We were lucky to catch up with Lulu Buck recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lulu, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
My 2 sons are my source. I am so used to life dealing me hard situations that I expect it anymore. I am not sure if I am just unlucky or if it is just what life consistently deals me. Resilience now is second nature. I do get tired and so I have to find quiet places to find the resilience to deal with constant situations. I have so many layers of trauma. Providing for my 2 sons is so important to me that I can’t let life hit me too hard to not take care of them.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Being a children’s book author has been very rewarding. I wrote a book, “Sue’s Sky” and Spanish Edition “El Cielo de Susana”, about acceptance and inclusion through the metaphors of skies. I wrote an entire curriculum that goes with it in teaching safe spaces, bias, bullying, and identity. The best part about the curriculum is “Painting Your Sky” where I ask kids a series of questions about who they are, and why they want people to accept them. Then through the creative process of art, we paint those identities in the form of a sky. I have really bonded with many people by doing events with districts, schools, teachers, parents, and libraries. Teaching everyone about being kind and accepting of one another through my book and work has been very fun. My website is lulubuck.org – there you can order the book and get all the lessons. The curriculum is on the “Workshops Available” page.
These books have taken me on many adventures. I have truly enjoyed being in classrooms, libraries, parent nights, daycares, and conferences all over the state. I just returned from doing an educational tour with the Mwebaza Foundation in Uganda. There I got to read my book and paint with over 600 students and teachers. It was a life-changing experience. It is humbling that so many people and kids have reached out in how much of a difference it has made for them. I wrote it to make a difference. I wrote it to spread love. I wrote it to forgive myself in some of my own judgments I had in the past and because of this book, I am at peace with growing to the human being I am today.
This book has just been out 2 years and I can’t wait for the many more adventures it will take me on.
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?
My ability to work saved me. After losing my husband I was really lost. Writing a children’s book grounded me and gave me a different kind of focus. Without the project of writing, I would have just concentrated on the grief. Concentrating on work is a great coping mechanism. There has to be balance. You can’t overwork yourself, but you find something completely different to take your mind off. I did random jobs for a little while. They were new and I had to learn. The learning took me away from grief. I worked at a painting studio teaching class, which I thought was something I would never do. I then opened up a jewelry business, which forced me to interact with people when I didn’t want to. With grief, I just wanted to isolate and cry, but I forced myself to do things that I would have never done to save myself from the darkness. Today, I don’t do any of those things and I can concentrate on my career again. I love where I am at now. I work a ton, but it is more concentrated on my work again and not so random. Second, is my gratitude and to enjoy the smallest things in life. It is very easy to focus on the things we want, but to truly enjoy what is currently in front of you can bring a ton of joy to your life. My 2 sons have saved me more than they will ever know. They kept my focus to survive on providing for them. Their mere presence and noise in the house are such a gift. My cup of coffee every morning is a huge blessing. I have to practice gratitude to bring in the focus for the day. I am grateful for my kids, and for the house I live in, I have a car, food, water, clothing, pets, all of it.
Lastly, I am thankful that I can strategize, personally and professionally. Knowing when to wait, and when to jump on the next move, all of that is super important in the road to success.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I paint. I am an artist and my therapy lately has been my paintbrush. The last 2 paintings I cried and thought the entire time I painted them. I painted my pain, frustrations, anger, and life experiences. When I was done, I was exhausted, but when I woke up the next day I felt new. Finding something or somewhere where you can be raw with yourself is better than any therapist. The things I paint are things that I can’t control. When I paint them I let it control me for just that painting and when I’m done I am able to let it go. Every painting lately has been related to what I am going through. I don’t paint for everyone but my own mental health. I’ve been getting into watercolor because it is easier to pack it in my purse or car and when I need just a little mental break, I’ll sit in my car for 10 minutes and think about what I will paint next, I sketch it to watercolor a sketch of it and am I good to go the rest of the day until I get home. If it is a really bad day, at the end of the day I’ll paint for an hour before bed so I can get my brain, anxiety, and depression to calm down.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lulubuck.org/
- Instagram: lulubuckster
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BucksBooksConsulting
- Linkedin: Lourdes Lulu Buck
- Twitter: @c_lu_lu
Image Credits
Pictures taken by Lulu herself and her friends and colleagues. I own all rights to these photos.
