Adventure, Austin Texas, Bohemian, Career, Clothing, Color, Culture, do good feel good, Dreams, Entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, Environment, Ethical, Ethical Fashion, Family, Fashion, fashion for good, Goals, Handwoven, Handmade, Job, Life, morals, New Beginnings, Passion, Planet, Plants, Ocean, Purpose, Roots, resortwear, slow fashion, struggles, Success, Sustainability, Sustainable Fashion, Traditions, Travel, values, Women Empowerment, Women, be you, self care, support, communityNicki Patelunisex, tees, organic cotton, giveback, donate, be you, fashion, womenswear, sustainable, ethical fashion, cruelty free, community, support, strength, courage, hope, faith, God, beliefs, tshrits, tshirts, made with love, made in usa, usa, handmade, austin, texasComment

be you in a world of others

Adventure, Austin Texas, Bohemian, Career, Clothing, Color, Culture, do good feel good, Dreams, Entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, Environment, Ethical, Ethical Fashion, Family, Fashion, fashion for good, Goals, Handwoven, Handmade, Job, Life, morals, New Beginnings, Passion, Planet, Plants, Ocean, Purpose, Roots, resortwear, slow fashion, struggles, Success, Sustainability, Sustainable Fashion, Traditions, Travel, values, Women Empowerment, Women, be you, self care, support, communityNicki Patelunisex, tees, organic cotton, giveback, donate, be you, fashion, womenswear, sustainable, ethical fashion, cruelty free, community, support, strength, courage, hope, faith, God, beliefs, tshrits, tshirts, made with love, made in usa, usa, handmade, austin, texasComment
be you in a world of others

Be You in a World of Others

By: Nicki Patel | 6.15.18

I never thought in a million years I would own my own business, be a designer, work in a creative industry, and be able to inspire and empower other people.

I always imagined myself at a stable job with stable income in some office cubicle, helping my parents toward retirement and living a simple, average life in the city I love the most (of course, Austin).

I never knew what I really, really wanted. I just knew of an idea or concept of a life I thought I wanted.

I have always known that I wanted to make others happy, but not until my life felt like it was completely turned upside did I realize that to make others happy, I too have to be happy.

I guess all along God and destiny had a different plan for me.

God’s Plan

God (She) brought Milo into my life. Milo brought a type of love and joy that I can’t even describe in words, something I had never felt before. Milo gave me a new life and new perspective on what being true to yourself really means. Yes, he may be just a dog to some of you, but to me he is way more. He has gone through abandonment, abuse, health issues, and anxiety without ever being able to speak a single word. His pure and innocent joy even in the messed up world he lives in, gives me so much hope, courage and strength.

She brought me the friends I needed to find me and my confidence the last few years of college. I have always struggled with being myself in front of people outside my family and have had the worst luck with friends. It always seems like they are temporary. But, this group of friends had a purpose that brought back the confident, sassy girl only my family knew me to be. I felt proud of who I was, and had the courage and strength to be me. I didn’t fear judgement although it was short lived. Just like before, these friends were temporary. And when they left, a piece of my confidence did too. I felt like it was my fault, something was truly wrong with me. Why do people keep bouncing in and out of my life? But, it was all a part of God’s plan (yes, I am totally singing Drake’s God’s plan right now as I write this).

She knew that I only needed those people/friends temporarily. At the same time those friends disappeared, I also lost my health and my career began to shake. I felt pain, anger, and fear. Then I lost my security and home, and I didn’t know who I was anymore.

God was there. She gave me strength from within, she gave me courage, she gave me wisdom, and she gave me love. She showed me that I could heal myself through surrounding myself with the people who love me most, with the food that nourished me the most, and through faith. She stood next to me while my career fell apart, she stood next to me when I struggled to stand, she stood next to me when I didn’t think I was going to make it another day. Just like she stood next to me, so did Milo.

Milo wagged along reminding me that those that matter most are the ones closest to you. Cherish every second like it’s your last, and don’t forget to be the truest and rawest form of you.

As I built my health back up, took a step in a new direction of sustainable fashion, launching a business, and began to build a new life for myself, I became a new me.

Who am I?

I am honestly still learning this new me, and she is always changing. This new me is determined, ambitious, and a go-getter just like the old Nicki, with maybe a little less confidence and sass. Okay, JK same amount of sass. I still have my days where I fall apart, feel lost, am overcome with fear, and want to hide. I am terrified of saying something wrong, posting the wrong picture, sharing the wrong idea, or just messing up. I fear judgement and failure. But I also have come to embrace and love my flaws and imperfections. I do wear my heart on my sleeve, and care deeply about the people closest to me. I love to give more than I like to get. And, I love queso more than anyone I know. Okay random, but I seriously love queso.  

In all seriousness, I will always have a deep fear of being myself in this world. Somedays it will overwhelm me, and somedays it will just be another emotion, but I hope that by sharing my truths, creating community, and empowering each other to own who we are, I can, we can be less afraid and more open to being ourselves in this world of others. <3

Today is the launch of the Be You Campaign, and I hope you will tag along on the journey as I share the stories of women and men that have inspired, motivated, and empowered me to keep going every single day. Part of the campaign, we launched a unisex Be You In The World Of Others tee made with 100% ring spun organic cotton with 20% of the proceeds from each tee being donated to a non-profit organization of your choice (you will be able to choose the org during checkout).

I truly hope that the tees will be a constant inspiration and reminder to women and men alike to do and be themselves in a world of others even when it seems to noisy and cluttered to even see, hear or believe in ourselves.

Thank you so much for being a part of our journey, and I hope that we can be a part of yours too.

Shop + Giveback with our Be You tees here.