Kat Von D.

Where you come from, what you look like, and what your past holds do not define you as an individual--you are what you make yourself to be.

Who are your heroes? Why do you look up to them? Why do we respect those who live and think for themselves as opposed to doing what is expected? We all admire the idea of living a life unbound by thoughts of fear. People who seem to live that dream inspire us to want to do the same. They mirror the qualities that we possess but are too scared to access.

You have to nourish your creativity for it to flourish...

To me, the haircut represented beauty and strength, that I was a woman who would live her life without the boundaries imposed upon her by other people.

Strength doesn't necessarily come from resisting fear, weakness, or any other feeling and overcoming it. Strength comes from looking at those things straight on--and accepting them as they really are.

We are the masters of our reality.

If I wanted to be free of this unrequited longing, I would have to make peace with the past and finally let go. There was no way around it. But did I want to be free of it - and him?

But true individuality is more about being in tune with who you truly are, whether you're expressing yourself physically, mentally, or spiritually; individuality arises from living without fear of what other might think or say about you and without being swayed by their opinions, leaving you free to lead life without caring about judgments made by the outside world.

What's truly important--and what I find myself forgetting and having to relearn--is that right here, right now, I am free. Free to be myself and to express myself.

And that reminds me of another memorable thing Linda once said to me: "There's so much strength in vulnerability. It's the ultimate gift you can give yourself because you allow yourself to open up; to invite someone in.

Helping others without any expectation and without gain is just as much a gift to yourself as it is to the person you give to.