We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joylyn Howell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Joylyn, appreciate you joining us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?
Being misunderstood/mischaracterized seems to be one of the most prominent downfalls of humanity.
As individuals, we each have a very unique set of characteristics and inherently know that is one of the things we have in common, despite being so unique.
Learning to balance, manage, and define my own characteristics has given me so much clarity.
Allowing others to define who I am is only temporary.
For those who have read any of my previous articles, you know I started working in sales and customer service at age six. Going door-to-door on a daily basis, I received hundreds to thousands of opinions each week and they were all very different about the same things.
Therefore, I learned to have a very diverse and unique perspective of life, humanity, and individuality.
I also grew up with a mentally ill and abusive parental figure who would tear me down verbally, mentally, emotionally, and physically one moment and lift me up on a pedestal the next moment.
In my life and experiences, I have been misunderstood and mischaracterized in so many ways from the extreme, intentionally hurtful, negative to the surprisingly positive characteristics that I admire in others but fail to see in myself.
For all of these reasons, it is extremely important to me to look past the exterior, delve into the interior, create space and compassion for mistakes, and provide 2nd chances as often as they are earned!
Depending on the day, time, and circumstances, an instant judgement can tarnish an otherwise wonderful human being. I know I have made some regrettable first impressions and I genuinely appreciate those who gave me grace, especially myself. Giving myself grace has been a very new and awkward process for me and it has allowed me to give more grace to others as well.
Each day, I am getting more comfortable with looking in the mirror, getting clarity on who I truly am, and making the adjustments I deem necessary to continue becoming a person I am proud of on a daily basis.
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.
Hello (again) My Fellow Humans!
My name is Joylyn.
I am still just a human, being the best that I can be.
My very long story continues, and I am learning when, where, and how I want to share it. I am humbled and grateful to continue sharing it with those of you interested in the stories of my journey, how I am healing, what we might have in common, and what makes us so unique.
As far as how I got into entrepreneurship and creative arts… I suppose it was just my path. I started my first business at age six, picking the flowers at my apartment complex and selling them to the people that lived there. That led to selling candy door-to-door for my dad’s girlfriend for 10 years and making over $500k that was squandered. Most days, I was mentally, emotionally and/or physically abused for not bringing home enough money. That led to me moving out two weeks after I turned 18, with my skateboard and two garbage bags full of clothes: with an incredibly strong work ethic and no money or family.
That led to a variety of unique and amazing jobs, hard life lessons, more tragedies, trauma and abuse, some major realizations and a lot of major life changes. Throughout all of this, I did my best to always focus on the positive and believe that I was working towards becoming a successful, independent, business owner one day.
Every time I thought something, or someone was going to destroy me, I eventually decided to walk away and improved my circumstances. Therefore, I was able to meet amazing people, build lasting relationships and be a part of things I had never imagined were possible for my life!
Because of my history, my life goals and business are focused on providing second chances for people who have faced similar situations and are ready to improve their lives. Along with providing myself and others with more opportunities for positive experiences and connecting with others.
In the previous articles in VoyageRaleigh, Canvas Rebel, and Bold Journey Magazines I have introduced “The Funk! Creative Community” for Artists, Educators, and Entrepreneurs, which includes “Belly Dance by Shaula”, Instructor, Performer, and local Shimmy Mob Team Leader, along with a variety of products and services from myself and other creatives. I have also shared some photos and stories of my adventures behind the camera, as “J Victoria Exposures”, and in front of the camera as the many images of me in a world of creative fantasy.
Therefore, if you’ve been following along, you are starting to have an idea of the complexity of my life and journey and my goals to simplify life for myself and others. If you have faced similar circumstances and/or traumas you may be aware how many more roadblocks we create for ourselves when we are in survival mode and sometimes still create while we’re in the process of healing. For me, learning to create more clarity about my destination, be more intentional about what path I take, and slowing down to enjoy the view have been crucial in avoiding major detours, accidents, and unnecessary setbacks. While life and its surprises still exist, I am able to handle them with less chaos because I have other stabilizers in place.
It seems 2023 had some curveballs for a lot of us and although, I definitely felt a fairly large gut punch with some of the setbacks I encountered, I am extremely grateful for my decision to keep moving forward. I saw a lot of small businesses close down and despite paying professionals to handle certain very important things, some very expensive and detrimental errors were still made, and I came very close to just walking away. However, this dream is so much bigger than me now and I knew deep down, that roots were starting to take hold and I really want to see the blossoms and fruits!!
I admit, I felt defeated and despite my decision to keep going, I really struggled to believe I had the strength and a lot of days I was really depressed. However, I have spent the last three years actively practicing positive mind set and learning to truly love myself and all of the pieces of me, Therefore, I slowly kept moving along, going out when I most wanted to stay inside, and finding support in strangers, as usual. Thanks to the genuine love, support, and compassion of the majority of humanity, I am still here, still pursuing my dreams, and still doing my best to give others space and time to pursue theirs! Plus, I am starting to see sprouts and leaves! Fruits and blossoms are close behind!!
As you may know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and prioritizing our overall wellness is extremely important. You may also know how beneficial any and all art forms are to your mental health and overall wellness. Therefore, whether you join The Funk! Creative Community or a local creative community near you, I hope you find the balance and path that are meant for you!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
While resilience is a staple of my life and my existence, I am working towards having more opportunities and less reasons for resilience to be necessary. Learning to be intentional when I previously was only able to react is such a great feeling and I look forward to sharing it with more of you!
That said, learning and recovering from having my business dissolved in 2023 due to incorrectly filed paperwork by both my CPA and lawyer has been quite the experience in resilience. In addition, as life goes, I discovered this when I went to take the next planned step in improving my business finances. Therefore, the negative impact quickly snowballed, and a lot of old feelings, thoughts, and habits started creeping back in, That, of course, led to a spiral into depression and more negative impact on myself, my husband, my business, and my community. As you know, this pattern continues and exacerbates other circumstances until there are only two options left… let it all crumble down around you and slip into the darkness or remind yourself why, focus on the positive, and keep shining your light!
Obviously, I chose to keep shining my light and the last couple of months have produced so much growth, abundance, and positivity!
This is my reminder to myself and anyone else who may face challenges from time to time, focus on the 90% positive, rather than the 10% negative and you will increase the positivity!
How we think, feel, and act is connected! Be intentionally positive!
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
What I think is mostly only relevant to me. It is much more important what each of us thinks about ourselves.
In my perspective, there is no such thing as a non-creative. I find art in everything.
I see art in accounting, a career I spent over 20 years in. I see art in all the ways people work with computers and would love to learn more someday. I see art in janitorial work, construction, landscaping, and so much more!!
I believe that each of us are artists with our own special gifts and that sharing those gifts with each other is what provides balance.
Everything I create, requires the creation of another individual. Even when I am creating alone, I have the help of thousands to millions of individuals. From the creators of the rainbow light, color-changing keyboard I am typing on to the creators of this publication, and all the creativity in-between and still to be involved!
This why the goal and mission of myself and The Funk! Creative Community is unity through diversity.
We are all connected, and we all have the ability to make the world a more beautiful and positive place to live for ourselves and others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thefunkonline.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefunkonline/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFunkUSA/
Image Credits
Brand and Bloom photography Whitaker Foto Jarrell Photography J Victoria Exposures