abrasive artists

Sometimes words come into our minds that were never there much before, but then haunt our sentences and wait to be used, like a present waiting to be given, anticipation hanging on the reception. Sometimes we mean to be aggressive but come off as abrasive. Abrasive with a side of vulnerability, though? Maybe that’s even better than being aggressive. Honesty is the new black.

Despite the drawbacks of the implications of social media, I think there are a lot of good things about it. It’s been around long enough that at this point that cat-fishing, and lying about who you are, isn’t fun or cool anymore. It’s fun to be honest about your life and who you are, to inspire others, to say your truth. It’s fun to be different and silly and quirky and do new things that maybe your friends aren’t. It’s cool to share your life with your friends, and to share in their joy as well. We like each other’s post in support and solidarity – go after your wants and dreams, and to say things that matter, that make people feel good, but also that make people think. It’s okay to be contradictory, to say things shouldn’t be the way they are. It’s more and more respected and appreciated to live life creatively.

Alexander Hamilton had to be creative. He took advantage of the times and the opportunity to say his truth and try to make a difference.

It is the day and age to call attention to those that have fallen between the margins. It is the golden age of television, and a lot of those shows are calling to figures that have been in the shadows, but even with movies, if you look at the Oscar nods last year, it’s about bringing to light successes that have been shrouded for whatever reason.

So of course this bleeds onto the stage, with Hamilton, the hottest show in town, still. I got super lucky with this ticket, but I truly wish literally everyone I know could see it. Because they would enjoy it. It’s modern and you have to pay close attention but it’s oh so clever and absolutely beautiful and awe inspiring. It’s real and raw and tells it like it was in a way that is so now. The things we say everyday permeate the lyrics and pull us right in, the beats are sounds we hear at bars, but also at home when we’re just chillin, and you wanna stand up and dance as often as you want to lay back and enjoy it.

But that’s what I think as a 28 year old musical theatre fan/amateur musician/Chicago hipster. What did my 50-something aunt and uncle think? They loved it. It’s obviously getting rave reviews and tickets are beyond reasonable. Are people going for the hype of it? How does it resonate? This rawness, this honesty, that although times are crazy and we don’t know what will happen next, we have to be real about who we are and what we stand for. Don’t just smile and nod and make everyone think you’re a friend – because then you may not have any friends. But, if you stand up for what you think is right, work hard, own up, and do your best despite mistakes, your influence could be beyond your realm of imagination. Maybe Hamilton was abrasive, but he made compromises, help set the foundation for our country, and his beloved and betrayed wife started the first private orphanage in NYC.

So, yea, sometimes its uncomfortable to be abrasive, but being uncomfortable is the new black. “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable!” Because it’s the only way to grow.

Quite an inspiring story. To be uplifted by the spirit of man and disheartened in the same beat – powerful stuff. “How do you write like time is running out?” Maybe time is running out. Queue Muse.

I know musical theatre has expressed itself through a lot of different genres, there are rock operas, and Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Wiz, LaLa Land, and Glee, for fuck’s sake, but the fact that this show is still so sought after and such a big hit, and with the political environment, it’s exciting that it could be sending a message about how we need to accept everyone from everywhere, and inspire each other to be honest, and discuss, and compromise, and learn, and grow together.