044: Labels
"Is it possible to be free from error? Not by any means, but it is possible to be a person stretching to avoid error." - Epictetus
Have you ever come across some piece of information or fact that completely blows your mind? It leaves you questioning how you could have possibly made it this far in life without knowing it? This happened to me over the weekend. It rocked my world to the core, so much so that I needed to share it with you.
I can guarantee you're going to have one of two reactions.
Either.
A: Your mind will be equally as blown as mine. You will question everything you believe to be true and will be left in a daze for days.
Or
B: You will stare at your screen dumbfounded that someone didn't know this most simply thing that is common knowledge to everyone.
There is no middle ground with information like this. Those are the only possible reactions.
So, here it is.
The word 'movie' comes from that fact that these were no longer static images. Instead motion pictures would 'move' so there were 'movies'. They're 'movies' because they 'move'. Right!? This same word play would happen when they went from silent pictures to include sound. Those were known as 'talkies' because the actors could now 'talk'. This one clearly didn't stand the test of time and we were left with movies. It's so simple, yet I never made the connection! Movies, because they move!
There was a time in my life where I would never have admitted that I didn't know something like this. Chalk it up to my perfectionist nature, imposter syndrome, or a litany of other labels I had given myself. The point being, I was known for knowing things (or at least that's what I told myself) so not knowing was not an option. That can be the problem when we assign a bunch of labels to ourselves. We get stuck with them, we get comfortable with them and we resist change.
As a musician your identity is tied up with labels. You're a 'singer-songwriter', you're a 'folk musician', you're an 'instrumentalist', you're a 'local sensation'. Your career is defined by a few words .This is especially difficult as an artist because there is so much of yourself in your career.
Despite the fact that many artists express that they don't like the labels they are given, or gave themselves, I think all too many find comfort in them. How many times have you said something like - 'Does this sound too different from my previous album? I don't want to alienate my fans'. Or we can put that another way, 'I may not like this box I'm in, but at least I'm in a box. Better stick with it or might not have a box at all'.
I recently watched the Beastie Boys documentary. It was a solid look back at their career and the format of a 'live-documentary' gave it a much more personal approach. There was one moment that really stuck out to me. It recalled a story when Ad-Rock - AKA Adam Horovitz - was asked whether the group was being hypocritical with some new lyrics* based on the sexist aspects of their initial success**. To which he replied “I’d rather be a hypocrite than the same person forever.”
We're all allowed to change, and grow. We don't have to get stuck with labels. For better or worse, the comfort we gain from them is fleeting. At some point we must push through the resistance, learn from our mistakes and change, then try to get better. Does that justify our mistakes of the past? No. But it surely isn't a reason to keep making the same ones for fear of being judged for trying to be better. The same holds true for any of the labels you have for yourself - even the good ones.
So are you happy with the box you are in? Are you fearful of making a change because of how others may respond? It's time to push past that. In a year from now, would you be happy if you were the same person? If not, step out of your box, risk the criticism, and change.
~ Steve
* "I want to say a little something that's long overdue. The disrespect to women has got to be through. To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends. I want to offer my love and respect to the end." ~ Sure Shot (1984)
** "Girls, to do the dishes. Girls, to clean up my room. Girls, to do the laundry. Girls, and in the bathroom. Girls, that's all I really want is girls." ~ Girls (1986)