Talk about originals. Sarah Edwards was a member of the inaugural class of #32under32 honorees in 2013.
We caught up with the Queen of LinkedIn to talk about self-reflection, social media, and her new favorite thing: waking up crazy early.
Sarah Edwards
The Headline
Sarah is the CEO at I AM Sarah Edwards. She is a Content Maker, Innovative Event Producer, and Creative Strategist. Sarah creates unique experiences that intertwine community, art, goodwill, and fashion.
The Honesty
Sarah is someone you want on your side. Directing, connecting, supporting, producing, or organizing, she is multi-faceted in her skillsets, tenacious and unwilling to compromise. Sarah seeks to unite others through positivity, finding unique ways to bring brand stories to life and possesses a work ethic motor that never runs out of gas towards achieving the goals of her clients and herself. If it doesn’t exist, she’ll create it. She does things because 1) why not? and, 2) it will make other people happy.
Self-Reflection
“I thrive in moving quickly and solving problems as fast as I can. But five years ago, I was continuously looking for someone else’s approval or permission to do something. I had insecurities about my work and my value.
As humans, we struggle with our weaknesses, but they’re also what makes us unique. So I actively practiced following my gut. I recognized being relevant is more important than being perfect. No one cares if you had an idea if you don’t follow it up with action. It’s the execution of it that separates leaders from talkers.
We tend to overthink things to death. When I was first creating I AM MPLS!, the scope of the project as a whole seemed insurmountable. But I looked at my current means − the time I was willing to commit, the skills I already knew, and a network I could tap into − and with every to-do that was crossed off, it came together.”
Sarah openly admits the content of that first show wasn’t awesome. Yet because she started the movement, a tribe began to form comprised of dedicated people that wanted to support it.
“Start with something to build on that inspires others to take action. What’s one thing that I can do right now?”
Social Media
“Social media is like anything. Look in the mirror and love yourself. If you don’t, you’re going to go into the world projecting something that you’re not and give a false impression. “You know, Sarah, if you worked on your photography, you could get more followers.” I know that! But that’s not my goal. Social can feel like we live in a society where we’re rewarding narcissism. I want to change that mindset, or, at least point people in the right direction.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Theodore Roosevelt probably wasn’t thinking about Instagram when he said that. So much personal value is now found in likes. Social media is currency. Everyone is their own media station. Building reach, frequency, platforms. I’m trying to practice intentionality with how I use social media. It’s like a drug it’s addicting. If you’re on it, why are you there? Recognize when you’re just scrolling with no purpose.
Social at its worst leads us away from resting in our own basic goodness, as it makes us feel that we aren’t enough just as we are, right now. That’s all ego. The world needs more quirk. We’re so serious all the time. I just want to inject some light-heartedness into the mundane.”
Her: @iamsarahedwards
Favorite Song at the moment: Lady, You Shot Me by Har Mar Superstar
Podcast: How I Built This with Guy Raz
Worth Streaming: Jim Carrey explains depression in the best way I’ve ever heard.
IG account worth following: @ee____________
Book recommendation: Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation
We hope you’ll join Sarah at the #32under32 awards at the Varsity Theater on May 17, 2018.
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