Embrace your weirdness and what makes you, you

At least a decade ago, I hired a logo designer, and we discussed color choices. I was adamant that I should only have two—teal and purple—because that’s what the experts said online for personal branding: pick a main color and a supporting color. Maybe some shades of the two for variety. This was also the height of minimalism.

I told her that I wanted more than two, because I love color, and she told me that she’s designed logos for other clients with plenty of color. It could be done, if I wanted it to be. But I was young and wanted to fit into the suggested guidelines I read so I didn’t confuse people with too many “distracting” colors (my projected feeling and not the truth). I regret that now and wish I had gone all-in on more than two colors.

It’s generally known that having hobbies is good for you: I’ve written about how plants have helped me and also what happened on a first date when I started listing my passions. Having a wide range of interests can only help you, and not that you need to monetize your hobbies, but having that particular interest could land you your next article or job. I’ve gone into houseplants several times, miniatures, snacks, board games, and baking.

My pre-vet undergrad studies got a vet client interested in my copywriting. Jigsaw puzzles force me to slow down and look at everything as a whole and in parts. My years of piano lessons helped me capture photos for a piano recital—I even recognized many of the pieces and knew when they would end, which made it easier to set up and plan shots.

On my photo website, I write about how being an introvert is a superpower for me. It allows me to observe situations and read body language—which anxiety has also helped me do.

It’s taken me a little too long to recognize that embracing your weirdness is how you’ll stand out from the crowd of similar people. When every cafe looks the same, a horror-themed one stands out. I am not a horror fan, so I missed many references, but I appreciated their dedication to the theme in every corner.

Would you rather chat with a culture writer or a culture writer who keeps a long list of interesting flavored chips to try? Tangent: my Hinge dating profile question for potential matches was, “What’s your favorite interesting chip flavor?” I figured that if I had to wade through the perils of dating, at least I could get some chip flavor recs from it. This also helped me sort the salted egg yolk chip people (my favorite interesting flavor) from the plain chip people.

I have been reading through the Writing Co-Lab’s 100 Days of Creative Resistance and this paragraph from Richard Mirabella on Being A Great Weirdo stood out to me.

There are lies everywhere. I think writers want to tell the truth about things, as much as they’re able. This sometimes makes writers sad people, because it’s hard to face the truth all the time. Much easier to think the way someone else tells you to. So, we have to be there for each other, when we’ve looked too hard at the truth, at the bloody, awful reality. We must remind each other to look away for a moment, and go to literature, go to a friend’s table, call, pick up the strangest book on your shelf and remember you are one of the great weirdos, a creator in a world of destroyers.

And for your reading pleasure, this Reddit post lives rent-free in my head: "My [24M] Girlfriend [23F] has the weirdest hobbies in existence, and they make me kinda uncomfortable." Honestly, she sounds amazing.

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