We’re looking forward to introducing you to Kimmothy Cole. Check out our conversation below.
Kimmothy, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
In the past year, I’ve started playing music with a couple friends. We started a band called SirDr. All of us have work that we are passionate about and none of us are trying to make a career in music so we can just enjoy ourselves. When we make decisions, we ask, “Is this fun?” In the answer is ‘yes’, we do it. If the answer is ‘no’, we don’t. It’s lovely. We don’t let it become a source of stress which has made it a place where we all get to try new things, challenge ourselves creatively and feel supported in the process.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’ve been a lot of different things over the years. I was a high school teacher, a knife salesman, a theatre producer, an office manager, a pastor, a barista, a professional actor and a business owner. In every job, I’ve learned new skills that helped me understand more about building community. I love collaborating and I love a challenge. Any place I can bring together ideas and people to develop creative solutions, I will. Recently, I came together with two other creative educators to start a group called US|wild|THEMS. UwT builds intergenerational community with children at the center. We encourage exploration of the world within us and around us. We use the natural world as a point of connection for teaching young children mental health resilience tools. We encourage confidence, curiosity, creativity and celebrating the differences between us.
US|wild|THEMS believes that a liberated world starts with our children. We make space for adults and children to get to know themselves and each other through intergenerational co-learning spaces. We lead story times, host amateur drag shows for children and youth, create sensory performances and guide residencies in community spaces.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child I believed that I fundamentally couldn’t trust myself. I was just sure that every impulse I had was flawed, that I was missing something, that everybody else knew better than I did and I needed to listen to what they said. Even when I was in a position of leadership, I defaulted to enforcing other people’s ideas of what was right and wrong. Now I look back at that time and it makes me so sad. I gave up so much of my power and lost touch with my intuition. I am still working on regaining confidence. I trust myself today more than I used to, but I still feel like I’m taking apart all of the stories and ideas I was taught. One of the lessons I hope children learn from me is that they can trust themselves. The best way to do that is to model the behavior. It’s a challenge for me to keep growing in this area, but I want children to see my confidence and believe that they can be confident too.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering often teaches me what I want. Growing up, I was sure that I wanted to win things and get awards and be important. When I actually tried to build a life on these ideas, I was miserable. I was always chasing someone else’s approval and trying to be the best. Even when I did win, it didn’t result in better relationships or more ease or greater creative outcomes. Often it just meant more stress or a constant feeling of rejection when things didn’t go the way I’d hoped. About 10 years ago, I made a major shift in my life and started pursuing opportunities that felt like a fit for me. A guiding principle in this was a phrase I saw written on the wall in a church building where I used to rehearse. It said, “Don’t stay where you’re tolerated. Go where you’re celebrated.” I moved to a new city, started working in new ways and began to look inside myself to understand better who I was. I don’t think that my current successes would have been possible if I hadn’t been so miserable in the life I thought I wanted.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
Two truths feel like a constant hum in the back of my brain. Both were articulated by Octavia Butler in the Earthseed verses:
– “Your teachers are all around you… if you will learn.”
– “The only lasting truth is change.”
Struggling to have confidence in myself made me great at listening to and learning from others. I was sure that everyone had better ideas than I did. The more I learned, the more I saw the contradictions. I realized I was going to have to make a decision about what I believed and stand on that. As I synthesize what I’d learned, I regularly challenged myself with new ideas and information. I went where I was out of place and didn’t know as much as people around me. I’ve gotten used to getting new information and preparing to have my mind changed. I’ve also built a strong foundation for my belief system and that foundation has helped me build my confidence.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
Most of what would remain if I laid down my name, role and possessions would be an endless supply of ideas. I feel like I always have a hundred ideas in my brain that I am slowly building out for the future. I love building something new when I don’t have any real resources. The limits can be a great way to push myself to reconsider what is available and how I can bring an audience or community group into the process. Even if it’s just something silly that I make for myself at home, I love making things.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.uswildthems.com
- Instagram: @uswildthems / @sirdrrva
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimmothycole/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SirDrRVA
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/LCoTaxV1B5rF8AOYbE
Image Credits
Picture of performers: Tom Jakob (see watermark on photo)
Others: Dr. Jamie Loving
