We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brittany Crawford . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brittany below.
Brittany , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
Being able to fully transition from working for someone to fully working for myself has been the most exhilarating and learning experience that I’ve been a part of. Not being able to see a future in an actual company was discouraging so once I found my niche and realized that I’m actually not built for a 9-5 but I can build myself for my own 9-5 I did. OurSpace has become more than just my job or business; it’s become my home in business form. I thoroughly and truly enjoy what I do. I get to teach kids how to speak up for themselves and create in various forms while learning new and different ways to expand their thinking and creativity. Being able to change how a student can see words while applying technology, being able to teach kids how to code their way into new video games or apps, and lastly being able to motivate them with their own positive words while exploring our personal stories of growth and triumph. OurSpace will be four years old this year and the biggest milestone for me is being asked to come to schools, camps, workshops, or wherever to simply share what I do and how I do it. I’ve been blessed and I couldn’t and wouldn’t change how this journey has shaped and molded me.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I’ve been deep diving in education since I graduated from high school. I knew I loved kids and I knew I wanted to inspire and impact their lives in ways that I knew they would benefit from. Being an actual nerd and creative it sometimes sounds like gibberish in my brain but it’s organized gibberish I promise you.
OurSpace started from an actual idea that I had but was too afraid to pursue. I knew I needed and wanted stability over everything but I also wanted to be happy while working in my career. In 2018, I was granted an opportunity to teach a small camp of twenty-five students focusing on STEM and technology. The first camp of OurSpace was the first time I saw myself actually doing something I loved. From then on it’s been camp after camp, schools, workshops, virtual classes, tutoring sessions, STEM parties, and more. OurSpace opened up my mind to seeing way more than I had ever seen. I wasn’t this confident, creative business owner you are reading about today. I was scared of failure and I always put doubt in my way. About a year and a half ago I chose to return to school for my Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education; fast forward to 2022 and I changed my major to Master’s of Science in Clinical Mental Health; that plus what OurSpace means to me has opened my eyes and given my more purpose than ever. One of my goals is to create an actual space for children to come and explore ART, STEM, Technology, and most importantly themselves. Being able to facilitate and create a space for kids who don’t always feel welcomed, accepted, and heard…that’s the whole purpose of OurSpace and what I do and will continue to do and love.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn was that you don’t always have to be told what to do if it’s not what you want to do. Being told versus being asked are two totally different things. I’ve been told what to do my entire life and most of the time I was just doing those things because someone told me. Now in this stage of my life (GROWN) I intentionally do what I love and what makes me happy. I can’t live for others, this is my one shot at living my life to the fullest and being totally happy and committed to that.
You can choose your happiness…choose it fully and proudly.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Resilience should be my middle name. A few weeks ago I was on the phone with one of my best friends and unfortunately had a seizure and totaled my car. One of the scariest things to ever happen to me in my life; I woke up surrounded by strangers but I was alive. I walked away with a few cuts, scratches, and bruises. I lost my car but not my life. I struggled for days after just trying to wrap my mind around what had happened. A new case of epilepsy and I now have to shift my world around medication and doctor’s appointments. Sure depression would have been the most comfortable space for me to sit and adjust but I got up sore and all and pushed myself back into the world. I wasn’t going to let my brain waste away because we are now being told that there is something wrong. There are so many moments where you will feel defeated and broken and that everything is absolutely horrible, but will push you to get up and keep moving. Will it be people, money, love, or the fact that you are someone important regardless of what anything looks like; that’s where I’m at in my life now.
Being resilient means that you fight no matter what; you breathe through it and you push through it but you always remember to get through it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thepiecesofbee.com
- Instagram: Pieces of Bee
- Twitter: piecesofbee
Image Credits
Brittany Crawford owns and takes all of her pictures