Look at the creations which make our world great; impactful videos watched, music heard, and photos are seen, all pulling the raw emotions deep within to the surface of our conscious minds:
The song makes you smile when it seems all is lost, or maybe it’s one that makes you cry when you’ve so desperately needed to grieve and release the pressure within.
The video of the raw moment captured between a husband and wife or parent and child, the pain of an innocent animal, or the coming together of the many perceived as weak to overpower the solo strong.
The photo can capture a beautiful micro-moment, so inspiring as it is one that will never be replicated exactly that way ever again.
These things make life worth living, and these moments are created by those willing to look for more and not blindly accept what is.
The artists of our world find themselves ostracized as society wants trends, yet people are terrible at supporting those who start movements that break from the norm. We’re told to dress like and care about the opinions of the “celebrity”, the question must be asked, what makes “someone famous” the originator of originality?
Independent-minded men and women are the salvation of a world full of trends and hashtags needs; those who disregard fads are free to create whatever world they want to live in, and often times the result is a life better than the drones and clones of today. This isn’t a form of selfishness; in many ways, the decision to never conform is selfless in that it’s those who give themselves permission to think and live free that break the shackles from the minds of those around them.
It's okay to be different.
In fact, allowing yourself to be who you are and not who you think you should be will take a weight off your chest, one that you likely didn't even know was there.
Break the Rules: The World Needs It
Whether you’re in STEM or ART, it makes no difference; mathematicians and musicians alike must approach their craft unrestrained.
To create something new or to solve an unsolvable problem, one must look at it from a perspective never before taken. This is where the artist shines, even when they don’t know they’re creating art.
Everyone is entitled to their art of choice; for me, it’s parenting, fitness, writing, marriage, and self-development; these are literal “Arts” in my eyes and crafts to which I dedicate hours of training and education. For others, it may be that engineering, singing, poetry, or video editing are what have always spoken to their innermost self.
The beauty of beauty is that it is both in the eyes of the beholder as well as the eyes of the creator to embrace; your decision to break the rules and, say, for example, you decide to become a peaceful parent over using corporal punishment - that would be coloring outside the lines of those who say, “sparing the rod is spoiling the child” but for you to choose otherwise and show through your actions defiance of, “No, I choose to live different” you are showing there’s a choice in parenting and an individual can raise children differently than how one was raised.
Take my personal example and apply it to your life; you are free to do whatever you want, and yet, you think you’re supposed to think, dress, speak, and act a certain way to appease and fit in with others.
You don’t have to continue down this path another day; don’t take another step towards the embodiment of who you were told to be and start thinking about what you’d have to do and where you’d have to go to become the person you were always meant to be.
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