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.

Shaynie Rhoads

I’m often asked what kind of music I like to listen to. I’m not sure what they’re expecting, but when I tell people it’s metal, most look surprised, or even amused. I get that I don’t look like the typical metalhead, but what is a metalhead supposed to look like? We come in all shapes and sizes, and some of us even wear pink and curl our hair. Read more>>

Bleu Pablo

Ive often felt like an abstract artist lost in translation. People not Understanding the depth of my work has been a struggle; the lack of figurative elements made it hard for audiences to connect. Galleries turned me away, coworkers mocked, and friends suggested sticking to my day job. Despite the discouragement, I persevered. Read more>>

Molly Ryan

I started playing with makeup as a little girl, sitting in front of my vanity, making silly little videos (like the influencers I watched on youtube), pretending to have my own “Youtube Channel”. A lot of my peers and even some “friends” at the time would bully me for doing so. They would make fun of how I would talk during my videos or how much makeup I would wear, etc. Read more>>

Marcus Shadden

I’ve noticed in all different facets of life people tend to quickly label and try to identify who you are, not just as a artist, but as a “person.” The word person comes from Latin, Persona, it means your public face or a character played; a mask. When we as artists take on a role, ( I call it a Box) meaning a framework in which we see ourselves through the eyes of “others,” we limit our creativity; we’re narrow. Read more>>

Jester Beats

From my perspective, a lot of today’s rap music is often misinterpreted. I express this in the intro to my most recent project “Undefeated”, which is out now on all streaming platforms. I notice a lot of people look at today’s rap music as glorifying a lifestyle of money, drugs, violence, and women; in reality, to most of the artists making the music, it i much deeper than that. Read more>>

MaShonna Hughes

As a self-defined creator and visionary, I am often perceived as unique. From my experience, I’ve learned that uniqueness is not always readily accepted or appreciated. As a Black woman, I’ve encountered numerous trials and tribulations that have led to stereotypes, misunderstandings, and assumptions about who I am. Read more>>

Eddie Yuma

I’ve always felt like someone who doesn’t really fit in one group. Being half Mexican & Cuban as well as being first generation has always reminded me that there’s a lot of facets to people. I was lucky enough grow up in Rogers Park, a Northern neighborhood in Chicago that’s home to a wide variety of people from different cultures. Read more>>

Christie Shinn

It’s funny when people talk half the time. Most of the time it’s strange-half truths that they never think about how it actually applies in their own lives, to just repeating what people suggest to them regardless of the results, or some nonsense that people just get upset over just because. In reality, there are very few resonant bits of information that people actually take in and they’re programmed to follow fear as their gut feeling rather than the actual gut feeling. Read more>>