SXSW Keynote: Exploring Your Vast Potential

I had the pleasure of attending this year’s SXSW conference and festival —?a convergence of tech, film, music, education, and culture —?while covering the event as editor-in-chief for morbidlybeautiful.com.

SXSW gave me the injection of inspiration and optimism I so desperately needed, and I’m eager to share some of the highlights that left the biggest impression on me.

It began with an absolutely phenomenal opening session.

In honor of International Women’s Day, U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón gave a powerful keynote on art, hope, humanity, the language of poetry, and the intersection of art and science.

Dr. Lori Glaze, the Director of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate’s Planetary Science Division, joined her for a Q&A.

It was soul-stirring. As a poet, artist, science enthusiast, and woman who longs to leave a mark on the world, this discussion resonated with me on a profound level.

NASA commissioned Limón to write an original poem that would be launched into space via a unique engraving inside the Europa Clipper, a spacecraft set to launch on Oct. 10 and begin orbiting Jupiter by 2030.

As nervous as Limón was to take on such a momentous task, she explained how the out-of-this-world assignment perfectly aligned with her driving force as a poet —?one dedicated to exploring the ties between the human experience and the universe we all share.

?“Poetry is a deeply personal and a deeply human experience,” she tells the crowd during her packed keynote speech. It allows us to communicate the language of the heart and soul where ordinary human language fails. It helps us to transcend mere words and express the language of human emotion —?a language of grief, sorrow, longing, and rage.

While poetry is not always meant to be comforting, often forcing us to confront and sit with the more profound and deeply affecting human emotions, it is, nonetheless, healing.

Limón attests that poetry helps to reaffirm humanity, reinforce a sense of belonging, and reconnect us to each other and the planet.

When she sat down to write what would come to be titled “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa,” she had a couple of core principles that guided her.

The first principle was to be as inclusive as possible and embrace the full breadth of the human experience.

“When we say ‘we the people,’” she asked, “Whom are we including when we say ‘we’? Is it women? Is it minorities?” She believes poetry can unite us in meaningful ways, and she wanted her poem to celebrate the entirety of the ‘we’ on earth —?and not just all of humanity but all life on earth.

The second guiding principle was to honor nature, which she says helps ground and center her when she finds herself in a dark space or disconnected from others. Connecting with the natural world helps remind her that we are not alone and are all bound by the same universal life force. ?

But this wasn't just a session about the power of poetry, the importance of human connection, or a clarion call to respect and protect the earth.

This session was about finding and pursuing your purpose —?against all odds and in the face of setbacks, fear, judgment, and that nagging voice that tells us we aren't good enough or we should just give up.         

I took away three important life lessons from the session that apply to everyone — not just poets and artists.

1.???? You have to put yourself out there.

Limón admits to being terrified when asked to take on this historic assignment, understanding the implications and importance of such an endeavor. She did not take her responsibility lightly, and she admits the words did not come easily. But she knew she had to face her fear and push through the uncertainty.

I’m saddened by how many times I have turned down opportunities due to fear or because I convinced myself that I simply wasn’t capable of rising to a particular challenge.

Whether it’s self-doubt, imposter syndrome, or fear of failure, I’ve sometimes failed to take chances that could have changed the trajectory of my life and career. I’ve stayed too long in situations because they were safe and comfortable rather than taking a big scary leap that might have propelled me to new heights.

As both Limón and Dr. Lori Glaze of NASA reaffirmed, you can’t be afraid of failure—at least not so much that it stops you from accomplishing your goals and taking big swings. You have to know that getting it wrong is just part of the process. As Glaze powerfully asserted, “You don’t land on the moon or Mars without a lot of trial and effort.”

Failing isn’t failure; it’s learning, growth, and evolution. Accepting and even embracing failure allows us to keep shooting for the stars and dreaming big, impossible dreams. It allows us to boldly pursue those dreams in spite of the internal or external voices telling us it can't be done.

2.???? We don’t have to be passionate about just one thing.

One of the things I’ve struggled with during my career is how many different passions, skills, and interests I have. While I always thought being exceptionally well-rounded was an asset, it’s more challenging to brand yourself and sell your value when you aren’t just one thing. It’s like trying to sell a house to someone shopping for a piece of furniture.

As humans, we tend to compartmentalize naturally. We’re taught to define ourselves mainly by a specific set of criteria, usually revolving around our social/marital status (i.e., single/married, mother) and what we do for a living. When someone asks, “What do you do?” the expectation is you’ll deliver a succinct statement of employment, typically defined by a job title.

When asked what I did at my previous job, I would say, “I’m a VP of Marketing.” But that really did little to describe what I did or what I was capable of doing.

The real answer? I’m a creative graphic designer, web designer, writer, problem solver, strategist, researcher, social media manager, content manager, brand manager, advertiser, digital marketer, and mentor —?and that’s really only scratching the surface.

My answer also failed to speak to my passions outside of work, which include blogging, film criticism, art, and poetry. While these things may not be part of my job description, they no doubt make me better at my job by making me a more conversant, creative thinker.

It's why I always encouraged my team to pursue passions outside of work, viewing these outside interests as an asset rather than a threat to productivity. I scheduled time in the work week for creative exploration outside of work-related projects and emphasized the importance of recharging their creative batteries in new and interesting ways.

I believe time spent watching a movie can make you a better writer, time spent crafting can make you a better designer, time spent listening to podcasts can make you a better communicator, etc.

Limón and Glaze reminded me that we can be so much more than just the one thing we are so often defined by. We can be poets who love science or NASA scientists who find comfort and beauty in art and poetry.

We can be designers motivated by the science of marketing as much as we are by artistic principles.

3.???? We can and should lean into hope. ?

It’s difficult sometimes to remain hopeful when the world seems so bleak and we’re surrounded by so much suffering and uncertainty. Spending any amount of time watching the news or simply scrolling social media is a quick ticket to an existential crisis. We’re often led to believe that the world is burning and there’s no way to extinguish that fire.

It’s easy to give into that feeling of futility and the sense that there’s nothing we can do to avert the collision course we’re on. But Limón argues that we must have hope. We must collectively make an effort to envision a different possible future. Only by believing something better is possible can we put in the work to make that belief a reality.

Hope is hard. It’s easier to give in and consign ourselves to the fact that there’s nothing we can do, absolving ourselves of the hard work that must be done if change were possible. By giving in to the hopelessness, we can give up. It’s the easy way out. But hope is the only choice we have. If we hope we can do better, we CAN do better.

As Limón so eloquently states, “You have to act as if it were possibly to radically change the world, and you have to do it all the time.”

I needed this message of hope. I needed the reminder that failure is part of the process, challenges are also opportunities, passion is the fuel for the most significant triumphs, and hope for something better is essential for taking control of my destiny.

I am sharing this with you in case you're like me and need this vital message. There’s a universe of opportunity out there if we have the courage and commitment to explore it.

Click here to watch a replay of this impactful discussion.