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.

Simba Alik Woodard

My work is often misunderstood because I embody the person I am in my work. I am misunderstood, mischaracterized, misgendered, missed. I do not fit into any box and neither does my writing. I enjoy folks having different interpretations for my work. However, it is always difficult when someone disrespects my experience. I have learned, though, if folks are uncomfortable, it means they care enough to be. It means it’s working. I have learned that my art is not for fun, but for healing, for learning, for teaching. Read more>>

MSKING

There have been times where our work has been misunderstood and mischaracterized in our local scene because of our music style. Starting out in 2019, our introduction to the scene was originally categorized by our audience as indie rock and shoe gaze. In 2020 we came out with our EP “The Maelstrom”, which was much more angst filled and slightly more on the punk side. This seemingly threw off our audience but catalyzed our sound into the 90’s inspired, self proclaimed grunge-pop genre we originally aimed for. Following that we have released other music and if you listen to our discography there is an underlying stitch that connects our overall sound which is both familiar and new. Read more>>

TJ Hal

As a tattoo artist, we are often looked down upon as a “less-than art form.” I have numerous fine-art friends who make a living creating digital art, painting, drawing, etc; constantly they discuss how tattoos don’t really count as art. I feel that the old stigma that tattoos are for bikers, sailors or criminals still persists a bit today. But in fact, I feel like tattooing is one of the most challenging art forms there is. Every single day my canvas is different depending on my customers skin. My canvas moves, bleeds and breathes. My canvas has feelings and emotions. Read more>>

Wiaam Shabi

Of course I am a creative but im human first. Humanity is a strange phenomena that i have struggled with for a long time because I wasn’t very good at explaining who I was or what I believed. I learned that my form of expression came trhough anything and everything creative. I started with creating art but little did I know that my clothing spoke words people didn’t even hear. I turned my focus on refining exactly what words were sent across through my style and how to get people to hear what I had to say. I did not give up on art either, Read more>>

Kenzie Clark

I think a lot of the time, models as a whole get misunderstood. I think people look at us and think, “Oh they just want to look pretty, get a lot of attention, and feel physically validated. There’s no skill involved.” Let me tell you, that could not be further from the truth. For me, modeling is so many things. It’s a creative outlet; there are SO many things that can be done with the human body when posing. There are endless options to what you can create through fashion, a backdrop, and posing. Endless stories to be told, countless emotions to be portrayed, there’s nothing I can’t do when I’m modeling. Read more>>

Irwin Rogers

I remember when I first announced the name of my company to a few people and they couldn’t really understand why I would name it that. I always felt like I wasn’t understood as it pertains to my morals and who I am which is why I named my company “Carefree Trapboys” I wanted to destigmatize what it meant to “trap” and equate it to an ‘anything it takes’ work ethic. I wanted people to get an understanding of who I truly am and what I stand for. Read more>>

Maine Tip

Yes, absolutely! Our podcast tagline is “We dispel what you thought while thickening the plot” which means we want to express to our audience that you cannot judge a book by its cover. At first glance, the name of our podcast has made people insinuate that Tip is the “butch”, and I am the “queen’, but we allow people to see that there is a spectrum of masculinity and femininity and that we all can have a combination of”butch” and “queen”. Read more>>

Ty Rowton

A video went viral of my getting knocked out at Arrowhead stadium a year ago. I subsequently was banned for life from going to Chiefs games at Arrowhead Stadium. I’ve had an alcohol and drug addictions that I’ve battled for many years and have made many mistakes. After this occurrence though Chiefs fans came out of woodworks starting vicious stories about me. After 30 plus years as a Superfan I have basically walked away from it after horrible experience. At first I felt so betrayed that the team I had given my heart and soul to most of my life would turn their back on me. Read more>>

John Jigg$

I can speak on my entire experience in the music industry as a whole. When you come into this business they try their best to categorize you or put you in a box. “He’s this type of rapper or he’s this type of artist, he makes this type of music” There was a time when my versatility actually became an obstacle because I can go from traditional Boom Bap type styles to more modern commercial type of music so it made it more difficult to target a specific fanbase. However over the years I have learned to use my creativity to my advantage. Read more>>

Willie Boy.

It’s hard to create your own identity and stand out in the era of social media. Every rapper looks and sounds the same. Every account that hits your algorithm (weather you follow them or not) is hand picked by the man, I want my art to rebel against that. I’m not in the business of “doing what works for others” or having a format. My goal going forward with art is to create what there’s a void for and inspire. I want the arenas, I want the awards, just like every other artist, but like Frank said, I’ll do it my way. Read more>>

Prince E. Mayes-Sullivan

Being someone in a wheelchair is a blessing and a curse. I’m unique. People love uniqueness; unless they have no idea what box to put you in. This has happened to me as an actor. I usually get the part because I’m handicapped or vise versa. It really wasn’t until I started producing and writing content that I got a chance to show the world me. Believe me, It’s still hard and sometimes you get discouraged. At the same time, I love being a creative and having my own production company, Prince Entertainment, really encourages me to keep going! Read more>>

Ashley “LA” Ragsdale

I believe creatives are always misunderstood or mischaracterized for the most part. My first experiences were within my own family, who didn’t understand why I couldn’t always make it to family gatherings, spoke differently or focused so much on my craft. They often mischaracterized me as “stuck up”, although they were always supportive and came to every show, they could not seem to put there finger on my chosen career path. I now have an understanding for those who are not involved in the arts. The arts is a scary and risky career to make a living from, and it may also seem like so much fun that it doesn’t feel like “work”. Read more>>