Following Twitter on the night of the Grammys made me realize something: Canadians have a subconscious hatred of success.
Well, perhaps that small amount of denizens trolling the social media site. Regardless, the one thing I tire of is people whining about who won, why they shouldn’t have and what an atrocity said winner is to the art of music.
And don’t give me that tripe that people define success differently because success when it’s cut to the bone is survival.
The thing is, the people winning awards, they worked their assets off. Whether they be Katy Perry’s twins squeezed into chartreuse or Frank Ocean’s Bjorn Borg headband — these people put themselves out there. Some, er, more than others.
Ah, and they might not have worked in the traditional sense, but they should not be subjected to the flippancies of those with inferiority complexes.
Pick your art of choice. Hone your skills. When someone knocks you down, fight back in earnest. Let me put it to you in a more colloquial sense: Haters gonna hate. Prove them wrong.
If you’re struggling with your art, pick up a (metaphorical) machete and hack your way through it. I can’t count the amount of people who put down my work, whether in jest or in legitimate disdain because there are plenty.
I just remember the biggest obstacles, and those obstacles — battles of wits or half-wits — teach you plenty, as much as you don’t want to admit it. In my case, what you learn is to stand up for yourself and know when to pick your battles.
Nevermind the hoi polloi. Be the trendsetter. Get out there and get your name in LED.
It’s funny, the more I see abrasive quips on social media, the more it emphasizes my theory that respect, courtesy and taking responsibility for one’s actions are the fading artforms.
There’s a saying, spoken often by mothers to babes, “If you can’t say anything good, don’t say anything at all”. That’s something lost in the aether called social media.
But we’ll save that rant for another day.