Today we’d like to introduce you to Will Gurley.
Hi Will, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In middle school, I began dealing with depression and anxiety. As a young man, I felt as though I couldn’t talk about my feelings with anybody– I kept it all inside and tried to deal with it myself. Well, that didn’t go very well. I started hurting myself and thinking about suicide. In eighth grade, I reached a breaking point. I had to make a choice: would I let my mental illness win? Or would I finally do something and take back control of my life?
I reached out for help. And it was terrifying, but I wouldn’t be here today without doing that. I started going to therapy multiple times a week and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Through months and months of hard work at home and in therapy, I eventually started to feel closer to my normal self.
During this time, I made one of the most important discoveries of my life.
I began to write.
They started off as small verses in my group therapy sessions that focused on art but quickly blossomed into complete works— full songs, poetry, prose, and music. I combined my background in bass and guitar with my newfound outlet to create music, and I began recording songs in my bedroom on my brother’s old microphone. The songs were painful and dripped with raw emotion but writing and performing them was extremely cathartic. The music helped me get back to myself.
In February of 2018, I watched the Grammy Awards. There, rap artist Logic performed his song 1-800-273-8255. I knew that number. It was the Suicide Prevention Hotline’s number. My passion for music and experiences with mental illness were married perfectly in this performance. At that moment, something clicked inside of me — I finally realized what I had to do. I had to spread this message to my community. With a quick brainstorming session and an email to my school principal, the You Matter Festival was born.
Since 2018, we have held four festivals that have reached thousands of people in the Kansas City area. The festival has been featured on a number of news channels, magazines, and newspapers, helping spread our message to even more people.
But, at the first You Matter Festival, I realized why it was so important. After I had finished playing my set and giving my speech, I made my way to the crowd to talk to friends and family. There, a girl I had never seen before approached me. “What you said tonight, what you did tonight — it was exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you so much,” she said. It was all worth it now.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Getting the idea off the ground was more difficult than I ever could have imagined. as a 15-year-old, I had no idea what I was doing in terms of recruiting talent, advertising, and organizing a large event. Thankfully, I had a lot of help from folks who have experience in these fields, so we have been able to maintain a surprisingly smooth ride since 2018. The other hardest thing is constantly opening up about the darkest time in my life. I have spoken to a number of schools and student groups in addition to media outlets about my journey, and being open with my story is really difficult sometimes. The communities that I share with are always very respectful and welcoming of what I have to say, and I have an incredible support system that helps me through all of it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a musician, actor, playwright, poet, and director. Basically, anything that I have the opportunity to do I will do. I am attending Texas Christian University studying musical theatre, so acting and music are my two most exhibited disciplines, but my writing is something that I’m very proud of. You can find my album, “High School”, on all streaming services under the name Will Gurley. The thing that I feel sets me apart is a unique perspective. I grew up playing sports and have a very sports-oriented family, so having that background brings a different flavor to a lot of my work.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My parents have been a huge support, as have my brother and sister. Every family dinner that we have ends up being a business meeting for the You Matter Festival.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: youmatterfestival.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youmatterfest/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youmatterfest/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/youmatterfest
Image Credits
Joey Wilson
Cloud 9 Photography
