Donald Samulski

My story so far 

I was born in Detroit in 1990 and grew up in a family with my mom, Dad, and two sisters, Ann and Carrie. I really enjoyed spending time outside and in nature, but I never really liked going to school. From the time I was 10 to 19, I started building long lasting friendships and developing my own community. In this time period, I also started my first business, cutting grass, and became enthralled by the anti- Vietnam War movement in the US and the music and movements that came from it. I saw it and still do as a cultural renaissance.

When I was 20, I moved to Marquette, Michigan for college. School wasn't my strong suit, but I loved the area. I opened a record store called Gigumi Records after school that lasted about three years. After that time, I started learning about myself. I learned that having ADHD comes with time blindness and started realizing how that affects my life. I also started realizing that the only thing holding me back was myself.

So far in my 30s, the things that stand out the most are getting my residential builder's license for the state of Michigan and adopting my dog, Kingsley. In this time, I've also moved my home five times and started my company focused on hemp building materials called supernatural structures. As far as ethics are concerned, the traits I value the most are radical honesty, humanitarianism, and trying to find a way to be environmentally beneficial. I want to do what I can to leave the planet better than I found it.

From our session on language, my biggest takeaways were that I like to add value for others. People don't usually know the best questions to ask in a situation. And even when I'm lacking confidence in certain capacities, I have a strong inner confidence for doing the things I know are right. In talking about people, I've reflected on my good fortune of having a lot of friends.

People come and go in my life, and I'm very trusting of most people, which sometimes creates problems. I remember when I was young, a big choice I couldn't make for myself was having to go to kindergarten for a second year and start with a new group of students. One of my most impactful choices was to live in Marquette. And now I choose to have hemp as my focus for my career.

Thinking of learning and earning, a big takeaway was that I need to stabilize my income. I feel that I have found my purpose in life with wanting to work in the And now I want hemp materials to be what I learn and how I earn.

I have found that my space and place lies in Michigan. Marquette is where I am and will stay as my home base, but I enjoy spending time in Detroit as well. I feel at home in the space of family, friends, lakes, waterfalls, woodlands, and nature in general.

When I was thinking about consumption, I believe there is too much reliance on petroleum based plastics. I believe that hemp is a wonderful replacement for a lot of plastics and petroleum based products. I realized that I need to spend more time learning what I don't know to help make this potential a reality. In regard to my health, yoga has been extremely beneficial, especially for the fact that I do a lot of physical labor.

Local food is another priority and I try to avoid processed foods. Meditation has also been helpful and helps me to have a more peaceful mind. A mark of prosperity for me is being able to value my time in the way I Valuing my self-worth and making sure that I'm taking care of myself will help me be more valuable to other people in my life. My personal relationships are one of the most valuable things I have. Thinking about my future, I believe that building with hemp materials and supporting fabrication farming is what I want to do. I believe I will stay in Michigan and build a life with my partner in a way that reflects my values.