We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sarah Dela Cruz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sarah below.
Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
Behind the scenes. That is when I realized I enjoyed creating – when I discovered what entailed being “Behind the Scenes” was. I was in grade school, 1st grade to be exact. Once a week, our teacher would have us, students, sit criss-cross apple sauce on this massive green rug laid out on the floor. This was my favorite day of the week, although I never knew what exact day of the week that would be, but the day a reader from the Scholastic Book Fair visited our classroom, I knew it was going to be a great day. Every day the reader wasn’t in our classroom reading a book to us, I would wonder to myself, “Where are they? What are they doing when they’re not reading books to students? They read storybooks to students, but what’s their story?” I was 6 years old. A time when I still had that playful, curiosity swirling inside me. I carried that playful, curiosity as far as my Junior Year in high school. I wasn’t part of the drama club, but my English teacher needed extra hands to help with their upcoming theatre production. It was unknown territory, but where’s the fun in saying, “No” to something new? I jumped a safe distance and landed in the, Props Department. I was there to move stage pieces, heavy, made of wood stage pieces, helped the actors with their wardrobe changes to prepare for the next scene, and from time to time, manned the stage lighting. My favorite part of it all, was when I stood by the side stage, hidden from the audience, and watched the actors share the story. It was beautiful. That was my “Behind the Scenes” moment.
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.
Writing has been a hobby I enjoyed. I seemed to be okay with writing, regardless if it was for school assignments or if I was journaling in my diary. I played with that hobby for years, then when I felt ready, I carried it into my everyday life, my professional life. I created a Youtube channel for my diary entries. With the help of my boyfriend, Paul, we came up with the name, LSDUniversity. That is my Youtube channel, LSDUniversity. If you’re curious, LSD stands for Life Saving Dialogue. It’s a combination of my joy of learning and reading. There are questions, thoughts that circulate this world, but not all questions or thoughts are voiced. I’m that student that was once afraid to raise their hand in fear that they’d get ridiculed or made fun of for asking an honest question. With that, came my fear, of having different thoughts from everyone else around me. I kept my questions and thoughts to myself. It was me, myself, and my diary. That afraid student would be incredibly shocked because now, now I share my diary with the world. It’s a major chest thumper that this is the world I live in. I get to write, I get to read, I get to share both my questions and thoughts, but it wasn’t always like this. It took me 13 years to raise my hand.
When high school ends, the obvious, most walked on road, is to apply to college. That’s exactly what I did. I applied to a college 10 minutes away from my house, got accepted, and smiled. Smiled, that I would be a college student at California State University of Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). The goal I had for myself was to become a, Radiologist. I was fascinated with the idea that a push of a button could determine if a patient is sick. Of course there’s more to it, but my 18 year old self simplified that career into, “a push of a button”. College was fun, until it wasn’t. I was struggling in my Physiology class. By struggling, I mean I failed that class 3 times. I knew something needed to change. Whether I needed to change or I needed to change my major. I ended up changing my major. After 8 years attending CSUDH, I finally graduated with a Bachelor’s in Science in Healthcare Management.
What’s the next step after finishing college? Get a full time job. That’s what I did. I got myself a full time job with a company in the medical field. My cubicle desk was positioned right next to a shiny, glass window. By now it had been 2 years working for this company. I would stand up from my chair, stretch the sciatica that had begun forming throughout my time at this desk job, and stared out the window. I would talk to myself, “There’s gotta be more out there. Yes, there’s more out there, but the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. I’m willing to risk it if it means I get to leave this place.” That same week, I applied for Graduate school and handed in my 2 weeks notice to that company.
A few months pass and I am now a Graduate student at, The University of La Verne (ULV). I liked how long the names were in movie ending credits and told myself, “When I grow up, I’m going to see how many acronyms I could get behind my name”. I’ve achieved 2 acronyms. Sarah dela Cruz, BS, MBA. That’s good enough for me! After 2 years in the graduate program, I graduated from ULV with a Master’s Degree in Business with a Concentration in Leadership and Management. My dream at the time was to open up a senior day care center. Seniors make me happy. I wanted to make them happy. It was as simple as that, until I found out it wasn’t so simple. There were certain rules I needed to obey and if I didn’t obey them, there would be consequences. All I wanted was to dance with seniors, but instead, I danced away from that dream all together.
I thought maybe the medical field, in any form, isn’t for me. A year after receiving my MBA, I was offered a job working for a well known Japanese automotive company. It was a dream come true. I got my acronyms and now I’m getting paid $25 an hour as my first job out of graduate school. 3 months. 3 months is all it took for me to realize that working for a company was not for me. My cubicle was right next to an employee that had been with the company since the 1980’s. I saw my future. It scared me. I didn’t want to be stuck in a cubicle or a fancy office for 40 years. I was contemplating on when I’d submit my 2 weeks notice. It was once again my fear holding me back, but I wanted to see if there was any green grass on the other side of this realm. So, the next morning, no 2 weeks notice, I informed the company in person, that I will no longer be returning to the office. It was now or never. I chose “now”.
The same day I left that company, I created my Youtube channel, LSDUniversity. In the beginning, I was hiding myself, personality, looks, all of it. I started releasing audiobooks that I enjoyed reading, to eating food or coloring in coloring books while I spoke about a life topic I was interested in. That went on for quite awhile until I finally got tired of hiding. 2 years later, I am now showcasing myself in my videos. I am reading my diary entries without a filter, without edits, and without fear of how viewers may react to what I share.
LSDUniversity is a world where you are free and allowed to express yourself. When you relate to the diary entries I share, you’ll feel safe sharing your own thoughts on the topic, you’re even free to question the topic. There is no right or wrong way. All there is, is you and the thoughts that roam your curious mind. I am on the road that is less traveled. That is where I will meet you. The road where you’re curious to ask, “Why?”. The road where you’re brave enough to say, “This is not the life I want to live.” Be uncomfortable. That is the best way to grow. Be uncomfortable in your thoughts. Be uncomfortable in the way you choose to spend your day. Real life has no filter. When you watch my videos, you’ll notice that my videos are genuine, authentic, and weird. Weird gets a negative connotation, but I’d rather be weird than normal. If you feel like you’re on that same wavelength, you’re already on the right path. In this case, the right path is being yourself. Life is filled with “Behind the Scenes”, but it is rarely showcased. Showcase your “Behind the Scenes”. Raise your hand and say, proudly, “This is my story.”
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn is that if you’re comfortable where you are, you’re going the wrong way. With that, comes change. Change is uncomfortable. “Uncomfortable” isn’t exactly the place I pictured for myself, but being uncomfortable led me to being comfortable. Stay with me. I was comfortable with my biweekly paychecks, my 2 week annual vacations, and monthly company pizza parties. After a year of receiving those luxuries, I thought something must definitely be wrong with me because my coworkers seemed happy, seemed content, but I felt like I was missing something. The biweekly paychecks eventually lost it’s pizazz. Along with the vacations and the pizza parties. I knew something was wrong. My brain wasn’t moving anymore. My brain was no longer creating. I had stopped writing.
Even though I’ve written in my diary for a good chunk of my life, I still feel uncomfortable writing down the questions and thoughts that go through my mind. The only reason why I push through that discomfort is because I am comfortable within myself to create. I feel free when I write. What makes it uncomfortable is this irritating voice in my head that tells me, “You shouldn’t write that. You should probably reframe from speaking on that topic.” When I hear those words, I take it as my green light to write, write, write. When there’s complete silence, that irritating voice is nowhere to be found, that’s how I know I’m playing it too safe. It’s tricky to be comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time, but as I learned, it’s all about believing in yourself.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
When I’m hunched down, laser focused on a good book, I like to tell myself, “I’m so glad I know how to read.” It is a privilege that I had taken for granted. The only time I’d read a book is if it was for a school assignment. Nowadays, I separate my brain into 2 different compartments. If the book is a hard cover, I know it’s time for me to learn and absorb. If the book is a soft cover, I know it’s time for me to let my imagination play.
Hard cover books that I’ve learned from are, The Creative Act by Rick Rubin and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
Soft cover books that helped me rediscover that playful, curious swirl inside me are, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Paul Casanas
Erica Robello