For the last year I've been obsessing over the blog "The Messy Heads." I found the Editor in Chief, Emma Mercury's Instagram page one day and was immediately inspired by the colorful and inspiring images. Ever since I look forward to reading Emma and her friend's blog posts and continue to be inspired by their zest for life. The minute I became a writer for the Odyssey I knew I wanted to do an interview with Emma so others could be inspired by her.
Emma’s goal in creating the Messy Heads blog was “to tell girls that they were worth more than their appearance." She says, "I wanted to create something that focused on inner beauty, cultivating minds, and improving the self.” Her goal was not to create a popular blog or gain followers, she simply wants to inspire others. The Messy Heads is not the beginning of Emma getting her voice out; she has always been writing for things like school newspapers, yearbooks, and blogs, so there was never just one moment when she realized she wanted to share her opinions with the rest of the world. As far as the blog goes, Emma says that “The Messy Heads just happens to be the form it is currently taking.”
Recently Emma moved from Seattle to LA and published her first "Messy Heads" magazine. These two events were so inspirational to me because she took a chance for her passions and made them work--something that I have trouble doing on a regular basis. When I asked her about what the deciding factors of her moving to LA were, she said, "I wasn’t studying what I was passionate about or meeting people I connected with, and I didn’t feel any ties to the place I was in." So Emma called her best friend, Haley, in LA who just told her to come live with her and that's what she did. Emma says, "It was hard breaking the news to my parents, but as soon as I made the decision I felt the happiest and calmest that I had in a long time."
When it comes to supporting your self and your dreams, Emma believes that it is most important to have faith in yourself even when others don't. She claims, “When you show your authentic self, it attracts people who vibrate on that same frequency and will naturally understand and support what you are doing.” This idea of having people around you who support and understand your goals and visions has helped Emma succeed in her endeavors with The Messy Heads and gave her the courage to move to LA leaving behind her family and allowing her to live the life she wants to live.
Sometimes people will not understand the choices you make in your own life and it makes it hard to turn dreams into reality. If you’re struggling with this, Emma says to take a moment and ask yourself who’s version of your life are you after? Emma finishes the interview by explaining, “You are one person with a distinct purpose separate from everyone else, so why are you following a life path that somebody else gave to you? At the end of the day, all you have is yourself, and you should be able to be proud of who you are and what you are doing.”
Emma’s blog and life continue to inspire me and influence the way I see the world. In turn, every day I strive to be my most authentic self. I have chosen to make decisions that will help better my life and maintain happiness. Because of this, I am happier and more content than I have ever been.
Visit The Messy Heads for inspiration and a peek into Emma's life.
All photos are accredited to Emma Mercury.
