"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts." ~ Shakespeare, As You Like It (1599), Act II, Scene vii.

I'm resigned to the fact that some people will just never get it. There are times when I sorely tempted to pass the blame back on those people and tell it to their faces, why can't they be more sensitive to the needs of other people? People are different from one another and the mere fact that I chose to be an artist or the fact that I was born to be this sensitive does not mean that I should be relegated to one corner and not be heard. I did earlier this morning and what I got was a rationalization that people in general where materialistic and success is measured by the amount of money you rake in with your chosen endeavor. I thought later on that all people are actors! That's it and I should learn to be one. I should learn to smile and hide all my disappointments and frustrations under a mask of a radiant sunshine! No sir! There's nothing wrong with me! See this smile? I'm strong! Nothing can hurt me! I can stand on my own and take it like a man! I'm an oak standing brave against the storms of life! Tut-tut! There's no room for melancholy, no room for sensitivity! Take all your individuality and all the talents you were born with and shove them in the garbage can out in the back. The world doesn't like your kind. Where's the money in that? If you want to join the rat race then you should be like one of us! Expression? Express this!

Do you know how hard and frustrating it can be for an artist to be denied his freedom to be heard? While everyone has this and that and they can talk about it all they long and they can find their audience easily. "Why I do this! I am the best there is at what I do! Hahahaha!!!" they can brag all day long. "I bought this new dress! Blah-blah-blah! This is my friend, yakkity-yakkity-yak!" While artists like me can barely open their mouths without being overtaken by their fear of being misunderstood. Nobody takes artists seriously. "Say what do you do? Ahhh... So you're an artist? That's good." (insert awkward silence here until he/she spies a friend at the other side of the room) "Hey! Harvey! Excuse me." or a more oft said line "So you're an artist? Can you draw my face?" But that's about it, you just smile and gently, silently dismiss their stereotyping with a polite affirmative response. It's been said that to me that they don't understand exactly because I don't tell them anything about my profession, the reason I don't tell them anything about my profession is that nobody really understands and almost everything I say is easily dismissed as nothing really important. Such a cruel, cruel world. I give them the courtesy of a listening ear and a helping hand and I only ask a reciprocation when the need arises. So many times I've been denied this opportunity. Ralph Kramden's rant in one episode of the Honeymooners perfectly echoes how I feel right now: "HOW ABOUT ME? HOW ABOUT WHAT I FEEL?!" Thanks a lot.