Why I Strive to Inspire

If you know anything about Bossy Brushstrokes, you know that I’m all about Community Over Competition. You also probably know that I do my best to make my account ALL about positivity and inspiration. It really is a breath of fresh air to log into my business account and be flooded with positivity. It’s something that doesn’t happen often enough in the world of social media. But I also like to keep things real with you guys so I wanted to come on and talk about something that happened a few months ago.

When I first started lettering with my iPad and Procreate, I remember leaving so many comments asking something along the lines of “what brushes are you using?” and because of that, I ALWAYS leave the brushes I used in my captions because I know that somebody out there is in that chapter of their lettering journey. I mean, honestly, I still am because I LOVE experimenting with new brushes and just having fun with the app while I support other women in the community. I always tag to give credit when it is due and I know you guys really value my opinions on things (which I am so grateful for because that’s so amazing to know).

When you guys tag me in your posts, whether it is because you used one of my brushes or you got inspired by a post or maybe it’s a #LadyBossLettering post, I get giddy because I still can’t believe that this is my life and that I get to inspire and be inspired by you guys. But I was you. In fact, I still am. There are SO many lettering accounts that I look up to (even though a lot of them are smaller than I am) and I value their opinions and their comments and their work. There are quite a few women who I looked up to, who I learned from and who I’ve purchased things from who I am now friends with and I just think “wow, this is amazing” (Especially you, Abbie).

Before I launched my brush set, I did my best to test them behind-the-scenes and continue to only post using brushes that you guys could go grab (whether that was for free or for purchase). Therefore, I was promoting other’s brushes in almost every post of mine. There was a woman who I really looked up to. I used her brushes in almost everything for a while. I was even in a private group on Facebook all about lettering that she created. Then one day, I couldn’t tag her in a post about the challenge she was hosting. In fact, her account was gone when I tried to search for it. I got instantly worried because I thought “oh gosh, I hope everything is okay!” but then I went back to the last time I had tagged this woman, clicked on her profile and it said “No Posts Available”… I couldn’t believe it. I had gotten blocked. I logged into my personal account and sure enough, there her account was- alive and still going. I wasn’t sure how to feel. I didn’t know if I was sad or if I was mad or how to react. What I felt was pretty comparable to feeling pretty “used”, to be quite honest. I had promoted this woman’s brush set over and over and over and recommended her account many times in my direct messages. I believed in her work. I wanted nothing more but to support her and to be able to connect in this community. Yet, here I was wondering what I did wrong. “Did I tag her in too many posts?” I wondered, “Did she just get tired of me tagging her in my captions using her brush?” but I wondered why she didn’t reach out. I wondered why she couldn’t just message me and talk to me if she didn’t want to be tagged or if she had a problem at all. After all, I was just doing it to be able to share something I loved with you guys. I even posted off my personal Facebook in the group asking what happened. When she commented on the post, she told me she would “have her assistant look into it.” I ended up being unblocked. No apology. No reason why. Just an awfully weird situation.

I’m sad to say I no longer follow this account. I no longer promote her brushes, even if I loved them at one time. It was disheartening in a community filled with love and positivity and for someone who claimed to be all about community… I just didn’t see her actions lining up with that. I have nothing against her and wish her nothing but the best. However, I just can’t promote somebody or something I had a weird experience with because I don’t ever want you guys to have that experience.

I would never mention her name because after all, my whole business model is built on positivity. It could have been an honest mistake. She could have been having a bad day. I’m not sure why and it doesn’t really matter anymore. I’m writing this for TWO reasons. The first reason is to remind you that whether you have 100 followers or 100,000 followers, somebody really looks up to you. Treat them well. We are all humans behind these screens after all. Do your best to answer questions if somebody asks for help. Let people be inspired by you because we all started out that way. The second reason is for those who have had a similar experience in the community or any negative experience at all, I PROMISE there are SO many other women like you and like me who want to support each other. Find us. Reach out to us. Interact with us. Don’t let one person’s actions ruin your passion and your dream. I guess there is actually a third reason as well. If you say you love this community, if you say you believe in community over competition, take a look at how you are acting to ensure your actions line up with that. Sometimes life gets busy, we get frazzled, and we forget what is important to us. Make sure you’re reminding yourself how you want to be known, whether that be your business or just your creative account where you share what you make.

Honestly, this situation fueled the fire on starting #LadyBossLettering. I wanted a place where other women like me could connect, without rules and without stipulations, to support each other and other artists like us. I wanted more connections. And thankfully, so did Mariah. We got to create something that is everything we stand for.

I’m glad this happened because it really allowed me to remind myself WHY I run my business the way I do. I message you all back. I go through and try and comment on as many posts as I can (that Instagram shows me- HAHA). I always comment back on the comments you leave on my profile. I’ll answer your questions and I’ll even help you if I can. This isn’t my full-time job. This is a choice. In between working my real job part-time and being a full-time graduate student, I choose to inspire. I made a choice to put a lot into this passion of mine. I want you to be able to do the same. I want us to come together and LIVE by the word “community” and not just use it to attract followers that we don’t really care about.

When people tell me they’re inspired by me, I just wish I could jump through my screen and hug them. I want to thank you for supporting my little dream. For all of you who reach out or leave comments or tag me in posts or recommend my brushes- THANK YOU. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be grateful and giving me the chance to share what I love with you (and for giving me a little extra money to fund creating things for you guys and maybe a Chick-fil-a meal… or two). Thank you for valuing my opinions, my work, and the community that has become my brand.

Bossy Brushstrokes has truly changed my life in so many ways… and this is still only the beginning. Until next time, stay bossy y’all.