Start Walking

This post, and this whole new exciting side to 3stylelife has been a year and a half in the making.

In May 2008, I opened my first website (fashionablemathematician). The point was to start talking online about two things; fashion and mathematics. Looking back, I was deluding myself; diluting my ambitions by tacking mathematics on to that. I was afraid of what people would think if I started a fashion website; if a legitimate goal of mine was to design and sell clothes. So I hedged my bets.

In August 2008, I opened this site, with a slightly greater focus on fashion (the site has since gone essentially all personal thoughts and fashion since then, as evidenced by the two categories of posts). And yet again; designing and selling clothes wasn’t an appropriate goal for me. I was too academic for that. Thus, I spun my wheels some more; doing interesting, but not dreamworthy, work looking at fashion philosophy and science (stuff that won’t drop from my repertoire). Once again, I shaped my dreams to what I thought other people would find acceptable. I shaped my dreams to what was appropriate. This is doomed to failure.

Thus, after many false starts, many lies to myself, and much procrastination; it’s quite a glorious thing to be here; on the cusp of releasing my first shirt.

Finally, I dropped the shields and decided to just start walking.

People underestimate just how hard it is to take that first step towards your aspirations, dreams, or goals. In my case; it took almost 2 years. School, life, work, strangers, even family and friends may seem to stand in your way. Even when you recognize that it’s happening, it can debilitate you. (Note that the linked post was written 11 months ago).

I don’t know exactly what got me over the wall, what got me started. Perhaps it was some dissatisfaction with my current existence, perhaps it was an internal clock beginning to tick. All I know is that it feels right.

To everyone reading; if you haven’t really, truly, begun to pursue your most basic dreams: start walking. If you have begun: keep walking.

My first shirt design (available here!) was born from this message. I hope that it will help someone out there take that first step. Future designs probably won’t be as dramatic, but it felt important to start with this.

Finally, I know with certainty that having a friend in the same position has helped immensely. If it helps; tell me what your first steps are going to be. Tell me what your dream is. We can all get where we want to go, if we help each other take the first step.

-Barry