I’ve just had the most relieving realisation.
I don’t have to keep buying in to all the bull-shit hype that this modern online, self congratulating, fake-it-til-you-make-it, celebrity worshipping, socially disconnected/social media-using world expects of me.
Actually I refuse to do it anymore. I don’t want that to be my legacy.
Here’s my confession…I’ve been pretending.
I’m not actually as cool as my press shots look or as successful as I have been trying to make you believe. (Shock! Horror!) I work in an industry that believes in maintaining a highly visible public profile, to get gigs, to sell records…to get lots of likes on Facebook (ludicrous concept!) and ultimately make certain corporations a lot of money. For independent artists such as myself the big corporations don’t have to be a factor, but the basic principles are the same and if you are not careful you can start to believe your own hype.
The truth is that even though I work hard and tour, release albums and videos, perform regularly on radio and all of that stuff, I still play most shows to sparsely populated rooms and struggle every week to justify my decision to be a musician. I wouldn’t change that decision for the world, but I want you all to be on the same page with me while my career develops. I want you to witness it from a genuine perspective, not through an over-inflated, hyped up, media machine.
I’ve had enough of contributing to the “Great Disconnect”, the ever widening divide between real people & real stories and the enormous pile of deceit and misconceptions generated by a system that now seems to believe that viewing a Facebook profile is akin to getting to know somebody.
It’s not…and it’s got to stop. At least for me.
I don’t mean that I’m going to go completely offline or that I now look down on others in the industry who use those techniques or frown upon all social media etc. I just want to start making a more genuine and truthful contribution to this world, using all of the same tools I am now.
Are you with me?
Please join me in making this world a more genuine place to live in, and create a legacy we can all be proud of…tune out of the hype and tune in to the person next to you.
Look up from your phone and talk to the person sitting across from you on public transport. Smile at a stranger. Talk to your neighbours. Call or visit your friends instead of only messaging them on their birthday. Do an anonymous good deed for someone in need. Do one thing everyday to make this world just a little more genuinely connected.
There’s a whole new generation who will thank us for it.
Please leave a comment or thought here to help me generate more of a conversation around this subject. I kind of feel like I’m just spilling my guts into a void right now…