Often, those who tread off the beaten path are misunderstood or mischaracterized and so we asked folks from the community to reflect and tell us about the times they’ve been misunderstood or mischaracterized.

Brandon Hynum

I’m a huge Kobe Bryant fan. He was the King David of L.A….he made mistakes, but despite this, he also did a lot of great good as the artist he was. Read more>>

Robin Payes

I have been blessed to experience many versions of the writing/creative life. From working in television and radio news and public affairs to organizing a national Get Out the Women’s Vote campaign during the second wave of the women’s movement, Read more>>

Katie Prill

When I transitioned from being a Registered Nurse to an artist and a maker, I had moments where I felt like I was being misunderstood. The pivot in my career was brought about my family’s military affiliation and the necessity to adapt to a recent cross-country move during COVID times. Read more>>

Roxana Baldovin

I was misunderstood out the womb. I grew up in the largest conglomeration of people from the Soviet Union outside of the former USSR – but my dad was Italian and even though my mom was born in Ukraine, she grew up in Poland. Read more>>

The Neon Queen

Sometimes your product doesn’t easily fit into the same category other similar products do. How do you market it so that your audience “gets it”? Read more>>

Long Lin

The people around me, they somehow tend to feel I just naturally learnt about how to do art in a very young age, and that is one of the, I don’t know, hard part I feel. Read more>>

Mikel Glass

People always wonder about my fascination with dolls, and assume nefarious intent, which couldn’t be more opposite from the truth. Consider that we manufacture these objects in our own image as comfort objects for the most innocent among us. Read more>>

Ren Taylor

Artists face certain biases, as do people of color. When you combine these together, you’re faced with an unfortunate Venn diagram on what people think you and your art should look. Read more>>

Loren Hatcher

In the landscape of Nashville, where country and fiddle music reign supreme, being a contemporary violinist has presented its fair share of challenges. Read more>>

Raymond Flanagan

People keep calling me a singer/songwriter and I keep telling them I’m a wistful bard. I don’t understand why it is so hard to get it through their thick skulls that I am a wistful bard, or why they keep winking at me. Read more>>

Donna Taylor

When women see me they automatically think I am stuck up . I have had some self confident challenges in my early twenties and part of my thirties because I allowed people in my life in relationships that my me feel less than. Read more>>

Xiomarra Milann

Growing up in a working-class family, there was a lot of emphasis on being “successful,” and by that I mean getting educated in a field that would allow me to get a secure job that would make money. Read more>>

Kate-Lan Johnson

Growing up as an Asian American raised by southerners I often felt like I didn’t quite fit into any groups around me, I was always the odd one out of the group; I was too “white” to be considered BIPOC but I was also the only Asian person in the group. Read more>>

Aso Breezey

In my opinion I feel like the city let me down and turned me into a villain. I came out rapping about 2 years ago and since then I still haven’t felt any support. It’s like i’m black listed. Read more>>