I have always admired singers that write their own songs. As well as others that put themselves in the public eye in some fashion, whether intentional or not.
I’ve started various blogs and written about assorted subjects. I signed up on Yelp but then did not want to offend or anger anyone I knew with some of the things I said so I used a nom de plume. I signed up on Facebook, one page for my family and one page for an interest of mine. I figured people that were friending me for my interest don’t need or want to be all in my personal family business, just as I felt that my family wouldn’t want to be reading my nonstop posts about my interest (Yes FB experts and specialists, I’m aware of the option to start a ‘group’, but this was worthy of more than just a group… )
I signed up on Twitter for a certain subject, so I did not reach out to everyone, rather just the ones I figured would have interest in the same subject. I signed up for two Instagram accounts. One for my love of tattoos and art and one for my family and friends. I signed up on a social media platform to write but once writing my first piece I thought that some of my friends and readers might be offended, or think, ‘wow, I didn’t know she talked like this or felt like that!!’ So I created two separate accounts. One mild sweet and friendly account; and one for my harsh complaints about idiots of all kinds, deeper personal thoughts, and my obsession with one particular live Prince performance of one single song that I was in attendance for (there may be some cussing and raunchy comments in that one…), for example.
Here I am on Huffington Post. Yet another platform. Yet another part of me? I am covetous of those that just don’t care! Those that don’t care if their conservative dear co-worker friend knows about their extreme tattoo work and piercings. Those that don’t care if their non-cussing church going buddy knows that they curse much worse than a sailor on a regular basis. Those that don’t care if their vegan health obsessed purity all natural clean-air loving boss finds out that they smoke cigarettes every now and again! Those that don’t care if people get offended by their sense of humor, or opinions. That must feel great!
This is why I have much respect for singers that write their own lyrics and then sing them to the world. Some of those lyrics might make zero sense to us listeners but they make perfect sense to the writer, which is all that matters - it’s their song. I have the same respect for all other people that are in some form or another – OPEN. They just let it all out! If people use one song to think they now know what the songwriter is allllll about then so be it. If people see one thing - or just a few things - about a person and figure they now know their whole deal, then so be it.
If people don’t realize there are various layers and levels… oh well.
I wish I could be like that. I will work harder to try to be like that. I am a reserved person by nature overall, but this has nothing to do with being reserved or having a reserved personality. This has to do with: Don’t worry if people ‘get’ you or not. Don’t worry if people don’t approve. Who are they to approve anything anyway? Don’t worry if people judge. Don’t worry if people think they know you but they really have no clue. Why do you even need to try to explain?
How will what people think of you affect your life? Oh, that’s right – it won’t. What YOU think and do about and with YOUR life is what matters.
There are many pieces to me but I am not one to be all about ‘me, me, me, me’ (ironic that I needed to use the words “I” and “me” a billion times in this article).
I think the summary of this is…. be you. It is not your job or obligation to try to make people understand you and your multifarious stratums. If you are misunderstood, well that is not your issue. Be you. Do you. Carry on.
