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.

Jasmine Dillavou

Over the past 6 years creating art in our city, I have come across a lot of different perspectives, expectations and opinions about how and what I create. Often times, I believe, there’s an expectation for Womxn and POC creatives to create a very specific type of art. Folks either want you to create work about strife, to present sad and painful art that centers a story of frustration and heartache. They want work that gives the viewers a gateway to your grief. Sometimes.  Read more>>

Derrick Shorter

I always feel that my work is misunderstood. I have also come to realize that I am okay with that, simply because I realize that I don’t create for people to understand at surface level. A good example of this is me telling people that I am not only a producer, but an artist as well. People usually do either or; make beats or rap/sing. I do both and that is not something people are used to. Read more>>

Lauren Olivia Serpico

I have been working in the field of social media since 2012, which is just about as long as Instagram has existed. Since this digital world is growing and changing each day, it is no surprise that it is often misunderstood. I am a social media strategist that uses best practices in social science to help build communities online. My background is in psychology, and what is typically expected of psych majors is that they are following the path to become a therapist. I took the road less traveled and dedicated my efforts towards research, specifically focusing on the psychology of social media. Read more>>

Alan Kratish

My business is called South Florida Magic School. Seems self-explanatory, right? A place to send your kids to learn magic tricks. But teaching kids magic is not our raison d’etre. Our primary mission is to get kids looking up from their computer screens, into another person’s eyes, and communicating with them. We aim to teach kids positive character traits, like respectfulness and creativity, while building their self-confidence. Qualities that will improve their lives and benefit them for years to come. Read more>>