heARTwork History: Where did we come from?
Hi!
My name is Kara Shea Jonsson and I am the founder and CEO of heARTwork. heARTwork is an online business that is dedicated to the centered artist. Through intentional education, we provide authentic pathways to a life filled with Creative Passion, Personal Development, and Professional Achievement.
Okay, that’s a lot of pretty language, but what do we actually do. Why does heARTwork even exist?
Well to tell that story I need to introduce you to 18 year old Kara. I was headed to college to study Musical Theatre and Arts Administration. From the beginning of my college career I was clear about wanting to pursue multiple avenues within the arts. However, I wasn’t sure how that could show up as a reality in my life. Trying to manage my first two years of college I struggled to mesh together the process of growing up, learning about the professional world, and maintaining my passion for what I was studying. During this balancing act I also started to notice the way my brain was at war with my heart.
The deep sadness that ultimately was defined as depression. Trying to manage my emotions during this time was daunting so I turned to fitness, diet, and ultra positivity. Each of these things are great! And can be key tools for personal development. However, this was not sustainable for me. Yes, I learned a lot and drastically changed the state of my mental health. But I was in an ever constant fear of slipping back into that place of depression. To me the darker artistic side of myself meant the depressed struggling version of myself. So I hid from her. Not too long afterwards, I swung back the other way. Diving headfirst into my darker artistic side and dropping all my healthy habits. This pendulum swung back and forth throughout the rest of my college career. Trying to keep up my positive, forward thinking self, while also maintaining my artistic passions. The best way I can describe it is I was trying to fit an Rainbow Pineapple Planner into a Dropkick Murphy Tattooed world.
After college I jumped into the professional world headfirst. While energetic and optimistic, I can now see that foundationally I did not have a core set of habits or skills to set myself up for success. I had an idea of what I needed, but ultimately I crashed and burned because I was trying to fix and serve everything in my life without showing up for myself first. In my mind, an hour spent meditating or evaluating my current state of being was an hour spent away from my professional speedy life. I had plenty of highlighted lists and to do’s, but I was still struggling to manage my inner peace.
After a swift change of life plans, I found myself with a blank slate. I was now in a 9 to 5 where things were calmer and I was happy, but I still struggled to find room for my artistic passions. The things that led me to my job in the first place. During my Freshman Year of Adulting I struggled. Nixing any and all healthy habits I had for myself, and simply riding the rollercoaster of everyday life. After trying so desperately to control my circumstances in my first 6 months out of college, I wanted nothing but to roll with the punches. Take a back seat in my own life.
This is not something I recommend, however I have taken this position many times in my life. And it always leads me to the same place. Sitting in the metaphorical middle seat, squished and unhappy and just wanting to be the one driving the car. After a year of that, I started to dive into the world of personal development authors and speakers. While each of these leaders has inspired me, I found myself wondering how to mesh these habits and tools I was learning with an artistic lifestyle. Things as simple as how to follow these financial tips when you’re bouncing on and off contracts? How to maintain 30 minutes of movement a day when you’re running between rehearsals, side hustles, and everyday life? After spending time with these habits and seeing the massive positive changes they had in my life I felt it was too important to leave my questions unanswered.
I started on my “Passion Project” A mission to combine the artistic practices I’d been taught in school with my knowledge of the industry and the practical tools that helped me progress. And heARTwork by Kara Shea Jonsson was born! It came from letting my passion drive my thoughts, what lit me up inside when I was little? Is it the same thing that lights me up inside now? Then adding in my knowledge and connections within the industry. Putting out surveys and asking friends on coffee dates to find out what my potential audience needed. And finally, looking at the personal development tools I love and applying them to a realistic artistic lifestyle.
I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing my story. Its weaved into the core of what heARTwork will grow to be, and I’m so excited to share it with all of you! heARTwork would not exist without the three key elements of Passion, Professionalism, and Personal Development. Check out my post on the Three P’s to learn more!
Thank you for your time! Reading my story means the world to me!
PS. I DARE YOU TO TURN YOUR DREAMS INTO A REALITY.
Love Always,
Kara Shea Jonsson
CEO & Founder
heARTwork by Kara Shea Jonsson LLC