On the outside we can make the world think that we have it all together. We can exude confidence in a crowd, we can complete our tasks at work, we can show up for others in our lives when they need us, & we can seem like we are completely fine. But no one knows what we are really feeling on the inside, what thoughts are being tossed around our head that we’re fighting to keep quiet, or what struggles we are facing due to insecurity, imposter syndrome, or just not feeling good enough. And this is the reality that so many of us are living in, the one no know sees because it’s hidden away.
Who else out there feels like they just can’t handle their day some days? Who else has to push the negative self-talk away sometimes daily? Who else sits there & cries secretly in silence? Who is out there fighting their depression, anxiety, stress, & loneliness on your bad & even good days? Who else feels like no one in their world gets them & is willing to meet them where they’re at? Who else feels completely unheard & entirely unseen?
I have been an influencer for over 10 years in my community. I can walk into a public place and people know my name, recognize my face, & have seen my work in one way or another. People meet me & say that I am exactly the same in person as I present myself online. Which is a positive perspective because I do my best to fully be me everywhere I am. But although I can be present & confident with whichever person I am meeting with & truly love the moment of interaction with them, just a few minutes of conversation & the pretty photos that I share don’t tell the full story of who I am.
The truth is I feel like an invisible influencer. People might know me because my face has become my brand, my outfits walk into the room before I do, & on the outside it looks as if I have every part of my life together. But to be honest, I am almost always a mess. I move slowly through every single emotion that I’m feeling & that those around me are feeling too. I cry almost daily. I feel so far behind in life & constantly feel like I’m trying to play catch up in my own life when it comes to success, relationships, & emotional stability. I’ve shared parts of my story online before, my struggles aren’t made unaware, but just like with most of us, no one really knows what goes on internally or how fully alone I constantly feel.
Ever since I was little I saw the people that no one wanted to see. I chose to come alongside those that others didn’t look twice at & befriended them. I tried my best to relate to the feelings of someone else so that they didn’t feel alone. I became the person I so desperately wished someone was willing to be for me. I showed up, I listened, & I sat alongside them. And that passion has carried into my adult life & has become what I want more than anything, naturally.
I've had this dream in my mind of creating something beyond myself for years. But it wasn't until I mostly healed from a life changing trauma when my therapist looked at me and said, "You have done the healing. Now, it's time for you go out into the world & be open to being seen again," that I knew what I needed to create. So a year ago I finally settled on the simple saying, nine months ago I made the rough design, three months ago I started sourcing products, & it's been 90 days of doing the work to bring this vision to life while I cried through the biggest depression I have ever experienced & fought the worst thoughts I've ever had towards myself that I had to untwist believing & acting on.
BE SEEN the brand is finally here. Because I need this reminder for myself. And I know others do too. I know that I am not alone in my reality of feeling this way. I know that though I feel lonely, I’m not. And you aren’t alone either. You have your hard days, you have your good days & you have the days that float between both of those kind of days. We can experience emotions that drown us or uplift us behind the smiles we forcibly deliver.
In the middle of our chaos, in the confusion of our hurt & our healing, in the crowd or all alone, in the moments we feel misunderstood, in the times we feel weak & like giving up, in the battles we’re facing internally that no one witnesses, in the instances that look like happiness but are filled with layers of quiet hardship, & even in the times we are doing okay, I think we all deserve to BE SEEN.
I'm here to tell you that I know firsthand how hard it is to show up & want to exist in different phases of life, but life is worth existing in. Don't believe the lies. Change is not easy to navigate & neither are thoughts or emotions that feel impossible to control. I get it. I live it. So my desire is for you to wear these pieces on the days you or those around you need a mirror of encouragement.
With all the hope, encouragement, & visibility I can give to you through the internet & a sweatshirt, I'm here rallying for you to BE SEEN.
Abbey Kay
Founder of BE SEEN.