We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Annika Wooton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Annika below.
Annika, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I was speaking at a high school a few years ago and a student handed me a sticky note with this quote written on it, and it encompassed so much of what drives me towards my goals. It said, “It’s hard to wait for something you know might never happen, but it’s even harder to give up when you know it’s everything you want.”
She had no idea how much that resonated with me.
See, I’ve always been pretty head-strong, determined, and if I set my sights on a goal – you could bet money I’d make it to the end. Maybe it’s because my parents raised me to believe that if I worked hard, I could achieve whatever I set my mind to. Maybe it’s because I watched my little brother endure brain surgery to try to cure his epilepsy. Or hey, maybe it’s because I’m a red-headed Aries with a fire in my soul to get things done and blaze a path wherever I go.
My biggest story of resilience comes from my 7-year journey competing to become Miss Kansas. It truly is a seven-year-story, but I’ll give you the spark notes version: I competed year after year, effectively “losing” as the panel of judges decided that I wasn’t the one who they wanted for 6 years in a row. That could really eat a person up – and there were absolutely years that I doubted myself and almost didn’t come back. In fact, I thought I aged out on Year 6!
But they bumped up the age range by one year, and lucky number 7 ended up being the year I clenched the title, shooting me towards my dreams of Miss America (where I lost again). The story could end there, but through all of the perceived losses throughout those seven years, I gained so much more than a few “no’s” from some judges I didn’t really know.
I learned so much about myself, what I cared about in the world, and what I brought to the table. So when I was in my tenure as Miss Kansas when the entire world shut down and I was the only person in my state with my job… that resilience showed its face again.
My legacy in that chapter of my life was rooted in resilience and determination, and I think a lot of things led to being able to stand strong in so many moments, but maybe the most important were the folks who chose to be in my corner and support me when things were sparkly and bright and also when things were dull and dark. The people who believed in me from the beginning, and jumped on the train along the way are really who I can look back on and know exactly when they gave me that extra push to take one more step, do it one more time, or chase that crazy big dream of mine.
They’ll still encourage me to chase the crazy big dreams. And I hope that I am that person for others in my life as well – to remind them in the hard times that the good times are just around the corner with a little grit and perseverance.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Oh my goodness, well you’ve caught me at a really exciting moment in my career. I talk a lot about my journey to becoming Miss Kansas because it’s been such a large chapter of my life so far, and within that is also my budding career as a speed painter.
I’ve actually been speed painting since high school – when two of those folks in my corner encouraged me to take the leap and paint live onstage for my entire school. Since then, I spent my tenure as Miss Kansas traveling the state and doing live paintings for charities, events, and schools.
I just signed with PRISM Talent Agency to take my speed painting to the next level and travel the country and the globe as a speed painter, creating live artistic experiences for events, brands, sports teams, and more!
When you think back to kindergarten and what you wrote down in the yearbook of what you wanted to be when you grow up – I always put, “an artist.” But as I grew up, a career in the arts took different forms. I think little me would be in absolute AWE of what I get to do now.
Sometimes it’s still hard to believe that I get to literally create paintings and artistic experiences for folks that blend my love of theater and visual art in perfect symbiosis as a career! I’ve really hit the ground running and I’m so so excited for the upcoming months and to see what kinds of things I get to bring to life on my canvases.
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?
These first two pieces of advice might sound a little contradicting:
1. Never give up
2. Know when it’s time to shift
See..? Contradicting. But let me explain –
If you are working towards something that still makes you a little nervous because you care about it? If it still makes your soul sparkle? If it’s something you just can’t stop thinking about? That’s the thing – keep moving towards it. It doesn’t always have to be massive action, but keep doing the next right thing for you.
Now… if that thing no longer serves you, or no longer holds onto your heart strings? There is no shame in choosing to put down the brushes, give them a good rinse, and start painting on another canvas (to use a personal metaphor). Choosing to shift your focus, or close the door on something that is no longer for you is not the same thing as quitting.
And my last thing is a quote I hold onto from someone I look up to – Deshauna Barber. This goes along the same lines, “Do not fear failure, but please be terrified of regret.”
I think it’s kind of a fancy way of saying, “FOMO,” but it’s gotten me out of a cycle of doubt more than once. You’ll never know unless you try, and that is so magical.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I’m one of those people where you would probably look at my calendar and you think, “How do you even have enough hours in the day..??”
Aka – I do a LOT and that requires a lot of effective time management, but it also requires a lot of boundaries and self-care.
I asked for a big life, so when I start to get overwhelmed with all of the things I have going on, I have a few tools in my belt to help it feel more manageable.
First, breaking things down into lists is really helpful for me. If I can see what needs to get done mapped out on paper, I can start to tackle those tasks in a way that makes sense for the moment. Whether that’s doing little things first to build up momentum, or taking the leap and doing the big scary thing first so I can have more fun with the rest of the things – I try and hack my brain with checklists and rewards systems.
Second, setting boundaries for myself and having reminders that the work will ALWAYS be there. I work a lot from home and on the road, so there’s always work to be done no matter what timezone I’m in. My partner and friends understand I’m a hard worker and they also understand that I will always make time for the people that matter in my life. When it’s time to be with the people I love, I do my best to turn off any distractions and allow myself that quality time to recharge my batteries.
Last is that healthy dose of self-care and working things into my routine that I know will fill my cup without hitting burnout first. I think that’s different for everybody. Right now, my thing is belting out some of my favorite show tunes when nobody’s home or when I’m in the car by myself and making sure I’m drinking enough water. Other times, it’s carving out time for a different kind of art making or dinner dates with friends I haven’t seen in a while. I try to keep a pulse on myself to know what I need as the months cycle through and make sure I’m connected to my people and myself while I balance all the pieces of my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.annikawooton.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annikawooton/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annika.r.wooton
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annikawooton/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@annika.wooton
Image Credits
Photo in the black leather dress: Lillian Rose Photography
