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.
Irene Polk
As an actor, I think it goes without saying that your future and prospects lie largely with your looks. Do you look old enough to be a mom? Can you play a teenager in high school? Are you tall or muscular enough to be Marvel’s next supervillain? Often, the roles offered to an actor are determined by the artistic eye of the director. What they think someone should or would look like based on the context of the project. This is where my personal issues of mischaracterization tend to come in; it is less in the ability to get roles, but rather what roles are offered to me as a black woman. Read more>>
Bailey Merlin
As a bisexual, I’m used to people misunderstanding me. As a married bisexual in a straight-appearing relationship, I’m used to people REALLY misunderstanding me. I’ve come out so many times, sometimes two or three times, with the same person. “Bailey, why does it matter that you’re bisexual? You’re married to a man. Why do you have to talk about your sexuality?” I talk about bisexuality a lot because, well, someone should. Comprising the majority of the LGBTQ+ community while receiving the fewest research and community dollars, my identifying as bisexual is a political act. I go into the world every day ready to talk about bisexuality. Read more>>
Eliana West
An unexpected challenge I’ve faced as a writer is having other writers try to tell me what I can and cannot write because of my race. As someone who is bi-racial, it’s disheartening when someone says I can’t write Black characters or the opposite, that I should only write Black characters. I want to write characters that reflect the diverse world I live in. When I started writing I never imagined that would be a controversial thing to say or do. For most of my life, people have asked, “What are you?” Becoming an author has taught me, I am a story. Read more>>
Sam Herrera
I have always struggled with finding my footing within my own identity. Whether it was dealing with my mixed ethnicity, my sexual orientation, or my gender expression; it has been something I have had to learn to be patient with. I have learned to express my identity through my unique experiences, and not allowing societal pressures shape my artistic process. In my opinion, it is easy for artists from marginalized communities to conform to what society wants in today’s age of “fast” commerce. Read more>>
Giorgia Manini
The truth is that I still feel so small compared to the art in the world. I can’t remember exactly when the strong attraction to art began in my life, but looking back over time it all makes so much sense. I can say that in reality, I understood only now that art has always been part of me, of my essence actually, not of my life. Read more>>
Ashley Percle
At the beginning of my career, before I signed to an agency, I was unsure how to get started. I was very young, shy, and battling with anxiety. It was easy, at that time, to feel discouraged. I feel as an artist, we have to be comfortable with vulnerability and exposing our authentic selves, which took me some time to do. I was criticized often including the way I chose to express myself through art. My anxiety that developed made it difficult to feel free to open myself up while showing who I truly am, it didn’t feel safe. That allowed misunderstandings of my character and my capabilities. Read more>>
Justyna Kelley
From a young age, it was easy to be misunderstood because I never fit into a neat box. In grade school, I was a dorky kid who would get in trouble for singing too much on the playground or in class. In high school and college, I was a jock who bounced from track practice and weight rooms in the afternoon to theatre rehearsals in the evening. For the past 10 years, I’ve lived between Nashville, the home of country music, and Paris, France! Even now as an adult and professional artist, I don’t like being limited to one thing or certain perception, and I think this shows in my music and the things I create. Read more>>
Sarah O’Dell
As an Aquarius, it is quite the stereotype to say I have felt misunderstood. I could give countless stories where I felt others simply did not and could not understand me. I have always had a different perspective of the world and of her events. Humans are the most intriguing species I could choose to observe. Analyzing their behaviors and why they engage the way they do. Being human myself, I have found every moment of existence to be in a constant state or observation, self awareness and self evolution. Many believe my passionate convictions for myself are arrogant and that I am speaking down to others. Read more>>