I am so grateful to be featured on the Yoga Butterfly Blog week. Huge thanks to the Yoga Butterfly team: Abbey Rader, Executive Director; Kirra Sponenberg, Editor in Chief; Eric Rodriguez, Creative Director.
Read the piece below, or read this and more on the YB Blog!
What is a “Yoga Butterfly?”
A Yoga Butterfly is someone special and a little bit edgy. They make a difference in the world. They find wonder in magical places and have wisdom to pass on to all of us. These butterflies encompass a beautiful fluttery soul that should be celebrated. There is nothing average about them. They are inspiring and they are you.
Below you will find the responses to our weekly butterfly questions, which were chosen with the intent of learning something unique from each participant.
“My mission as an artist is really to learn from every character I portray, and person I experience, as much as possible in order to grow organically and inspire an audience in the same way.” – Claire Mercier
Name: Claire Mercier
Date of Birth: May 25th
Sign: Gemini
Occupation: Aspiring Actress and Blogger; 23-year-old trying to figure it all out.
Web link & IG Handle: claireemercier.com, @finding.claireity
What should we know about you and your company/business/charity/hobby?
I created my blog, Finding Claireity, at the end of last year. It has not been the easiest habit to keep up through the pandemic, but with Abbey and Yoga Butterflies I feel re-inspired to get back into writing – so I’m excited to be a part of these highlights and stay tuned on Finding Claireity! You can read my first-ever post about all the reasons I started, but keep in mind that was a pre-pandemic time. So much has changed about why I do anything now. Anyway, I’ve always wanted to be a theatre performer, inspire people and tell stories. My mission as an artist is really to learn from every character I portray, and person I experience, as much as possible in order to grow organically and inspire an audience in the same way. So while I love performing, it was a very difficult pursuit even before COVID, so I started a blog as a way to continue to tell stories, connect with an audience, and hopefully evoke good change along the way.
What is the biggest lesson life has taught you thus far?
It is always better to be kind, tell people you love them, be genuine, be open.
One of my best friends from college passed away unexpectedly a little over a year ago and it is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to process. He was the type of person that was friends with nearly everyone, and accepted anyone for exactly who they were. He was someone you wanted to be around because he just brought out the best in you. In a somewhat twisted way, even his death became something beautiful for all of his close friends and family because he brought us all together in such a deep way.
He was the first friend I made in college, and the last one I said goodbye to after graduation, thinking I’d see him again at the end of that summer. Processing his death has taught me that it is always worth taking an extra moment to tell people what they mean to you, it is better to be kind and accept everyone exactly as they are, and it is always most important to express your authentic self fully.
Easier said than done as anything, but I’m working on living this out every single day.
What is your most unusual fear and how do you overcome it?
I feel like this might be a pretty common fear, but I would say that I’m terrified of never making a difference. Not necessarily in the big picture of things, but I’m scared of not providing to the world in even a small way. Whether that be in just family and friends, or in a larger social impact sense. I want to lead a life with meaning and purpose, I want to make a difference on any level, even if that’s just being a safe space for one person.
I overcome this, or rather, attempt to work through it, by constantly working on myself to be the best version of me I can be. I work on believing in my own worth and focussing on giving to every situation as best I can.
Oh and I only do all of this because I go to Therapy weekly! I am such a huge believer in therapy, and I think that sometimes I forget to expand on the fact that the ideas and advice that I have, have not just come from sitting with myself and living life. I am constantly processing and pushing myself to better understand things in order to be able to focus on any of these goals. It’s easy for me to forget that when someone talks about overcoming something, they most likely did not muster up the strength on their own and that I can achieve these things too, it’s just hard work. The goal is to make it look easy though, right?
“Processing his death has taught me that it is always worth taking an extra moment to tell people what they mean to you, it is better to be kind and accept everyone exactly as they are, and it is always most important to express your authentic self fully.” – Claire Mercier
What thing/things are you completely done with? What is no longer serving you?
I am done faking my way through life. My entire life I have not felt like an authentic version of myself, but rather the kind of person that would mold to whatever situation I found myself in. This has led to so much anxiety surrounding the question “Who Am I?” I never really knew if I had an idea because I felt like I was not being “myself” in most situations. I have been scared of being seen as vulnerable, weird, different, you name it! But finally, after 23 years of life, I am re-discovering myself and committing to being my full self confidently.
What movie or book character are you most similar to and why?
Okay, I’m going to have to go with TV Series because I am not a big reader and I’m terrible at watching movies, but I would like to think of myself as being a mix between Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins from “Parks and Rec”. I’m like Leslie, being really dedicated to the work that I do and still having a very specific career goal I dreamed up when I was a kid. I’m different from Leslie when it comes to her confrontational nature, and being generally outspoken, as well as her leadership goals. I am more like Ann in those ways where I don’t always share my opinions loudly and tend more towards avoiding confrontation. And although I could be a leader in some sense, I’m more likely to go along with and support someone rather than step up myself. Like both of them, I value deep and honest friendships and will always be there for someone I love.
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