Labels, labels, labels…
I think people should pay more attention to the labels they
choose to embrace or buy into. I consider labels to be dangerously limiting. People
may think of me as JP the computer nerd, JP the dj, Funny guy JP, travel adventure
crazy JP or whatever other external label people associate with me positive or
negative. There are also internal labels that automatically get assigned to you
like JP the son, JP the cousin, JP from Guatemala. But really I'm just JP, without a permanent label.
Labels are a nice way to categorize people and put them in
buckets. They help us describe people too. But I contend that you should not buy
into the labels that are associated to you. For example, if you accept and buy
into a label of being smart, you may soon think you are too smart. If you buy
into the label that you are impaired or handicapped when you see yourself in
the mirror, instead of seeing yourself you will see a handicapped individual.
We all carry many labels at once, we should be aware of them and tear them
apart. Living your life without concerns for labels gives you incredible
freedom. It allows you to change your mind at any time for any reason. Contrary
to popular belief, I think it is okay to contradict yourself from time to time.
It is okay to share an opinion and two seconds later change your mind on that
opinion or stance. It also allows you to reinvent yourself which is great. Don’t create
artificial barriers that will limit how you live your short life.
Start of Random Thought
I love movies. My macbook died today, definitely not happy about that. But in a weird way, I missed my first world problems. Dealing with a breakup drains you emotionally, mentally and physically. So being able to worry about stupid things is a nice change in pace. I remember sometimes I couldn't decide if I wanted to go diving or kayaking that weekend. Now that's a real struggle.
I'm really happy for everyone that surrounds me. Ready for a lame sounding analogy? Here it goes:
Friends are like flowers. Wait for it....wait for it. Ok. That was lame. But hear me out anyways. You have a garden, hopefully its a big one and you add a bunch of flowers. Friends, like different flowers, require different attention and have different needs. Any gardener knows it takes a lot of work to keep all the flowers healthy all the time. Some friends are like cacti (plural for cactus... i love that word) they hardly need any attention. Water a few times a year and that is it. The conversation picks up were it left off after 3 years of not talking. But having a garden full of cacti is no fun, you need variety. Others are like dandelions they require a little more maintenance but not much. There are also orchids, they require a ton of work but are worth it. You can have a unlimited number of cacti in your garden but you should be mindful of how many orchids you can tend to.
Popcorn sounds like a good idea right now.
End of Random Thought
I recently talked to a good friend and she assigned me a new
label that I struggled to understand but soon started to make complete sense to
me.
She labeled me as an artist.
When I first heard it I completely dismissed it. I have
never felt like a have a single artistic cell in my body. I have failed at many
artistic pursuits in the past. I thought maybe she had read some of my writings
and she was complimenting me. Nope. That was not the case either.
This particular friend is a highly skilled and accomplished artist
herself. And like all great artists she has spent a lot of time honing her
craft. She basically explained to me
that I’m not an artist in the fine arts but rather a different type of artist. And she would know since she is an artist.
It’s an interesting new concept to me, I thought about it afterwards
and here is some of what I understood after our discussion. Let’s explore this
new label shall we?
As an artist, I am always working on my art work. I’m passionate
and dedicated about my art. When you are doing artwork nothing else matters,
you get tunnel vision, this toxic obsession consumes you and that is all you
think of.
My medium is not canvas, clay or musical notes. My medium is
people. My art is all about making a positive change on someone. This can
manifest in many different ways.
I use my skills and toolbox to understand a particular individual
in simple basic components. I take my time to understand an individual, ask the
right questions and listen. What may not
be apparent to others, is obvious to me. I pick up on the subtle hints, body
language and tone inflections. I don’t
pretend to know anything and approach things carefully. I think there are a lot of people that can do
that out there.
However, one thing I think most people struggle with is
language. Specifically, the right language, words and concepts to talk about
how exactly you feel and think. This is an area that I developed early in life
out of necessity. I had a desire to express how I thought or felt but lacked the
correct words to describe it (even with two languages). So I worked on it and
developed a language that allows me to express the essence of things in a
simple fashion. It is not about sounding profound or cool, it is about being
efficient with words. Which is not really an uncommon skill, songs and poems do
this all the time.
So it is pretty simple: To fulfill my desire to make a positive
change in people, I utilize both my ability to dissect complicated stuff (in
this case people) into easily digestible concepts and ability to express myself
to share with them an observation or an opinion I have. Sometimes it’s a simple compliment you give
that brightens someone’s day. I do that with cashiers or people I talk to on
the phone all the time (and yes sometimes I score free food and I love free
food). On occasion, I share something that touches the person; maybe a feeling they
have felt for years but never found the right combination of words to express
it. I think that all change is good change, no matter how big or small. And just like artwork fulfills an artist, this simple action fulfills me. I do it for me, not for anyone else.
Sometimes an artist just doodles or sketches on a napkin. At
times, they take on a bigger art piece that takes time to develop. To keep the
analogy going, I have made a positive impact on all my ex-girlfriends and
Ananda was not an exception. She was probably the recipient of the best I had to offer. I took a great person and over time made small
contributions that made Ananda an even better individual. That individual does
not want to be with me, but that’s okay. Things change, life happens and as I
normally do I will make the best of it.
Maybe I had contributed enough to Ananda and the time came
to let her go. An artist sometimes develops an obsession with his art and cannot
let it go. It can take some time before the artist is comfortable letting his
artwork go and that’s normal too. And the beautiful thing about art, is that
once it is out there for people to consume, it does not belong to the artist
anymore it belongs to humanity. And I have accepted this.
I have spent years perfecting my craft. If I consider this
new label for brief moment and ask myself what is my end goal? The answer is
obvious. I’m leading up to my crescendo. My masterpiece.
Is my masterpiece Ananda’s replacement? The next girl that will be wild about me and have my back no matter what? Of course not you
silly! I would say ultimately my masterpiece is in a weird way me. A
self-portrait were I get to apply everything I have learned, culminating in my Constant Pursuit for Growth.
