Summary

In this conversation, Cielle interviews her first guest, Blake Casias-West, who was a student in her class before the pandemic. Blake shares his journey of questioning the traditional education system and ultimately deciding that college was not for him. He talks about the pressure to conform and the realization that he didn't need a degree to validate his artistic abilities. They explore the struggle of always striving for extraordinary while spending most of our lives in the ordinary and separating our worth from college degrees. Blake shares his personal journey of overcoming challenges and finding happiness by pursuing his passion for art and tattooing.

CW: Mention of Suicide Attempt and Sexual Assault

Keywords

podcast, guest, support, conversation, education system, college, questioning, artistic abilities, conformity, limitations, pursuing one's own path, extraordinary, college degree, accomplishments, pressure, restart, exhaustion, confusion, social media, expectations, personal meaning, challenges, happiness, art, tattooing, self-acceptance

Takeaways

• The limitations of the education system and the pressure to conform
• Validating finding joy in one's own path
• The pressure to always do something extraordinary can be exhausting and confusing
• Receiving a degree or certification can feel like an extraordinary feat, but it's important to remember that life goes on afterwards.
• Social media can intensify societal expectations and the need to show off accomplishments.
• Finding personal meaning in life is more important than striving to be extraordinary.
• Self-acceptance and pursuing personal passions can lead to happiness and fulfillment.

Sound Bites

• "I don't need a degree to prove to me that I'm a good artist."
• "We're back to life again. We restarted. I'm on a new level. I'm on a new game."
• "99% of our lives is lived in the ordinary."

Chapters

00:00 Introductions and Finding Your Own Way 15:11 Why Start College? 19:23 The Value of Personal Accomplishments 21:28 When One Path Doesn't Work For All 25:12 Our Value Is Separate From Degrees Earned 30:15 Defining Worth Beyond Degrees 31:06 The Pressure to Perform and the Impact of Social Media 35:01 Living a Life That is Personally Meaningful 35:13 Overcoming the Fear of Failure 38:13 Finding Joy and Embracing Individuality 46:11 How to Stand Back Up 54:50 How to Deal With the Fear of Doing It Wrong

Thank you to Brandon Ward for the amazing intro and to Bobbo Byrnes and Miracle Laurie for their song Effin' Groovy that plays during the outro.