After a career in sport and life dedicated to “making it”, I often reflect on why we put so much emphasis on achievement and societal expectations with ambiguous generalizations of success. Disclaimer, I’ve reached peak #dgaf in the best way so my focus and intent of any creative output will be for personal fulfillment. The funny part about this is you probably really don’t care either, as you shouldn’t – which (ironically) puts us in alignment. This may sound blunt, but it’s actually the ultimate freedom of being, not letting the perception or thought of the perception of others hinder our expression. This is reflected in the Looking-Glass Self Theory – “the process wherein individuals base their sense of self on how they believe others view them. Using social interaction as a type of ‘mirror,’ people use the judgments they receive from others to measure their own worth, values, and behavior.” In culture we hear it as the importance of putting yourself first and bringing your authenticity to the forefront of how you present your physical-and-digital self. Rick Rubin talks about putting the audience last, ensuring that you are creating for the sake of what you are called to do and not what you think people want to see, because – like trends – people’s interests and attention pivot on a dime. Our best bet is to ride the waves of our natural or learned inclinations.
“DON’T WORRY ABOUT BEING ORIGINAL. JUST BE AUTHENTIC.”
- Elizabeth Gilbert
Virgil Abloh made a great point in one of his interviews about the luxury of being relatively unknown. He commented on the freedom of mistakes to learn from but if something pops then you’ll look like a genius. Really at most levels we should be shooting our shot with no cares like Steph Curry. The clip below is me at 17 being interviewed after a well-played game in high school. Embodying that mindset is something I have mastered over the years, and even then I still crave some sort of feedback from an audience. That was the beauty of playing, I could express myself fully and freely, moving with no constraints and at the end I would directly understand from coaches, fans, and teammates how I could improve or continue to succeed. In these times it can be discouraging because most of the time it feels like we’re shouting into an empty void, with no one to give us that feedback we used to get in school or the activities we participated in. I just want you to remember to never give up, which is the core of my curriculum which is almost available to register. I’m hardwired to see the potential that most people don’t see in themselves, something I realize isn’t the norm. We all have light that deserves to shine bright everyday.
Extra Credit
