Meet Jeremy Carr

 

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeremy Carr. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jeremy, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

My mental health journey has been one of the most challenging, disorienting, nauseating, & eye-opening of my life! It has also been the most educational, empowering, and given me a much more open mind. I suffer from abandonment, ADHD, Manic and Clinical depression, and anxiety that regularly test my patience and mood all while being Disorganized/Fearful-Avoidant Attachment. These conditions took several years; to more or less half my life to uncover; I’m 37 currently. I’m still seeking to understand them and there have been infinite times when I’ve fallen down and come close to giving up. Other times I’ve used logical, critical thinking and observations to push myself past my limits to function how society says I “should” be functioning and anything to maintain an appearance of normalcy. However, I’ve had to learn how to unconditionally accept myself where I am in life and use solicitude and heart to direct myself in the direction where I want to go and see myself heading. I’ve had to learn how to be vulnerable which was no easy task and with the right people to assemble support when I felt my mind was wearing thin-while maintaining those people around me, my environment, and refusing to turn my back on my own beliefs. Mental health is confusing to say the least; which makes it difficult to maintain an image of success while still living in a world of black and grey emotions. The only way out and how I’ve learned is to look past quick fixes and observe others in many aspects of my life and strive for controlled maintainable balance. So if it takes you half your life or till you’re 70 to gain self knowledge, then that’s fine.

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?

I’m a general manager, photographer, brand ambassador, and well rounded business owner in the St. Louis area. I enjoy people and the ways I can contribute to people’s lives via public service. It’s a career that keeps my scattered brain stimulated and my love for collaboration alive. My favorite thing in my general manager position is to be apart of someone’s “first job” and I’m not easy to say the least; because I put real expectations on them. As far as photography goes, I am currently in collaboration with a locally owned studio where I shoot anything from events to individual and do some coaching. I appreciate that photography has allowed me to narrate relatable experiences for an audience; hopefully impacting their day for the better. It’s also an incredibly unique form of self-expression for me. I get to use my imagination with different characters and scenarios. It requires me to externalize my internal observations, understandings, and bring unconscious thoughts to light. Brand ambassadorship allows a similar release as I can use these skills to bring happiness and help others whether it’s saving money or spreading awareness. More recently I have begun a chauffeuring business using custom golf carts during the Cardinals home games and helping any festivals, events, and even weddings who may need transportation or marketing services.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Two of many areas of knowledge that I think are critical for anyone on a self-development journey are knowledge of oneself and knowledge of problem solving. In addition to being incredibly adaptable, determined, and willing to put in the work. Being able to break problems down serves me in every way imaginable. It makes me a better employee, conversationalist, entrepreneur, and in general a better human. Anytime I’ve felt the need to give up it was because I could see the light but only seemed I was getting closer; kind of like walking on an escalator going the opposite direction. Combining these skills helps me admit when I am unable to complete a task or to momentarily come back to it. It’s like being stuck on a boss fight in a video game for 5 days and coming back to it on day 6 and conquering it. Doing so might convince someone to give up, but it’s actually a necessary step to not have to abandon a goal. After all, it isn’t until you can admit your current limitations that you can begin identifying a way to realize whatever it is you want to achieve.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

I highly suggest and recommend finding a balance; I feel being a “jack of trades” will benefit you. It’s a great feeling being comfortable in your strengths and operate in a capacity you feel strong and confident in. I wouldn’t abandon my knowledge as a photographer to focus on modeling on a whim, for example. To do so would put the client I am working with at a disadvantage because knowing how to use three key settings on a camera isn’t going to help them pose and simply frustrate me when trying to produce the best image.

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