Hi, I'm Campbell. I'm from Atlanta. I live in New York now and have had stints on the West Coast and in Boston. Unfortunately, I lost most of my southern accent sometime around 2001. My road to starting Loosecubes in 2010 was a bit of a winding one. Let's start for a moment in the spring of 1994. It was a big day: the results of cheerleading tryouts were to be posted, along with the coach's selections for captains. Where I grew up, this was a big deal.* The following year was my senior year. I'd been one of four juniors on the team and was fairly certain I would be selected to be the head cheerleader. I finally slipped through the crowd of girls around the bulletin board to see the list. Stunned, I read the list three times. Not only was my name was not listed next to "Captain," it wasn't on the list at all. I did what any good southern girl would do. I sat down by the lockers and started crying.
Just kidding. I marched myself into our coach's office and suggested she correct the typo. It took quite a bit of back and forth, but eventually I was back on the team. I wasn't the captain, but I was back.
In that moment I learned a valuable lesson. No doesn't always mean no. It's hard to believe that was 17 years ago. Since then, I've started a photography business and a nonprofit organization, posed as an investment banker, worked for a real estate developer, and started an internet company. At every turn, someone wanted to say No. Someone wanted to tell me I couldn't do this or that because I didn't have the [experience/skills/balls]. And I may not have had those things (especially the balls part). But you make your own destiny. I'm not sure where I'll end up, but one thing's for sure: if I keep thinking big and taking small steps every day, it'll be somewhere great. It already is.
*Check out our school's football field, complete with cameos by former football coaches and players here. Pretty big time, no?