We’re looking forward to introducing you to Erica Norwood. Check out our conversation below.
Erica, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
I believe one of the most common struggles people face today is a battle fought against themselves. Each person is born as exactly who they were meant to be. Each person has their own personality type, their own quirks, and their own passions, but far too often society beats it out of them over time, and the pressure to conform wins over. Whatever you’re naturally drawn to is likely the very thing that you’d realize you have a knack for, if given the right amount of time and effort. Whether that’s an interest in painting or a fascination with bugs, it’s never arbitrary. If every single person took those interests seriously and treated it as a sign of their true purpose, how different might the world look? How much happier might people be? And if everyone was happier and more at peace with themselves, a calm would wash over us all. When you turned your blinker on to switch over to the right lane on the highway, the person next to you wouldn’t speed up, simply to block you. They’d cheerfully leave room for you and treat you with courtesy. There are outside factors, of course, affecting one’s level of contentment in life. But what a difference that would make! What if when you had the urge to tell a joke you’d just thought of, to the cashier at the store, you just said it and didn’t worry at all about whether or not they laughed? What if when you chose your outfit for the day, you wore the sweater that you’d normally consider too eccentric for the grocery store? What if you simply valued your God given preferences enough to honor them all, with no worry for how the outside world perceived you? My favorite people to be around are refreshingly authentic, because they’re magnetic, and they give you the sense that you will be loved for your authenticity in return. So let’s let go of the fear, and just start enjoying our lives, and let’s elevate doing what you love to the level of being a high priority.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Erica Norwood, and I’m an artist, with a passion for color! I mostly paint murals, but when I’m not painting for work or painting murals in my own home, I also love to read, write stories and poetry, and spend time with my family. I’ve recently begun to explore the process of creating mosaics, and I’m really excited about incorporating mosaic elements into my more sculptural work! In fact, I’ve been so excited about it, that I’ve hardly been able to sleep at night, as ridiculous as that may sound. When I get really excited about a new idea for my artwork, it’s the best feeling in the world, and losing sleep over it feels like a more than fair pay-off!
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
When I was very young, maybe 5 or 6 years old, I remember riding in the car and looking out the window at the people in the cars passing by. I started thinking about how in my world, life was all about me. Whether or not I was hungry, what I was wearing that day, where I was headed that day, etc. I then saw a child in the car next to me at a red light, about my same age, who was also looking out the window. I wondered what their life was like. Were they happy? What did they like to do? Did they have a lot of friends at school? I had the realization that there were many people in the world, and that every single person on the entire planet experiences life from their own perspectives, and that they all likely feel that their happiness is the most important of all, and that their needs are the most important needs to be met, above all others. And then I thought, what would it take for one person to change another person’s day, in order to make it better? For example, from my perspective, if someone told me I was nice or gave me a piece of a candy, it would make me happy. If I’d been having a bad day, and someone treated me with kindness, it would make me feel better. So I began to think about how we’re not all as separate from one another as we might believe, how if every single person, treated every other person as being on the same level of importance as themselves, the world would change so quickly! I suddenly understood that if I wished someone would do something nice for me, then I should first be the kind of person who already does nice things for other people. In that moment I really felt like I’d made a real discovery of sorts, and I understand now that it was simply a paradigm shift that happens as you get older and begin to understand the world around you on a deeper level. And as long ago as it was, I still vividly remember that day and that exact moment. I’ve never forgotten it, and ever since, I’ve tried my best to expand my capacity for empathy and awareness of the differences in people’s lives and the struggles they may be going through. I’m definitely not claiming to be perfect, and it’s not always easy to empathize with someone who may be actively persecuting you, but it’s still possible, and it’s always beneficial on some level, even if only to bring a small sense of peace to yourself, which naturally comes from better understanding.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me to find joy in a boring day. In fact, it taught me that there’s no such thing as a boring day in the first place. A quiet moment, free from worry and struggle, is a moment which can be treated as a luxury, a celebration. Time itself is a luxury, and that can be easy to forget. Simply sitting and thinking, is productive in its own way, even if it makes no tangible change in your world. I’ve learned that simple pleasures in life, such as reading a book, taking a walk outside, and drawing just for the fun of it, aren’t pleasures that need to be earned once the entire house is cleaned and organized. I don’t have to vacuum before I’m allowed to sit and rest. I don’t have to fold all of the clothes in the house before I allow myself an hour to read a book. It’s my life, and I can do things in any order I wish to. And when I must fold the laundry, I’m allowed to enjoy that as well. Being alone with your own thoughts, free from outside stressors, is in itself an act worth savoring and celebrating.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
I’ve always disagreed with the concept of IQ tests. In fact, I find them as laughable as the medieval concept of blood-letting. Imagine believing that unless you’ve memorized a list of random facts, all deemed important by a group of total strangers, that you are not intelligent. True intelligence can’t be measured by a standardized test, and society is egotistical to believe it’s even possible. If someone is deeply interested in learning all about growing herbs, the history of how they were grown, their medicinal properties etc, and they dedicate their life to becoming an expert on the topic, are they not incredibly intelligent within that field of study? Who decides that unless they’ve also memorized the Pythagorean theorem, that they’re not as smart as the person next to them? I find the entire testing method to be both silly and arbitrary. Intelligence is so much deeper than that, and it is something that is expressed differently by each individual. Measuring intelligence in the format of a standardized test does nothing but feed the ego of the man who attended the ascribed expensive classes, while crushing the confidence of the man who dared to find his passion outside of the range of government approved core studies.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I would cease all hesitation. If I felt like swimming that day, I’d go swimming. If I felt the sudden urge to write a children’s book, I’d simply sit down and write it. I would let go of all fear of failure and all notions of practicality. Life is already short anyway. There is no time to be practical and boring. The entire point is to live happily, live well, live up to your highest potential, and to love others along the way. And for all we know, we might only have ten days left to live, so there isn’t a single moment to waste on doubt or worry.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbyericanorwood/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtByEricaNorwood/
