We’re looking forward to introducing you to Rebecca Bystrom. Check out our conversation below.
Rebecca, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is a normal day like for you right now?
Everyday is different, Variety is the spice of life?
I have learned to adapt and remain in a state of flow from day to day. I have always struggled with staying consistent including sleep. 4 hours is a full night’s rest, instead of fighting it, I had to adapt. I honor those wee hour morning nudges as they arrive; I pull myself out of bed, put on my headphones in a small attempt to maintain theta / delta phases of rest. I enjoy the quiet hours of meditation until I am ready to pull myself up for the day. As I kick back in my recliner, I am listening to the room & the world around me. Channeled messages seep through and have quickly become a daily routine. Journaling & writing daily gratitudes is key to holding onto happiness and maintaining that balanced state of mind throughout my chaotic days.
As the kids wake up, they are self-sufficient for the most part. I can sip coffee and answer questions, set the evening pick up plans & confirm activities that may have gotten overlooked. Our calendar is FULL! With big kids and young kids, school attending teens and homeschooling the young flock. We are finding our groove in the homeschooling department, daily adventures or tucking inside and working through tasks, setting obtainable goals.. I am thankful and humbled that I get to be a mom to 6 amazing kids, between the ages of 22-3 years. They take precedence on top of everything else I can fit into my day. My kids are my biggest lessons and best blessings. The wombfruits sure do know how to keep me moving all day long. As I age, I’m finding the 3am wake up call is relentless and a means of understanding the world around us, and a space for me to find peace; so I can be the peace for my family & others who may cross my path on any given day.
Work is flexible. As a freelance artist / momtreprenuer my work schedule gets tucked into the open pockets of time. Photography = Client sessions, along with dedicated wedding dates and lots of late night editing after everyone is in bed. Musician = daily practice in the morning with my coffee. Artistry happens all day long with impromptu dances and on-call availability for the kids and their needs, creating things on a whim using items we have at home. If I am not working, I find myself living a hermit crab lifestyle, tucked in until someone or something pulls me out of the house. Somehow it all magically works out everyday in the best possible way. I no longer question what I am doing or how to do it. There are times when I may consider myself a “jack of all trades” only because I have never known what I wanted to be when I am grown up. (cheeky humor) I exist and shift as life demands. Life in context: See a need fill a need.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
When I am not mom, I can be found working under a few business names, My title changes daily, but always allows me to fully express my Artist side with love and a place to be me: Free-lance Artist. With a few “different titles”. I wear a variety of hats daily. I use the term shift, pivot wiggle often. This helps me jump from scenarios quickly; adaptability and free-flow inside the day.
Wedding Photography // TellaStory Photography
My first baby business has been my constant for over 20 years. While I navigated a 7 year divorce, I found my visual voice and fell in love over and over again as I learned the industry: listened and watched love stories unfold in front of my eyes. “real life” Perhaps it was my calling? This job has shown me everything I needed to learn, Business and Art. Learning taxes to setting up LLC and working through the COVID years; it’s been a long and winding road on how to grow as a solo-entrepreneur and as a person.
I am forever grateful for this path to exist in and with after all these years, I still love going to work on a long wedding day. I hope to carry this torch forward,I believe including my kids in this business has been the key to success. My oldest runs the photo booth, the younger siblings are eager to take over. My #3 is a lover, she is great as my right hand, helping me adjust and fluff the dress; While letting me show and guide her through the process of the wedding day. My #4 is edging into the co-pilot editing seat. She has her heart set on becoming a graphic designer. I’d say at 14 she is on her way to learning some cool things on the editing platforms! As a parent, it is my job to show my kids how to be resilient and perhaps fearlessness has to be addressed at some point in this adventure.
Rusty Cello + Yellow Chair
I begged my mother to buy a cello, I was 15 at the time. Our small community did not offer much in the orchestra department, I am thankful my mom was able to research and find a private instructor who agreed to take me under her wing. My cello teacher was a blessing, she fostered my love for the oversized beautiful wood instrument. It became my favorite hobby, hosting practice daily in my bedroom. The sound of the dead moo-ing cow could be heard through the open windows in town. My mom boasted about her radiant flower beds; perhaps it was too painful for her to stay inside while I practiced, so she went to the gardens to give me space to play my heartstrings. Thanks mom for all that you do, and all that you are; your continued support and understanding means the world to me: with my parents support I was able to I join a few pit orchestra performances (student life in the trenches), I played in a few pit band theater performances and joined the UMD orchestra, sadly after a good stint, the finicky beast was packed away once kids entered the life stage. Lights out for the cello. After a separation of 10 years. I found my “Trusty Rusty” sitting in the outdoor storage shed where I had left it, my curiosity peeked. I dug it out of the dusty corner and went to work refurbishing my fellow cello. My heartstrings were alive once again. Since the reunion, the sounds never stop: daily practice is a must! I will never go a day without playing my cello; playing the finicky beast helps to keep me on the topside of happy. This is more than a feeling, it’s a way of living. With that break through news, I was gifted a new job title
TellaStory In Joy Light
In the winter of 2023, I found myself in a transitional period. A little unsure of what life needed from me; I worked diligently to gain credentials as a Reiki Master, Art Therapy & Naturopathic Practitioner. I existed, listened, and wandered. I watched for synchronicity and boy the universe responded with something incredibly magical!
My friend April owns In Joy Light located in Luck WI. She had purchased a set of Lemurian Crystal Lights (limited quantities exist: EXCLUSIVE). I may be called crazy if I speak out loud or go on a whim: I do believe these light beams are simply beautiful and hold magical powers to heal us at the soul level. Rapid Transformation at the cellular and neurowave level. Speaking from my past history of C-PTSD, these lights have changed my outlook on life for the better.
The becoming was in the making when April and I were placed together in one time and one location. The past 2 years have been a wild ride of deep dive studying, researching and learning quantum terms: Albert Einstein string theory and String Resonance; Frequency integration; Plus ALL THE Practicing hours, while navigating a new frontier of unknowns: Entanglement, Energetic Cords and Ancient Holistic Practices. As a Reiki Master and frequency artist: my life bucket list would be to heal the world and help everyone “feel whole” while maintaining a happy state of mind, in an organic, natural way of existing. My mission is to show others that pure love does exist when you learn to be still. I am honored to be your guide in this endeavor as we uncover the treasures tucked inside our hearts.
Partnering Lights + Sound with Reiki has changed my life, Healing deep ancestral wounds, working through present conditions, Combining alternative natural ways to mindset shift perspectives is exciting stuff. In my humble opinion, it is the glitter flecks in this life now. Understanding & learning keeps me going.
Life is so delicate and incredibly good. Intricately woven by the masterful universe. I will continue to study and learn from the master teachers before me: I’ve got a long bucket list of things to work on and to continue learning. Energy goes where it is needed most. If Albert Einstein is correct and the future of medicine is in Frequency; I do believe the lights offer a strong point to show us there is magic to be found and uncovered everyday we are alive. Shine your lights and willingly share like a beacon in a lighthouse even when nobody is listening or watching, everything matters in this world.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
The year was 1986 – I had just gotten permission to take one last run down the ski hill. A 5 year old on a mission to follow a “hidden trail” through the woods. We placed skittles on the trail so we could take the same track, Re-run again & again all day long, It was FUN!! Until the last track down the hill; when I lost control and hugged a tree dead center. It knocked me unconscious, I bled out of my eyes and ears; all over the white snow and onto my white bunny hat. Ski helmets were not mandatory in 1986. As I lay there looking up into the trees I could hear my friend shouting for help, it was that point that I was fading in and out of consciousness. The pain was massive; a splitting headache. My eyes closed and I could feel my body lift up into the tree’s. I watched from the tree branches, as the ski patrol loaded my limp body onto the toboggan used to evacuate me off the ski hill. I could sense and feel the splitting pain all over head to toe. I watched from the treetops as the scene unfolded in front of me, I remember trying to get back into my body, only to feel intense pressure in my head behind my eyes, it was too much pain all at once! At that point I left my body once again. I believe now, I astral projected myself up and out so that I could not feel the pain. I was protected by a guardian of grace & love, who sat beside me in the treetops. That was the night of my Near Death Experience. I died at the age of 5. Thankful that I am still alive and lived to talk about it. It has taken me 38 years to uncover this story, C-PTSD head trauma left me wounded at the cellular level. Learning how to overcome this major life obstacle has been an ongoing mission of discovery. And now, it has become a solid teaching lesson to help others understand how delicate and fragile this life can be. Mysteries of the universe decoded.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
Near Death Experience may be the biggest life moment, the recovery after an experience not many will ever understand what one goes through at the time of duress and death. Partnered with the physical injuries: Head Trauma, fractured skull and C-PTSD. I thank my lucky stars every night that I am still alive. Despite the recovery, I love to speak & overshare on this topic.
My divorce is next in line; After surviving a 10 year abusive marriage, I entered into the dark knight of the soul for far too long. Combined with a lifelong skill of self sabotage, I was a wrecking ball out of control. Given my acute sensitivities I’d consider myself a lone wolf, in that I need to experience things before I fully understand WHY. Sometimes those lessons get repeated over and over like a broken record, as if I was fractured into a million pieces pulling myself together one by one waiting for the glue to dry; I have spent my entire life trying to balance myself from the inside out. HOW? I create art. But first the inspiration comes from the outer world around me, turning the ugly energies and pain points into purpose I harvest a strong desire to Paint, Write, Dance, Sing, Hum, Swing from the Trees, find the synchronicity in day to day living, is like giving me a fresh start and new lease on life with every breath I take.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
There is an afterlife and the other side of the veil (heaven?) is incredible!! I can’t wait to go back. Ala’s grateful I have this time now to live and share love. I am ready to help people understand the other side. This time we have, here and now, is the life worth living, showing up, being present, loving each person as ourselves. These are the treasures that I am living for. Sharing is caring, at the very least we have stories to talk about and hopefully we can laugh about later?
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I have become fascinated with Human Behavior. Why are we the way we are, why do we do what we do and the Neurodivergence quirks that make us individuals. While maintaining the collective thought processes. Labels like ADD/ AUHD are just that, a label; they do not define us. We are made to outgrow those titles and evolve.
Let’s go there; just be real. Sometimes reality bites and we are humans having an experience, learning how to balance our oversized emotions here at Earth School. I have been a square peg trying to fit into a round hole my entire life. Once I stopped trying to conform to how society wants me to show up; My world changed: I am allowed to accept and wholeheartedly love me for all my imperfections and hopefully the good I put out. We are all mirrors to each other – strangers show me things when I pass them in the street. Locations share energetic frequencies, I feel things we don’t see. I see things others may not easily see (auras / spirits). I hear messages free flowing around us. Sometimes they are for me, other times they are incoming for others to hear, sent from the other side. Not the things of this earth, rather the ethereal patterns of frequency around us. Basically I have been wired weird, I am fully accepting of my gifts in this life; Even if that leaves me as a social outcast. I know in my heart my soul tribe is out there, eventually we will be reunited.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tellastoryphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tellastoryphotog/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tellastorybbc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Beccahray
- Other: https://tellastoryphotography.com/tellastory-in-joy-light/
https://rcycmusic.com/
Image Credits
All Images were taken by TSP / team
childhood ski image was taken by my mother
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
