Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Leo Bird. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Leo, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
My project The Words He Cannot Say initially started when I wrote apologies to my parents when I got into trouble in college, but these stories did not take off. But in an interview for an internship for interns with disabilities (as I have autism), the interviewer suggested I could be someone who educates people about autism. I thought I could do that by telling true stories using the techniques of J D Salinger, Ernest Hemingway, and F Scott Fitzgerald I learned in my Writing Short Stories class.
When I shared my stories, readers had experienced the same things I had, so I allowed The Words He Cannot Say to lose the autism theme. I discovered ways to make processes more efficient and effective. Fitting in was a topic that my readers found interesting. Sharing stories with readers was a learning experience for me and they helped me identify parts of my day that I was struggling with.
Statistics that motivate me to write are that more than half of high schoolers are unprepared for college, half of Americans are shy, a third of Americans are lonely (although this statistic should be higher because there are people who do not realize they could be living more enriching social lives than they do now), and 85 % of people with autism are unemployed. Facts that motivate me to write are that loneliness is as harmful as smoking, alcoholism, and obesity, doing well at work is a serious matter, other people may not feel as comfortable sharing secrets with others, people with autism feel the need to mask (suppress their autism symptoms), and other people with autism may not have as strong of a support group as me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I write and draw not because I am a fan of a genre, actor, or artist, but to support a cause. My stories are life becoming art instead of art imitating life. For example, if someone told me I was patient, I would write traits that make someone patient and times I was patient. I also write about times when either I or someone else did either a good or bad job handling a situation, or a situation where that was happy or sad but could not put my finger on it. Exploring questions like “Why are people mean?” interest me.
The most exciting part of being a motivational speaker is the compliments I get from my work, like how it is uplifting. Having the support of my family and friends is important, but receiving compliments from strangers means more because they have no obligation to support me, especially if they are a juror of a competition. My stand up comedy teacher told me if an audience member said something specific they liked from my story, that means it is genuine, and that has happened to me before.
I am currently focused on expanding my audience by applying for art exhibits and comedy shows.
Here is a link to my artist website that lists my achievements, offers more description of my motivational speaking, has links to articles about me, and photos of me at art exhibits and comedy shows. https://leobirdstandsup.com
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?
Being able to deflect mean comments was an important skill in writing stories. Patience and not giving up on an idea helps with this. Joining organizations to increase the number of friends with different opinions to consider helps too. Some people think sharing secrets about their life is scary, but I feel more comfortable sharing my life onstage than when I am having a conversation with someone because people are more likely to listen to me onstage than in a conversation.
“What made you choose this job?” is a job interview question that recruiters make hiring decisions on, so you need to study your career carefully before deciding on it. I advise you to choose a career you have experience with. You might have a relative, friend, or teacher who is familiar with a career and can identify traits you have that would be good for that career. Maybe you have a disability, were homeless, or exposed to global warming and you could help people who are struggling in these areas. Those are not the only things you could be exposed to, I am just giving examples
Keeping a positive attitude at work is also important, and avoid doing the minimum amount of homework. Academic clubs like Physics Club are not for nerds. My boss would not like it if I complained about the work I had to do, as the job would not get done. Getting good grades in school are important, as there are safety precautions and conflict resolution skills to attend to at work.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
First, you should not lose your temper. Then ask yourself, “Is this task really that bad?” and keep an open mind to new techniques that may seem stupid to you. Think about what are the important things in life and what can be done later. For example, I got surprised with overtime at work one week. I had intended to perform at open mics then, but I realized it could wait until next week. My boss would not be happy if I did not do the overtime and performed at the open mics instead.
Another time my parents and grandma asked me to watch the dogs at their house when they were gone. I was reluctant to do so because I had set my sleep schedule to go to bed when I came home from work in the morning, as I worked from 10 pm to 6:30 am, and I did not think I could stay awake for the drive. But when I took a Lyft ride to my parents’ house, I realized it was not that bad. And my grandma left a note thanking me and gave me money.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://leobirdstandsup.com
