Be Misunderstood
Recently, for the first time ever, I went to MoMa to explore with the intent of leaving inspired. Upon stepping foot into the first exhibit, a flood of emotion hit me. It was everything I could do to not break down and cry.
What could have caused such an unexpected rush?
Searching myself as I wandered down the halls, I came to the realization that I finally felt validated. Those times where I felt misunderstood and isolated in my art, were an expected reaction to creating something different. The impact on me of the work, in a very tangible form, of others that embrace the beat of a different drummer was profound.
In fact, our whole lives, from school and beyond, are spent being taught to conform. Fit in and all will be well.
Ralph Waldo Emerson in Self-Reliance writes:
“Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”
Those that make an impact disrupt the status quo.
Be misunderstood. Be Weird. Society needs you.