Consciousness might not ride on information. It might be the vibration of its interconnection.
Came across this quote as a result of someone asking AI to explain the fabric of interrelation. And I was deeply moved as it touches my personal why.
Why do I seek the human story in others? Why do I write and thrive on highlighting the genius in those I work with and love?
I think the greatest gift we can give others is a moment of full recognition. To see others in their wholeness. We all want to be seen, to be admired with joy when we’re in our light, and to be held in our moments of despair.
Since a young age, I realized my skill, genius, gift, talent - however you name it - was listening and seeing others at their core. I easily connected and became friends with people from all walks of life. Not so much because I was a pleaser - but because people felt understood in who they were.
I grew up as a third-culture kid. Born in Tahiti as - according to the local news - the first Dutch baby to ever have been born on the island. We then moved to Australia, Ivory Coast, Netherlands, and a brief stint in Morocco before back to the Netherlands and bouncing around there. You can imagine the vastness of cultures and different people passing by before my young eyes. Pair that with a geologist grandfather full of stories from places around the globe and a Dutch-Indonesian family oozing with warmth and care for ‘the collective’.
As a kid, I admired friends who were born and raised on the same street. As a teenager I struggled with the concept of ‘home’. As an adolescent I had to relearn to be safe in my own being. As an adult, I found that home was where I found my people. As a founder of Voices Unleashed, I’ve made it a mission to make a home for others by creating safe spaces to fully express themselves. Now as a father, providing safety and trust have become values deeply ingrained in me - and hopefully passed on.
Add to that a natural curiosity for fresh perspectives, art, and great stories and you get me. My drive to discover the vibration of our interconnectedness comes from all of the above. And so does my skillset.
I guide others to tell their stories, their defining moments, or their business narratives.
But I realize I hardly ever talk about myself. Walking the talk. For one simple belief: We are suspended in this moment of self-awareness and self-actualization, until sparked by that outside us. We are mirrors to one another. So what I see in you, I can find - or not - in myself. I learn from those around me. Not just who they are, but who I am.
I then find the solace and quiet of pen and ink to reflect and retell these stories. I came across this monologue by Alan Moore, that sums up perfectly why I write.
Books and writing are capable of changing the entire world, modifying human consciousness. You are modifying the consciousness of the reader and therefore you are altering the reality of the reader. Writing will modify the reality of the consciousness of the entire species, and inevitably the writer himself.
Never view yourself as the entertainer for hire. Try to remember the tradition that you are a part of. Try to remember that a writer can change the world with their writing. Think of the books that have changed human history and see yourself in that light.
You are your own most important instrument. Tune that instrument. If you want to develop as a writer, you have to develop as a human being. Whatever artist you wish to be, you need to develop a way of seeing the world that is unique to you.”
How I view the world, my unique way is the ability to see it through the eyes of others. Then in my heart a network of ideas and perspectives come alive, they pulsate in an ever-expanding motion. Grasping what it truly feels to be interconnected.
To end this ‘About Me’, I invite you to tune your instrument. To write your story, to dig for the definition of your uniqueness in the paths you took. Both personally and in your purpose. And if you need someone to guide you on that journey, you know where to find me.
I'm Roel W.T. Cruys. Writer, strategist, poet, CEO and founder of Voices Unleashed, a global art community built around the power of expression (think TEDx for Art).
I’m always in search of the next human story - that which connects us. From our defining moments to our greatest aims.
Whenever you're ready, here’s how I’d love to help you:
Ethos - Reposition your services and offers
We ditch the cookie-cutter marketing and craft new offers and messaging for one-of-a-kind businesses.
Origo - Founder Story
Allow people to connect to you, through your story.
Tailor-made communication strategy
roel@roelcruys.com
Our global art community
Voices Unleashed