times, there seem to be some central themes around what Aaron is passionate about as an individual and how he views the world—working through obstacles, connecting with others through energy movement, and the necessity of painful experiences.

Also of particular interest is his educational background. Mr. Kapin is truly a testament to the fact that alternative education produces creative, intelligent and PASSIONATE people who will change the world.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to comment on this post. Or you can e-mail Aaron personally at aaron_sneezy@yahoo.com.

           

 

 

If YOU or someone you know has a story about your educational experience or passion that must be heard, please let me know. E-mail me at voiceyourpassion@gmail.com or comment on one of my posts!

 

 

 

 

 

The Wonder of Being Wrong

So here’s the thing– chances are, I’m wrong about something and so are you.

It’s been about a week since I came back from the TEDx conference at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. Honestly, it’s taken me about an entire week to soak it all in and try to comprehend the amount of inspiration and extraordinariness that I had just witnessed.

The theme of this post is being wrong–drawn from my favorite TED video that was shown at the conference: Kathryn Schulz- On Being Wrong

I thought that the TED conference would go a lot differently for me. I had envisioned myself wandering up to random strangers who looked like they knew a lot about the world, asking them tons of questions and then featuring them on my blog.

Well, such was not the case. The whole day seemed to sift through my fingers–as if each person attending were a tiny and perfect grain of sand. I didn’t even know where to start. How in the world do you choose someone to talk to about their innermost passion and life meaning out of some of the most inspirational 600 some people in the whole region?

I was paralyzed by inspiration–which is a much more eloquent way of saying that the voice in my head was screaming “OH MY GOD THIS IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COOOL. SO COOL SO COOL SO COOL”…all day long.

While my original plan did not quite happen, I did managed to record a conversation between me and the girl that was sitting next to me. Even though she was my age, I was astonished at the simple profundity with which she spoke. An aspiring massage therapist and healer–Samantha Barnes surprised me and made me realize that both in the environment of the conference and in life, it’s the everyday people that are extraordinary and full of wisdom.

Here’s a snippet of our conversation: Samantha Barnes

After pounding my head against the wall for not having taken full advantage of this opportunity to network and then watching Kathryn Shulz’s speech multiple times, I’ve come to realize something:

Life very rarely goes as you plan it to. What I got out of the conference was something very quiet yet powerful–an organic connection with another wonderful human and the ability to see wonder in the unexpected.

Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for more.

 

 

 

Upcoming Amazingness

So I promised that I’d be using this blog as a means to keep track of my progress on the project so just as a quick overview, here are a few things that I’d like to share:

Upcoming Events:

TEDxPortland this weekend!– This is an incredible opportunity to network and meet other extraordinary people. My hope is to actually interview a few about their passion and to be able to feature them on this blog. More to come on that…

Interview with Leah Vendl— My good friend and lifetime aficionado of organic movement/aesthetic has agreed to be my first official guinea pig for featured passionate individual on this blog! Interview and post will ensue!

AERO Conference– So I’ve somehow managed to stumble upon the mecca for inspired alternative educators– The Alternative Education Resource Organization. They are hosting a five day conference in August and my idol and somebody that I’ve spent four years practically worshipping, Sir Ken Robinson, is going to be keynoting. Sooo…I’m probably going to have to go to that…

Travel Plans:

So I’ve been doing some research on my first pit stop–Australia. As it turns out, them Aussies are kinda mad about alternative education. The schools that I’ve been finding down there are AMAZING. I want to visit them all. Although,  Australia, I’m finding is an incredibly large country. Some schools I’d like to visit are in Sidney and others in Perth. That’s like saying I’ll be splitting my time between New York and San Francisco. So logistically, things may have to be switched around a bit. We’ll see. Next step: Contact said schools and see what they think about me descending upon them.

Budget:

Here’s the exciting part. So I had this goal of raising $5000 by the end of the summer. With what I’ve saved over the past few months from retail and now from working with my good friends at The Clay Animation Network, I am now 3/4 of the way there!!!! After I get this blog chugging along, my next step is going to be getting a kickstarter.com campaign going. Perhaps, this will be happening sooner than later. Stay tuned, folks.

Basically, life is kind of amazing right now. 🙂

Origins

The Origins of Vocalis <—–Click here to listen.

My friend Israel is probably one of the coolest humans you will ever meet. In fact, the credit for the idea behind this whole blog goes entirely to him. Not only is he a cool ideas person but, as it turns out, he’s also a great conversationalist.

A few nights ago, we happened to have a spontaneous conversation concerning the origins of the idea behind all of this. Having a recorder handy, we managed to record our exchange –even though, I’ve realized it’s more of Israel asking me amazing questions and me yacking his ear off.

In any case, here is the finished product–the first account of passion caught in sound. I discuss a lot of my personal experiences and what essentially is driving me in this whole project–self-discovery workshops, influential work experiences, bad teachers, good teachers and how children are the true hope for the future. After listening to this, I’ve realized how raw and real it is to hear myself talking about what I love. Nobody loves hearing their voice played back to them so putting this on my blog is requiring a bit of courage on my part.

Feel free to give it a listen and let me know what you think. I’m still entirely new to this process so if you have any suggestions, comment away!

I am currently looking into buying sound recorders so the real interviews with amazingly cool, talented and passionate people should be coming your way shortly.

Thanks to Israel for a great conversation and happy listening, you beautiful people!

One small step for (wo)man…

So here I am–a 22 year old woman with a crazy idea.

What if I travel to six countries in six months and study alternative education through observing teachers who encourage their students to pursue what they’re passionate about. Er…what the students are passionate about, that is.

Here’s an even crazier idea:

Compile findings into this blog and start my own business to help kids figure out what lights their flame and how to actively pursue their interest.

Ok, ok, one step at a time.

First of all, I have this blog that I’m starting as a means to:

1. Hold myself accountable for reaching my goals 2. Interview people about their passions and document said interviews here 3. Raise awareness about my cause 4. Gain support and momentum to make this dream a reality.

Totally possible, right? Right.

Well, alright. Let me tell you a wee bit about myself. My name is Katrina and I was born with a condition called chronic idealism. It’s an incurable disease that I’ve lived with my entire life. Symptoms include an aptitude for over-sincere remarks, being blinded by the shiny silver lining on the clouds that seem to hang over lots of humans’ heads, acting as a dangerous liaison to imaginative territory and being an unmitigated thinker of impetuous thought.

It’s a terrible condition, really. However, lately I’ve been thinking that I may be able to utilize it to, you know, change the world a bit. I’ve always had large dreams that looked like massive clouds floating impossibly high in the sky. I’ve watched them float by, thinking that it would be terribly difficult to ever reach them. It would certainly take large amounts of invention, creativity and the willingness to fall unceremoniously back to the unwelcoming ground.

So then, that’s what I’ll do.

It seems practically cliche now–the notion that a large journey begins with a single step. But then, that’s the kind of person I am–somebody to prove that the cliches are true.

Here’s to my first step into the great unknown. Cheers!