A Message From The Founder

This text is a kind of manifesto for me, to remind me why I started this long journey in the first place.

I’m a trauma survivor, and for many years, writing was a way for me to release the pressure that mounted inside me.

The journaling I did was disguised as “creative writing”. It usually featured stories of moody young men sitting in bars with dark thoughts. And it helped.

For decades I found it hard to leave the house without a small notebook and a pen. It was my way to get out and be social, while at the same time having my trusted silent friend with me. The paper that never speaks.

Since then, I’ve recommended writing as a personal development tool to many people. Especially for those with some kind of trauma. The process of looking at our thoughts creates a distance between the “thoughts” and “us”.

This distance creates a separation between the identity of self and our thoughts. Being able to say “I am not what I think” is one of the steps on the way to healing.

Also, writing helps us investigate our thoughts. To follow them, to examine them, and to learn who we are: self-awareness is one of the most valuable gifts we can give ourselves.

With this in mind, these cards are my small contribution to a world of greater self-awareness. I believe if we can see the complexity of thoughts we have inside ourselves, and see that everyone else also has the same complexity, it’s hard not to have empathy for each others' life experience.

The best way to see yourself is with a mirror. Words create the mirror we need to see our thoughts, feelings and reactions. That’s what I want for you, and that’s what I aim for the Unleash Your Ink Journal cards to do.

The Journey Begins Within.

For anyone who’s experienced trauma (and I consider the process of birth traumatic, so we’re all included), writing is a powerful tool to externalise ideas and thoughts. A lot of the time, thoughts that start out as innocent can become septic and cause us pain. Those same thoughts, when written down, feel banal, silly, indeed innocent, and they lose their power.

Just as when you talk with a friend and you realise you don’t need them to answer, you just needed to hear your thoughts, a journal is your silent friend. And the best thing about it, they will never tell.

I genuinely believe that if we’re going to progress as humans living together, we need to bridge the gaps we create between each other. Once we can see ourselves with more honesty and clarity, it’s easier to see that others are more similar to us than different to us.

This awareness, of others and of self, are what sets people with growth mindset aside. You cannot grow if you cannot see yourself.

And the best way to see yourself is with a mirror. Words create the mirror we need to see our thoughts, feelings and reactions. That’s what I want for you, and that’s what I aim for the Unleash Your Ink journal cards to do.

As a little easter egg for anyone reading this, if you want to grab the cards here, use this code for 15% off: ourstory15

Whatever you do, write or talk to someone and just take a little of the pressure off. Living is beautiful, and sometimes it's heavy. 

Lots of love,

Oliver

Ps: If you want to write me a message, my personal email is oliver@unleash.ink. I reply to everyone.