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.

T Clipse

As a person and as an artist you have a circle of influence. You can look at it as one big circle with everyone inside of it, or as layers, like the atmosphere. Read more>>

Ramone Quides

I grew up in a time and place where traits like ADHD, bipolarity and such were cured with shame and swacks from a paddle or ruler. Read more>>

Janice Shengyan Gu

Conversations about my work often lead to misunderstandings due to the nuanced nature of my artistic practice. When I mention that I create jewelry art, people typically assume I design for high-end jewelry companies, overlooking the distinction between commercial jewelry and contemporary jewelry art. Read more>>

Tabatha Flanick

Being a creative and create candles people don’t understand that there are no machines spitting out wax and pouring our candles. These are individually hand poured and packed. Read more>>

Mariah Rivera

My people see me as a “business owner”. When I meet people I want them to know that I am a creator who puts my love for community into my craft. Read more>>

The Cloaked Podcast

Our podcast has some dealings with the paranormal however it could be misunderstood as promoting belief in supernatural phenomena without skepticism or critical thinking, potentially leading some listeners to adopt unfounded beliefs or fear without questioning the evidence presented. Read more>>

Mandi Monday

As a creative person, I’ve learned that if you don’t speak up for what you want, how you want to be viewed, or what you’re trying to accomplish, people will dictate it for you. Read more>>

Ken MacGregor

I write mostly Horror. People often associate Horror with splatter movies: they think it’s all torture porn. That certainly is part of the genre, and I’ve even written some, but there’s so much more to it. Read more>>

Viridian Van Buskirk

I grew up with an undiagnosed learning disability, one that made understanding the world around me rather difficult. In turn, the world found it difficult to understand me as well. Read more>>

Sabrina Zhao

In the past, I felt like I was always misunderstood and mischaracterized by people, so I wanted all of my work to revolve around the fight against being misunderstood and mischaracterized. Read more>>

Lizzy Lumb

The hardest part of being misunderstood and mischaracterised is the feeling of being unseen and unheard. When others misinterpret or misrepresent who you are or what you stand for, it can be incredibly frustrating and disheartening. Read more>>

Matthew Deluz

I’ve found myself being misunderstood to some degree my whole life, especially as an artist. It usually starts when people ask me what I do; I’m not a specialist in any one discipline, and my curiosity refuses to let me stay “in a box” so to speak. Read more>>

PrinceKiyah

Feeling misunderstood by society can be a deeply isolating and discouraging experience. As a gender fluid individual I often feel misunderstood because my values, beliefs, and experiences don’t align with the societal norms. Read more>>

Tobias Daniels

Growing up, my family struggled to grasp my love of entertainment. To them, stability meant everything. It wasn’t until my name graced their TV screens that their skepticism shifted. Yet, life is ironic. Read more>>

Jade Theriault

My whole act is a misunderstanding. It thrives on antiquated preconceived notions of the role someone like me would be most likely to play. And the joke is built in. Read more>>

Chris Hamby

I would say the biggest mis-characterization that I have run into is that leather-workers, are indifferent to the environmental impact of leather. From all of my peers I’ve talked to, this isn’t the case. Read more>>

Aeka Joshi

A running theme in Xeno’s lyrics is the juxtaposition between what we are told we are, or what we are told we should be, and who we are. This began with the insidious idea from those around us that we weren’t good enough, smart enough, strong enough, pretty enough. Read more>>