Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriella Carter.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Living in England and South Florida meant that I easily found solace in the pockets of Blackness around me. I learned to love the tacit understanding and comfort that comes with being around your people, especially in the classroom. In high school, I never had to subconsciously bear the weight of my identity on my shoulders because it didn’t matter; I was surrounded by people who navigated the world in a way that was almost akin to my own experiences.
When I arrived at college, however, I was in for an unsettling cultural shift that proved to feel more foreign than moving to America was: at Princeton, I was the anomaly. Everything from the overwhelming generational wealth to the tedious campus culture was more than enough to make me feel out of place almost immediately.
These feelings of ‘otherness’ ultimately thrust me into what felt like an endless abyss of depression. Every day, I yearned to be in an environment that fulfilled me instead of draining me to the point where getting out of my dorm started to feel like a chore. Before I knew it, my freshman year flew by and I was off to Peru for two months to intern at a social enterprise specializing in financing college student’s education. Beyond our daily work routine, the Fellowship Program that chose us prioritized journaling and contemplation. One of the first activities we ever did there involved blindly picking a labeled piece of paper from a small bag and reflecting on how the word you drew aligns with your life. I got the word “inicio” which means ‘start’ in Spanish. Right then and there, I genuinely felt that this card meant that I was destined for new beginnings. To fully accept my destiny, I began by vowing to stop holding myself back and start nourishing myself with things that make me happy. I knew this meant living more purposefully, so I racked my brain to figure out what I was truly passionate about.
I’d always been intrigued by the arts, especially photography, but it was more of a personal hobby because I didn’t trust my artistic eye enough to free any of my work from the reigns of my laptop. Conversely, destigmatizing mental health has been important to me since the moment I became aware of how taboo discussing it is. So, I thought “what better way to overcome my fear of actively creating art than to fuse it with my passion for mental health advocacy?” I decided to take pictures of whatever brought me joy and transfer that emotional energy to whoever viewed the picture through unrelated captions that inspire self-reflection and emotional vulnerability. Thus, @letsbask was born.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Of course not. Sometimes, I don’t want to disrupt a beautiful, natural movement by pulling out my camera. Other times I simply can’t find anything that speaks to me so that I want to take a picture. But more recently, there have been times that I’ve thought to myself “damn, people aren’t responding to my posts as I would like them to. Why am I even doing this? I’m not even getting paid to take time away from my studies to do this.” But I had to acknowledge that everyone is at a different place in their journey to self-discovery. Rushing people to open up and bask in their mental health is beyond insensitive. Plus, being vulnerable on the internet is really intimidating because you don’t know who can see it. So, I just had to take a step back and remember that the reason I started @letsbask wasn’t for comments; it was to help facilitate genuine healing and self-reflection through candid conversation. Some conversations flow better when the other just listen.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Let’s Bask story. Tell us more about it.
My company is essentially a non-profit organization named Let’s Bask. It’s dedicated to eradicating the stigmas surrounding mental health by asking thought-provoking questions which prompt viewers to re-evaluate their own feelings and selves. I fuse my passion for celebrating the beauty in everyday life through photography with my dedication to unfiltered discussions of the not-so-glamorous parts of life that everyone experiences. Overall, I’m most proud of my unwavering honesty. In this day and age, it’s almost impossible not to feel obligated to post the cutest pictures of you living your best life. The fact that @letsbask uses the same tool that influences us to hide behind a facade to be open about the harder side of life and encourage others to do as well is special and powerful. No matter how uncomfortable I may be with answering the very questions I’m asking, I do it because it could show an unsuspecting person that everybody goes through periods of loneliness, sadness, or just downright confusion. My vulnerability and authenticity will always differentiate me from others.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I believe that everything happens for a reason. I think it was fate that I drew the card reading “inicio” on one of my very first days in Peru. I also think it was fate that I matriculated into a school that challenged my identity and sense of comfort. Luck connotes the idea that whatever occurs was not meant to be, but I beg to differ. I may not always understand or appreciate my circumstances but God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers, so all I can do is take the good and the bad thrown my way with a grain of salt and keep pushing forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjagz9CGNDz96yAY3JjLSpQ?view_as=subscriber
- Email: gabriellacarter2018@gmail.com
- Instagram: @letsbask
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