What is it really? Simply something we admire? Or a way that people connect? A part of our history, human kind even? It is all this and more. And in order to understand it completely, like anything in this life, you need to immerse yourself in it. It is unlike anything else on this planet, new styles are emerging every year. There's so much freedom and blankness in it, the possibilities are endless.
Today I felt accepted, for the first time in months. Accepted for who I was and what I do without a second though or hesitation. It was like nothing else I've ever experienced. I attended a Longboard making workshop at the AGO today. Unfortunately they ran out of materials early on but I stuck around because there were more events to be held. Turns out, I was unknowingly a part of an event where several art supporting organizations got together, showcased the talents of their students, and just shared their experiences. At one point I was given the chance to speak about how art changed my life. Some of you know, others don't so I'll just recap. It all started back in Grade 7. My assumption of music at that age was that it was all about making money. That not a lot of artists cared about their art. BOY WAS I EVER WRONG OR WHAT? Anyways, after watching a very inspiring video of Dub FX's 1st hit "Love Someone" my life was forever changed. I knew that at some point in my life, I wanted to do what he did. Which simply put goes: do what you love. And so, here I am with a couple songs ready to be recorded. All it takes is the practice and time, that's the only thing that's left. And making that "speech" just made me feel so accepted by that community. No prejudice, no questions of why or how, simply "We are proud of you, congratulations." Many people like me don't get recognition like this, for doing things that just can't be marked or valued with a number. It was amazing, words cannot express. And I made a new friend in the process! Shout out to King Comix!!! I'm really sorry that this post is so short, I'll explain everything tomorrow in detail. Considering it's almost 1AM, I think that's fair. Enjoy the following pictures. Read it, Learn it, Live it, Love it, and Post it!
UPDATE:
So as the evening began at the AGO I really just wanted to meet someone new, or learn something new at least. If I'm going to spend my time (something I can't give back or buy) around so many diverse people and just so much talent in 1 room I might as well use it to my greatest potential and get as much as I can out of it. So I started walking around, thanking people for not only organizing the event but also for giving me the opportunity to talk and share my story. As I did that I got to know not only about myself but about others, it's a very broad topic but I'll explain. Only up until now have I been paying attention to my style. How I dress is a part of that. Recently I've gotten into accessorizing. I actually managed to find a ring a couple weeks ago backstage. I don't know/care what it's made of or what part of something that it is because that's what makes it special to me. I also recently bought a "mood" ring. I don't use it to determine/predict ;) my mood of course :P I just like the array of colo(u)rs it adds to my finger(s). And so, only up until now have I realized that I could have much more fun with this. Possibly style my hair in some way, I've already tried gelling and personally I loved the look it gave me. And also my clothing too, hoping to get some new threads that just make me feel comfortable to be in. It's not like I'm completely having a makeover, no of course not. But I think that my style could use some enhancements, hats!!! And so, being in an environment where I saw a lot of people that were just as "strange" as me (the reason I say strange is simply because of what the average population thinks of as strange) just put me at ease. It made me more relaxed about my rings and my murse (man purse, fuck yes) and just about who I am. My hip movements, ridiculous humor, everything that was a part of me just came out to play for once outside school. And what made it all even better is the fact that I got to share all of that with another person. Shout out again to King Comix for indulging in our conversation that night about music, life, education, and everything in between! It was great sharing my opinion with such an open individual like you.
Another part of why the evening was great is the fact that I felt recognized while I was there. A lot of talk about the art of the youth and its importance was held. It felt like people cared about us, every single one of us. The ones that would rather sit indoors and write out what we feel because we believe it makes a difference to us. The ones that travel and explore where they live and choose to document it through different mediums. The ones that spend afterschools sculpting, painting, singing, dancing and just doing what we love. Having so many program leaders and supporters in that room just made me feel like I was part of a movement, something bigger than I had ever imagined. I don't get to experience recognition as often as I'd like, but many others don't either. Most of what I do cannot be graded, it can be commented on and criticized but it often isn't. "Nice job" and "great photo/dance/lyric" is all I hear. And I'm not ranting or complaining, it's simply the state of things. But there's 1 thing that one of the speakers said there that stuck out to me "Do what you love. Find an audience for your art. Live." Simply put into my perspective: I haven't found my right audience yet. I don't think it'll be composed of most my friends. They'll listen to my tracks or look at my photography out of pure necessity and curiosity, as well as my family. But there was this 1 guy that came up to me after the speeches and all that asked me for my blog link and for my name. He was genuinely interested in what music I wanted to release. And if you're reading this, you have no idea what kind of an impact you've made on me. Because you are the kind of people that I'm making my music for, not only for myself, but for people to genuinely enjoy/analyze/share/etc. And if you're looking to criticize or analyze my lyrics or any of the poems that I have, please do. I don't get enough of that, the only critic I've ever really had that matters is me. It'd be nice to hear someone else's opinion for a change. Past all the "This is great stuff" lines, I'd love to hear some criticisms and explanations that you think exist behind my lyrics. Anyways, that's what I think would help me not only grow as an artist but also help you understand my music and hopefully learn something out of it. So to conclude, I felt like I belonged and it was extraordinary. That night I walked in the middle of the road, staring at all the streetlights go by, breathing in the humid and damp air, pulling every sense out of the experience to make it truly unforgettable. Thank you, all of you, for this journey that I'm on and where I am. Because now I can simply say, I love my life, I love where I am in my life, and I love me for who me be (because fuck grammar, that's why).
Cheers, MarkL
Today I felt accepted, for the first time in months. Accepted for who I was and what I do without a second though or hesitation. It was like nothing else I've ever experienced. I attended a Longboard making workshop at the AGO today. Unfortunately they ran out of materials early on but I stuck around because there were more events to be held. Turns out, I was unknowingly a part of an event where several art supporting organizations got together, showcased the talents of their students, and just shared their experiences. At one point I was given the chance to speak about how art changed my life. Some of you know, others don't so I'll just recap. It all started back in Grade 7. My assumption of music at that age was that it was all about making money. That not a lot of artists cared about their art. BOY WAS I EVER WRONG OR WHAT? Anyways, after watching a very inspiring video of Dub FX's 1st hit "Love Someone" my life was forever changed. I knew that at some point in my life, I wanted to do what he did. Which simply put goes: do what you love. And so, here I am with a couple songs ready to be recorded. All it takes is the practice and time, that's the only thing that's left. And making that "speech" just made me feel so accepted by that community. No prejudice, no questions of why or how, simply "We are proud of you, congratulations." Many people like me don't get recognition like this, for doing things that just can't be marked or valued with a number. It was amazing, words cannot express. And I made a new friend in the process! Shout out to King Comix!!! I'm really sorry that this post is so short, I'll explain everything tomorrow in detail. Considering it's almost 1AM, I think that's fair. Enjoy the following pictures. Read it, Learn it, Live it, Love it, and Post it!
UPDATE:
So as the evening began at the AGO I really just wanted to meet someone new, or learn something new at least. If I'm going to spend my time (something I can't give back or buy) around so many diverse people and just so much talent in 1 room I might as well use it to my greatest potential and get as much as I can out of it. So I started walking around, thanking people for not only organizing the event but also for giving me the opportunity to talk and share my story. As I did that I got to know not only about myself but about others, it's a very broad topic but I'll explain. Only up until now have I been paying attention to my style. How I dress is a part of that. Recently I've gotten into accessorizing. I actually managed to find a ring a couple weeks ago backstage. I don't know/care what it's made of or what part of something that it is because that's what makes it special to me. I also recently bought a "mood" ring. I don't use it to determine/predict ;) my mood of course :P I just like the array of colo(u)rs it adds to my finger(s). And so, only up until now have I realized that I could have much more fun with this. Possibly style my hair in some way, I've already tried gelling and personally I loved the look it gave me. And also my clothing too, hoping to get some new threads that just make me feel comfortable to be in. It's not like I'm completely having a makeover, no of course not. But I think that my style could use some enhancements, hats!!! And so, being in an environment where I saw a lot of people that were just as "strange" as me (the reason I say strange is simply because of what the average population thinks of as strange) just put me at ease. It made me more relaxed about my rings and my murse (man purse, fuck yes) and just about who I am. My hip movements, ridiculous humor, everything that was a part of me just came out to play for once outside school. And what made it all even better is the fact that I got to share all of that with another person. Shout out again to King Comix for indulging in our conversation that night about music, life, education, and everything in between! It was great sharing my opinion with such an open individual like you.
Another part of why the evening was great is the fact that I felt recognized while I was there. A lot of talk about the art of the youth and its importance was held. It felt like people cared about us, every single one of us. The ones that would rather sit indoors and write out what we feel because we believe it makes a difference to us. The ones that travel and explore where they live and choose to document it through different mediums. The ones that spend afterschools sculpting, painting, singing, dancing and just doing what we love. Having so many program leaders and supporters in that room just made me feel like I was part of a movement, something bigger than I had ever imagined. I don't get to experience recognition as often as I'd like, but many others don't either. Most of what I do cannot be graded, it can be commented on and criticized but it often isn't. "Nice job" and "great photo/dance/lyric" is all I hear. And I'm not ranting or complaining, it's simply the state of things. But there's 1 thing that one of the speakers said there that stuck out to me "Do what you love. Find an audience for your art. Live." Simply put into my perspective: I haven't found my right audience yet. I don't think it'll be composed of most my friends. They'll listen to my tracks or look at my photography out of pure necessity and curiosity, as well as my family. But there was this 1 guy that came up to me after the speeches and all that asked me for my blog link and for my name. He was genuinely interested in what music I wanted to release. And if you're reading this, you have no idea what kind of an impact you've made on me. Because you are the kind of people that I'm making my music for, not only for myself, but for people to genuinely enjoy/analyze/share/etc. And if you're looking to criticize or analyze my lyrics or any of the poems that I have, please do. I don't get enough of that, the only critic I've ever really had that matters is me. It'd be nice to hear someone else's opinion for a change. Past all the "This is great stuff" lines, I'd love to hear some criticisms and explanations that you think exist behind my lyrics. Anyways, that's what I think would help me not only grow as an artist but also help you understand my music and hopefully learn something out of it. So to conclude, I felt like I belonged and it was extraordinary. That night I walked in the middle of the road, staring at all the streetlights go by, breathing in the humid and damp air, pulling every sense out of the experience to make it truly unforgettable. Thank you, all of you, for this journey that I'm on and where I am. Because now I can simply say, I love my life, I love where I am in my life, and I love me for who me be (because fuck grammar, that's why).
Cheers, MarkL
