Snakes are known to symbolize rebirth, transformation and healing. When they shed their skin and slither away, they're leaving behind a past form of themselves. This concept was an exact reflection of how I felt at the time I decided to start No Restrictions.
2020, along with it being the year the pandemic hit, was a year of self-discovery. That year, I finished the third year of my engineering degree online and it taught me that reality is what I make it to be.
For some back story, middle school and high school were very difficult times for me. I was depressed, extremely socially anxious, orthorexic and anorexic. I was completely miserable, mentally and physically. At the beginning of my first year of university, I went in with the intention to reinvent myself all at once. But naturally, the old thought patterns stayed and that plan failed. But during my first two years of university, I learned that people's opinions of me don't matter and that I don't need to impress them in some way to be accepted. It was a difficult lesson to learn as a socially anxious person. I had some people like me for who I was, some who didn't particularly care about me, and some people who straight up took advantage of me and abused our "friendship". Then, in my third (and later fourth) year of university, I learned that it is what I think of myself that really matters. I became comfortable with being alone and learned to enjoy my own company. Of course, I felt lonely at times, but I reminded myself that my time and energy are valuable and they should be spent with people I actually want to be with.
All this is to say that my university years were an immensely transformative period of my life. Especially with completing part of my degree online, I was able to be fully myself at home, fully unmasked. I got to know my true self, unobstructed by anxieties about how others perceive me. It was extremely freeing and refreshing to finally be my true self in a safe space. It felt like I was a snake shedding my skin to become a truer version of myself and making room for further growth. The "skin" that I shed was all the pressure I put on myself to conform to what I thought was socially expected.
It's ok to be just you.
As for the lightning bolts, they symbolize the power behind speaking up about your mental health. (Cause electricity = power, get it?) Even before I started this brand, I have shared many parts of my struggles, through which I was able to connect with people like you who have or are struggling with their mental health.
And that's the story behind the NR Classic design! Thank you for reading!
- Karen
Bonus: My attempt of sketching the snake before I hired a graphic designer!
