Bike-Packing Scotland and Breaking Free of Cultural Expectations with C.D. Seventeen
Sep 12, 2023
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C.D. Seventeen, a techno music artist, DJ, painter, and poet, shares her transformative solo bikepacking journey through the Scottish Highlands and Orkney Islands. She discusses overcoming social anxiety through DJing, the connection between DJing and her poetry, and the impact of her bikepacking trip on her healing process. The podcast also explores cultural influences, breaking free from societal expectations, and finding solitude during the journey.
The importance of challenging societal norms and expressing oneself creatively.
The transformative power of a solo bike-packing journey in fostering healing, independence, and personal growth.
The significance of embracing one's true self and unique perspective in breaking free from cultural expectations and pursuing artistic endeavors.
Deep dives
The Importance of Arts and Speaking Up
The podcast episode discusses the importance of the arts and encourages individuals to speak up. The guest, CB 17, shares her experience growing up in China where pursuing art was looked down upon. She emphasizes the need for people to challenge societal norms and express themselves creatively. The conversation highlights the power of individuals to make a difference and bring about change.
The Healing Power of a Solo Bikepacking Journey
CB 17's book, 'The Weights We Carry,' is a collection of poems inspired by her solo bikepacking journey around the Scottish Highlands and Orkney Islands. The trip served as a means to heal and rediscover her own power. Through the adventure, she found a sense of freedom and independence, breaking free from societal expectations and exploring her individuality. The journey not only provided artistic inspiration but also served as an opportunity for personal growth and self-discovery.
Challenging Cultural Norms and Embracing Individuation
CB 17's journey reflects her commitment to challenging cultural norms and embracing her own path. From her decision to pursue art despite societal pressures to her solo bikepacking journey, she embodies the concept of individuation, breaking free of cultural and familial expectations. She acknowledges the importance of setting personal boundaries and creating her own rules, both in life and in her artistic endeavors. CB 17 aspires to be a full-time artist and continues to explore various artistic avenues.
The Power of Solitude and Self-Expression
The podcast episode explores the importance of solitude and self-expression in fostering creativity and personal growth. The speaker shares their experience of finding inspiration through solo bikepacking trips around the Scottish Highlands and Orkney Islands. They discuss how being alone allowed them to develop their own unique artistic style and break free from societal expectations. The journey also provided opportunities to meet kind strangers who offered support and friendship along the way.
Overcoming Cultural Expectations and Embracing Individuality
The podcast delves into the speaker's journey of overcoming cultural pressures and embracing their true self. They discuss the struggles of feeling inferior due to language proficiency and societal expectations. The speaker shares how they gradually gained confidence by embracing their own way of speaking English and incorporating it into their poetry. They highlight the freedom that comes with owning one's unique perspective and how it can become an advantage in artistic expression.
How can travel serve as a path to healing and self-discovery?
Today, I’m joined by C.D. Seventeen, a techno music artist, DJ, painter, and poet, to talk about what it was like growing up in the Yunnan Province of China and how a bike-packing trip through the Scottish Highlands and the Orkney Islands helped her reclaim her power.
In this episode, Seventeen opens up about her challenges coming out of that environment to pursue an unconventional path and what she had to overcome to follow her dreams. We also explore her book The Weight We Carry, which contains poems from her solo bike-packing journey. She shares how this transformative trip contributed to her healing, what the adventure was like, and how it continues to impact her to this day.
This story just might inspire you to, as Seventeen wrote on the back of her book, “jump on a bike, go on a journey, dive deep into the self, and let the weight of your human identity dissolve into the wind.”
Trigger Warning: This episode discusses suicide and suicidal ideation.
How has travel brought about a transformation in you? I'd love to hear your story and hope you’ll share it by sending me an audio message.
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Tune In To Learn:
How DJing helped Seventeen overcome her social anxiety
Why she chose to move to the UK and study psychology instead of following her passions
Why speaking out about the Chinese education system and cultural expectations is important to her
The beauty of Seventeen’s culture and village life in the Yunnan Province
How writing in a foreign language taught her to embrace flaws and new possibilities
The pivotal moment that led her to take a solo bike-packing trip around Scotland
Seventeen’s quest for individuation and how her book reflects her transformation during the journey
What she’s learned from breaking free of the rules
Her advice for bike-packing Scotland and meeting others on the road
This episode is sponsored by US Bank's Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card, with the ability to earn up to 5x the points on travel-related expenses like hotels, and rental cars, this card will get you the most return on your next trip.
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