%% How does it tie in with DSA? Make intro more story-like than literal %% I've been spending lots of time conversing with creators like [Brandon Boswell](https://brandonkboswell.com/), catching up with old university friends, and going to a local creative group full of curious and ambitious people working on their passion projects. In addition to the memorable experiences and insights from these events themselves, I've also begun reflecting on my social life and persona as a whole. First, the power of the internet for meeting like-minded people will never cease to amaze me. I found the best articulation of this idea in the article [[A Blog Post Is a Very Long and Complex Search Query to Find Fascinating People and Make Them Route Interesting Stuff to Your Inbox]]. The fact that I can nurture my curiosities by having highly relevant and meaningful conversations with people more competent and experienced than me is a blessing to continue on this delusional path of being a creator 😎 Much like how [[People pursuing the pathless path are non-transactional]], I feel these interactions are almost always a win-win scenario with little external motives. Second, when I catch up with friends forged through proximity like school or work, I cherish being able just to run it back and crack jokes as if I was still hanging out with them daily. The energy during those moments is always unmatched and unhinged 😅 One thing that I found memorable was how people began mentioning that if it weren't for me, the social group I was with wouldn't have been possible. At the start of university, they were fully set on independently taking their courses and finishing their degree with little engagement. At least, that was until I invited them to join a group chat to stay in touch in between school social events and classes 🤩 They continued to step out of their shell and even be part of student committees 🤯 Surprisingly, this isn't the first time something similar has happened. I slowly met people across different games from pure chance when I was heavily into gaming. When I needed an entire team of 5 for a game, these people occasionally played together. Slowly but surely, some squads become recurring, and we would grind throughout the night to climb ranking systems and be in the top 0.1% of gamers 😎 These two friend groups illustrate how being passionate and expressive of your authentic self can attract people who are similar but may not have been as willing to put themselves out there. Overcoming my obstacles to socializing has been worth it, as it's rippled into long-term friendships and groups that preceded my existence. It feels like a glimpse into imagining how your influence can linger beyond your earthly existence. Even though I no longer find myself spending as much time with some groups as I start new chapters of my life, it's always fun to visit and remember 🥹 Third is my transformation in being able to show up as myself in new social environments. In elementary school, I would do EVERYTHING I could to not present in front of the class: Asking to only present to the teacher during recess. Vomiting and locking myself up in the washroom stall right before I had to present, with my friend being sent after me to put up with my shit and convince me to come back. Always being rigid with my scripts and not giving myself the chance to express the inner parts of myself. Even to this day, I am NOT outgoing when it comes to everyday social interactions like being in transit, walking past people on the street, or grocery shopping. However, something was different when I went to Atelier, a local weekly meetup for creatives working on their passion projects. Despite a room of unfamiliar faces, I wasn't afraid to truly introduce myself and the unorthodox projects I was working on. Right before I joined, people's projects prior involved building their Obsidian setup??? Despite not having much common ground or signals prior, I wasn't afraid to initiate conversations with the people around me. During these conversations, I realized it's inevitable that there will be relatability with other curious and ambitious people, even if it doesn't seem like it on the surface. Despite not having any clue about what or how to demo what I was working on at the end of the event, paired with my usual tendencies of grounding myself with scripts and outlines, I let myself speak what was on my mind with trust in my unfiltered self being accepted. Despite what I feel was just me rambling about Obsidian and creator problems for longer than I should have, it was a chance to explore further discussion. It opened the doors to see the other nuanced things people were working on and exploring. The group's nature of freely sharing obsessions empowers people to follow suit. It was also quite touching to hear from a Toastmasters host how I showed conviction and what I was saying without sounding pretentious. If you're from [[Atelier]] then hello 👋