The Beet Down!

That was the mask I wore, and oddly, it didn't feel like a mask at all. We were PUNK! True suburban miscreants. A gang of street roaming kids brought up with little supervision, where our friends felt more like family than family. 

As time rolled on a bit, and as some of us matured, it became obvious that no matter what we said....we DID CARE! We cared a lot more than we ever thought. We cared what people thought, but only the right people. I suppose in my many years of observations, that is where most of us land.....we want to impress the RIGHT people!

Today, many of us have become so divisive that we have discounted people with differing opinions. Sometimes we demonize them. Other times, we may make a point to declare our differences, hoping to assert some contrived superiority. But at the end of the day, why? Because, we care what people think and we all want validation.

Many of us carved our identity from the many offerings of Music. The path of artistry takes all shapes and travels many paths. I presume that many of us have material that we may never share and there are some whom never share. An artist's relationship with their craft can reveal more about the artist than the art itself. But, isn't art's value adjudicated by everyone else? Yes and No.....but on totally different planes.

I suppose this is leading up to the big question.....do I care what people think about my art? (1) Admittedly, I want people to like it (2) I want people to think positively about it (3) I want people to respond kindly to it.....

I want to be recognized......and, that will likely never change. Call me crazy, but when I put out something vulnerable, I want it to resonate with someone.....not because of WHAT IT IS NOT, but only because of what it is......

But what happens when people DON'T appreciate what we do?  What happens when people cast darkness on our light? Whether it be unflattering/rude comments on a post or aggressive targeted ugliness, negativity takes its toll. We may become calloused. We may become disengaged. Some of us may find ourselves unrecognizable as we morph into something else. And because we are human, it is likely we have experienced all of that.....But, there is another path....

The ability to feel. One of my favorite people, Myles O'Flaherty, has written extensively about the miracle of being able to feel; and eloquently he has articulated that no matter what IT is; being able to feel is much better than not. Think about it.....is inspiration even possible without feeling? Arguably, some of the best works are those that invoke emotion or thought - and - many of them were inspired by a feeling, an event, something personal.....

I speak often about choice. Choice itself is tricky. Sometimes, we may not have a choice. Who among us chooses grief or sadness? Sometimes, we don't choose to be ugly or hateful, it just happens. BUT (yeah, there is that BIG BUT again), rather than be victimized by it, we have a choice to try to be better. 

And? (WTF is all this nonsense!!!) Here it is!!! Triggering a response is always a win! 

We won't like everything someone does! Facts!  But, when we give someone TIME and effort to share a thought or become responsive, we have now vested part of ourselves in whatever it is, and often, it is nothing other than a reflection of who we are. 

Understanding this helps. It helps us:

SO, yes, I CARE! I CARE what you think. Sometimes your thoughts or actions may be hurtful, and maybe for good cause...but, at the end of the day, if our art causes any of this energy....we have done well....

after all, we made someone feel!

Keep winning!

Lots of love,

DC