Small Town, Big Dreams

Although I was born and raised in the third largest city in the country, for nearly twenty years of my life, I have lived in a small town in Louisiana. When I first moved here, I’d often hear, “Why would you move from Chicago to little bitty Monroe?” In fact, I still get that question. I’ve also been told repeatedly since I’ve been here that I’d need to move to a bigger city to experience any sort of success. For an exceedingly long time, I’d buy into this narrative, despite the countless examples coming from within and without that it was simply not true.

The truth is that I’ve been far more successful in Monroe than I ever was in Chicago, despite the narrative that there aren’t enough jobs, there aren’t enough things to do, there are too many “crabs in a barrel,” and many other limiting beliefs that I picked up along the way. In contrast, living in Monroe helped me to find my independence and my creative voice. Although I don’t have blood family here, I’ve been blessed to pick up lots of extended family along the way and create lots of memories along the way.

Although I’ve been a creative my whole life, the first time I shared my talents on a big stage was ironically at a company talent show at work. I didn’t think much would come of it at the time, but after I won the first prize trophy for an original poem I had written and performed, I remember being told that this was just the beginning.  Two years later, while attending a Write Club meeting at the Ouachita Parish Main Branch Library, the idea was presented to me of participating in NaNoWriMo which is short for National Novel Writing Month. At the time, I was only familiar with writing short form poetry and fiction, but with support from the group, I completed the first draft of my self-published novel, Imperfect in 20 days.

Had it not been for the local events and the friendships I’ve made by attending, I would have never become a published author. I would have never had my artwork displayed in galleries or the Masur Museum. I would have never been featured in the Monroe News-Star or on KNOE News. I had been living the success that I was simultaneously being told was impossible to have in a small town.

Words and thoughts can form beliefs, and the belief that success only lives in big cities can create a pressure of feeling that one isn’t doing enough. It can make a person feel as if no matter what they do from where they are, it won’t be enough. A great friend pointed out to me to me that the “crabs in a barrel” mentality exists everywhere. There are people who were born and raised in Monroe who have never been to the Riverwalk or to the Biedenharn Museum. On the other side, I’ve grown up around people in Chicago who have barely left their own neighborhoods to experience all that city has to offer. In fact, when I was attending the International Academy of Design and Technology in Chicago to study fashion design, I was told then that I couldn’t be successful in Chicago and would need to move to LA or New York. So clearly, these beliefs are not just limited to small towns.

The truth is that community, visibility, and wealth can be built anywhere. Success is a subjective concept and for some, it’s appropriate to live in an apartment in Manhattan and for others, it’s more important to enjoy a sense of community, to be able to see the stars without light pollution, to not have to pay ten dollars a gallon for gas or have to drive two hours through traffic to get to the office. Sometimes, it’s okay to go, but it’s also okay to bloom where you’re planted. 

As I explore my own experiences, as I’ve lived in both small towns and big cities, I realize that home isn’t what limits us – fear is. Leaving is not what unlocks us – alignment is. We bring our magic with us. No matter where we are on the globe, our voices, our vision, and our values remain.

To sum, we need to define what success is for ourselves. And I don’t need to leave who I am to become who I’m meant to be.