Chicago Brings Me Relief: It Truly Does (Sorry, NYC)
So words cannot describe how wonderful I have felt since the plane touched down in Iowa last week. I felt like I was finally among a land of people that just have a different demeanor than those in NYC.
In NYC (and don't tell me I'm generalizing...for the most part, IF YOU LIVE IN NYC, you know this is true to the bone), the general population of people would step on you to get ahead. They'd break your heart like no other, won't assume responsibility for actions and just have a toxic vibe about them.
What's most sad about this...the ones who do it truly do NOT know they're doing it. It's ingrained in them so it's intuitive and part of their world. Only as an outsider can one truly observe the difference between northeast folk and middle America/West Cost/South. It's the Northeast vs. the rest of the country because the similarities are so vast.
I'm grateful to be back around people who want nothing from me but my friendship and love. They won't turn their back or establish fleeting friendships and then feel like they don't need to explain a word when they've (huge quotes here) "destroyed" a person. I've seen it happen to many people many times, and I've experienced it myself.
I've asked myself the question: how can people who seem so loving and genuine actually have an evil in them that they are completely unaware of?
That's an answer I'll never receive because those who possess that evil don't know they have it. INSTEAD - I've decided to focus and relish the love and joy received here in the land of people who love and care. It's who we choose to surround ourselves with, and I can't be more proud to be from the MidWest.
Not only do guys cream their pants when they find out I'm from the MidWest, but they also see a glimmer of hope to possibly cash in on that fetish and take advantage. Well well well, Northeastern heart breakers - THINK AGAIN. While we may be considered all-American; we do not stand by and let bad things happen.
Overall, RELIEF and EMPOWERMENT has come back to me when it was taken away from me in NYC, and I feel more creative than ever. I'm allowed to express myself the way I feel I want to - and there's not ONE thing any of you can do about it but accept it and interpret it in the way that you want to. Because in the end we can't control each other's interpretations of art - we can only make of it what we feel instinctively.
Some VERY exciting projects are coming down the line. One of these include a silly music video to balance out this rather serious and direct blog post. Be sure to tune in shortly (should come in the next couple days) and let us (yes, US) know what you think. Feels great to be in a supportive community of artists who aren't continually trying to "be something".
I can tell you - I WAS "that something" and I walked away from it because I didn't want to do it on anyone's terms but my own. Now I have a fulfilling career that I love more than anything, and who would've known? Art is mine now because I take it back!
I urge ALL of you to please take back what is rightfully yours and that perhaps you've lost along your way. Search deep down in your soul and identify what it is that might be missing and then use yourself to grow it back or seek it out tenaciously. If I can do it - you can do it - and we all can.
Make mistakes along the way and don't be afraid to fall. Falling is okay. It's getting back up, dusting off the dirt and trying again that matters most. If anything - remember that I believe in you.
Peace + Love,
Adam
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