I feel like I’m in class on the first day of school and everyone is going around sharing a fun fact about themselves. The horror, right? So, my name is Dominee Calderon and I have depression, anxiety, and a severe case of I’m- an- introvert- do- I-really- have- to- leave- the- house- for- this? I struggle with social anxiety and when that gets really bad – agoraphobia.
In 2011, I started a blog named Blessing Manifesting to document my mental health journey. I’d been depressed and dealing with severe anxiety since I was a pre-teen. Now I was in my 20s, recovering from my 3rd trainwreck of a relationship. I couldn’t take it anymore. I loathed who I was as a person. Everything about myself – myself, my body, my life. (You can read more of my story here)
I based my worth on my relationships and when they ended, I hated myself even more.
My blog gave me an outlet to talk about everything. I learned to love myself and my body. I figured out who I was as a person. Mental health became a huge topic. I learned coping skills and I really started to understand that depression wasn’t just sadness and that anxiety had taken root in almost every aspect of my life.
The most awesome part was that I learned that I wasn’t alone. So many other people were dealing with things that I had felt years of shame about. People understood my brain and that was a revelation. I started using my words, art, and worksheets to help other people start conversations about mental health.
My life has changed and I am happy.
I love who I am and I love my little life. That’s a place I never thought I’d get to. I live in Oklahoma with my husband (who is trans), my autistic brother, and our five cats. I’m a huge book nerd and a gamer. I will read just about anything but my favorite genres are historical romance and all things zombies and end-of-the-world. I’ve played World of Warcraft for about a decade and I love playing Dragon Age or anything role-playing/fantasy-based.
Golden Girls will always be my favorite show. I’d say I’m 50% Dorothy and 50% Rose depending on the day. I am forever battling cats for my hair ties, no matter how many proper cat toys they have, hair ties are the toy of choice. And cat fur… I’m perpetually covered in it.
I’m learning Korean so that I one day watch kdramas without subtitles. One of the best things I’ve discovered is that learning a language occupies my brain so well that it almost instantly calms my anxiety.
I watch way too much reality tv and I’m okay with that, we all need our not-so-guilty pleasures.
I also watch a lot of Investigate Discovery. In the DC vs Marvel war, I will always choose Marvel. My favorite movie is Avengers: Age of Ultron and the Hulk is my favorite character. I identify with the whole hulking out with anger and yearning for control.
I’m sarcastic and I love a good sense of humor. One of my love languages is memes.
How Can You Support My Work?
I’m really focused on Patreon right now. Patreon is a monthly subscription service that allows you to support your favorite creators. In exchange for $2+ a month, you get different rewards based on which tier you choose.
Here are some of the rewards you can get for signing up: 10%-30% off coupon codes, early access to things I put in the shop, exclusive images, high-quality downloads of all the images I share on Instagram (and permission to have them printed by a 3rd party if you want some new wall art!). One free item from my shop, free worksheets, Q&A with me, cute wallpapers for your phone, and a place to submit your ideas!
You can also check out my Etsy shop or the shop here on my website!