Nicolo M. DeCarvalho
Anchor Contributor
Recently, I had the pleasure to speak with Bliss Matthews, a current high school senior, artist, published author, musician and poet. Although she is young, Matthews is on a lifelong mission in order to connect people both to “themselves and each other.” She strives to do this through her already published pieces and future works, as she believes one “never stops growing.”
Matthews feels her dream is very simple: to “remind people of the little things to be grateful for and to be as present as possible.” I asked her how she plans to realize her dream. She responded that she plans to study human ecology, as it will “guide her to deepen her understanding of people in order to keep evolving.” Matthews believes dreams are not an end but rather a step on the journey, saying “people already appreciate what I am doing, so in a way my dream is already realized.”
As someone who does so much, Matthews knows she sometimes has to stop herself, as she is a “human being not a human doing,” yet she loves when people send her messages and tell her stories about “how she has affected them and the world for the better.” Bliss mentions that she is driven by “a lot of compassion,” from how she grew up on Chincoteague Island in Virginia, and moved to Rhode Island as a freshman. Back in Virginia, she has “experienced abuse and other things she believes nobody should have to live through, especially as a young person.” On top of all that Matthews says she was struggling with OCD to the point in which she couldn't function. However, when she came up to Rhode Island she went to a treatment program and it worked wonders. Matthews likes to live by these words: “I am someone who doesn't believe in miracles, I rely on them.”
Matthews would like to thank those she considers to be her biggest supporters, namely her family and friends. She mentions her family has “always been so supportive, always being there for her in her endeavors.” She also mentions she has the “best friends in the world,” explaining that she recently went to Boston to be on television for her book and how her friend had come with her to show support. Nature is also one of her biggest supporters, saying her work is “very spiritual in a nonreligious way.” She feels very connected to the seasons, elements and the like.
Matthews loves the world, but when asked if there was anything she would change, she wishes that “people would stop being afraid to be authentic” as she gets upset when people beat themselves up for “not being perfect, or wait to love themselves until they believe they are perfect.” She understands it can be scary to do so, but she believes that things are changing with the new generations’ emphasis on being “raw and real.”
As a final question I asked Matthews to define strength. She described that strength, “comes down to courage, authenticity and vulnerability.” She believes it is to “live openly without ideas of what you should or shouldn’t do as much as possible.” Matthews expands on the previous, saying “in order to gain strength you must commit yourself to feeling discomfort, being ok with not feeling ok, in order to reach a higher place of freedom.”
You can find Matthews’s music on Spotify, Apple Music, and Youtube. Those interested can also follow her on Instagram for poetry, music, updates, and more.