We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ra’Von Simone Crawford a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ra’Von Simone, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
In order to overcome anything, you first need to accept it. Whatever it is. In the past, things were difficult for me because I simply could not figure out what was “wrong.” Loneliness and depression accompanied the anxiety I knew I had. After a big push from my wife, I spoke with a psychologist, and along with being diagnosed with GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), there was another colossal blow that changed the game in understanding myself and trying to gain control of my mental health.
Finding out I was autistic in July of last year was both a welcome relief and the biggest blow to life I thought I could ever have. I was 32, and thought that I knew who I was, mostly. Then it was as if suddenly I had to relive my entire life with this new information about myself. It forced me to really look at my family, my friends, and all I had been through in a different light. Why was that specific time period so difficult for me? Why was I not able to really pay attention in class? Why do I feel so strongly about the smallest of things? Having to take a step back and truly understand who I am outside of who I thought I was, was the biggest challenge.
I could overcome the harsh reality of what I had been through by being kinder to myself and having patience, which is necessary in overcoming anything. In this life, they will tell you that everything is fast pace and time is running out. The reality is that things happen, and we have all the time in the world to figure them out so long as we are willing to do the work. Issues related to mental health are at an all-time high and you are the only one who can help yourself, even if you have a family and a support system. The bulk of overcoming anything must come from you and you alone.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
To pay the bills, I run my family owned ice cream shop, Jean’s Ice Cream. It’s like an ice cream truck, but a physical store. Some would also say better. Jkjk. We serve almost 40 different flavors of ice cream; we have specialty cakes, Philadelphia Water Ice, nachos, chili Fritos, and chili dogs.
It’s challenging and rewarding to take over something your father took over and watch it continue to thrive 33 years later. The most appealing thing about working for yourself is the luxury of freedom. I will say that self- employment is not for the weak. Besides the elements of freedom, it also has challenges like never having a day off, and being at the mercy and will of not having a set routine for the day. If employees slack off or call off, it’s your responsibility to make sure everything continues to operate smoothly. Owning your own business is a beautiful thing that is chaotic in nature.
Jean’s Ice Cream is located at 8442 S. Normandie Ave. Los Angeles, Ca, 90044
Outside of the ice cream shop, I focus on what I like to call “PPP”, which are my creations. A fusion of poetry, painting, and photography. Creating is what truly allows me to break away from the hustle and bustle of being a business owner. There’s something magnetic in being able to create and connect with not only yourself, but others through art.
The most enjoyable aspect of creating is how it helps me find peace of mind when I’m fully engaged. No matter what I have to do on a daily, it’s important to make those connections to self in order to release the chaos of everyday life. I try to do an aspect of each one every day. I’ll wake up and write some poetry, whether it’s on paper or on a canvas. When I take my dog for a walk, I’ll also bring the Nikon and snap whatever moves me. Then, anytime I have a spare moment where I want my mind to be free, the paintbrush comes out. Positively PPP.
In the Spring, I’m planning on updating my site with hand painted merchandise and more paintings. I just want to truly share The Colorful Creator with anyone willing to see.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
There are so many things that affected my journey to where I am today, both mentally and spiritually. One of the main things I had to remember was to not let outside forces take me away from my purpose and the visions that I have for my life’s plan. It’s a lot easier to get off track than it is to stay on, and understanding what is for you and isn’t, and who is for you and isn’t, plays a big part in staying on the right course.
My creativity was also a motivator in my journey. It’s influenced because, as you’re changing, so do the things you love and the way you love. My writing has changed over time in how it elevated from pain to prosperity. When I’m taking photographs, I’m more conscious about the story I want to tell with how I edit and crop my pictures. My painting are raw reflections of how I feel in the moment versus before when I was truly trying to create a certain niche to fit in.
I also think not trying to stay on a specified timeline has helped me tremendously in this journey I’m on. With my autism, routine is a big part in how I live my day to day. But life will teach you that when you try to maintain a timeline, it almost always never goes the way you expect. Unlearning that time is of the utmost importance was a big factor in moving forward on this journey. You learn you have only a little time, which isn’t the case. There is so much time, so long as you make it work for you. There will have to be sacrifices and a change of your mindset, but there is truly time for everything that we want to do in life.
If I had to give advice to someone on their journey, I would encourage them to stick with it and to get some rest. We think we can function and move and give our all to things when we’re tired, and that is simply not the case. But sticking to what your goals are and making sure you get enough rest to see it through to the end is the best advice I can give.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
My biggest area of growth has been my confidence and my consciousness. It’s sometimes hard to look back and see how I was the reason for a lot of the things I felt about myself, especially the bad. Your thoughts can really manifest into so much, and if you’re constantly thinking down on yourself or playing into scenarios where you’re not the most favored, it can negatively affect many facets of your life. The strength I had in making sure the voice I heard was my own positively created a shift in my art and work ethic.
Hollywood and social media will have you thinking confidence is an easy feat to conquer, but it’s harder than it looks for the everyday individual. It takes a lot of digging internally to find out the root cause of many things before you can truly come forth and say, ‘I love myself exactly as I am and that I am confident in the person I truly am.’
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ravonsimonecrawford.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ravonsimonecrawford/
- Other: https://ravonsimonecrawford.myportfolio.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jeansicecream/
Image Credits
Zepora Moore
