Dear Creator,

When I was younger, I thought the goal was to arrive at certainty. To know what I wanted to make, to know where I was going, to know how the world would respond. But the truth is, the most interesting parts of my journey have come from embracing uncertainty, from saying yes before I fully understood what the yes would require of me.

Say yes until you’ve earned the wisdom to say no. The yes opens doors, expands your perspective, and lets you discover what resonates with you. The no is equally important, but it has to be an informed no that comes from knowledge, from experience, from the courage of having tried.

Don’t be afraid to do the unexpected. Go against the grain, even when that makes you vulnerable. Fear will show up in those moments. Let it. Fear is proof that you care. It’s not OK to let it stop you, but it is OK to acknowledge it, to use it as a force that sharpens your focus. Listen, always. Listen to your peers, your community, your intuition. But listening doesn’t mean silencing yourself. Contribute. Speak up. Share the thing only you can bring. Precociousness belongs to children; informed contribution belongs to adults.

The most honest measure is whether the work feels right to you, whether it carries your truth and your contradictions. Progress, for me, is not about perfection or universal acceptance. It’s about movement, about falling, getting up, and continuing with greater clarity.

Hope comes from that movement. From knowing that even when the outcome is uncertain, you are still in dialogue with the world, still contributing to it. That’s enough to keep going.

With respect,
Rashid Johnson