We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Roya Adjory a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Roya, 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?
Developing confidence and self esteem has been and still is a process of many many years . One of the key contributors I have to say has been all about self inquiry . In my mid 20’s I was lucky and fortunate enough to meet people who led me on doing a two weekend course called The Forum which was life altering . I got to meet myself for the first time and was able to witness all the non sense conversations that accrued and continues to accrue in my head . Once I recognized those repeated conversations in my head about this and that were nothing but imprints and had nothing to do with the real me , there was freedom to choose . All the information that was fed to me from my culture , parents , school and society was nothing but a noise that I had to sort through to figure out what was really me . Who was the person that was thinking these thoughts .? This type of inquiry continued to lead me on to keep exploring many of my dimensions that made me who I am . The desire to do so was nothing short of Grace and it continues to bless my life .
I believe knowing thy self is the only game in town and a key component to my confidence and self esteem .
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I was born and raised in the city of Rezayeh in Iran to a middle class family . My mother was 18 years younger than my dad and it was not a happy home . Being the oldest of 3 kids and parents to my parents and siblings with major conflicts between them put me in position of a care taker for them all .. however my mother had a vision of a better life for herself and her kids so she worked hard and decided to send us to the US for higher education . I landed in Oakland California in 1977 without much English or family and went on getting my business degree from Sacramento state university .
This was 46 years ago and so much has changed and so many adventures .
My dream of being an artist when I came to this country was altered by my family to pursue avenues to make money and to support myself .
That dream was resurfaced again in my mid 30’s when I found myself in Brazil living in an artist Colony . I could no longer live life without having art making be part of who I am so when I returned from Brazil after 4 months , I declared myself as an Artist and I have not stopped making art . Today I am happy to say , art making is a huge part of my daily activities and will never give it up for anything or anyone . My art is what sustains me . Feeds me and nourishes my soul and I have developed ways I can communicate the unseen and bring forth beauty I see everywhere .
I focus’s on what we all share , our commonalities and not differences .
The desire for wholeness and connections is very apparent in every one of us and I do hope I can communicate that in my art .
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?
Resilience , desire , curiosity and willingness to take chances and risks . I have to say we can all develop these qualities except for desire . In my experience we all have opportunities come our way but if there is no desire and curiosity , those opportunities will not manifest . I am not sure where desire stems from other than a state of Grace . I think of myself as very lucky even though I have suffered and endured many difficult situations but in the end of the day I feel I have developed Trusting life and how it unfolds for everyone of us . The idea of choice or choosing is a philosophical discussion but in my experience the only time a choice is available to us is when we are fully awake and present otherwise we are just choosing from our history and programming . So my advice for those on the journey of life is getting in touch with what is our deepest desire and having the courage to act on it . In my humble opinion Self inquiry is the foundation of a happy and full filled life .so keep asking who I am really !!!!
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
One of the biggest area of growth and improvement has been my art . I took a chance on a course at a time I was deeply stressed and agitated from all the issues I faced taking care of my elderly mom . I come from a culture that holds the elderly at a different light than the western culture . There is a deeply ingrained responsibly and obligation to your parents so as they decline so do we trying hard to care for them . There is no escaping it only ways to endure and grow more strength in doing so .
Jumping into this intensive visionary program was what I needed to turn my anxiety into art . For the first time in 30 years of painting I realized my art was my salvation . I went to it for healing and processing all that has been going on and the results were beyond me . I ended up with over 60 pieces of art that was pouring out of me and my energy and freedom to be was transformed ..
There was a strong feeling of integration of all the works I have done for the last 30 years and out of it all , my confidence and trust in my process grew and magically appeared an opportunity for an art show which I jumped in in full force . I got to experience the power of my commitment to my art and its expression and I feel undeniably honored to be present enough to receive it and bless it for more to come .
Contact Info:
- Website: Royaadjory.com
- Instagram: @royaadjory
- Facebook: Roya adjory
Image Credits
Roya adjory
