Available this Fall on iTunes
I think- and I could ask my mother, just not today-I was diagnosed as "weird", by the rest of the family at about age nine. There were a few concerned teachers before then, but I'm gonna guesstimate nine as the year of my uncloseting: I am an artist.
At thirty-six, much of the chiding has subsided save for the occasional, "well you've always been...like that". And Joe, my Favorite Guy, his family is still holding out for him to get a real job, y'know one with a pension. But, on days like today, I'm grateful that we are weird, misunderstood, unstoppable creative forces sans pensions.
Jordan, Puberty Man as he is commonly referred to here at The Honey House has been "diagnosed" as well. I remember falling prey to playground politics when he was about 6 or 7 and wanted to be a school custodian. I nearly died! What?! You mean you don't want to be the president? A lawyer? A doctor? Who was I fooling, I didn't want to be any of those things either. In fact, I only chose something because I had to. Truth is, I felt quite content being who I was already; I didn't need a career-I had a calling and, it was art.
So, in the spirit of acceptance, we shifted gears way back then. Make no mistake we shifted gears with as much ease as one loses weight or gives birth-it was an arduous undertaking. We encouraged Jordan to pave his own road; wouldn't you know, it led right back where it began: art.
Jordan is a talented lyricist with an- and I say this as one of his toughest critics, uncanny mastery of metaphoric prose. Rap music is not my personal genre of choice, so I rely heavily on artistic content in deciding if I'm going to lend my ear to a project. The kid has certainly earned my ear-not without the occasional pearl clutching and grimace, I mean artist or not, I'm still his mom.
Peace and, of course art
13 comments:
relating once again tameka... on my own (had no idea how to pick what i wanted to be... why not a little bit of everything?) childhood and my children's... art has been the centering and guiding force in my life... while kids in middle and high school were doing other things, i wanted to visit my aunts in nyc and go to the museums... the space in museums has a sacred quality for me... so many hands having touched so many amazing things all under one roof... and, yes, i too have been coined 'like that' ... my daughter's hair has even become a medium for both of us - there are pics on the flickr acct... art is not a stage, it is a part of your soul... i wouldn't trade that for the world... so glad to know about your wonderfully creative family...
The Mercados never cease to amaze me =). Thanks for proclaiming that art is life.
one of these days your son will thank you profusely for not only allowing him, but nurturing him to be what he's destined to be.....i promise. (and by all means, you're allowed to remind him along the way that you're an incredibly awesome mom!!) :)
It's so nice when parents allow their children to truly become who they were meant to be, rather than force feeding them the parent's own desires.
Good for you and good for him!
Funny how we encourage our young'uns to be anything they want to be and yet when man-man proclaims that he wants to grow up to be a rubber duck (true story) we find ourselves breaking out in a cold mama-sweat. Kudos to you for you for letting your son blaze his own trail.
THAT's AWESOME! I'm glad that you support him! Personally, I still LOVE rap music... Sometimes the lyrics make me whince, but I'm very hard to offend when it comes to language.... I am SO going to check out his music on iTunes... will you give us a lil' reminder when the time comes? Seriously WANT TO HEAR it! And probably even add it to my iPod!
I really don't blame you. When I was a kid, I was quite content being myself. I liked who I was and who I am now...really the same person. Back then I really enjoyed gardening, drawing, crotcheting and playing the piano. All of which, I don't seem to have time for these days. I'm trying to get back into these hobbies, but money is definitely an issue. However, I'm still happy with who I am.
The proverbial apple has fallen from the tree and not rolled to far. I remember being 8 yrs. old when my mum took me to the pediatricians with concerns about my behavior. 1968 was not a good year to be properly diagnosed with ADD and childhood depression...but there was always art...and I was good t that at least. I suppose emotionally I was the 1960's childhood version of VanGogh. Not the "lets play dolls" type of little girl.
Yes we are artists up in here too. Every last one of us lives and breathes some kind of art.
I didn't know your son was an artist too. What about Yael?
i am back, after thinking about this post and how important it is to our kids to allow them to 'be'... i think that kind of acceptance and open-mindedness does nothing but make them more tolerant, more fully human people... able to feel, put into words, images or music their emotions and ideas... they will be more connected... perhaps that is why it can hurt when singled-out as kids, because you are more sensitive to things to begin with... i think it's great about your son's lyric writing... my daughter participates in writer's forums... i think that with parents that accept and encourage them, they start out a step ahead of us, which is what is supposed to happen in the evolutionary process, right? (doesn't always, for sure)... i did really enjoy this... and now has me thinking of the various applications of the term suffering artist to be used in a later post when i can pull my thoughts together!
"Thinking is easy; action is difficult; to act in accordance with one's thoughts is the most difficult thing in the world." (Goethe) Bravo to you both for thinking and taking action.
I love it--and I'm so not surprised that your boy is nice with the verbs. Look who his mama is! Kudos to you for supporting his craft and recognizing his gift. Art is tremendously undervalued, and it's up to us to remind people of its worth.
Now where can we cop the album? Gotta support... (I also happen to be a hip hop junkie...)
I think that with parents that accept and encourage them, they start out a step ahead of us.
--
Jhon
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