We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Autumn Woods a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Autumn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Something I’ve been working on a lot recently is releasing myself from trying to control everyone’s perspective of me. I used to get extremely frustrated when someone assumed they knew my truth without allowing me first the chance to tell them myself. I felt like I needed to defend myself against any misinterpretation out of fear of someone making undue judgement of my character.

However, over the last year especially, I’ve separated myself from the opinion of others and instead focused on my opinion of myself. My opinion on the direction of my life, how I express myself, what I believe and what I choose to separate myself from. The more time I’ve given space for my intuition to speak, the more resilient I’ve become to stepping above close-minded judgements and blatant lies, rooted in my truth.

The immediate example that comes to mind is when I shaved my head. I had already been sporting an undercut since Covid hit in 2020, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise to those who knew me that the rainbow-haired pixie decided to try a full buzzcut. And for most, it didn’t. For others, it took them back to Brittney Spears’ infamous 2007 shear, and instantly I was diagnosed with a myriad of conditions. And when I reached out to clarify “no, I didn’t have an emotional break, I just had fried hair and wanted to try something else”, I was told that any conversation on the topic was a waste of time. They had already made up their mind. So, what else could I say? Nothing.

It was the first of many releases that came with the following two years, as I’ve been much more mindful about the weight of the opinions I choose to carry. I’ve had to shed the burden of constantly proving myself to those who assume the worst, knowing that in the end, the truth will play out. And I’ve been steeled by the fact that, in nearly every case, it has. I no longer fear how one person’s gossip might damage my image, because it’s just that. Gossip. It bears no power unless I let it.

Of course, I didn’t shed every relationship the moment it got uncomfortable – some relationships warrant the extra effort to meet in the middle. Some who knew me before I had grown into my skin (read – before I posed naked for the internet) were concerned in the beginning that I had lost myself. Over time, I think they’ve understood how it’s actually quite the opposite – I’m beginning to find myself. I’m giving myself permission to be honest about what I’m genuinely motivated by. I’m allowing myself to set goals towards creative pursuits in addition to career pursuits, understanding how critical each are for the other. Most importantly, I’m accepting the fact that sometimes, I need to rest.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Sure thing! My name is Autumn, on my socials Autumn Woods! Recently I’ve been fortunate to find myself busy modeling, both runway and photography. As a life-long performer, I find so much release whether I’m strutting on stage or striking a pose – it’s these moments where my mind is truly quiet, focused on providing the best show. And of course, learning from each opportunity how to do even better, because who isn’t their own worst critic?

On my instagram you can find photos from my shoots and runways, as well as my own hair / makeup work and fashion styling content! I was raised in a family of cosmetologists, so it’s natural that I picked up a few skills along the way, which I share in reels and tutorials. Similar to performance, doing my makeup is like painting on a canvas – I can get lost in blending the colors, creating the shapes, smoothing the lines. The extra fun part is that I get to wear it outside!

I also do a lot of work in graphic and web design, creating content such as websites, handouts, graphics, logos, promos, copywriting, etc. I love to keep myself busy, so I’m always exploring new skills!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

For better or for worse, I used to define myself by the number of hardships I’ve endured.

In fact, for many ice-breakers, it would be the story I could share:
“Everyone in my family has nearly died at least twice, if not more!”

Then I’d go off to list the timeline of tragedies, feeling more understood if I made it clear to my listener “hey, I’ve been through some serious shit, so cut me a little slack, okay?”

But eventually I realized, everyone’s been through shit. And if I let myself be defined by my shit, then I will ultimately feel like shit. So instead, I learned how to use that shit as fertilizer and grow myself some skills.

Metaphor aside, I find myself unsure now as an adult how to bring up such stories, not wanting to be telling a “sob story”, but also wanting to relate to someone on a more honest, intimate way. And for as much work as I’ve done to move past some of the hardships that I’ve been through (and trust me, I could write you a laundry list), I think it’s more important to share what I’ve learned through those hardships. Not in a forced effort to see the silver lining, but as an acceptance of, “while I can’t control what the universe dishes out, I can control how I respond.”

And I think, of all the important lessons life’s taught thus far, the most significant is the understanding that good things take time, and with that time comes the ability to see what that good thing is and how you might come about it. For example, this last year I’ve been in the tightest financial place I’ve ever been, not having the $20,000+ it’s taken to navigate a difficult divorce and custody battle. But as a response, this year I’ve also had the chance to experience true kindness and support from friends and strangers alike, I’ve found reserves in myself when I think I’m all tapped out, power to my voice when in the past it’s been weak, and a drive that has not only kept me moving along, but constantly evolving.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

When you find the balance between process and product.

I can both love and hate the process. When creative juices are flowing, colors are blending, clothes are fitting, poses are hitting, everything is right as rain. Time flies as I get engrossed in the process, consumed by creating and watching everything come to fruition. I don’t worry so much about the end result because each step of the process is as rewarding as the next, and then before I know it, I’m done. Happy, satisfied, and eager to share. The caution is when I get so lost in the process that I don’t consider whether my product is actually right for the moment. There’s too many nights when I’ve been redoing my hair the night before a shoot, and what should have been a simple lift and tone transforms into an ambitious pattern that keeps me up into the morning, under-slept and insecure about my new experiment.

Then theres times where nothing seems to blend, the pressure of time preventing a true fit, chronic pain flares stealing the limelight. These are the moments where I immediately start thinking about the product, worrying about whether or not I will be done in time, if it looks rushed, too much or not enough. I feel the anxiety pushing my enneagram 7 into the 1 space, my space of stress and perfectionism, and if I’m not careful, my beloved process can become my arch nemesis. Once I breathe, remind myself that this is just one step on the path towards progress, then I can self-soothe and find the peace that keeps me engaged in the process.

I guess in short, the process is my meditation, and the product is my motivation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://autumnwoodsbio.wixsite.com/home
• Instagram: Autumn.w00ds
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCodk-bw3kmvYVEilsl3O3iw

Image Credits
Myself