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.

Nikkole

Absolutely, I’ve experienced my work being misunderstood and mischaracterized, often due to the intersection of my identity as a Creole American artist and the perceptions people have of what that means. Early in my career, I encountered a lot of confusion about my music and my persona. People would often try to fit me into a specific category whether it was pop, R&B, or even Rock based on their expectations of what a singer/songwriter should sound like. This led to mixed reviews and comments that felt reductive, as if my heritage and experiences were being overlooked in favor of a neat label. Read more>>

Destiny Musick

Generally most of my physical work is misunderstood but that is typically what I expect when my general style is abstract, rarely stylized. I have themes for each piece and most of my art is emotion based so I don’t expect everyone to understand. Art is my ultimate escape, and the challenge with being a primarily abstract artist is that most people want you to have a “niche” or style that you hone in on but I love having a little bit of everything. There’s not a specific instance that comes to mind when my art has been misunderstood but I think that comes with the territory of what being a creative is.. Our art won’t be for everyone and that’s okay. Read more>>

Mika Mccalla

Almost everyone can relate to being misunderstood and mischaracterized throughout life, but it wasn’t until I started pursuing acting that I truly felt the weight being falsely labeled can bring. Due to the hard work of my parents, I was privileged to attend the same Christian preparatory school from kindergarten through twelfth grade. By the time I graduated from USC with a Bachelor’s of Science, the stereotypes and assumptions of a silver-spoon childhood placed upon me were not foreign. I learned at an early age to demonstrate my true background and circumstances to those who would choose to assume differently via actions, work ethic, and character. When I decided to pursue a career that is forward-facing, putting myself physically under the spotlight, the entire realm of assumptions morphed into a higher intensity. Read more>>

Espr

I create all types of content on social media, I don’t fit in just one category. I upload on all different social media platforms, Tik Tok, YouTube, Instagram, Threads, Pinterest, and Lemon8. I express myself through all of my content. I’m working on attaining the social media career I have in mind, where I can financially take care of my family, (and my 40ish stray cats). Being a 31 year old woman and Mom, I’m expected to act, speak, dress, create content and present myself in a certain way. I’m expected to be a mom, and nothing else… I’ve had random people on the internet and acquaintances, criticize my content. I have learned to accept that not everyone will be “okay” with any or all, of my content. To some, my photography is “too provocative” and “too revealing”, but they have no idea about everything I went through to get to this point of feeling confident. As Kylie Jenner once stated, “You can be sexy and still be a badass Mom”. I love all of my content, I put in a lot of work in my photography and editing my makeup videos. Read more>>