We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rachael Renae. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rachael below.
Rachael, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Not that long ago, I didn’t really have a good sense of self. I yearned for a more creative life, but didn’t know how to actually live it. Slowly, I started to find my confidence through developing my personal style. I experimented with clothes — colors, silhouettes, patterns — and found that when I could express myself authentically on the outside, I felt like the best version of myself. Gaining that confidence through experimentation with style snowballed into curiosity and a playful approach to trying other creative outlets. I started learning new creative practices, like sewing, quilting, and ceramics, and my confidence continued to cement itself.
My whole goal with sharing parts of my life and my creative practices with my community is to show folks that when we live our lives as our truest selves, we’ll shine! I hope to encourage that self-reflection and expression to help others find the same confidence that I’ve found.
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’m a confidence and creativity facilitator, which is a formal way of saying that I love to encourage my community to find what lights them up in order to build confidence and live a fulfilling life.
Just a handful of years ago, I felt discontent with how I was living my life. I had followed the societal expectations of going to school, getting a job, hitting career and life milestones that were arbitrarily decided for me. No one ever explicitly stated these expectations, but that’s how societal programming works! I had always been a creative person, and in my 20s, I buried much of that creativity in order to “become an adult”. But that discontent I felt was my stifled creative expression.
Personal style is what helped me tap into my creativity again. I started experimenting with clothes — bright colors, mixing patterns, one-of-a-kind thrift store scores — and I started to feel a little bit more like myself. I reflected on the labels I was giving myself to try to understand and define my style. Was I jock because I liked wearing sneakers and jerseys? Was I hyper feminine because I loved puffy-sleeved dresses and tulle skirts? Was I an alt kid because I still liked to wear doc martens and leather jackets? No, none of these fit, and I realized that I actually *didn’t* have to define myself. All of those expressions are part of my personality. We are all multi-faceted people with many different interests, and using labels to define ourselves often shows up as a restriction of parts of who we are.
It used to feel silly to say that clothes helped me build confidence and realize who I am, but it’s true. Clothes are the perfect tool for self expression. Just like a painter uses paints + brushes, or a chef uses sharp knives and flavor profiles, I like to think of my clothes as my tools.
Once that confidence grew, I felt like the truest version of myself. That alignment snowballed into curiosity for other creative activities. I tried sewing and made my own clothes. I learned how to make a quilt and experimented with color pairings. I took ceramics classes and applied my newfound connection to self into creating art.
Now, I encourage my community to prioritize play in their lives in order to help them find their own creative expression. I’ve found so much confidence and fulfillment through my creative practices, and I share resources for others to do the same.
I currently have several digital resources available to help folks build confidence and tap into creativity. One favorite is a course that helps folks reflect on and understand their OWN personal style — the Dress For Yourself course. I’m also launching a workshop in the spring that will focus on prioritizing play for creative expression, personal growth, and connection.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
There are a few impactful parts of my journey. First, starting therapy! I recognized that discontent, but couldn’t articulate it. I couldn’t understand why I didn’t feel fulfilled in my life, let alone explain it to others. Therapy helped me unravel my complicated feelings, helped me learn where they were coming from, and offers tools + strategies to address them.
That understanding of self through therapy grew into a desire for more personal growth. I read a lot of books on self-help and creativity. I know other artists, coaches, therapists, and educators have dealt with these same topics of interest, and I want to learn as much as I can.
Through this personal growth journey, I’ve shifted my perspective on life to one that prioritizes curiosity. What can I learn from this situation? How can I reflect on an experience? How do I feel after trying this new hobby? By incorporating curiosity in the form of self-reflection, I’ve been able to pinpoint the things in my life that bring me the most joy!
For folks looking to build confidence and creativity, I think the first step is to understand yourself. What are your values? What do you want out of life? Those are big, difficult questions, so seeking a professional like a therapist is an impactful tool. I think, though, that we can also intuitively start to map this out for our own lives by prioritizing play. What things are fun for you (or were when you were a kid?) What have you always wanted to do, but haven’t? Take that curiosity approach and start to reflect on how you’re spending your time.
It’s okay to learn something new at any age! It’s okay to try and fail and learn!
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Oh I love this question. I talk about my favorite books & resources a lot with my community, and the one I can never shut up about is “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. It’s a 12-week course on finding your creative blocks, understanding them, and overcoming them.
A few of my favorite quotes:
“It is not too late or too egotistical or too selfish or too silly to work on your creativity”
“Often creativity is blocked by our falling in with other people’s plans for us”
“The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.”
And a favorite exercise — List 20 things you enjoy doing. Now next to that list write down the last time you actually did that activity. This exercise gets us in the habit of reflecting on what we enjoy and how we actually spend our time!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rachaelrenae.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachaelrenae/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rachaelrenae
Image Credits
Sage + Fern Photo
