Hello fellow Steemsters...um steemosters?..er SteemPunks?

.....okay that's cheesy, but deal with it...I like it, I'm a FRIGGIN STEEMPunk. I don't know, whatever the hell we are, punks, monsters or just plain 'ol 'sters' alike, let me start off by saying how absolutely excited I am to be here, doing this!

Pause for dramatic "poetselfie"...

No seriously though, I really am excited to have found this community, through a really cool lady/facebook friend @stellabelle

Second pause for a not-so-serious, but super short, video clip...

The Bourne Born Poetic

I'm John Oliver Westbrook...full time father, poet, and taking life to the edges...or as Thoreau said so beautifully:

"...to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms."

I've been a poet since I was a kid...I don't want to sound ridiculous but I was "born a poet"

During a rough time in my family, when my sister and I were living with our mom in a rental house with no furniture, helping pay rent through yard work and spending our homeschool'd days dreaming up crazy and goofy games, stories, "tv shows", inventions that were hilarious... It was during these early preteen/tween years I began writing my own poetry.

Although it was only my sister and I during those years, there are 6 of us kids, we are just the youngest. At the time our dad was working in another state, but he was a huge influence in my art. He instilled in all of us a deep appreciation for all art forms, at our earliest ages. Every holiday season we would sit around the family room and dad would read from a big red book of poetry, containing the greats. Our dad is also a poet and we would often read or listen to his poetry, some of which was put to background music.

But I want to share more about the most recent years of my life's journey, leading me to this point and to wanting to just create and share my soul and my art with others.

Becoming Barefoot

About 2 years ago I set out on an intentional "journey" to embrace myself as an artist...to breathe deliberate committed energy into the poet who I am.

I was running a technology consulting firm in town and my largest client dumped me...but it was something I needed and wanted. My journey had become very focused about authenticity.

This shift moved me to make many little decisions which, gradually, were coming from a place of honoring myself, honoring the vulnerability of us as humans, and my journey as one of lifting up others by lifting up myself first. I thought of this as "becoming barefoot" to articulate simply what this journey is all about.

Part of what prompted this process of being more authentic, this "becoming barefoot" in my life, was becoming literally barefoot.

Years ago, during an exceptionally hot summer in Tennessee...which is normal I suppose...I was trying to hike regularly and was burning the freak up. I needed to take off as many layers as possible without scandalizing kids on the trail.

So I took my shoes off. The earth was surprisingly cool in the 99 degree weather. I began to hike this way. It immediately resonated with me and felt "right". Like I was reaching back to my Cherokee roots and connecting with something more than simply earth, like I was connecting with nature at large.

Somehow, my hikes always made me feel more invigorating after I began doing this. And my stress would melt away with the sweat. Which was also a knew experience for me.

A friend pointed out there is real science behind connecting to the earth "electrically" and that what I was describing was exactly what would be expected from this connection. For me, at the time, I just mostly appreciated the spiritual connection and the way it made me feel free and grounded.

Later I would delve more into the science of it and it continued to expand and change my life.

What I loved most about going barefoot was the incredible parallels to my life in other ways, my deeper awakening and striving for a more real and authentic life...shedding the layers that block and disconnect me to humanity, to myself, etc..the "shoes" we wear to hide our true selves.

When we "become barefoot"...part of this is becoming vulnerable. Walking, especially hiking barefoot, was really painful at first. I'd step on a small rock and it would totally smart. And I'd feel totally dumb.

But I had a theory that if I kept it up, I'd return to the way I was as a kid, where I could run barefoot anywhere without pain.

As the callouses build, they protect us. Callouses don't make us mean or cruel, they are a way to tolerate more, they empower us to travel to new trails that might have been too painful before...but I'll be writing more about that sort of stuff later!

I'm first and foremost a (single) dad and ever since the day I became a father, I've fallen hard for this kid. She's an inspiration to me every moment I am awake and a part of learning to awaken. As a father I've always felt very confident about that role and my abilities to be a good dad. It's always been something I felt totally solid about, secure about, and every day I devote all my faculties to being a better dad and a better guide to this life.

As a parent it's hard to balance giving to your kids and yourself. At least for me it has been. So honoring myself...taking that leap to say "I'm going to embrace more fully myself as a poet and only start doing that which I truly love", this was hard to do....and to understand that in so doing I would be better at honoring her and being a dad.

The {Winnie} Road Less Traveled

we are traveling today
the only ones
whether blue skies or grey
so many suns
and me and you
take deliberate strides
to fathom what few
will live in their lives

{john oliver westbrook}

After a year of journeying into some really challenging depths as an artist and in my personal exploration...all in this quest for "do what you love and the universe will support your journey", post tech job, I was driving across town with Daphne and we spotted an old C class RV. I told her stories about how, when I was young, I worked for this family who owned a 40' RV and as part of our (my sister and I) perks for doing yard and house work for them, they would let us come with them on week long excursions in their RV.

Then I told her about the C class RV I got to ride in when I was in high school and all the adventures of that trip.

She was so hooked on the idea...especially when I found myself saying.."wouldn't it be cool if we took our dogs, cat and bird in an RV around the US?"

If you're a parent, you know that moment when you say something that you immediately regret because of the implications you've set into motion? Yeah.

She said, "Can we?!"

And I said, "Yes. Yes we can! Let's focus on it and start doing everything to attract it!"

At this point I had no money.

What the heck!

But I wanted a chance to demonstrate to her that when you set your intentions, anything is possible...yeah, risky move and kind of crazy maybe.

A few months later, I was able to sell a small online business I had been building to help support my pursuit of doing what you love and I bought a very rad 1987 Class C RV and we hit the road with all our pets for a 2 month adventure of touring the US.

The RV

Mid Trip Selfie, My Daughter and I

Daphne's Parrot Riding Shotgun?

Our Cat Tolerating The Trip

We also had 3 dogs with us...yeah. I won't bore you with too many pics, but here's a couple other nice shots from this 2 month adventure.

Before this trip manifested, my "becoming barefoot" journey was (and still is) about me questioning, becoming real, with every part of myself. Asking big and challenging questions...like why I believed what I did or what I do now.

To manifest this incredible summer trip, and have the opportunity to teach my daughter to believe in herself and to focus on and truly commit to manifesting your own intentions...it was a gift I cannot describe. And it taught me that these shifts in my own beliefs, this journey to embracing what I love and want for myself and Daphne, is absolutely possible and can be manifested regardless of any preconceived limiting thoughts.

As a father I believe my "job" is to simply be a tour guide of sorts, to this universe as I perceive it...but as part of that responsibility to teach her that perceptions are everything...that the way I perceive things is not law. To teach her to have an open mind, open heart, and always be finding what resonates with her.

Who I Am

As you now know, I'm a poet. In pursuing "do what you love" I've more and more been able to embrace this and embody it...but it's a challenge with all the limiting beliefs we can carry (more about that in a second). Anyway, poetry is not just something I enjoy on the side or casually from time to time. Poetry is my art, but more than that, it's my truest and deepest voice. I write daily, usually 4 to 8 poems...and when I don't, I feel them building up inside, needing to get out so bad.

As I grow personally and embrace more and more of this journey of becoming barefoot, doing what I love, the expression of the poetry, the art, being this poet continues to expand and grow...and I love sharing the art that transpires and this wild journey with others. Now days, I share a few poems daily on Instagram...usually the shorter ones. And recently I began a video series shared on IG and YouTube which includes a reading of a slightly longer poem I choose each week.

Committing to devoting consistent and focused time, energy etc on sharing my art is something I began a couple months ago.

Who I'm Becoming (Removing Limiting Beliefs)

I've carried a lot of limiting beliefs in my life about what is possible for me, or for any artist. Only very recently have I made the decision to directly challenge those beliefs with real effort and directly contradicting beliefs...and consistency, conviction and serious intentional self-confidence...something I've struggled with a lot in my past.

I guess it always comes back to sustainability for an artist...can we create art and share it and feel good about how we are sharing it and make a living to allow us more time to do more of what we are?

Truly that is how I see "being a poet". It's who I am, not something I do...well it is something I do, but you know what I mean.

Like I think of "being a dad" in the same way. It's not something I just do, it comes naturally to me and is like a necessity of my spirit to be a father, to nurture, to guide and instruct, to solve the little problems of communication or growth or development, etc.

Being a poet, this romance with language and formation of words, bursting and expressing my mysterious existence and being shared with others, is natural and necessary for my spirit.

And as a result, I also love to write...albeit only certain things...but I love writing short stories, short dialogue, philosophy and just simply free flowing words that just spill from my consciousness.

But back on track,

...here I am, making this devotion to deliver my words to others who may benefit from them somehow, maybe feel something, and I start getting some good feedback and a positive response on IG.

A beautiful part of committing to what I do/what I love/what I'm passionate about...that I'm learning, is it means I'm going to pour more energy and time and stop making excuses why I can't/won't do it right now...or making excuses to do it later or after something else occurs, etc.

The word "commitment" sounds boring, but it's really courageous...if you're doing it right. It's jumping and not worrying about what ifs, it's like saying "this is who I am and I refuse to deny myself or the world this part of me".

For me, I was committing to myself and the art...both. But allowing the art to be bigger than me. To understand that my poetry is bigger than me and always will be...to let it lead so to speak.

So at this point, I was putting a lot of effort and focused energy into just that, letting the poetry breathe, take on new heights and reach more people. Things began building, a following started developing to embrace and honor the art.

But this strange quandary of how to find honorable sustainability within the place of art...was still nagging on my heart, needing me to keep asking questions and being open to removing limitations. Could I make a living, or even a partial living, from my art without selling out or creating new limitations?

The great thing about asking questions of yourself and challenging your own limits and beliefs, is you find answers. Most people don't ask questions...and wonder why answers never arrive.

Questions open the mind and the subconscious and we begin solving the riddle.

I also believe there is a strange and mysterious thread that connects all of us. I don't want to put confines around it by labeling it, but it's similar to the way radio waves work. We are all broadcasting and receiving on certain frequencies...when I'm tuned to something, I tend to pick up the signals others are broadcasting on that same frequency.

And I tend to miss the signals being sent over frequencies that are way off from mine.

My friend refers to it as zigging when they zag. If I'm all about love and someone else is all about greed, we will probably miss each other signals pretty regularly.

Perspective Shifts & STEEMPunks

The first signal arrived several weeks back...but I wasn't quite tuned in yet. @stellabelle said something on a Facebook group we are both a part of about Steemit. I brushed it off (silly 'ol me), for one I believed it was too complicated for my busy mind, for another I didn't know if I could trust sharing my Facebook account with the site...and at the time I wasn't yet fully in a groove with my Instagram efforts and still trying to get a solid grip on building my art up within that community.

The second signal arrived a few days ago when a fellow poet in town, who I hadn't seen in several months, very briefly shared something with me that totally blew the lid off my limiting beliefs surrounding my art being self-sustaining....it was right on my frequency at the moment.

But that's another story for another time! (because it started a mini revolution inside me and I'm still working out the kinks and nurturing the changes)

The reason I mention that second signal, is it obliterated many of my limiting beliefs and made many others visible...allowing me to open my perspective.

Then, in my email, was a YouTube alert showing me my top subscribed to channels latest videos...and @stellabelle had a new video that looked really interesting...and I love her work and occasional quirkiness she shares.

It was referencing Steemit and some experiences of hers and I sort of just jumped. I was primed and ready for being open to new possibilities and also looking for a way to share some of my longer poems, stories and philosophies...and even other stuff I write and am passionate about (like barefooting, some techy things, some rants, etc)

What's funny is I just said "fuck it" and jumped this time, and immediately joined Steemit without question. I think that's important to do when something that actually fits shows up. This fit. The possibility of it being sustainable someday is a nice perk, but after getting over my confusion about how the site and posting works, it's actually a really liberating platform for exactly what I'm looking for to do and share with others.

I'm super excited to STEEM up this fucking place with my absolute best shitttttt.

Ummm, hold on, that came out wrong...or maybe just right.

Regardless, in all seriousness, I am really super thrilled to be here and have the opportunity to add Steemit to my "devotion list" of expanding how I commit to bringing my art and other writings or creations to others...and opening up to more creativity and more community

In closing this little intro of me-self with you beautiful people, wanted to share a poem I shared before on my blog here, that sort of accentuates my journey to this point in many ways...

Thanks for reading and getting to know me and I look forward to getting to know you!

Also, here are a couple links to my art:

http://www.instagram.com/abarefootpoet/

http://www.facebook.com/abarefootpoet/

Much love - John Oliver

This was our time, our moment
to dance in the road in the rain.

We were like angels again.
Like children starting a revolution.
behind closed eyes, lies, the universe never calloused or chambered grudges.

Only becomes water.

See my rippling beginnings
brimming upon the lip of the cup;
Where my tears well and regrets fade.
Take me by my cold unsettled hand.
Draw to me your torch, in this dark fading evening; when the ocean can run through you…

The broken wings need the flames
to singe off all our outer gamings.
Revealing how we soar at twilight.

{john oliver westbrook}