Meet Ra’Von Simone Crawford

We recently connected with Ra’Von Simone Crawford and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ra’Von Simone, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

I overcame imposter syndrome by loving myself as is, after first having to reintroduce myself to that person. Overcoming is so hard to do when you have spent your entire life pretending to be someone you are not. But the prominent part about the result is that once you know, you know, and you set boundaries with those around you, to never become the person who hides ever again. 

I attribute the removal of “the imposter” to my autism diagnosis. At the ripe old age of 32, a psychologist gave me an official diagnosis after years of me struggling to figure out what was going on in my mind. Why things were so hectic both out in the physical world and in my psyche? One of the parting lessons I took from that day in mid-July was when the doctor told me, “You didn’t just get autism mysteriously. You’ve had it all your life and are just now finding out.” 

With this information, I realized, somewhere along the road in my childhood, my brain switched off. I became comfortable in knowing I wasn’t good enough because that was what I was told or shown. When I had accomplishments, nobody celebrated them but overshadowed them with the idea that I had to do more or take the next step. As soon as I met my family at the reception after graduating with my bachelor’s degree, they bombarded me with the question of when I would pursue my master’s degree. Got that, and of course, I’m being pressed about a doctorate. 

So here I am constantly living with this thought that I’ll always be striving for more, so what I’ve already done doesn’t matter or deserve recognition. And if that’s how things are, then there is no need for me to feel accomplished. There is no reason I should celebrate my wins, because it’s time to move on to the next major accomplishment. 

Understanding that I was masking so much of myself has been a key part in changing my mind and realizing the true parameters of my success. Like, I’m really out here doing the damn thing despite everything that was stacked up against me. I hold a Bachelor’s and MBA degree (although I resisted the pressure to pursue a Doctorate; I thought about it extensively). I have also self-published nearly two dozen literary works and exhibited my artwork and photographs in galleries. 

At some point I dug deep and told myself, you are more than the things you have been told about yourself. You are the epitome of love and light in this world. And you should never allow others to dim that for you. Never. 

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?

Lately, outside of running Jean’s Ice Cream, I’ve been writing a lot more and stepping into my “I’m taking photos on the daily” era. As a creator, I think the release and relief in creating is what makes it so exciting. There are no rules and in the creative world, you are the master of your own destiny. 

It’s been a thrilling experience with photography because I can do so much of it from the comfort of my home instead of having to go out in public. When you’re out, people want to converse a lot about what you’re doing, what kind of camera you have, whether you can take their picture, etc. I found at the time it was taking me out of the moment, causing me to be overwhelmed, and sometimes making me upset. Now, I’m truly embracing the fact that making connections and learning more about people and things around me is how it’s done. So when I’m up for it, I go on photo excursions outside of my backyard. 

I’ve also been writing a lot more with a lot more depth, trading out the dark undertones in my previous writing with a different creative spin. I have kept this to myself, but I find the most joy in writing poetry because it grants the writer the freedom to use punctuation as they wish. Whereas, most anything else has to have some punctuation in order for readers not to get lost. In poetry, it’s just simply moving to the next line. 

In April, I released one of the four poetry books I have scheduled for this year. “Air and Earth” is a tribute to love and conquering it from a perspective of the elements. It transports you on a heartfelt journey, capturing the love that binds two individuals. I wrote it as a symbol of the love between my wife and I based on our zodiac signs. I’m a Libra and she’s a Taurus.  

On 6/6 I released “Six,” a six word complication book that was long overdue. It turned out to be much longer than I expected, but I am happy I could put it out. Six word poems allow the reader to paint their own picture because there are only six words. It’s meant to either create a feeling or invoke a thought that leads to a deeper topic or conversation. While I tried to give it some type of order, this is really just a book full of random six word thoughts complied into a few hundred pages of fun. 

Every year on my birthday, I release a compilation of poems that I’ve written throughout the past 365 days that are not tied to specific books I’m working on. It symbolizes a poetic journey of self, often a cycle ending or beginning, and lots of loss and love. It’s also a present to myself, a genuine reflection of my personal growth from one year to the next. “34.” Save the date, 10/17! 

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

There are so many things that have affected my journey thus far, but one of the most important things was taking the time out to take care of myself. Getting my autism diagnosis and healing a lot of my childhood trauma has been key to me becoming myself again. You can give your all to so much, but if you don’t also take the time out to take care of you, what you’ve done for others won’t even matter. Understanding that made it easy to make sure that Ra’Von is good for Ra’Von.  

Letting go of expectations has also been a key factor in me making sure that I am living my best life. Disappointment comes from thinking people are going to do what they say or have your best interest at heart, but they don’t and the sooner I stopped expecting things from people, life became better because I knew better for myself. 

Setting boundaries is also an enormous factor that has impacted me living through my life’s journey. It’s important to know and realize who is for you and who is against you in this game of life. Once you know someone doesn’t have your best interest at heart, it is important to set a boundary with those types of people quickly. The longer you let it fester, the harder it will be to break ties. If that means the dynamics of your relationship changes, then that is something you are going to have to understand and accept because it means that you are doing what you need to do for yourself. Placing boundaries can be difficult because of the risk involved, but knowing you’re making the moves to being a calmer and better person, make any loss worth it. 

The only advice I have to give is to either keep it up, if it’s everything you could have imagined, or let it go if it is something that is draining your energy. There is a very thin line between what we need and what we don’t need in this life. The sooner we rid ourselves of the things we don’t need to make it, we’ll receive more than we ever thought possible. There are many more blessings to be discovered when we fully embrace self-love. 

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

It’s taken me a long time to realize that I enjoy running immensely. There is something freeing about getting outside, being in nature, feeling the wind, listening to the birds, running through the neighborhood or along a stretch of beach. I find it helps me calm my raging mind or when I’m feeling the pressure of being burned out by expectations. It’s mentally freeing in a way nothing else can really touch besides doing something physical. 

Someone encouraged me to sign up for the Long Beach Marathon, which I will run in October of this year. I’ve never run one before and I always thought the people who did them were crazy, and the minute I signed up, I literally said to myself, “I think I’m a little crazy too.”

When running isn’t an option, journaling and meditating are what I turn to when things in life become overwhelming. The wonderful thing about it is that it doesn’t have to be done or look how it does on social media. I can physically write, type, or take video of myself and I consider it all journaling, just going about it differently. So you can be anywhere and be able to get those thoughts out without having a specified setup. 

I also practice somatic therapy as meditation. I find sitting in silence doesn’t help me as much as jumping or moving around, but in a state where my eyes are closed and my mind is at peace. 

Whenever those overwhelming feelings come in, I have several things I can fall back on depending on my mood and what my body is capable of. It provides a grounding relief that I can get my thoughts and brain organized before taking that next step. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ravonsimonecrawford.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ravonsimonecrawford/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ravonsimonecrawford
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/jeans-ice-cream-los-angeles
• Other: https://ravonsimonecrawford.myportfolio.com/

Image Credits

Ra’Von Simone Crawford