Ruby Walker

Ruby Walker is an 18-year-old student, author, and visual artist - and she’s not depressed anymore. Ruby gets pretty tired of saying that, but she wrote and illustrated a book about it, so it’s kind of hard to avoid at this point.

When Ruby was 15 going on 16, she went from a numb, silent, miserable high school dropout to a joyous loudmouth in one year flat. In her new book, Advice I Ignored, she answers the question everyone's been asking her since: What happened? Full of stories, honest advice, and fierce hope, Advice I Ignored is a self-help book for people who hate help. An important resource for teens suffering from depression (which has reached epidemic proportions), parents who have one, and educators who want to help. Applicable for adults suffering too!

Ruby writes for professional over-thinkers, and she likes to brighten people’s days and bully her friends into respecting themselves more. Ruby believes in making the world better through a combination of loving kindness and direct action. What else does Ruby believe? War: bad. Equality: good. Universal healthcare: good. Nature: good. Humanity: good. Classes (economic): bad. Classes (school): good. Art: good. Trust: good. Those walking stick bugs that look like sticks but they’re not, they’re little liars: Bad.

I’m so excited for you to connect with Ruby, check out her book, and follow along as she continues to share her experiences with mental health and what she’s learned about herself, to help others along their journey too.

I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.

Hi! My name is Ruby Walker, and I’m an 18-year-old student, author, and visual artist. I just finished self-publishing my book, Advice I Ignored: Stories and Wisdom from a Formerly Depressed Teen. It’s an illustrated book for teenagers struggling with depression, based on my own personal experience in recovery.

How did you get started?

My mom encouraged me to write about my experiences in the summer of 2017, about a year after my depression got so bad I dropped out of high school. That year was so crazy for me. I learned so much, and my worldview changed so much, it seemed like a good idea to try getting it all down while it was still fresh.

What inspired the work that you're doing?

When I was 15, I realized I was depressed. Not quirky sighing-and-looking-out-the-window depressed, though I did plenty of that, but a terrifying and all-consuming state of fear, dread, numbness, and self-hatred. So then I looked around in the world for stories about people like me, and I didn’t see a lot of hope. Many of them ended in death.

When I started to feel better, I wanted to write a book that would make people in my situation feel a little less alone.

What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?

I actually do feel like I’m living my purpose right now! I’m so happy I was given the opportunity to share my work with people.

A psychotherapist posted a quote from my book on instagram when it first came out, “I was trapped in dichotomy—certain of two things at once that couldn't possibly agree. Believing what happened wasn't bad enough to be so shaken over, but still coming undone. Blaming myself entirely, but still feeling powerless. Standing on the razor’s edge, knowing that I was doing myself wrong, but falling back in every single time.”

She has a lot more followers than I’ve ever had, so there were a lot of comments on the post. Things like, “I’ve felt like this, I just didn’t know how to put it into words.” Hundreds of people who saw themselves in my private thoughts.

That’s what I’m passionate about. In that moment, I felt like all the hard work I’d put into writing and creating my artwork was 100% worth it. I want to make people feel seen.

What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?

Connecting with people consistently brings me joy. I mean quality time - over tea or dinner, looking into my friends’ eyes and listening to what’s on their minds.

Nature makes me happy too. I like to watch the way the days shift between dusk and dawn, the turning of the seasons, how the grass and trees sway subtly in the lightest of breezes when you stop to slow down and look. I don’t want to be too cliche, but there is beauty everywhere. As an artist and just as a person, I think it’s incredibly important to just look, just listen, just feel the present moment completely. That probably sounds very hippie-ish but it’s true!

How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?

I don’t have any super special tricks - I try to spend some time alone with my thoughts every day.

What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?

I think my younger self would be amazed that I’ve managed to be so happy. There were some times when I thought I’d be miserable forever. The world hasn’t gotten easier, but I’ve gotten better at dealing with hard stuff. I’m grateful for that.

Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?

Yeah. My mom taught one to me when I was a little kid. Tap yourself on the chest with your fingertips over and over, and say with deep breaths:

“Even though _________ [bad thing], it’s okay. I’m okay. And I truly, deeply love and respect myself.” Keep doing that until you run out of bad things to say.

What is your biggest dream?

If everyone could just agree to do something about climate change, that’d be great. I’d like to have a planet to live on.

On a more personal level, though, my dream is to share a two-bedroom apartment with my future wife and keep all our rooms stuffed with unruly houseplants. We’d sleep in one room and in the other, I’d have a studio. My art would be enough to pay the bills and we’d spend our free time entertaining friends, volunteering in the community, and doing outdoorsy stuff like kayaking.

To learn more about Ruby and her work visit her website www.rubywalker.com and on Twitter @rubyirl and you can find her book “Advice I Ignored” here

Joy Corner is an interview-style blog series brought to you by Seek The Joy Podcast. Our mission continues to be a desire to share your stories, truths, joys and inspiration in your words. We invite you to join our corner, and share your joys, passions, and moments of inspiration as we continue to seek the joy, together. Join this series here

Ruby Walker - Student, Author & Visual Artist