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.

LyricallyGifted Brother

Being misunderstood/mischaracterized is hilarious to me. People see my stage name and automatically think, L.G.B oh lesbian, gay, bisexual instead of doing their research. If they took the time to get to know the artist, they would know it stands for Lyrically Gifted Brother. You have no idea how many times I’ve been turned down for a feature, kicked out of a social media group or had my events deleted because them, being ignorant, assumed that they were lesbian or gay events. To those people, I say thank you because I don’t want to perform or be paid by people who does not see another human being as just that, another human being, regardless of gender preference, race, or any other reason they can think of. The only color and gender I see is the color of human, which is red, because we all bleed the same color unless you’re not from this planet lol. Read more>>

Benj Yoblick

We have some cool perspectives to drawl from as a band. We are from 68 years to 24 years old. Our music really comes from a place that isn’t sure how to get in line with everything else.
But at the same time interacts with other frequencies.
We do feel a bit alone in genre some times but end up getting to see even more awesome bands in different worlds so it’s cool. Read more>>

Sanjini Bhakta

Being a creative artist (an actress, writer, filmmaker), I was always misunderstood or mischaracterized by family, society, authority figures and government bureaucrats. As an artist, I never fit into a particular box or mold or what seems “normal” to society. I was always a free spirit, adventurous, an extrovert, expressive, progressive, rebellious but deep inside I’ve always been kind, I have a good heart and I am compassionate with people who are less fortunate than me and who need my help. Read more>>

Mychaelyn Michalec

Making work about the female body is often misunderstood and is still often censored by arts organizations in this country, in this contemporary time. The naked, female form is always initially associated with s*x, and therefore subject to censorship. However, our bodies have been the subject of work by men for thousands of years and only by making work about ourselves do we get to take back some of that narrative. I used my body in my work, and I think it is often a mischaracterization of the type of person I am and subjects my work to a certain amount of censorship. But I feel strongly about recontextualizing myself and my work within the greater timeline of the art historical canon. Read more>>

Maggie Vetsch

I think the tragedy as a creative and artistic individual who has set out to become successful outside of the confines of what is considered a “typical” way to make a living, is the general misunderstanding surrounding it. Read more>>

Mariah Henry

As a dancer/choreographer whose work is greatly influenced by my faith, I think my work or what work I “should” be producing is often greatly misunderstood. It is important to me that all my choreography, movement, projects, or even clips of dance I post that may not be my choreography point back to my faith in one way or another- however some individuals think this means I have to produce and post overtly evangelical works of art. Other individuals think my works should be completely separate from faith and thus view me or my works or mentality behind dancing as uninteresting or awkward. As a creative I constantly remind myself that all individuals are entitled to their opinion and comments, even if it comes out as a mischaracterization of my work. I have worked through this by reflecting on how to positively change the stigma of a creative whose inspiration is their faith, and using their opinions as fuel to open discussions about what my art or reasons for dancing really are. Read more>>