I’m up for a Canva Community Award!
Happy New Year! I hope that the holiday season was just what you needed it to be, and that 2024 feels full of opportunity for you. On my end, I stayed in Vancouver and took the time to get some rest before stepping into what feels like an exciting year ahead.
Speaking of which, I have some really fun news to share with you today:
I’m up for a Canva Community Award
Some of you may have seen the news on Instagram already, but I wanted to take the time to share it here too, along with the story of how it all came to be!
So, I use Canva for all of my Seated Perspectives designs. It's where I came up with the current brand colours, where I find the cute little design features that go into each post, and where I spent more time than I'd like to admit finding the perfect fonts for the brand.
The platform is amazing — it makes it really easy for me (a non-designer) to create content that is visually appealing and representative of how I want to show up. So, when I saw their email about the Canva Community Awards and that they had a Stellar Storyteller category, I decided on a whim that I would send in an application.
A few weeks later, I got an email saying I had been shortlisted for the category, and that they needed a few more details from me before they selected the finalists. I was pleasantly surprised, but I downplayed it to myself saying the shortlist was probably really long and there was little chance that I'd make it to the next stage.
The real surprise came a few weeks after that when I got another email from Canva saying I was a finalist. I couldn't believe it. 13,800 people from all over the world applied to be a recipient, and I was one of just 30 people across the ten award categories that was listed as a finalist. Only 0.2% of all entries made it to the final round. Like, how?
Baffled as I may have been, I'm now thrilled. It's an honour to have some of my content celebrated on such a big stage. It means more than I can say that what I'm putting out there is resonating across borders.
Now, here's where you can help! The award winners will be selected by public vote. If you're able, click on the button below and vote for me (Ali Cameron) to win the Stellar Storyteller award. You will need to have a Canva account to do so, and it's free and easy to set up! Thank you, thank you!
What putting myself out there has meant
Now, I'll be the first to say that downplaying our successes is a silly thing to do (ask my friends). In fact, I am a big proponent of celebrating wins — so why did I spend so much time waffling about, telling myself that I was unlikely to get this award?
I think part of it comes down to the stories I'm telling. Disability is rarely (if ever) at the centre of the conversation. Globally, there's a massive lack of representation, support, and even interest in disability. Unless you're living it in some way or another, it's highly unlikely that you even think about disability.
This is why I sometimes I have arguments with myself about whether something is worth posting about or not. It's why I'll sometimes take a break from posting at all because I convince myself that people don't need or want to know about the disabled experience.
And that's no one person's fault, mind you — my friends and the wonderful disabled community members I've met on Instagram have all been fantastic in letting me know that my content matters. What is at fault is the systemic ableism that lives large and small everywhere we go, in everything we watch, read, or listen to.
I need to let this go. Not just a little bit, but entirely. I need to remember that for a lot of people that follow me, I'm the first person ever to talk candidly about disability. And yes, that's uncomfortable and scary and vulnerable, but it's also important.
As I was writing this newsletter, my husband shared a very timely Adam Grant post that says “Don't mistake self-expression for selfishness. Sharing your experiences is an act of service. When people see themselves in your story, they feel less alone.” (The universe works in mysterious ways, I tell ya.)
So I'm going to take this award nomination, this personal realization, and this quote, and take it into 2024 as an intention. I will keep using my voice. I will keep sharing my stories and insights. I will keep finding new ways to encourage representation and support others that want to get their own experiences out there.
Maybe a course on Instagram advocacy? Anyone?
If you've read this far, thank you!
