Ask Jordyn (Part 7): Rediscovering the Inner Creative in You

Let's find out how to rediscover the inner creative in you.

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[00:00:00] Tuoyo Eresanara: Oh, yeah. Wow. That's, that's a nice, so I'm hearing the arts in this whole thing.

[00:00:06] So tell us a bit about that, about your journey and what you do. 

[00:00:13] Jordyn Ruiz: Well, I think in a lot of ways, I'm just at the beginning. But let's take a few step backwards. I've always been artistic person. I'm very, I'm, left-handed, I'm very right brained. I loved, I love to engage in the music and the arts. I all through my life I've been, I sort of had.

[00:00:28] Creative tendencies, you know, in this is a story I like to tell to my friends a lot is that when I was in elementary school, about fourth grade I was always known as the girl who draws. And so people would like ask you to draw their favorite superhero or you know, whatever it may be that they liked.

[00:00:44] And I, I would do it for them my friends of course, but it got to a time. And I guess I just like, it was sort of an unconscious sort of response is like, if you pay me in these little, like paper bucks in elementary school, that we went to go get like [00:01:00] toys of the treasure box, I would be like, okay, give me five of those paper bucks and I'll draw you iron man.

[00:01:07] I was already like in this sort of entrepreneurial mindset as a child, it's hilarious slimmed back on, but it got to a point where my teacher told me, Jordyn you can't be the only one getting all the toys of the treasure box. And I was like, I am girl bossy.

[00:01:26] You know, through like all like my schools, like all those years in school, I would, you know, be doing like art little art projects for people and for myself. And then you know, as college sort of rolled around, I silenced that I told myself, you know, I was also told by other people, like, it's just a hobby.

[00:01:47] Like you, you can't really, you can't make money off of it. You can't sustain yourself. And so I had to put on, you know, my sort of like stoic face and realize, okay, I need to choose something else. And I've always [00:02:00] been like, interested in like science. It's always been intriguing to me. I live a learning.

[00:02:05] Like, I truly love the natural pursuit of knowledge. And so I realized, okay, maybe I can, like, I can dive into the other parts of myself and find some, some meaning in and do that. Right. And so I went full throttle into Pre-Med. And completely, I don't think I drew maybe once or twice in all those four years of college.

[00:02:25] And I I've sort of found myself when I was studying for the entrance exam for medical school, the end cap I wanted in the back of my mind, I was like, okay, I'm gonna finish this chapter so I can maybe do a sketch or something because I was, I missed it and like my body and my heart and my soul, like it missed engaging in that creative process.

[00:02:46] And once I started realizing this like, wow, I'm actually looking for something else. I had to kind of come to terms with the reality of like, this is a part of me. And it's not healthy to kind of run away from things [00:03:00] that, you know, you love. And so I, once I faced that big sort of like transition in my life that I wasn't ready to pursue medicine right now, maybe I will in the future, maybe I won't.

[00:03:13] But right now my heart is telling me like, to engage in his creative endeavor. And so now I, I think in a lot of ways, I'm at the beginning of starting this business for myself. I take commissions right now. I do different paintings for people and I'm working on an online store or website for myself with my own original artwork.

[00:03:35] And so it's been a, it's been a journey back to myself that has been filled with a lot of ups and downs, but I feel the most connected. And it almost in like a spiritual way, I feel like, you know, I think God places, certain qualities, talents skills into people in the opportunity to manifest them and create them to become, you know, to honor [00:04:00] him in a lot of ways.

[00:04:01] I think, I think he does because in a lot of ways I didn't choose art. It kind of chose me and just found myself. You know, most aligned when I am in the creative mode, like dad always in calls it Wu way, which is like the sort of effortless action, which is like the flow state. When you're in the flow state.

[00:04:21] You're not thinking of time, you're just engaging and it's hours pass, and you're not really attending to time. And I think that's the most authentic way to be. And when I'm in that sort of drawing art painting mode, that's when I feel the most alive, I remember moments, you know, through the pandemic I would take, I took on a few commissions because I had some extra time and I knew it'd be good for me to kind of engage with that.

[00:04:50] And so there were moments, I felt like the most alive. I was like, I could die right now painting. Right. And with the sun setting right next to me, God smiling on my [00:05:00] shoulder. I felt so good. So it's good to be kind of aware with like what certain things you're doing and how it feels within your body. If you're feeling anxiety about doing something, it's your body's way of telling you, Hey, let's be cautious.

[00:05:15] Let's think before we engage. And, you know, I was in a constant state of stress, like pursuing things, just to validate my existence when it came to academics. And once I stopped and let go of that, I feel like I, I just like, and floating, and I'm just so much more at peace. And, you know, I wish that for everyone, and it doesn't mean like you shouldn't pursue like, you know, certain academic like roles or anything like that.

[00:05:46] It's just like to be aware of yourself and to be aware of what feels good for you and not stress yourself out or put yourself through so much, if it's for the validation of other people or external things. [00:06:00] That is the most, I think terrible thing you can do for your soul. And so for me now, I recognize this within myself, I'm much more wiser and I can , go forward and design a future for myself that is catered to the sort of life I want to live.

[00:06:17] And that is one that is like rooted in authenticity, rooted in what is most important to me. And that's being me. And that is, you know, sort of using maybe the gifts or talents God placed in me to, you know, help other people art does a beautiful thing for others. It brings, a connection. It's, we're always surrounded by something artistic and you know, the feeling I get from creating something for someone and saying it moved them to tears or it, you know, it just brought so much happiness.

[00:06:53] You know, I was chasing that same feeling in different ways, but that weren't authentic to me. And so I'm finally in [00:07:00] alignment with that and it's, it's so freeing. And so I encourage anyone who's, you know, maybe creative and they don't think it matters. Like, trust me, it does. Even if 10 people see it, that's, it doesn't matter about the numbers.

[00:07:15] It's just as much for other people as it is for you. And so here I am, I am trying my best to integrate this part of myself. For sure. Maybe I'm gonna, you know, have a different career down the line. And my I'm incorporating art as also part of me. It's not just silence anymore. It's fundamental to who I 

[00:07:39] am.

[00:07:41] Tuoyo Eresanara: Wow. And come to think of it. Like, I actually didn't know that you, that you were an artist, like you drew on, you painted like all the time, like we're together physically. What is sort of the pictures I'm like, I was like, she's really good. And then I said, having flashbacks, and I said, it's like, it's like the [00:08:00] puzzle started piecing together.

[00:08:01] I remember like you gave someone, gave an art piece out. Was it your Omar that gave that art piece out then one of our meetings? I think so. And then I remember the, the window wars when we painted and I'm like, oh, okay. This is kind of making more sense right now. This is making more sense 

[00:08:27] Jordyn Ruiz: because I just wasn't engaging with that part of myself for all those things.

[00:08:34] We did win. Yes. Such 

[00:08:38] something if we could further post it up. Yeah, 

[00:08:43] yeah. I'll have to look for it, but that was