The Pursuit, The Journey, The Passion with Author Kai Tillman
Kai Tillman, 24, is a man who found his passions and pursued them to the highest degree. A recent Florida State University (FSU) alumnus, Tillman triple-majored in Marketing, Retail Management, and Management Information Systems with a double minor in Business Analytics and General Psychology.
All the while he continued to strive to pursue his love of writing, becoming a five-time self-published author.
Balance and Mindset.
Tillman credits his ability to manage his load to the military. Looking to travel, pay for school, and stand out from his peers, he enlisted at the young age of 17. Now seven years later, he reflects on how the experience helped shape who he is today.
“Doing my passions helped navigate me and best prepared me in a time management sense on top of my military experience,” Tillman said.
The key for Tillman was that anything he was doing never felt like work. He was just finding a way to successfully pursue all of his passions.
Passion for Writing.
As he entered college at FSU, Tillman realized he wanted to learn more about self-help and improvement. This was a critical moment, especially as he was working to overcome his own personal struggles.
“I had a lot going on in my life at that moment…issues with my father, with my parents in general, and I was also going through a breakup at the time,” Tillman said.
He had always been a writer, but this pull towards writing was different this time. More therapeutic than the fantasy stories he wrote in the second grade.
“I got very big into self-help, self-improvement, relationships and things related to that nature,” Tillman said. “I kind of wanted to understand human behavior better and write about it.”
Journey as an Author
So, he did just that. About a month and a half later his first book “Life”, discussing the various emotions people face every day was published in February 2017. The book would later be republished under the new and current title “Feelings of a Black Man”.
“I decided to publish it under another name because it was more personable, it was coming more so from my perspective rather than a general life perspective,” Tillman said.
As life continued to throw challenges his way, he found another opportunity to write about his experiences when he published “Feelings of a Black Man II,” allowing him to explain emotions, relationships and communication through the eyes of a black man.
“It all started with my mother going through some mental health challenges, and just realizing that I needed to be strong for her but also for myself as well,” Tillman said. This was the first time that he was starting to understand and process his own emotions. The first time he was realizing the importance of doing so.
“As black men we have a lot to deal with,” Tillman said. “We’re seen as the providers. We’re supposed to put on this façade like we don’t have emotions or were supposed to be tough and strong and it’s always been that way.”
The book was a chance to combat this way of thinking.
“Coming from a perspective of just being in tune with your emotions as a black man is very important,” Tillman said. “You can relate to other people and understand you don’t always have to be tough or put on a façade. It’s ok to be in tune with your feelings.”
The Now
As he continues on his writing and life journey, Tillman is currently working on a new book titled “Ebony and Ivory”. Expected to have 30 chapters, this piece of work will focus on helping readers understand and reach their full potential for growth.
“The book dives deep into the mind to explore our deepest desires for growth and change,” Tillman said. “Healing is a process in all aspects of life whether you’re recovering from a breakup, recovering from a lost friendship, grieving from the death of a family member or close one. Heal on purpose with a purpose.”
According to Tillman, readers can look forward to seeing chapters discussing jealousy and envy, attachment, social exchange theory, rejection, frenemies, relationships and situationships. Chapter 5 of Ebony and Ivory will specifically focus on viewing failures in a good way.
“For example, I pose the question what is your favorite failure,” Tillman said. “My favorite failure is not getting accepted into any other university other than FSU. I applied to UF, one of my options and I didn’t get accepted so I kind of consider that my favorite failure in the sense of I couldn’t imagine what my life would be like if I had gone to UF versus FSU.”
Impact
As he continues to be an advocate for self-help and self-improvement, Tillman hopes his words will touch and inspire his readers.
“People have constantly told me, ‘hey your book helped change my perspective or enhance my mindset when I was going through a dark period in time and your book really helped me get through it’, so it’s things like that that continue to drive me to continue writing,” Tillman said. “So, I don’t necessarily do it for a profit, I kind of do it for a hobby and to also help people.”
Find Out More
To learn more about Tillman and his work, follow him on Instagram at kaitheauthor. All of his books are available on Amazon, Apple bookstore, Google books, Barnes and Nobles and Lulu Publishing. Ebony and Ivory will be available for purchase later on this year.
