Meet Dun Milhouse

We were lucky to catch up with Dun Milhouse recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dun, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

SINCE I WAS A KID I WAS A LONER AND IN CONSTANT PAIN EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE. I DIDN’T FEEL LIKE I CONNECTED WITH ANYONE OR “FIT IN”, EVEN WHEN IT CAME TO MY FAMILY. I WAS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE “WEIRD OR UNIQUE” COMPARED TO THOSE IN MY ENVIRONMENT. I ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW HOW OR WHY THINGS WORKED THE WAY THEY DID. BE IT ELECTRONICS OR TOOLS, ANIMALS, NATURE, HUMANS AND THEIR MINDS, ETC.. I WANTED TO KNOW EVERYTHING. I DIDN’T LIKE LARGE GROUPS, LOUD MUSIC AND NOISE OR PARTIES. WHERE I LIVED, THAT WAS THE NORM.
THE PAIN CAME FROM CHRONIC MIGRAINES THAT ARE PRESENT 24/7. I’VE NEVER HAD A DAY THAT I CAN REMEMBER WHERE I DIDN’T HAVE ONE. IT WASN’T UNTIL I WAS 22 YEARS OLD THAT I LEARNED OF MY CONDITION AND TRIED TO GET TREATMENT. MY FAMILY NEVER THOUGHT IT WAS A SERIOUS MATTER GROWING UP. IT WAS ALWAYS, “MAN UP, STOP WHINING AND SHAKE IT OFF… AIN’T NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU!”, TYPE OF RESPONSE.
LATER IN LIFE I LEARNED THAT 1-2.2% OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD HAVE A CHRONIC MIGRAINE DIAGNOSIS. THAT’S A VERY SMALL NUMBER WHEN YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT. AND WITH THAT, I DON’T KNOW IF THERE’S ANYONE LIKE ME WHOSE PAIN NEVER SUBSIDES. ON A PAIN SCALE FROM 1-10, EVERY DAY I WAKE UP IT’S AT A 10. SOMETIMES AFTER AN HR OR SO IT GOES DOWN TO ABOUT A 6-7. OR SOME DAYS IT STAYS AT A 10. AND WITH THAT, I HAVE YET TO FIND ANY RELIEF. THUS FAR NO MEDICATIONS I’VE TRIED DO ANYTHING, AND I’VE TRIED ALL OF THEM LITERALLY. SO I JUST HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT THE BEST I CAN.
THIS IS HOW MY RESILIENCE CAME TO BE. I MANAGED TO ACCOMPLISH ALOT WHILE ENDURING CHRONIC PAIN EVERY SINGLE DAY. I GREW UP RATHER POOR AND IN ROUGH AREAS EARLY ON, DEALT WITH ALOT OF ABUSE AS A CHILD, PLAYED SPORTS AT A HIGH LEVEL, WAS ALWAYS AN “A” STUDENT FROM GRADE SCHOOL TO COLLEGE, AM THE PERSON PEOPLE GO TO FOR LIFE ADVICE OR ENCOURAGEMENT…
I HAD ALOT OF ODDS TO OVERCOME, STILL DO. EVEN AT THIS VERY MOMENT MY LIFE WAS COMPLETELY SHIFTED. JUST 2 WEEKS AGO THE WOMAN I’VE BEEN WITH SINCE I WAS 19 DECIDED TO LEAVE ME AT MY LOWEST POINT. THAT KIND OF PAIN IS INDESCRIBABLE, BUT LIKE ALWAYS I HAVE TO MOVE ON.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I AM VERY QUIET AND KEEP TO MYSELF. I DON’T LIKE BIG CROWDS BUT I AM A PEOPLE PERSON TO A CERTAIN EXTENT. I’VE ALWAYS BEEN SELF SUFFICIENT WHICH CAME FROM GROWING UP WITH VERY LITTLE. MY FAMILY DIDN’T HAVE MONEY TO WASTE ON ANYTHING THAT WASN’T DEEMED A NECESSITY SO IF I WANTED SOMETHING, I HAD TO WORK AND GET IT MYSELF. WITH THAT, I DEVELOPED A STRONG SENSE OF IMAGINATION WHICH EXPANDED MY LEVEL OF CREATIVITY. AT 4 YEARS OLD THAT CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION WAS EXPRESSED THROUGH DRAWING.
FAST FORWARD TO THE AGE OF 22, MY CAREER IN COLLEGE, SPORTS AND THE WORK FORCE CAME TO AN ABRUPT HALT DUE TO MIGRAINES AND SEIZURES. I HAD TO FIND A WAY TO HELP SUSTAIN THE BASICS OF LIFE. MY GIRLFRIEND AT THE TIME WAS THERE TO HELP ME GET THROUGH IT AS WELL. I SPENT 5 YEARS GOING THROUGH MEDICAL SETBACKS WHERE I LOST MY ABILITY TO WALK, TALK, SEE AND HAD TO LEARN THESE THINGS ALL OVER AGAIN.
I THEN BEGAN USING MY ART AND CREATIVE SKILLS TO BRING IN INCOME. SO WHEN I NEEDED MONEY I PUT MY SKILLS TO THE TEST AND STARTED PAINTING ON CANVASES, CREATED A CLOTHING BRAND AND OFFERED CREATIVE SERVICES AS MUCH AS I COULD TO BRING IN EXTRA FUNDS. I RECEIVE DISABILITY BENEFITS, BUT AS MANY MAY KNOW IT’S NOWHERE NEAR ENOUGH TO SUSTAIN A DECENT QUALITY OF LIFE, ESPECIALLY WITH HOW EXPENSIVE THE WORLD IS NOW. ART HAS BEEN HUGE IN KEEPING ME AFLOAT.
I DECIDED TO CALL MY ART BRAND “THE 4GOTTEN1S”. I LOVE NOSTALGIA AND THINGS MANY PEOPLE FORGET ABOUT SUCH AS MOVIES, CARTOONS, INFORMATION, PAST & CURRENT EVENTS, ETC. I TAKE THOSE THINGS AND RECREATE THEM IN THE FORM OF PAINTING AND DRAWING.
I GREW UP FEELING LEFT OUT OR FORGOTTEN ABOUT, BUT THAT DIDN’T MEAN I WASN’T IMPORTANT, HENCE MY ART NAME. WHILE SOME THINGS MAY NOT ALWAYS BE ON THE FRONT OF OUR MINDS, THEY STILL ARE PART OF THE BUILDING BLOCKS THAT MADE US WHO WE ARE TODAY.
AS TIME WENT ON I LEARNED THAT SELLING PAINTINGS ISN’T ALWAYS EASY. NOT EVERYONE HAS A NEED FOR ART. I THEN THOUGHT ABOUT APPAREL. EVERYONE WEARS CLOTHES, SO WHY NOT TRANSITION MY ARTWORK TO CLOTHING. AN ORIGINAL ART PIECE CAN COST THOUSANDS, BUT A SHIRT WITH THE SAME DESIGN CAN BE SOLD FOR $25 OR SO. ALTHOUGH IT’S NOT THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY, I’M STILL ABLE TO DISPLAY MY ARTWORK AND GRAB ATTENTION.
CREATING DESIGNS FOR ART AND APPAREL IS SOMETHING I LOVE DOING, BUT IT CAN STILL BE VERY DIFFICULT TO DO WITH THE AMOUNT OF PAIN I’M IN REGULARLY.
ONE DAY I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT MORE NATURAL REMEDIES TO HELP WITH MY PAIN INSTEAD OF TAKING PILLS FROM DOCTORS THAT DIDN’T WORK. I REMEMBERED STUDYING MARIJUANA BENEFITS WHILE IN COLLEGE AND LEARNING HOW IT HELPS WITH SO MANY THINGS. I PERSONALLY TRIED IT MYSELF, BUT THAT WASN’T A SOLUTION EITHER.
SUDDENLY MY CREATIVITY TURNED ON AGAIN: “WHAT IF I CREATE A WEED CARTOON CHARACTER THAT REPRESENTS A DIFFERENT STRAIN OF MARIJUANA THAT HAS HEALING PROPERTIES FOR ITS SUPER POWERS? I MEAN, EACH STRAIN HAS DIFFERENT HEALING BENEFITS…”. MY FIRST CHARACTER WAS “BUBBA KUSH”. I SKETCHED IT OUT, PUT HIM ON A T SHIRT AND EXPLAINED WHAT HE WAS, THEN BOOM! SO MANY PEOPLE BOUGHT INTO IT. I THEN CALLED THAT BRAND, “THE HIGHBRIDZ”. NOW I HAVE MANY DIFFERENT CHARACTERS AND GAINED A PRETTY DECENT AMOUNT OF TRACTION WHEN IT COMES TO SELLING HOODIES, SHIRTS AND SWEATSUITS WITH MY CHARACTERS ON THEM, ALONG WITH MESSAGES OF POSITIVE HEALTH PRACTICES WITH NATURAL MEDICINES AND HIGHLIGHTING BENEFITS THEY PROVIDE FOR A MULTITUDE OF AILMENTS. I KNOW THERE’S SOMEONE OUT THERE THAT IS ENDURING THE SAME THINGS AS ME. MAYBE BY DOING THIS I’LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE RELIEF AND/OR HELP FOR OTHERS.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I CANNOT SUM IT UP WITH 3 QUALITIES OR SKILLS. THERE ARE SO MANY ASPECTS TO GETTING THROUGH THE JOURNEY OF LIFE. AND HOW I HANDLE THINGS MAY NOT WORK FOR OTHERS. BUT IF I HAD TO PUT IT ALL INTO WORDS THAT DESCRIBE HOW I’M MANEUVERING THROUGH IT ALL, I’D SAY I DO A GOOD JOB OF MANAGING MY EMOTIONS. I UNDERSTAND THAT MY FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS WILL CHANGE BASED ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES. SO I ALLOW MYSELF TO SIT WITH THE GOOD AND THE BAD FEELINGS FOR A SHORT PERIOD BEFORE MAKING A DECISION. MAKING CHOICES ON TEMPORARY EMOTIONS COULD CAUSE PERMANENT PROBLEMS. THINK BEFORE ACTING.
HERE IS WHAT I SAY TO MYSELF (AND THIS IS NO EXAGGERATION):
“IF YOU DIDN’T DIE, IT AIN’T THAT BAD… AND IF YOU DID DIE YOU PROBABLY WOULDN’T KNOW ANYWAY… BUT IF YOU WERE AWARE THAT YOU DIED, JUST HOPE IT’S NOT HOT WHEREVER YOU GO AFTER THIS” LOL.
IT’S FUNNY TO SAY, BUT I LEARNED THAT HUMOR HELPS GET PEOPLE THROUGH HARD TIMES.
FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. AND IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT IS, IT’S OK. NONE OF US KNOW HOW TO HANDLE EVERYTHING. SEEK HELP FROM A FRIEND, FAMILY, THERAPIST, ETC.. DO NOT LET YOUR PRIDE OR EGO CONTROL YOU.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

MY BIGGEST AREA OF IMPROVEMENT HAS BEEN TAKING CARE OF MYSELF. I HAVE ALWAYS, ALWAYS BEEN ONE TO PUT MY FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS TO THE SIDE FOR THE BETTERMENT OF OTHERS… I THEN REALIZED THAT DOING SO CAUSED ALOT OF DAMAGE TO MYSELF AND THAT I WAS ENABLING OTHERS.
WHEN I BEGAN PUTTING MY FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS FIRST, I SAW A COMPLETE SHIFT IN ONE PARTICULAR RELATIONSHIP AS WELL AS THE CARING SIDE OF OTHERS.
MY ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP BEGAN TO FAIL. I ALSO LEARNED HOW IMMATURE AND DISRESPECTFUL PEOPLE COULD BECOME WHEN THEY DON’T GET THEIR WAY. ACCOUNTABILITY CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR SOME. IT ULTIMATELY CAUSED LONG TERM RELATIONSHIPS TO END. WHILE THIS HAS BEEN A TOUGH TRANSITION, I AM LEARNING TO OPENLY RECEIVE HELP. I NEVER KNEW HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY CARED ABOUT ME UNTIL I ENDURED THESE HARDSHIPS. THE LOVE AND SUPPORT I WASN’T RECEIVING IN MY HOME IS NOW BEING SHOWN THROUGH THE FEW FRIENDS I HAVE, AS WELL AS STRANGERS I’VE MET NAVIGATING THROUGH THIS PARTICULAR JOURNEY.
THIS HAS BY FAR BEEN THE HARDEST TIME IN MY LIFE BECAUSE I LOST SO MUCH AND FEEL SOMEWHAT ABANDONED BY SOMEONE I LITERALLY DID EVERYTHING FOR. TO BE LEFT TO FACE THE WORLD ALONE WHILE AT YOUR LOWEST POINT PHYSICALLY DUE TO HEALTH REASONS AS WELL AS MENTALLY… I CAN’T DESCRIBE HOW DEVASTATING IT IS. EVERY SINGLE DAY I WAKE UP NAUSEOUS AND CARRY THIS FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN. BUT I STILL GET UP AND TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS THE BEST WAY I KNOW HOW.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/4gotten1s
• Other: Instagram.com/thehighbridz
  (My Marijuana clothing brand)