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.

Xochilt Garcia

Being misunderstood and mischaracterized is an aspect that I am all too familiar with. Whenever I have publicly displayed my art and present myself with it, people don’t quite believe that I’m capable of producing it. There have been occasions where I have publicly created a piece and even then, people refuse to believe that I am capable. I believe this mischaracterization often happens because of my appearance and demeanor. Read more>>

Jesse Greene

Well for me there a few ways I look at the term mischaracterized and how I can apply that to my experiences as an artist. For one being a male creative that makes content using women as the subject can sometimes become difficult and being black doesn’t make it any easier. Lets start with the black element and the hurdles I’ve faced not only a photographer but a painter as well. Read more>>

Cailey Weaver

As someone who is involved in both creative and scientific fields, it is very easy to be mischaracterized or falsely labeled by members of my professional communities. As someone who has been in the science world for several years, creative talents, goals, and endeavors are often considered insignificant to members of the scientific community. This has forced me to keep my “worlds” somewhat separate. I must choose to introduce myself in a sort of “either/or” manner depending on context. Read more>>

TGYE

At times I would say so, yes. I understand that my music/creativity has made me feel misunderstood because I always want to be as real as I can be in my vulnerability as a human being. I find that I am very honest with what goes on in my head and I work on being descriptive for those that support this part of me in my journey. I know, through my beliefs, that everything is in Gods timing. Having trust in patience allows me to let go of being misunderstood and accept that time is right, but not everyone’s time is “my time”, and vice versa. Read more>>

Odi-Unknown

As an emerging artist, a lot of people won’t give you a fair chance or support you. I’m an artist that makes cool music and for the most part I want my music to resonate with a big crowd. I make feel good music so sometimes the music may not be about my personal story but it may be other people’s story. For instance, Lean 4 $ale is a song that boasts an R&B Trap and Hip-Hop vibe, but I may not be talking about me that’s selling drugs. But everyone knows what I’m talking about and can relate to the music plus the beat is fire. Read more>>

Bas Rev

Basrev is a DIY production team comprising three siblings (one brother and two sisters) and the support of our friends, family, and community. Since the beginning, we have prioritized remaining decentralized and keeping our identities private so that our work can speak for itself and people can relate to it more. However, in today’s era, people want to know who they’re supporting and that’s fine, so we have tried to show people who we were in the past but were not met with such enthusiasm. Read more>>