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.

Caitlin Hutson

People are often very surprised when I tell them I’m a stunt performer. They see my big eyes, hear my mousy voice, cringe at my latest dad joke, and think that the last thing I’d do for a living is get hit and fall on concrete willingly, let alone enthusiastically. Read more>>

Domi Erikato

I have always been different. Growing up I had an ever evolving style; from Ballerina to Goth to Hippie-Goth and so on (always with a taste for the psychedelic). For some of my more rebellious looks, while some people loved them and thought it was cool, by society’s standards I was considered somewhat of a freak, an outcast, which I honestly didn’t dislike — I knew that it meant I was an original; different, unique and not afraid to express myself even if meant not fitting in. Read more>>

Sarkis Bakalyan

Do you ever get the feeling that you don’t belong somewhere? That everything seems to be at odds with what you want to accomplish in life? Such is a feeling you may have when pursuing a career as a creative sometimes. I’ve known since I was 13 years old that I want to be involved in entertainment. Read more>>

William Connolly

I’ve always felt misunderstood in certain aspects. But music has been a great way for me to cope. As a new songwriter, a song is the perfect way to express how you feel. Music is something that can always bring people together, no matter how misunderstood you feel. You can feel in it your soul. I also love sharing songs. When you feel like you don’t know what to say to someone, share a song with them, that’ll let them know how you feel if you have trouble opening up or feeling misunderstood. Read more>>

Joley Paige

As humans, we spend a lot of our brain power sorting information that comes at us as we move through our day. We put this information into different boxes we’ve developed in our brains. “Threat vs not threat” “Good vs bad” “Pleasant vs unpleasant”. If we didn’t have these shortcuts, each day would be way too overwhelming. Read more>>

Bjorn Englen

People often, because of my look/image and what I’m most known for, that I only play or master rock/metal. Far from the truth, and people rarely ask or approach me for work within other genres anymore. Don’t judge the book by its cover! Read more>>

Native World

Being misunderstood has been a struggle for our band for a while. We’re fortunate to be around a pretty thriving local music scene, but we don’t match the popular genre. As much as we love being able to play shows, sometimes we’re the “black sheep” of the lineup. Read more>>

Rae Tweed

In February of 1992 I, a much anticipated daughter, was born to a family of 5 boys. Four years later another boy would be born to our family completing the sibling count at 6 boys and 1 girl. For the most part my brothers are charming and I did love being raised in a home with so many people and so much energy. Read more>>

Keith R. Higgons

My flagship podcast, Abandoned Albums, began under the auspices of highlighting forgotten or overlooked albums. But as the series progressed and I met more and more people, limiting the scope to only those albums was shortsighted. Along with the encouragement of my co-host Geoff Calhoun, we decided to widen the berth of the concept to include everything from Abandoned Albums to work by new artists. Read more>>

Zed And Ace

Zed: Growing up as a homeschooler being misunderstood was/is not out of the norm for my life/lifestyle. Graduating college at 16 and living a nomadic life I found myself fitting the “loner” title more often then younger me was a fan of! To this day I rediscover how this also presents in my adulthood as well. Although! Read more>>

Brooke Ishibashi

As a female Asian American artist and labor leader, I have often felt imposter syndrome. “Who am I to speak my mind? Who am I to be heard and seen and valued?” It is a continuous process for me to learn how to trust myself and my journey and to know that I have a right to claim space in this world. Read more>>

Jen Simon

As a tarot reader, I have encountered some opposition and misunderstanding from people. I would like to say, however, that most people are open minded and interested in the process. I was mischaracterized when I was starting my professional foray into reading tarot by someone that was uneducated and unwilling to see that tarot is a beautiful tool that helps others with issues they are facing in life. Read more>>

Shane Salk

It’s funny that you should ask this question because I have spent the last 5 minutes going back and forth, asking myself what is the best way to categorize myself. A “Creative”, a “Business Owner” or “Creative Services.” As people, we tend to need to know who someone is in a moment or word. If we muddy those waters, then the whole person gets dismissed, especially if that word is related to a creative field. Read more>>

Aurelia Gooden

Sometimes, people think that I am being dishonest because I may not look directly at someone he or she is speaking. However, there are two reasons for this. I am a little shy, but I also have many types of synesthesia. Read more>>

Uni Kin

Im a unicorn so being understood on first impression is unusual anyways! Throughout my life I have noticed for some strange reason it is hard for me to fit in with the average crowd but I was never shameful. I always took pride into being an unusual character. I thought it was cool! Read more>>

Jennifer ‘JayBee’ Beasley

Being misunderstood is something that a lot of people fear especially in an age of Internet, an opinion. As someone who has made a lot of strides to be a pilar in the community and a role model for people who look like me and come from where I’m from, it’s hard to navigate being ‘perfect’ in the eyes of others that only see your accomplishments. If I could tell anyone, anything about being an entrepreneur, or having any type of public eye on you, I’d say to always remain true to yourself in all aspects, and in all ways so that you don’t have to fake it. Read more>>