“Better to be a nerd than one of the herd!” -Mandy Hale
To be weird is to be free.
The enemy of every weird little seedling of an interest in the following question: “What’s the point?”
Don’t get me wrong- “points”, “reasons”, and “objectives” are one of the handiest tools of progress, but to let this bondage seep too deeply might be hurting your imagination, and paradoxically, your ability to solve the biggest problems in life and work.
To be weird is to be free.
And here is something even more wild:
To be weird is to see the world through a lens that makes you and your pair of eyes different from all the rest.
To fall in love with random vats of knowledge is a superpower.
Today, I want to tell you what that superpower has afforded me.
#1: Nanotechnology
Richard Reynman said it best with his famous lecture, “There’s Plenty Of Room At The Bottom”.
Indeed, there is.
This was the lecture that introduced the world to nanotechnology in 1959, and over sixty years later, nanotechnology is still just at its genesis.
As for me, my journey with nanotechnology started about a year ago when I first arrived in San Francisco as a student, and this idea of tiny things being powerful felt somewhat symbolic.
Imagine a structure that is but a billionth of a meter revolutionizing energy storage, medicine, and more.
It is humbling, and almost inspirational to be a fly in the wall (or a student at a desk) for research like this, and I was grateful for the opportunity.
Since then, I have explored nanotechnology at various levels.
I went close-up when I participated in weekly lab meetings at a nanotech lab group at UC Berkeley. Beyond that, I enjoyed getting excited about research papers that discussed things like how to translate nanostructures in butterfly wings to fiber optics.
What it taught me:
- To be ahead of most other people, all you have to do is show up consistently.
- Medium brain with enthusiasm > Big brains with zero interest.
- Bring a book when you’re using public transport.
#2: Destigmatization Of Women’s Health Through Art
I’ve always been a numbers girl, but when I read “Invisible Women” by Caroline Criado Perez, I felt like the numbers were telling me a story I didn’t like.
Even before reading this book I had experienced a few of the perks associated with syncing your lifestyle with your menstrual cycle. The biggest advantage to this personally was regarding my mental health, and the impact of taking magnesium during my luteal and menstrual phases.
What was once the half of the month in which I routinely questioned everything and doubted myself the most became actually pleasant.
The more I explored this, the more I found myself evangelizing the approach to other women, urging them to explore their own hormones more deeply.
It was Criado Perez’s book, though, that really sparked the feeling of rage.
I saw that this wasn’t just about “perks”.
The gender data gap was actually causing premature deaths for women (e.g. male-only crash test dummies & biased cardiovascular studies). It was putting them in danger (e.g. poorly lit public spaces). It was even leading to women giving up on their dreams (e.g. female PhD candidates experiencing little to no support when they get pregnant and often dropping out completely).
I was upset, so I finally decided to do something.
Over the past 4 months, with a group of friends, we created a comic book centered on menstrual health. Our hero, Amara Reyes, gets her powers from getting her period.
Our mission?
To tackle the stigma around women’s health head on using storytelling and art.
What it taught me:
- People will respect you for having the courage to say what they are afraid to.
- You go farther as a team but faster as an individual.
- An inspiring leader is an accountable leader. You don’t have to be perfect, but you have to take responsibility for your actions and get back up when you make a mistake.
#3: Female North American Bullfighters From 1930s-1960s
The past year and a half I have been in the process of re-igniting my deep love for creative writing.
As a kid, I used to regularly enter short story competitions, and over my high school years it ended up getting pushed aside in favor of more “realistic”, “practical” paths.
Then, I realized you can have exactly the career you want if you’re willing to put in the work to build it, and part of the career I want is that of an artist.
After writing the biography of a retired champion golfer in South Carolina over my gap year, I grew interested in historical fiction as a way to empower ourselves using true stories from the past.
This is when I came across Patricia Lee McCormick, an incredibly successful bullfighter from the 50s (the first woman to fight bulls professionally in North America) who dealt with several of the challenges inherent to highly male-dominated fields such as bullfighting.
Her story is inspiring, and the more I dug, the more I found other women like her- amazing bullfighters whose stories few of us have even heard.
Learning about McCormick got me excited about writing a story- a long one- to capture this. For months I experienced a major block about how to write her story, and eventually how to write a story that was a composite of many experiences, given the poor documentation of these women’s lives.
Now, I’m knee-deep in this project, and loving the process of becoming more and more in tune with the world of bullfighting.
What it taught me:
- We all come from a long line of people who overcame struggle and adversity. You are not alone; you are genetically programmed for resilience.
- The “good old days” were very screwed up. Be grateful for the privileges your ancestors fought to leave you with.
- Impulse-driven creativity only works when you actually make space to hear the creative impulse.
#4: Knitting
I made my dog a scarf.
Yes, it’s true, and I think she really liked it.
I learned to knit last December, and when I’m not in school, navigating a flurry of deadlines, I relish the way it feels to just sit on the couch, listening to music or a podcast, and just knit for a couple of hours.
So far, I have made a very cute gray wool bag with a lining that I sewed on the inside, a mug cozy, a scarf that has a chevron pattern which I’m still working on, a pair of fingerless gloves, and a dog-scarf. Sadly, when I was moving out of San Francisco in April, I lost my first project, which was a half finished purple scarf.
It was a hobby that came out of nowhere, which I picked up on Christmas day when I got a knitting craft kit under the tree.
Still, it has been one of the most rewarding hobbies to randomly sprout in my life.
Now, I’ve realized that I would also really love to learn how to sew and crochet….
What it taught me:
- 80% of the time, it ends up being way more accessible than it feels when you first try to learn it. Keep trying again, and you will find it gets way easier with practice.
- If you messed up one row, don’t keep going. Stop and evaluate your mistakes before they get even harder to resolve.
- Beautiful things take time to grow- whether it’s a scarf, a bag, a relationship, or a life. Be patient with your journey. You are exactly where you need to be.
Embrace your weird side.
To be “weird” is not just a savvy career move and a swift de-stressor from a busy day.
“Weird” is a way to liberate yourself from the long list of “should” and “should not” tasks that rule so much of life.
It’s a way to reclaim what makes us human, to radically fight for your free will, for joy, for creativity, for sovereignty over your calendar, mind, and spirit.
Being weird is how we tell the world I am alive and I am free.
Thought to Action
- Redefine “Cool”: Write your own definition—what draws you, not what sells.
- Try a Micro-Rebellion: Create or wear something that feels fully you, even if it’s outside your comfort zone.
- Start a Curiosity Journal: Follow your questions like da Vinci—capture 1–3 curiosities each day.
- Read Fiction with Designer Eyes: Notice how stories spark material or systems ideas—see my insights here: 3 Easy Ways to Unleash Creativity and Innovation
- Replace Performing with Experimenting: Trade one habit driven by approval for one driven by pure creative curiosity.
Sources
No external sources were used for this post.
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