It’s a decent question – why am I doing what I’m doing? For the past few months, as I decided whether or not to move, I thought extensively about my purpose. The Otherwhere Project was a big piece of that purpose. This project started as a simple thought: what if I brought together creative-minded people to all post behind one brand and mission? I thought the brand would give creative projects more power, more reach, and more of an ability to impact the people who listen.
That last point stood out to me: an ability to impact the people who listen. There is so much content flying across everyone’s screens these days. Most of it is garbage; entertaining at best, but harmful at worst. I wanted to provide people with something useful. Something that could help them take even one step toward a more full life.
I boiled my purpose on this platform down to four main categories. Hopefully as you read them, you reflect on your own purpose, and how my project can help you achieve it. Read on!
Conquering Vulnerability
It’s vulnerable to make a private dream public. I normally keep my creative side under wraps, so I feel a lot of pressure to “succeed” with this project… whatever that means. I feel pressure to give it my all, gain hundreds of thousands of followers, make money, and turn it into a career. Anything to prove that this gambit worked and that I was “correct” to put my creative side out into the world.
I feel pressure to make flawless content, and always create something jaw-dropping and inspiring. If I fail to make content that consistently impresses everyone, does that mean I failed? Does that mean I should be embarrassed of what I did?
I’ve learned that these thoughts aren’t healthy or productive. If I wait for validation to pursue my creative ideas more publicly, that’ll never happen. Moreover, if validation is the sole pursuit of creativity, what does that imply? Am I actually passionate about my projects, or do I only do them so I might become rich and influential? If that’s the case, then maybe it is better to leave my writing for myself.
It’s anxiety-inducing, especially when writing has long-been a private haven for me. Creative projects are vulnerable. I’m exposing my inner self. Instead of hiding behind a facade, I’m sharing the good, bad, and ugly, about myself and my life. It’s exposing, but rewarding. I’ve learned that at some point, you just need to take the leap.
What’s the alternative? Cripple myself with fear of embarrassment so in my old age I can cherish my Google Drive filled with dreams that no one saw but me? No. I felt the creative calling to do what we do: create.
To Provide an Alternative to Current Popular Culture
It seems everyone on social media is trying to make their life perfect and unattainable. They want shock value, they want envy. This manifests on virtually any “side” of social media. Whether you’re watching people flaunt wealth, status, relationships, vacations, or vanlife, the end result is often the same – they want their life to look perfect to you, and in that way unattainable for you.
Social media has fostered a mental health epidemic since its inception and it has only gotten worse. As more content tries to be edgy, unrealistic, and shocking, the concept of social media being a fun way to engage with friends has almost completely disappeared. What’s left is at best entertaining, and at worst irreversibly detrimental.
Sadly, there’s almost no way to tell if something is genuine or fake. There’s now a financial interest to completely manufacture shocking situations, show perfect snippets of terrible lives, or create entire relationships that don’t even exist. It skews our perception of what’s realistic, or even real.
When faced with something that you believe is heavily flawed, you have two ethical options: refuse to participate in it, or try to make it better. While one of these options may fix the issue for you, it doesn’t fix the problem at-large. Instead of washing my hands of social media, I decided to try and make it a force for good.
Instead of showing off an unattainable life, I want to show a life at the edges of reality, but still realistic. Something “normal people” (i.e. me) can accomplish, but one that yields abnormal levels of fulfillment and happiness. I want to show people that a better life isn’t built off desiring high-end products or privileges you don’t have. Rather, it’s about seeing through superficial chaos we’re inundated with so you can find the things you actually care about.
It’s vulnerable for me to show this side of myself, but I want to help people. Yes, I could just move away and live a quiet life focused on my own fulfillment, but I want to show people that it’s possible for them, too. I don’t want to just make my own life better, but help change the culture around what it means to live a better life.
To Inspire Even One Person is Enough
My life since joining the corporate world has been pleasant, but it hasn’t been inspirational. Outside of a paycheck, I don’t think it has helped me as a person. I’m not nicer, more generous, or more altruistic because of it. I lost the feeling of living with purpose, and that broke my heart. I spent so many nights dreaming of that purpose before I graduated, and throwing it away for a paycheck wasn’t worth it. Maybe if someone told me earlier that the common path wasn’t the right one, I would have listened. Maybe I’d be three years ahead of where I am now.
I think there is a way for people who are unsatisfied with what society has deemed a “normal” life to make something better… to live better. To stop themselves from believing they are destined to work a job they hate, live in an apartment they can’t afford (and don’t even like), and spend their time doing things they don’t find valuable. There should be a community that reminds people they can make their own rules and that pursuing a better, more fulfilling life is realistic when done correctly. I couldn’t find that community, so I set out to make it myself.
And, even if only one person draws inspiration from my words, that is enough for me.
For Myself
I am living outside of corporate culture, raises, money, possessions, and stability (all the things I’ve been forced into thinking are best for me), in pursuit of passion, intentionality, community, and a reconnection with nature.
I wish I had content on my feed that made me want to improve. That’s what I want to do for all of you. I want to inspire people to think harder about their goals and provoke action. I want to plant the idea in their mind that they can pursue their passions and achieve their version of happiness. If all I can make out of this website is a place where people explore creativity, honesty, and passion, then that is enough for me.
About a year ago, I started an account where I posted my own paintings. It started with one small post on my TikTok account, but ballooned to something bigger. Soon, people started liking the things I made. Eventually, someone reached out to me to commission a painting. One person turned into more and more. Pretty soon, I had a steady backlog of people who wanted me to make art for them, and I realized something important – this never would have happened if I never posted anything.
Sure, I’m not famous online for these paintings, and I’m not making rent money by selling them, but I’m being paid for my art, and that’s something I had only dreamed of prior. Something that, if you’d have told me three years ago would happen, I would’ve laughed you out of the room.
There’s something powerful about speaking things into existence. I don’t know if I believe specifically in manifestation, but I do love the way you become accountable for your own dreams when you put them out into the world. Posting my artwork made me better at it. When people asked to pay me for my work, it motivated me to put more time and effort into their pieces. I was held to a higher standard.
My friends and family soon associated me with this hobby of mine. That association made people interested – they asked me about my goals and helped hold me to them. That accountability is vital. They asked me questions, connected me with potential buyers and vouched for my talent. A network of support sprung up around me, and that brought me opportunities to grow and succeed.
I want to take that same attitude to The Otherwhere Project. It’s true that I probably won’t make a career out of this project or make millions, but that’s not the point. I just want to live the best life I can, and that is easier to do when other people know what your goals are. They can question you, challenge you, connect you. Your hobby is no longer something you timidly explore in private, but a part of your public image. And that comes with perks.
Moving Forward
The one thing I want out of this project is to make the world a better place by using my creativity and skills. If I can do that, then this will be a success in my eyes
Over the next few months, I’ll be taking my first steps outside corporate life. I’ll be seeing what life is like outside my office, and outside my hometown. It’ll be uncomfortable at times, and I’ll have dozens of challenges that I’d never encounter otherwise. But, I hope to be happier. If my life is harder, I hope for it to be worth it. If I was a betting man, I’d say it will be.
As I’m going through this change, I’ll be a beginner. I don’t know where to step or how to keep myself from stumbling a time or two. So follow along, learn from my mistakes, and use my successes to propel your own. Let me be your guinea pig. I don’t mind.
I just think the world would be happier if we knew how close our dreams are to our fingertips. So I’m going to reach for my own and see what I can grab onto. You should too 🙂
