Hi. I’m Donna.
A highly sensitive creative misfit, walking my own path one step at a time.
HAVE YOU EVER FELT LIKE YOU DON’T QUITE FIT IN? AND NO ONE HAS A CLUE BECAUSE YOU’RE A MASTER OF DISGUISE??
This is me. I struggled with depression and anxiety since childhood, and it taught me early on how to expertly hide my thoughts and emotions. So I grew up keeping much of myself from friends, family, coworkers, anyone, and everyone.
(And I’m betting there are TONS of us out there hiding our true selves.)
Aaand I knew nothing of HSP until I was grown, married, and with kiddo.
I’ve always been a work in progress. Now I know that’s a good thing.
It’s always been easier to share the good, easy, and happy stuff and be accepted. I was afraid to let anyone know I was different, imperfect, or struggling.
Social media magnifies this by being a platform for the perfect, pretty facade life. And because posts are 100% curated to show only what they want us to see, it’s now normalized to only share the good stuff and hide the different or hard stuff (when we might truly benefit from or need support).
I finally realized I was also “editing” my conversations with real-life friends and family. And, over time, this made me feel even more unseen, disconnected, and alone.
But truly, social media doesn’t show the whole picture, and I’m done with the damage it causes. I’m not perfect; there’s no such thing. Life is filled with challenges and heartaches, experiences to learn from, and hidden opportunities to grow. Everything worth doing takes time and effort, and I’m learning to walk my path with confidence and openness – no longer a master of disguise.
This is how it was meant to be! And it’s a good, whole-picture, real-life, always-growing kind of thing…
No More Editing
WHERE DO I START?
As a kid, I excelled at academics and loved brain teasers, playing outside, the library, and books. My imagination was a secret world, and creative thinking and art were magical getaways.
YES TO ME
With a Taiwanese mom whose academic expectations followed the stereotype, I spent my youth seeking parental approval. I finally said yes to ME halfway through college. My art wanted an outlet, and design school was my answer.
PRIORITIZING MENTAL HEALTH
It’s been a long and bumpy road, but I can now better manage my mental health. I’ve struggled with depression, anxiety, perfectionism, OCD, parent-pleasing, caretaking, fear of failure, postpartum, and self-disappointment.
WIFE AND MOM
12 years with my husband, Trevor, and we have our Little D together. Our family adventures in our vintage trailer bring me the greatest joy.
WHERE I’M GOING
I have a few BIG dreams. And I’ll share them with you soon. But my personal, thoughtfully chosen word to live by going forward is: BRAVE.
It’s worth repeating.
We feel more, think more, rock a wiiild imagination, and swim in an ocean of creativity.
I’m using creative journaling to pour off the excess and then make the most of my big surf.
What do YOU want to do with your gift?
Hey there!
Join my MIAB Misfit Mail newsletter, and I’ll send you easy AND imperfect (read “awesome”) journal prompts and creative projects along with my candid, walk-in-my-thoughts notes.
