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.

Jeremiah Jackson

I feel there is always a misunderstanding people have with creatives because of how much time and effort creative individuals put into their work. And it’s because of our passion for our work. Read more>>

Amélie Swann

Having a stutter and being a musician is tough, but it’s also why I do it. (singing) “When you talk on the beat, you don’t have a problem anymore” Read more>>

Hamilton James

I think starting out my music was so unique you couldn’t really put me in a box because I always wanted to try out different sounds. That was important for me because I felt as an artist if people put you into a box that could hinder your growth in the eyes of the public. Read more>>

Barrett D. Carroll

I certainly have felt misunderstood or mischaracterized in my creative work, from a couple different stand points. I grew up ultra religious in Oklahoma being “Homeschooled.” Read more>>

Scufflemöss Treemen

I recently had an experience on national television that left me feeling like my voice had been taking from me. I auditioned for America’s Got Talent, you know the show where 2 minutes can change your life? Yeah, that one. Read more>>

Helen Blondel

As a professional singer, belly dancer, and content creator on social media, my career has constantly been misunderstood and mischaracterized. Over the past few years, I’ve obtained over 700,000 followers organically across Instagram and TikTok, mostly making content surrounding either my music or dance. Read more>>

Vanessa Pasqualone

Art today is experimental, powerful, and theoretical. Art is meaningful, thought provoking and sensitive. As a representational landscape artist intertwined with an array of conceptual creatives, I have been encouraged to emulate their success. Read more>>

Vanessa Vazquez

Being a free thinker, not caring what people think of you and having studied many forms and schools of acting has actually has actually had its own set of downfalls, though its been mostly artistically fulfilling.. Read more>>

Neil Koons

Yeah I’ve felt that way before. To start with, my music is fairly experimental and my own style, so I’ve had some people tell me before they didn’t really understand the music, or they couldn’t dance to it or whatever. Read more>>

Mehr Juneja

As a queer comedian of color, I always feel like i’m being mischaracterized and misunderstood. Constantly, on stage and off it, I feel the pressure to flatten my experience for the white audience. I talked about this in the research paper I wrote, “Blank Papers and Perspectives:  Read more>>