We recently had the chance to connect with Leo Bird and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Leo, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I work out by rock climbing, record myself climbing with a tripod, and email my family the videos of myself climbing. I do not know how well I will do on the route ahead of time as it is improvised. The videos are how I unintentionally inspired my niece to be a rock climber. When she climbs on the playground, she says, “Like Uncle Leo!” I followed up with her with a story about my experience rock climbing she enjoyed.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My graphic memoir in progress, The Words He Cannot Say, is a true story about fitting in, building talent and character, and autism, as I have autism. The Words He Cannot Say is losing the autism theme as I am learning that my struggles are more common amongst people without autism than I thought. Statistics that motivate me to share stories are that more than half of high schoolers are unprepared for college and third of Americans are lonely, although the latter statistic should be higher as there are people who do not realize they could be living more enriching social lives than they do now. Loneliness has health effects as deadly as smoking, obesity, and alcoholism, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, premature death, depression, suicide, anxiety, premature death, and dementia. I advise audiences to join clubs and find jobs to get to know their peers and talk to them while they are there instead of being silent.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Before I wrote The Words He Cannot Say, I thought I was the only person who struggled to fit in, that those challenges were related to autism. But when I learned how to communicate by telling a true story, I was surprised to learn that people who read my stories had the same challenges fitting in as me. When starting college, I felt my peers were stubborn, but people who paid attention to my stories were more willing to listen to me when I gave a speech than while having a conversation. But after graduating college, I believe a few lifestyle changes I made, such as taking work more seriously and learning how to be more outgoing, improved my reputation and quality of life.
I did not believe that I had many friends in college. But after graduating, I learned that there were classmates and teachers who enjoyed my company. It may not have been possible for them to communicate their feelings about me.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
My lack of success in job interviews early in my job search taught me to take work more seriously. I did this by working overtime, volunteering to supervise children of single parents in The Single Parenthood Provision and kids with special needs in the Special Needs Ministry to learn how to work with kids and students, and writing about work related experiences and the job interview question “What made you choose this job?”. To do well in a job interview, you have to talk about your achievements, and recruiters can see through lies, so volunteering helped me acquire those achievements. If I get fired, it is up only to me to find a job, and it is not a guarantee that I will succeed in a job interview, so it is important to keep a positive attitude at work.
Receiving negative criticism in 8th grade and college may have inspired my opposition to the term “annoying people”, as I knew what is was like to be disliked and not listened to. Receiving supportive comments from classmates my other classmates disagreed with encouraged me to keep an open mind to the friends I chose. Taking advice that I initially disagreed with and succeeding with it encouraged me to be more open minded. Suggesting ideas in my stories that went against my peers’ beliefs and succeeding with them boosted my self esteem.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I am committed to distributing The Words He Cannot Say. The Ankeny Art Center in Ankeny, Iowa, said they were impressed by my intent, even though they chose not to display my art, which means I am on the right career field because recruiters make hiring decisions through the job interview question “What made you choose this job?” I am motivated by the high success rate of getting accepted in art galleries. My peers were interested in the topic of fitting in and autism.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
If I retired, my coworkers would miss my work ethic, willingness to cheer people on, and work with people I disagree with. I am the only performer in my open mic scene who uses drawings, and those drawings are popular with audiences. I am also the only artist who accompanies his drawings with text stories. My peers say my stories are uplifting.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://leobirdstandsup.com
Image Credits
The photographer of the tent photo was Anthony Arroyo.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
