Staying “Current”: The Pressure Cooker of Industry and In-The-Street Relevancy -vs- Significance

And so she said it… she admitted it:
“I always battle with how much do I reveal about myself.
How do I stay current? How do I stay soulful? I felt like I had
been so commercially successful but it wasn’t enough.
It’s something really stressful about having to keep up with that?

I’m going to get spiritual and deep for a second (before I go deeper and worldly),
by saying what I truly feel about the nature of “relevancy:”
Generally speaking, if you can part the crevices of your brain to part your
mouth to say that any human being living, breathing and walking God’s green earth is
insignificant or irrelevant; you are in dire need of a huge (and humiliating) piece
of humble pie. Because everybody in this world plays an essential part in it that too,
makes up this world and universe that we all share. If everything was for everybody
(at the same damned or blessed time), there would be nobody. And as we accept (and honor)
that there are geese and gander, Indians and Chiefs, and statues and pigeons that often
times are interchangeable (by choice, situation or circumstance) only then are we truly
humble and can respect the fact that every human being is relevant–but significant
at varying times (and situation or person-depending) sometimes, significant forever
e.g: game-changing, rule-changing, law-changing, rights-changing, life-changing.
(You get the idea)…

Rarely are things so general and “black and white” anymore (you can attest to that by having
your own choice in deciding whether you chose to use the word “current,” or “relevant”)
but the fact of the matter is that in another world: the world of industry; relevancy,
significance (or “staying current”) has a whole other importance all its own.
SOME PEOPLE’S LIVELIHOOD depends on it-regardless how relevant
[I still say they are]…as we allare, generally speaking.

Yield.
Pump your breaks for a second.

As a writer who publishes (to the public), because I’ve found that so many people are so sensitive
and quick to not weigh out anything past what completely pacifies, serves, or patronizes them…
before I throw up on you-my thinking behind the nature of relevancy and significance; I feel that I have to explain
to you: my thinking, and a little bit about my writing, which will better help
you understand this essay as you read on (and prepare you for when I go “in”):

I, Angela Sherice, am a published author and realwriter of books/novels, short stories,
I write songs, blogs, poems, essays and on published (blog) articles.
And too, I am a journalist who writes (two different things).

Know that a real journalist has to be trained to think (and write)
like a real journalist (just like a real doctor or surgeon
has to be trained to practice medicine). In real journalism writing, there are
rules and secrets that you have to pay an institution in order
to know. It’s nothing you can just pick up with experience, practice, and time.

The secrets and rules are much bigger than just having the ability to write
(a book/novel, short story, song, blog, poem, essay and article).
When you are a real journalist (studying/having studied journalism only
brought to you by way of an institution); you will find that your ability to
form, edit, finagle and dazzle, or your creative prose, writing talent, skills and abilities
doesn’t even matter and holds no weight in the field of journalism.

Journalism knows that throughout your training, once you learn the laws, secrets, regulations,
and rules of the field as well as the journalist’s bible:
(APA versus MLA journalism’s grammar and style) like back of your hand in ways that a pastor
(should know) the religious bible; when you have had it drilled through your head enough that your:
• honesty

• objectivity

• aversion to cowardice

• aloofness and indifference to scorn and contempt

versus:

• your personal feelings
…is what will pay you 80k a year to sit and write mere 800 to 1200-word articles 2-10 times a day.
And it’s not going to come easy and with creative writing know-how, you will definitely
learn the importance of what straight-shot, straight-shooting honesty, objectivity and the importance
of aversion to cowardice, and aloofness and indifference to scorn is to YOUR OWN LIVELIHOOD.

In considering that:
• A writer who too, is a real journalist will know how to write a journalist-styled article
(regardless how creative you may or may not be).

• A writer who too, is a real journalist will know that having not knowing the secrets
and rules of journalism can (and will cost you your 80k a year job).

• A writer who too, is a real journalist will learn that someone else’s ability to
form, edit, finagle and dazzle, or their creative prose, writing talent, skills and abilities holds
no weight and competition to true journalism writing.

• A writer who too, is a real journalist will learn that in the world of journalism, your:
Honesty, Objectivity, Aversion to Cowardice, and Aloofness and Indifference to Scorn is what will keep food on your table.
…not your personal feelings about the person/subject (and not to whom the article may be about)’s personal feelings, either.

It is for the readers who will always outnumber the subject and outnumber the writer
(and the weight that both their personal feelings may carry). So if it’s not for a book or creative piece of writing,
the reader has to be respected and given a journalist-styled essay or article that is completely objective
(regardless how decorated, sexy and pretty it may make the subject look, and/or as well: how upset it may
make the subject feel)-just the same.

It’s kind of like writing-like-thinking-like-a-lawyer: Dealing with facts, in objectivity, [but/except]
with unbiased honesty to the addition (or expense) of whomever it may ruffle, offend
(or even celebrate)-it’s all one in the same thing (with a journalist).

This form a writing is not a business for cowards and equally/as well, not a business for the interjection
of the writer’s personal feelings if the writer wants to be trusted by the millions of people for knowing
that what you are bringing them is straight-up, unbiased honesty
(even to their agreement or disagreement, too).

As a writer who wishes to encompass all (that pays for my living) and entails all that which is necessary
to become a “whole” writer; in order to have an edge over the all the rest
(in order to have significance and to be necessary); I have to pay for, and learn, and rely on more
than just my being able write a book/novel, short story, song, blog, poem, essay and article. I have to pay
for, and learn, and rely on more than my natural ability to form, edit, finagle and dazzle my readers,
my creative prose, writing talent, skills and abilities-in order to be a beast and a force to be reckoned
with in this writing game. In order for me to do so my relevancy is to “stay current” on current events,
stories, situations, lifestyles, and people-my body of work, versus [it being necessary] that I show my self
or my body in order to promote or sell my work or agenda. But as we roll (and role)…with the change in times,
(for some) what’s unnecessary becomes “necessary” [so we feel, are seeing, and are experiencing]…

So in preparing you for a blog/essay with a title like:
Under the Guise of Staying “Current”: The Pressure Cooker of Industry and In-the-Street Relevancy & Significance
know this about me-Angela Sherice:
• If you want my subjectivity, personal emotions,
go buy my fiction books. I narrate them from my voice, my thoughts and my feelings.

• If you want my objectivity based upon experiences of my own, experiences of
others that I’ve observed and/or that which may be factual, truth, tried and tested;
go buy my nonfiction books.

• If you want to know my metaphysical thinking and a feeling,
go buy my astrology/personology books

• If you want to know what’s on my mind or on my heart,
feel free to peep into my social media sites like: Twitter and Facebook

• If you want to know what’s going on in my personal life,you just have to know me
personally-have (current) communication and access to me by personal phone and home

• If you want to stay abreast all things Angela Sherice, go to my website 24/7/365

• But if you want to get a dose of my complete and utter unbiased, honesty and objectivity
stick with my essay writing on my blog, or anywhere else online where I comment or write articles

Having explained all that, as a writer, I see things in ways that the average person does not.
I have to, in order for me to be able to deliver a story [to that average person] in ways that
helps them see what they missed, or even to agree (or disagree), but walk away having had something
new to think about or feel about. As a writer, that’s my only goal (and pretense).

As feeling person, I can easily blame my years of studying psychology and philosophy on
my “thinking” in ways that the average person would consider “overthinking”
(where I would consider that average person an “underthinker” in ways and areas that will be most
advantageous and beneficial for the greater later).

I cannot blame my “thinking” solely on that which I’ve studied (at institutions), because I was a
person—a human being-a feeling being; an observant, thinking, and feeling child, teenager,
and young adult way before I paid an institution to train me how to and how to utilize
“thinking” in ways that somebody who did not pay-cannot.

As it pertains to this essay and subject of trend, relevancy and significance in the name of
“staying current,” all my life (child-teenager-young adult, well before being “institutionalized”)
when I was met with “trend” and all things trendy, I never fell right in to it, or followed
“crowd” no matter how fun or exciting it seemed-ever. For that, I am going to blame it on the fact that
during some of the most impressionable years of my life (4 through 11 grades), I attended a school where everything
we learned about our gifts, or talent; yes, we were classically trained in but in addition (and more importantly),
what we did as individuals and how we were individually was respected and honored
(rather than sneered and laughed at). Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m through 3:40 p.m.,
we weren’t slaves to “trend” (despite what life was like for us at home and after those hours).

It wasn’t until I became a senior in high school when I had to switch to a new way of life,
“brand of schooling” and socializing where being a slave to trend was transparent and apparent
magnified in that one school year than my school years: 4 to 11-free of [slaves to it] never was.
Everybody walked alike, talked alike, used the same slang, wore the same styles of clothes, liked,
and did the same things (through my eyes) like a platoon or marching band in unison-a stark raving
culture-shock of sorts [for me]. Individuality was frowned upon, sneered at, and even outcast and obvious.

So when it comes to trend and relevancy (versus significance) in the name of “staying current,”
I can clearly see the difference in someone truly grasping and being comfortable with being “different”
and free from trite and trend, versus the only “different” [their] being comfortable with is merely singing
the hook from a 2Chains song called: “I’m different.”
It’s not about looking stupid by just trying to be different.
It’s not about purposely standing on the sidelines for the sole purpose of being rebellious
(without any purpose other than to just “be different.”)
Let’s be real. Not everyone is “different,” that’s why trend is so great and overwhelming.
The majority of people of the world (especially in industries) are comfortable being apart of
the majority because it makes them feel like they are apart of something or have some purpose.
Then there are some of people of the world who still feel purposeful, without being slaves to,
and overwhelmed by trend so much so that they lose their own identity while trying to fit and stay in.

Let’s rephrase the trite, tired, and most-untried: “Step outside the box.”
How about we say it a ‘different’ way that’ll maybe make you feel it, see it, and perhaps want to try it:
“Don’t be afraid to step outside of everyone else’s box…”

I have a keen eye for trend just as much as I have a keen eye [not so much as against it] but rather,
a keen eye for ways from it in order to be able to establish an individual way-
away from the mundane (but seemingly exciting) majority…but still be able to swim with the current if
necessary-for however long [necessary]. Because of that (and all above that I just explained)-as well-I
have a keen eye for when swimming with the current in the name of staying relevant has gone too far off
into the deep end, too…

In the land of titles and labels, a person’s label or title is not as important as he is a human being of,
or to mankind-first (because like I stated in the beginning); all human beings are one in the same and
relevant in what makes this world go ‘round.

But…in the land of significance (by definition: something signified, with meaning and suggestiveness),
labels and titles are indeed important, because in a world that goes and round and around, it establishes our
uniqueness, our hard work, and/or our contribution to society and the world around us.

No matter your spiritual subscription, if you are apart of this society and world that we live in and your
lights are on (in that you are not living off the land in a third-world country), you cannot be in denial that
we all have labels and titles that we all adhere to, answer to, admire, go by, ascribe to, and respect.
If you are in denial and discount any of that to be true (and you are of and apart this Western civilization),
it is only for one of two reasons: Your money is probably affording your lifestyle and living by way of
others (who do have a label or title), or you have purposely, by some unfortunate circumstance
or decision; fallen out of the world’s rat-race and elected not to apply yourself to discover and live through,
for, or off of your own uniqueness.

We have a:
• World-(people in general, mankind, human affairs, organizations, institutions etc.)

• Society-(voluntary associations of person for common ends, a community bound together
by common interests and standards set by groups of people)

• Industry-(branches of manufacturing, business, crafts, or arts that employ large personnel
and capital, a distinct group of productive enterprises manufacturing activity as a “whole”)

In the industry, titles/labels mean everything (especially for the people who’ve earned them or are branded by
way of them). The flip side to that is that as an “industry,” people can (and do) claim any title and label
they wish to. We have DJ’s and producers who are “Dr.’s” whereas a real Dr. (who trained to be doctor)
may very well have a problem with that. But a DJ or producer may very well feel that he “does surgery” on the
music he produces and spins. So he brands himself as a “Dr.”

Real DJ’s (who worked, showed and proved over the years while professing the craft),
openly express their displeasure with singers turned DJ’s overnight when the clock strikes 12.

The entertainment industry (once a closed, but slightly cracked-open door) is now wide-open since the age of the Internet.
The Internet itself is its own stand-alone “industry” of sorts. Since its invention, everybody’s a “rockstar” now.

Years ago, the “rockstar” title was owned by real rockstars that looked like Jagger and Steven Tyler/Aerosmith;
with a guitar in their hands, strumming many-a-girls’ dreams with their fingers. Today, you are a “rockstar” in the field
of whatever it is you do (if you, or someone else) feels you do it well.

Stripping, a profession that’s been in business since way before the wide-open doors of the entertainment industry,
were merely strippers in a nightclub, bar or tavern.
Now, strippers feel they are rockstars on the level of Beyonce and the like.

Bloggers and writers who write online music or entertainment news are referring to themselves as “journalists.”

Professional skateboard competitors now have to make room for music (rockstar) skateboard novices.

Artists (like rappers or singers) are referred to as “musicians.”

Years ago, a musician was a real musician who literally wrote music with the funny symbols-music scores,
but especially-played an instrument. That is what a “musician” is (well-was)…

Before the wide-open doors, the entertainment industry (arts-music and acting for example), had a basic formula for
its artists who made it through: Change your number, change your address, change your friends, limit your family,
life as you once knew it is no longer. Revamp your look, change your image, talk and walk, “don’t stop for everyone-real
plastic but [you’ll] still have fun.” That created an illusion and air of mystery about the celebrity that gave off the
illusion of just what it was that sold them to their fans and the public.

Screaming fans once run amok in ways that [although they do today], they scream a lil’ differently now.
Because once the moment is over; they just get online and follow these celebs/(rockstars) all around the world
in real-time. They don’t have to wait (or pay) to see them next year; they get access to them for free.

Now, with the doors wide open and those same fans having direct access to them, the mystery is gone-the
illusion is no more. Those same fans too, are able to brand themselves and give themselves any label or
title they wish to, too-and make (or disillusion) themselves feel that they too are celebrities (and rockstars),
despite the few and far between ones that may still beg to be followed or friended on social media or they’ll
kill themselves.

For the most part, they are too busy branding, doing, and being rockstars themselves. Their loyalty is not as
consistent or strong as it was before the opened industry doors and they are singing their own tune now:
“Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you.”

These wide-open doors + this celebrity/rockstar unveiling of sorts, has removed that buffer of illusion that
once earned them job security (for being revered and untouchable). And the industry by which they are employed
has not comprised a new manual or locked its doors to help bring that “old thang back” for them, either.

The industry dropped the ball.

But it found a way to increase its capital by employing and embracing various acts of
people (creative and otherwise) still, but without re-vamping its formula for many of its artists
(in the nature and land of remaining relevant)-leaving the artists (especially the women in it),
out to fend for themselves. So now, their management and machines are working overtime thinking of ways
to keep their clients relevant in ways that which unfortunately, mostly have nothing to do with
their body of work but rather: their bodies (and various other stunts revolving around sex or in
the nature of sex put in front of their work to work for them-in order to sell their work).

When an industry has found a way to stay in business and make billions by leaving the doors wide open for
mediocrity and fuckery, for people with zero training, struggle, or having sacrificed and lost anything while on
route to fruition of their dreams but instead (an exchange), are willing to stand on their heads for fame and be
paid way less than what it would cost to pay an artist/entertainer; it will create severe overcrowding to the point
where the circus acts (which are less costly to produce and pay) will stand at the forefront to serve as the
“entertainment.” This kind of overcrowding forces those who are trained and sacrificed, and fought their way to
their craft will (now) have to fight to maintain relevancy. And often times, that fight for relevancy would require
they “stand on their heads,” too.
Their hustle is now harder.

Slowly but damned sure slowly, whatever your talent and skills are, they will be put on the backburner, and mediocrity
is going to win big time (whether you like it or want to believe it or not).

Not only is it a trend of, and cheaper to produce by the industry, but it is also a trend that is embraced by millions
aspiring and subscribing to the same way in order to have, and be [rich and famous]. It’s gone viral like a virus for
which the only cure is in the hands of the industry and the Internet industry, both, whom are making billions by way of
it-so they are not going to pull any plugs, or close any doors [not just anytime soon] but ever. You are just going to
have to work around it and find other ways to stay relevant if you haven’t found a way to be significant. The door to
relevancy has been kicked down, occupied and overcrowded by the majority of winning fields of mediocrity.
Now everyone is as relevant as the common cold.

Your fight is harder when you’re smarter, or where (once upon a time) your talent and skills are what got you into
that (once) closed now wide-open door, now, you’re too much work and slowly becoming a liability of sorts.
Right now (and through to the extremely outlandish industry circus acts begin in the near future), your smarts,
your talent and your skills are a nuisance (because they need you numb and dumb now)-they have to put you on the
back burner because the industry makes more money with people untrained yet, willing to do far more than you in
order to be rich and famous. People who will have the nerve to post all down their social media pages
repeatedly [like a bad case of Tourettes]: “Hard works pays off,” not even knowing that what they feel was
“hard work” was merely the fight to beat the millions through the wide-open doors of mediocrity Tom Foolery.
They have zero a concept and understanding that all the “hard work” was what occurred while training, on route too,
sacrificing, and losing while pursuing and chasing the dream; something a slide-through on an wide-open door
could never comprehend and relate to.

So what do you do with all that?
In the land of maintaining industry relevance amongst all the overcrowding, you work around it as best you can.

Take for example, Beyonce’s Machine.

Once upon a time, I used get highly annoyed with the Beyonce’s Machine-how she would peek out with these
Diary of Anne Frank-type letters written to, for, or about something or someone currently in the news.
With the exception of if she had a CD or single out that she was either promoting or winning an award from;
it was like she spent all these years methodically ordering her steps up-up-up and away from the public and
all of a sudden, would only touch down like some force of nature to publicly letter-write or collaborate
with whomever was hot, (like Lady Gaga, Shakira, Alicia Keys etc.,). Either that, or it would be printed
somewhere that she was interested in collaborating with whomever was the New What’s Happening
(that she hadn’t gotten around to yet). I believe Adele was next up to Beyonce’s Machine’s bat.

When singer, Miguel got on the scene and it was reported that she wanted to collaborate with him-that was
like the last straw for me. It, to me, was becoming a kind royal presumptuousness or some kind of creative
masturbation of sorts-where, even if she had no project out to promote or place to appear, her Machine seemed
to play the back; waiting in the wings for the next New What’s Happening and send Beyonce out the gate for
the creative master bait like a highly decorated prestige and honor and stripe of being chosen for the next
Oprah Book Club selection–knowing the writer (rockstar) would gladly accept the offer.

Initially, it annoyed me. I used to suck my teeth.

But as a writer [and human being-first], no matter what I impulsively feel, I try and put my instant judgment
and thought about a person (or situation) aside and look at it from all four corners.

Having being well-versed with above-average understanding of the industry than does some screaming fan, that one
side of me considered that for years, I had been impressed with the fact that Beyonce managed to stay relevant all
these years even since Destiny’s Child disbanded and with what seemed like no years off, excelling and remaining
relevant (without having to take her clothes off) or jumping on the newly-evolved social media bandwagon and having
voluntarily lifted the veil of her mystery, but still being able to maintain relevancy despite all that.

JLo’s another one.
Me and girlfriend of mine (a working actor in New York) had a secret bounty on her body for
what seemed like forever. We counted down the years that she too, has maintained relevancy without
having to take her clothes off and thus far, she’s been winning. Sure, I tried via many-a-dresses
and magazine covers. I tried. I tell my girlfriend: “The Robert Cavalli notorious green dress though!”
Friend: “Bzz. Sorry. That’s ‘fashion!’ ”
JLo is simply winning in how to play the game of maintaining relevancy (without playing and emptying herself-out).

In my eyes, considering Beyonce’s routinely disappearing into oblivion but managing to stay relevant without having to take
her clothes off, she had a one-up over JLo because (for years) she kept herself from the mess and cesspool of the
social media swamp: clothed, so I rested my guns on being annoyed with the creative master bait and handed her Machine
the award for creative genius business moves in the name of maintaining relevancy.

Then low and behold, and about a month after my understanding, the losing “Price is Right” sound-bite sounded off:
sound-bite:
…Beyonce was in her drawers
with her tittys hanging visibly underneath a barely there t-shirt on the cover of a GQ magazine in a way
like never before in her entire career.

I’m a fair writer and journalist.
I am human. So I understood, especially after Beyonce’s honesty in expressing that even she, too, feels
the pressure [his her words] to: “stay current,” in the industry. I felt she articulated her point perfectly
and in my opinion; (especially considering her celebrity and consistent industry relevancy)…it was a big
step, decision, and some honesty for your ass.

In her words [and I quote]:
I always battle with how much do I reveal about myself. How do I stay current? How do I stay soulful?
I felt like I had been so commercially successful but it wasn’t enough. It’s something really stressful
about having to keep up with that? [end quote]

In those few words, she articulated what countless other people in the industry do not even take the time to
consider before impulsively and publicly saying or doing [rash, crass, and brazenly stupid things] that
tend to make them look desperate for industry relevancy altogether.

Often times when you take a step back and consider and think through why you make certain moves,
you make better moves (than the majority).

In considering her talent, longevity, work ethic, and career’s success path; anyone in the same field as
she-if they were smart/had a smart machine themselves-Beyonce’s Machine should have always been a “compass”
and one to watch, despite the fact that they may, or may not be at the level of her celebrity and could make
the moves she’s made over the years. So in considering the meticulous methodical moves her Machine makes before
sending her out the gate, they had to feel that putting her in her drawers on the cover of a major
magazine was: “dire-very-necessary.”

It’s real in the field, Yo.

When it comes down to those numbers; the payroll (entourages, glam-squads, legal and creative machines and friends
and family) and others with families and mouths to feed–all having to rely on you, it’s probably a whole other
land of the unfamiliar that people like myself and anybody on the outside looking in would probably never be able to understand.

Sure, it’s easy to lack empathy and argue how unnecessary it [was] to take on some expenses that many of them could
have done without and still been glamorous. But (for those who were relevant and smooth sailing long before the
Internet explosion hit and the industry opened it’s doors so wide-open), who knew that so many
talented and worthy + untalented and less-worthy people of the world would all be able to play on the same playing
field and that mediocrity, Tom Foolery and fuckery would be winning?

It’s real in the field, Yo.

About a month prior to being forced-fed Beyonce in her drawers, there was Kerry Washington in hers, (too).

On impulse, I was thoroughly confused-especially considering the fact that she has a starring
role on one of the highest Nielsen rated shows on television, rolling into its second season.
In addition to that, her career resume is extensive with about the only role remotely close to it
being not too far off from her posing in a magazine in her drawers would have been the movie with
Chris Rock called: “I Think I Love My Wife,” where she played an old lover of his that had come back
into his life trying to seduce him.
All things considered, the Internet industry (social media etc), and the entertainment industries doors
weren’t wide-open then, so I guess there was no reason to promote Kerry (or the movie) by having her pose
in her drawers, then. A pair of boy shorts on her on that cover would have been just as sexy, but I guess
the art director, photographer’s eyes or her handlers saw things necessary from a lens that even I still
can’t comprehend.

It’s real in the field, Yo.

Hey, I’m no hypocrite. On my MySpace (early 2009/2010), I was over there in my drawers too…playing the game (‘cause I know the game).
Before that, I sat over there “networking”
at a snails pace but when I put on my drawers, I hit some silly little MySpace
hottest girls/sexiest list with a note sent to me asking my
permission that I be okay with it and then my “networking” morphed speeds unexplainable
but all which had little to do with my work and agenda).
Hey…but I was “relevant” for a while! *cheesy smile and thumb up* *eye roll in head*
Knowing the game, I may do a little bit of what’s necessary to wheel you in, but that’s not what I’m going to do to
keep you…I’m more concerned about my significance than I am temporary relevance and bullshit.
I have no entourage, legal/creative team, and glam-squad;
so I took my pics down because it just wasn’t “necessary” (for me).
I write, my words are (supposed to be) my “image.”
You want sex, love, or something new, different and refreshing—something relevant + significant?
Crack open my books and I’ll take your mind to places you’ve never-ever been, or let us be fortunate
enough to allow me the pleasure of wanting to know and love you personally, and have you know
and love me (personally).

As a writer it is my job to disarm you-disrobe you, and unclothe myself via my words (for you)
in a scene in a book, or an entire book authored by me. Where and how I get naked or open my personal
self and world up is for people who I know I will always be “relevant” and significant to.
What I do (my craft, my art) doesn’t require that I be naked (for the world—just to be the kind of relevant
that only lasts until the next person comes along and does the same thing)…

My relevancy is in the fact that I write about relevant subjects and relevant subject matter that never
“goes out of style” (or until the next New What’s Happening comes along). How I flow, finagle the feel
and thickness in my words to tell a story, or how I teach and share my formula about a thing is all my own.
No one, I repeat: No one willing to stand on their head (or even work hard) can duplicate that,
therefore, I will always be “significant.”

You get where I’m going (the difference between relevancy -v- significance, and what’s done to secure it and keep it)?

It’s real ON the field, Yo.

In this day and age, it’s a whole new ballgame. And we’re playing baseball with hockey rules without
a good remedy on how to actually win amongst all the players on the same, leveled playing field (but we’ll have some answers by this essay’s end)…

Until then, I (and you) will be understanding, and in following the Beyonce Machine’s compass,
now Kerry (and Beyonce) get a pass-because I guess it’s all a certain kind of necessary that on the outside
looking in; when it boils down to those numbers, entourages, and payroll what has to be done in order to
stay relevant (or “stay current”)…it’s just an industry kind of something that I won’t even understand, I guess.

Because there’s: Industry.

And there’s: In-The-Streets.

So in getting down to some Industry and In-the Streets business (with regard to trend and “relevancy”),
let’s take other artists in the industry like Drakeness (a male) for example. In talking about “trend” made
“relevant”…you see…because he took it to a whole new level where like, the Beyonce’s Machine had a strategy that
I referred to as “creative masturbation;” the strategy and level that Drakeness took it to (in comparison) can be
referred to as a different kind of creative masturbation as well-that from 2008 to date: 2013, the streets
probably thought was set by him, but it wasn’t [set by him, he just took it to another level].

Somewhere in between the year of 2002-2003 (before the entertainment industry opened its doors wide-open,
and the Internet industry made various way for us to plug in real-time), Big Boi of the group “Outcast”
came out with this video for a song called: “I Like The Way You Move.”
And in this video, in the beginning and at the very end, there was this big statuesque woman in it that had this big gigantic bottom and boobs.

(We’ll get back to all of that in a sec)…

Let’s make something very clear, first.
Women (especially with any drop of “Black”/African-American decent) have had big bottoms since
the beginning of time. But because it was objectified and seen as something to be revolted by, it was
secretly considered to be repulsive or pornographic at best (no matter how firm and round).
Not even Sir-Mix-A Lot’s: “Baby Got Back”
(with all its intended purposes) made it feel okay and comfortable with being well-endowed at the backside. It being a
fun song for the backside anthem couldn’t even cut the repulsion, judgment and sneers of having one-nothing seemed to
work for the girl walking around with one-nothing.

This was me in ’97.

I used to look forward to fall and winter just so I could wear a coat to cover my backside up.
Because back even back then, a big bottom was a shocking sight to see (as compared to it
being “relevant” and “trendy” today).

This was me after my friend (the guy that took the picture) was giggling and saying:
“Angie why is your butt so big? Can I just snap one picture right now of you,
right-there leaving?” …and I threw my coat back to catch him off-guard, but he caught the picture
(so we later found out). The joke was, when he brought the pictures over to me, we laughed about
how quick he was with the camera, and he got the shot anyways.

At any rate.
If you remember like in ‘99/2000 when JLo’s career really took off, throughout the entertainment
industry, her backside became so relevantly commercialized, that it was as if that was the first time the
entire world had ever seen or heard “tail” of a woman having a big backside.

“Industry” spills into the streets…especially back then-in 2000. Because (for entertainment)
all eyes were on them (people in the entertainment industry) versus how it is today
(the way we can plug in and do our own thing and be our own JLo’s)…

So in that regard, JLo (unintentionally) set a trend that made women like me (who were somewhat self-conscious
for having one all our lives), a little more comfortable with raising our coats and jackets up a bit higher
because by then, it became more “accepted,” and as repulsive or sneered it had gotten for you was it being said:
“Ew she’s got a big-ole JLo booty,” (no matter how much bigger your butt was) the precedent was set at “JLo Booty,”
period, sneered or revered.

Fine, we’ll take that and run with it. However we could find a way with not having to run and hide from the natural shape
of our own bodies, I was okay with it-regardless of whomever/by way of, Regardless the fact that we knew it became okay
in-the-street because industry set the precedent for it to be. In-the-street mimics industry.

Surgeons look at their work as a form of art like “Dr. Dre” looks at his work as doing surgery on music
(like I explained above…fair exchange is no robbery).

So with the JLo explosion, people were running to (licensed) surgeons in search of getting asses “like JLo.”

But when Big Boi’s video hit the scene, (unbeknownst to JLo) it took the spotlight off her
and an underground “industry” within the “industry” began; leaking its way in[to] the streets,
and a trend of a phenomenon was birthed, begin date: 2004.

Because Uncle Luke and countless other club owners
the world-over stopped accepting physically average strippers and wanted as close to
perfection as he could get. The streets had to find a way to get it done. So it did.

Just like Jesus was a carpenter, “in the streets” is filled with blessed carpenters, too.
Everything you can do (and afford) in the industry, a way will be found in the street.
And so that way was found…

With no care or concern about how the new breasts would look in comparison to the thickness
of the arm, or how the new hips and buttocks would look in comparison to the size of the thighs,
they just threw ‘em on and sat ‘em there, very few fit perfectly (with the thickness of the arm and thighs).
It was like an underworld all their own. The physical exaggerations were astonishing. Lean, thin, skinny,
and barely-there women, and women with bee-stings for breasts, with 4-foot ten, ninety-five to one hundred
twenty five pound frames went from looking like six-o’clock, to hour-glasses, size sixteenwillingly,
they wanted big bodies: breasts, and/or hips and backsides that you once ran for cover to hide in a
coat became a relevant trend. And with, so did “You” (in the industry, but especially in the streets).

Licensed surgeons got word of the underground backside back-shots competition and began to put liposuction
on sale to hit those corners in the front, torso and back—to smooth out the hour-glass: The underground,
in the street stars were born.

♯ ♪ ♮ ♫ ♪ ♭ ♫ “Tell Uncle Luke I’m out in Miami too.” ♯ ♪ ♮ ♫ ♪ ♭ ♫

By 2008/2009; in walks some new cat in to the industry scene going by a name called “Drake.”
He took the torch from Big Boi as if Big Boi’s contribution and credit to the culture never
was-by taking it to a whole new level where, if Big Boi and any other industry cats dipped off
with these dames, Drakeness made it no secret that if they (the industry dudes) didn’t, she
(the dame) will, and well, he did…and so began his own brand of “creative masturbation” that
set the industry and the underground in the street a new high (and standard).

Drakeness’ timing (and strategy) was perfect. You see, where before him, you may have heard
tell of these industry dudes dipping off with these video vixens, and strippers and such;
but you didn’t actually see it. The Internet hadn’t opened itself up to the world like that (then),
so the dames had no outlet to tell or confirm it, so you just didn’t know if the rumors were true
unless the dame did something extremely grimey and desperate and it made the news.

When Drakeness got on the scene, he openly dipped with them, made them video vixens, got photo’d
with them-so much so that it all attached itself to his image like a magnet. Because of,
he became the hottest thing poppin,’ in the industry. Luckily he had twice the hottest in his music,
all of which everybody could relate to it was a universal windstorm and his good looks and talent
could not be denied. So with all that attached to his persona, that made him a force to be reckoned
with-then everybody wanted [to get on] a record with him.

It was genius-all of it.

In every way, he did what pretty much every artist has a rap line saying in some mixtape never
heard or out: “[I’m gonna] change the game.” Drake really did do that.
Had Big Boi or any other rapper (back then) would have tried this same strategy, it would not
have worked for them like it’s worked for Drakeness, because now that the Internet is wide-open,
these same dames are “branding” themselves in dramatic cases of show and tell in order to stretch
their fifteen minutes of fame while in the process-working for him [it is].

No harm, no foul for anybody.

As an artist, Drake’s brand of “creative masturbation” doesn’t make him any more an opportunist
than Beyonce’s Machine’s brand of “creative masturbation:” (tapping the hottest or up and coming
artist out, to do a collaborative effort with).

An “opportunist” is someone who sees something they want, or sees an opportunity in something
they can gain from you yet, has nothing that would be of benefit or opportunity
for you, so, they are not opportunists, they seize good opportunities that could work
quite well in the long run in the land of-not just maintaining relevancy-but solidifying
significance; the greater later (that really matters).

In this day and time especially, whatever you do to keep up with (and do just like everyone else)
it only grants a temporary kind of relevancy that you have to keep chasing and fighting through
the crowd to maintain-sometimes to the point of making yourself look desperate, especially if
(like I explained in the “I’m different” passage up top), it’s no different than what everyone else is
doing and it’s not your own signature template. That creates “significance.”

Both Drake’s and Beyonce’s Machines brand of the creative master bait affords everybody
involved to, too, increase their own popularity and income (just the same), those are examples
of the unusual-the untypical (signature moves).

So, instead of sucking my teeth at Beyonce’s strategy all these years, I began to understand (when, as a writer/journalist) looking at the
big picture from all four corners (versus my personal judgment)…

As an artist, in order to not just “be relevant,” but to be significant; you have to be creative outside of your craft [in ways that what might be normal for you]
but to the disapproval, judgment, and scorn of other people. Everybody’s not going to understand you, share your enthusiasm, or see your vision…

Just as I originally disregarded The Beyonce Machine’s brand of the creative master bait as something too
regal, royal, assuming, and presumptuous; some people in the industry and in the street disregard Mr. Drake’s
fascination with the late Aaliyah (RIP) as something out of this world and way over too many of our head to
comprehend as anything less than normal. But in thinking in four corner’s (like I did with Beyonce)…I can’t
question his true sincerity and interest in writing the songs in her memory any more than The Beyonce Machine’s
true sincerity and interest is in the artists that she has already, and wishes to collaborate with who (although may be alive)
still just so happens to be hot and The New What’s Happening.

Hey, I wrote the book on Scorpio and all other 11 signs of the zodiac and could quite easily lend my understanding
to the [astrological belief] that all Scorpio all have a dark side in which death (to them) is “life” and
regeneration-they’re not as put off by it as the rest of us. They can be dark, intense, cold and out of this world as,
Pluto (the planet the farther in distance from the sun) is Scorpio’s planet.

In trying to make light of what we may not see, it can go on and on.

So whether it be it with Beyonce or Mr. Drake, I rest my guns [on what it is we may not understand, but judge]
in the industry, or out here in the street…

Any rate.

The facts of all these matters are these things:

The entertainment industry is never-ever going to be the way it was, and its doors are
going to remain wide open for any circus act or person willing to stand on its head the longest for
fame and riches-especially for nothing [doing, or having done].

The Internet industry is never going to pull its plug away from civilian life and put it back into
the hands of the military specifically-ever again-so many people that did not have to work, show,
and prove in order to get through doors that were once closed, now only have to press “log in” to get in.

In a world where upon glance and instant gratification, nothing’s left to the imagination, and because of,
less of our very own imaginations, too, will be used (if we’re not conscious of it).

Have fun. Live a little…no-live a lot, but still pay attention what’s going on around you.
You can play the game, but to be on top of you, you do have to be on top of what’s
going on around you.

The numbers and the verbiage that you log onto and involve yourself in every single day
(if you’re not built for it or got a weak mind and not on top of it) will do a number on your
self-esteem and confidence-meanwhile many other numbers (the You Tubes, Twitters, Facebooks etc.
that you can buy to make yourself look important) is all a subconscious psychology being played
on many hearts, minds and lives that don’t even understand.

For millions of people, the way that we socialize is the most grandiose life and attention in
life they have ever gotten. And while (speaking from an understanding heart) that may be good for a
temporary kind of self-esteem booster; a lot of that verbiage that we read and take heed
(about “who I am,” “what I got,” “what I do” and “what I can do for, or better than you”)
may, or may not even be true.

But every single day that we are participants of it (but not conscious of the psychology behind it all),
we collect: joy, anger, bitterness, hurt, envy, hatred, pain, but for many… nobody has to know the real
deal (about how we’re feeling, thinking, doing or being) once we log off.

In being on top of it (and aware), you have to look at this matrix a little bit like “The Wiz,” where
towards the end, all this time Dorothy (played Diana Ross) and her friends where on this long excursion
and being lead by this big shiny powerful voice and force while in search of:
{courage} for the lion
a {heart} for the tin man
a {brain} for the scarecrow
a return {home} for Dorothy and Toto.
But when they finally found the Wiz (played by Richard Pryor) he was no more than a scrawny man in his pajamas;
screaming, commanding, luring, and leading from behind a big silver mask sleeping in a cold warehouse on a cot.

Have courage.
Use your heart.
Use your brain.
Be your own Wiz.

Pay attention.
We are all chronic exhibitionists, narcissists, and voyeurs where each of us would say our level of
exhibitionism, narcissism and voyeurism is as different as one sin is from the next yet, it’s all the same-no matter
how much or to what extent.

Everybody’s being conditioned to peel and reveal or “be killed” (be irrelevant and oblivious).

NOTHING IS SACRED ANYMORE.

Whether you are industry or in the street, we are being entertained by watching actual brain surgeries,
vaginal births of strange women we don’t even know, and cameras following people (we know of, and don’t know)
on their daily activities and goings on from the day and into the night.

WE’RE EXHIBITIONISTS.

To an unconsciously and sullen extent, we are immune to people’s emotions in ways that we once
weren’t-all thanks due to our overwhelming amount and access to voyeuring varying emotions for
“entertainment.” We don’t truly feel deeply as we (publicly) claim to, because our attention
spans are shrinking. In our public and our private lives we hold this one fact to be evident:
once out of sight, is out of mind. Of all that we are not aware of about this whole subconscious
psychology that I am speaking of, we are very aware of that one fact, so we keep our own
narcissism and exhibitionism to the forefront of our thinking and being. Seeing to it that we are
not out of sight-out of mind’s ourselves.

WE’RE NARCISSISTS.

What was once private about our ills and sicknesses would at one time be covered by a short
explanation stating “he/she’s” on leave. Now, we bring the whole camera crew into the doctor’s room
to listen to our diagnosis,’ and watch glimpses of our doctor-patient rapport. From sun up to sun down,
we send pictures of our every step and process out for the world to see.

TRYING TO GET TO THE “WIZ”.

We wake up in the morning and greet say “good morning” a world of people who don’t even know us even
before we go greet and say good morning to people who do know and love us sleeping right next to us or in the
next room-people in our own private lives who would kill to have a call or text from us to merely say:
“good morning” to them.

WE’RE VOYEURS.

People from our own [past and] private lives don’t quite know how to look you straight in the face or how
to act around you after bumping into you at the grocery store. Or at last seeing, or talking to you was all
laughs, hugs, and smiles to now cutting their eyes at you from catching feelings about your open sesame and
writing on walls-all things having nothing to do with them. They aren’t even apart of your life
right now to even have the right to pissed but insist on claiming to be one of the last Mohicans with
no interest or use for social media yet, hiding behind bogus pages to keep up with you [and so you discover]
upset themselves in this matrix of trying to figure out to delve or not to delve (from behind the fake-page life).

NOBODY’S EXEMPT.

Whether you hide and peek, or you’re out there; nobody’s “sin” is better or worse than the next.

THERE’S NO TURNING BACK. WE’RE IN THIS “LOVE” TOGETHER.

Whether we hide and peek, or we open sesame; we can’t deny the fact that all of that those scenario examples have
conditioned us into participating in it being okay for us to expose ourselves in ways that ten years ago was
unacceptable, too much information, and improper.

It’s acceptable now.
And whether it be: Industry or In the Streets, you had better embrace the exhibitionist, narcissist, and voyeur
in you if you “wish to be relevant” and don’t want to slip into oblivion huh?

No matter how hard we insist, fighting it will make us the minority. And while the average person in the street
working a regular 9-5 job can elect to do with or without it, someone in the industry (typically) does not
have that option; relevancy versus slipping into oblivion can make or break their career. When they’re trying to
keep up with all that’s made its way through those wide-open doors, differentiating significance from relevance
not important, it’s all one in the same thing considering the time with which they are working with, they don’t
have time to play around with seeing that true or through.

The sand in the hour-glass of that twenty-four hour, seven-day-a-week, three-hundred sixty-five day per year
real-time lifestyle moved far too fast even for The Beyonce Machine such that the genius creative master bait
and strategy that even I had grown to respect and admire could not fight.
So she let the pressure to “stay current”-do what it will do to anybody who wants (or feels the need) to stay relevant:
Strip down to exposing not just the heart, life and mind; but the body too.

In this blog essay, we’re now past Kerry and Beyonce’s panties pics, we’re now more concerned with the fact that
the conditioning that we have put ourselves in, we somehow feel that this woman must now show us her fallopian
tubes? …just to prove to us whether or not she really birthed a child-who to date, is walking?
Are we serious?
What business is that of ours when she didn’t come into the industry as a “professional baby breeder,”
she came into this industry as a phenomenal singer and performer and that’s not good enough “entertainment” anymore?

“We wanna see you show yourself from behind the glitz and glamour, take off all your makeup and go barefaced for us!”

“Take a picture of your bare pregnant belly!”

Show us sonogram proof of a baby ever being in your belly!

No one who’s worked hard all these years with a proven hustle and grind track record, with a paper + awards and
accolade trail have to resort to doing things the antithesis of what her career is in order to “stay current.”

Granted, there’s no one putting a gun to her head and forcing her to expose herself so wide-open as such,
but her doing so is a direct reaction to the extremes of stripping down body, soul and mind, to an demographic
of people who, in the majority (of that demographic) know, or understand nothing about
grass-roots, struggle, workhorse grind, and hustle-one bit past plugging into a
computer, racking up, buying, and begging for followers and friends 24/7/365–(typically) not
for the sake of building on online “fan” base (that began) before the industry open-gate and Internet.
There is a stark-raving difference in that particular demographic that I am speaking about, and it’s not a
particular age demographic either. It’s as wide as open as 8 to 80.

When (throughout this essay) I speak about “slide-throughs”[having come through the now, wide-open industry
doors]-that is who I am talking about-the ones who didn’t dream and pursue the dream until after
racking up an audience and attention for absolutely nothing (but attention).

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with anyone waking up one day and deciding to pursue a dream.
We all need a dream to make this world go ‘round. But there is a problem (with that demographic)
for dreaming AFTER then attention—because it began with the WRONG INTENTION called: ATTENTION
(which means the illusion of fame (alone) is the only thing that lit the fire-not the dream
(and especially) the desire and motivation to work and watch the dream build into and manifest
(from out of the seat of the chair and merely plugging in).

The Beyonce’s of the industry, her “machine,” (and other women who have no other way than to
strip down and expose themselves to the emotional and mental core in order to maintain relevancy) have
to understand the subconscious psychology behind that demographic as well (which multiplies by the thousands
per day I might add). They are first entertained by the ways that the entertainment industry has found a
new way to make money: by opening its doors to talent television programming by which grass-roots, struggle,
workhorse grind, and hustle is not a requirement, but rather-if you’re willing to take a number and stand in a long line.

Although for all these types of programs, having talent is (typically) strictly enforced, it still
conditions this [8-80] demographic into thinking that all that’s required to be rich and famous is to
be famous, first (via social media rack-ups), then stand in a long hot line, win a contest, and voila! The dream is real.
To them, any emotional, domestric, or financial struggles and woes are equal to what the grass-roots, struggle,
workhorse grind, and hustle was (for somebody who sweat blood, sweat and tears for years) to make their dream real.

So that demographic’s understanding of the Beyonce’s of the world is thin. They can’t relate.
And: THEY DON’T RESPECT IT. They don’t know how to. All that matters to them is the destination-not the journey.
And when they + the Beyonce’s are at the same destination (+ they may be able to sing and perform almost as good or
just as well); they could give two fux about a Beyonce grass-roots, struggle, workhorse grind, and hustle.
More and more, they (+ their demographic and following) are pushing the Beyonce’s of the world-out.
The industry is dropping the ball because that demographic is much cheaper to groom, produce, and
maintain (than the Beyonce’s and their “machines”). When that happens, the Beyonce’s are forced to go
bare-souled, because their mics are slowly becoming x-factors themselves, while the singing talent shows like
“The X-Factor” courts and embraces that demographic to bring them right through those industry wide-open doors
by the droves-to entertain that rapidly multiplying demographic of an audience which (already-right now)
is leaving the Beyonce’s of the industry to fight to maintain relevancy.

Additionally, when the entertainment industry saw how profitable it was to entertain the world
(all of us in addition to that new rapidly growing demographic)-igniting our inner voyeur by
watching the lives of other people; the same thing that’s happening with the Beyonce’s of the world is
happening with the Kerry Washington’s of the world (actors with proven grass-roots, struggle,
workhorse grind, and hustle). The Kerry Washington’s (too) now they have to compete with that same
demographic as the “Nene’s” of the entertainment industry.
Nene (who, of all the other reality show celebs who screamed, hair-pulled) fought the better fight,
so now she does weekly network television (like Kerry Washing does ironically) on a show called

“The New Normal,” which, (ironically-like I just explained about “The X-Factor”) is
about to be the new normal: reality show celebs washing out the Kerry Washington’s-slowly but
surely-taking on roles that trained actors have struggled, hustled, and grinded for years before
this reality show craze because the entertainment industry is heavily courting and embracing this
new brand of “actors”/[acting out] as the “new normal” and they are getting real acting work
(of the Kerry Washington kind).

Can’t hate on her, it aint her fault-she’s getting in where it’s wide-open and she fit in,
and where the industry courts, embraces and will forever keep her in. Right now, in this day
and time (and forever going forward) she (and singing instant-stars) are of a kind of value to
industry heads that the people in the industry once were (before this new demographic/new world industry).
Like it or not, she, and this IS the new normal…and will continue to be even more than you could have ever
imagined within the next few years. These instant-stars are about to get that work (instantly).
They come cheaper. That’s the nature of “industry” it’s a wash and recycle.

As that rapidly growing demographic of an audience (too) embraces all this, they are conditioned
to think that fame and riches is as easy as ones willingness to stand in line and on his/her head
the longest. They are not being conditioned to understand the long-lasting value of
grass-roots, struggle, workhorse grind, and hustle that leads to a kind of significance
that will forever keep one relevant-not just for a moment in time.

Everything is so instantly gratifying, accessible, easy, and number-driven; a tool being
used as the determining factor as to whether or not anybody is “normal” or an “x-factor.”
They run around buying, begging, collecting followers, and reciprocating follow backs as a
strategy to wait a while then sit back to methodically delete thousands upon thousands whom
they hope won’t notice, so that they can looking important with a follow back ratio of 10 to 1
(as compared to the thousands upon thousands now following them). It’s insane. That is
a whole lot of work and effort for keeping up appearances. Many who are industry wide open door
slide-throughs who decided to be “somebody” after courting attention first-do this, but a great
majority who (too) play that grab and smash game, won’t even be online promoting a product or
service but rather, just working hard on being Internet famous and will have to nerve to
consider winning an argument of their importance and relevancy by the fact that they have more
followers than you.

They have no idea business sense, or savvy enough to understand that a number count on a
social media page is not an indicator of true interest in you
(what your agenda, product or service is), or you specifically-not even for celebrities.
Most everybody following you is pretty much hustling, promoting, trying to be
Internet famous, famous for being famous, rich and famous, or promoting their own agenda.
A very small percentage of a total follower count is really actually paying any of us specific
and undivided attention.

Until Twitter turns over the number of people that either watch you under lists, and lists they
make private-of those who get your automatic/real-time Tweets by text; you won’t ever really know who is
truly there for you to promote or buy your agenda, product or service (or truly interested).
That’s Twitter’s lil’ secret, and they offer that text function for reasons bigger than promoting
Twitter-they are smart enough to know that even as big as Twitter is, the entire nook and crannies
of the world is not going to subscribe to a Twitter account but will be forced to keep Twitter
in their good-graces while (secretly) keeping up with Twitter’s subscribers.

Twitter knows that-that function is even more significant than a blue verified check mark.
Those are offered by Twitter automatically to the very well known
brands (people, products or services), the rest have to request ask (or beg) for them after proving
their brand association and affiliation. Not even a blue verified check mark proves
significance-just your being relevant to an association or affiliation of a brand, product or service,
even if you are a single entity of such. Only Twitter really knows who’s shit is
really popping off where specific undivided interest in any person logging on,
is concerned (and that’s privately and for them to know only).

I know that’s too much thinking for a superficial thinking person, and especially for somebody
whose ego is controlled and run by surface numbers and things, but it’s the truth.
And it’s that same superficial [surface rather than beneath the surface and bigger picture thinking],
that’s pumping ego’s and causing false bravado, senses of self-importance, and shaping the minds
[of especially] that same demographic of people who are apart of this new world industry
that is being built and audienced right over the heads of many.

Many people have no idea the business sense, or savvy enough to know that your true
indicator of interest in you, your agenda, and in what you’re selling or promoting has to be
gauged by way of currency numbers and/or charts and graphs that you gather from
central location(s) where you, and all things that you sell, give, or are about-is located
(e.g, a personal website, personal blog site/pages etc.,)

#ARTISTBUSINESSTIP101:
Sitting around poppin’ prowess for social media and Twitter follower ticks without
any other area (currency/charts/graphs) by which to gauge personal interest in you
TOO and what YOUR agenda is TOO, is hustling backwards!
If you truly feel that who you are + what you have is of any value, then you
first value your time + what you share+ with whom you share it!
And if you are frequenting the same places online daily-pumping prowess &
gallantry and have no way of finding out how or ifit’s working for you-too-you’re
not a good beginner business and you do not value yourself or your product/services!
You’re caught up in the “give me your time, all, and everything matrix and burn your own
value and boundaries” trap!
If you cannot gauge, do not gauge, or have a way of gauging what your numbers are elsewhere,
then do understand, and be ok with just “wanting to be popular” (or a doormat-with anything value
going one way: opposite-you).
Business and equal opportunism is a SHARED VALUE!
And you have no way of gauging your swing of the pendulum’s value and opportunity if you have no way
of checking numbers that you personally can see GROWING (or at bare minimum-maintaining), by way of those
same follower’s interest in you off Twitter and Facebook etc.!
If they really have true interest in what you are selling or saying,
they are going to come pay you off Twitter’s and/or come see you off and away from the Twitter’s and Facebook’s.
But how would you know by only counting “follower” and “friend” counts? Other than knowing, you are merely
twerkin’ for Twitter. If you have no other way of gauging; humbly give yourself a modest count of only about
a maximum10% of your “friends” and “followers” really riding with you, supporting you, and paying you some attention
(whether you are a celebrity or not, whether you have 100 followers and friends or 1 million).
You’re either twerkin’ for the Twitter’s etc., or they are working for you. But you won’t know unless
you really know!

Chasing these social media page numbers (only) is like chasing pavement and counting on,
reacting [out] to, and being driven by a false sense of popularity and solidarity that
isn’t really all real.

It’s all an illusion because people love to hang on to the surface meanings of all things trite like:
“numbers don’t lie.” Well they don’t lie-when you control, and are in the know about each and
every specific/undivided interest in you (currency/charts/graphs).
But social media like Facebook and Twitter knows each and every
personal interest in you-not you. They know who’s clicking to see you, and how often, they know who’s
clocking you privately and especially from distances-they know-not you.

The illusion of all this, and this numbers game is simply not real. And unfortunately, this new world
order and new world industry has a lot of people walking around it disillusioned with false bravado, false
senses of self-importance, or clouded senses of low self esteem and self-worth.
–If unveiling the reality behind all this upset you, then you probably walked around (and online) with a
false sense of self-importance and you needed this HUMBLING REALITY CHECK.
Nothing should humble you like a relative truth that is, if you’re truly a humble person.
–If this information gave you a little bit of life and wind beneath your wings, then you’ve probably been
walking around (and online) giving more worth and importance to other things and people than yourself and more
than you should have [been doing].
–If you weren’t moved either way by those two ways, then, like me-you’re not clouded or misguided what’s being
presented to you: the reality of this new world order and industry is very clear and you know how to just play
(or recognize) the game (either way).

Most people don’t know the difference or these realities and what’s going on around and in front of their faces
(industry and in the streets), so Relevancy and Significance and everything being done to secure relevancy is
at an all-time high.

What is real though is ten years ago, fans weren’t involved in their favorite artist’s
numbers down to the literal decimal point like we are today-only where on the charts they were placed.
Now, music affiliated sites and other entertainment business sites, and affiliates report numbers to the
public and fans as if their fans are on their payroll. Some of these numbers are just-none of the
public’s business-it’s not necessary.

Ten years ago, actors weren’t begging fans to make sure they go see their movies during the second
[but especially] first week out like do or die and their lives depended on it.

Those are obvious indicators about big interactive changes in time that’s affecting (and changing):
people and the industry, and opening a New World Industry within an industry that OLD industry cannot
compete with, and weren’t prepared for. That’s why there is a fight to stay “relevant.” All these number
illusions on every social media app you download or subscribe to, all this impromptu talent instant-stardom
and impromptu t.v is the beginning of a new-win industry that’s washing and recycling people and careers.

The subconscious psychology behind all this number-chasing and something for nothing affects the art/craft;
it devalues and undermines the importance of significance over relevance.

It affects the art/craft because that concept and belief that “all things free is for promotion” and helps
you “stay relevant,” works. Yes, it works (and is very necessary) for the “up and coming” or other people
who aren’t well-known as yet. They have have to open themselves up a little more than the well-known
artist in ways that the well-known artist can be quickly devalued for doing.

As a writer/book author, when I first got online (2009), it baffled me how many novice/unknown writers would
post a few short or lengthy excerpts from their book and think that-that, and a few slick-talking, or charming
Facebook status posts [along with the assist of countless friends, families, co-workers, homies, and a few
real reader reviews listed on an Amazon page] would be enough to sell somebody on their book.

It’s a strategy to be considered for everything in the industry-especially this New World Industry.
In this life of instant gratification, the Internet (and all its distractions) reading a book is not
necessarily at the top of a lot of people’s priority (the way it was before the Internet), so,
especially as a writer book author; you are going to have to open yourself up to more than biased homies
and social media popularity. In this New World Industry, the strategy in being an unknown writer is to
understand that that having 500 friends, families, co-workers, homies, and [+ even a few] real
reader reviews listed on an Amazon page is not as valuable to the eyes of this New World Industry
than one solid review from someone well-known/famous or a magazine/publication known the world over.
It adds “value” to you and [assumes the notion that] your work is “relevant.”

As a writer, let me preference what I am about to say by saying something about what I notice online:
This New World Internet Industry replicates novice writers with online egos bigger than
Toni Morrison has achieved success. If you’re going to have an ego or over the top confidence
about anything, at least let it be over your confidence in your work-NOT that you think you’re
so great that you are stingy with letting your readers read lengthy excerpts-lengthy enough to:
-understand the story (to see if they want to buy it)
-like/learn your writing style

Putting your slickest paragraphs out only for a reader to buy and find they don’t like the
work is like suicide. You’re better off letting them read enough of you and turn away from
you than to have them spend money and find out by surprise!

UNKNOWN WRITERS CANNOT BE STINGY WITH SHARING THEIR WORK WITH READERS! WITHOUT THEM, YOU ARE
NOTHING!

Unknown, novice writers HATE to hear something like this tip:
As an unknown, your value and relevance is your sole responsibility, and you will quickly
learn that to build your brand, add value to and to establish where you are relevant to the market,
you are going to have to give away writing-not necessarily whole books-but you are going to have
to open your pages a little bit wider to give people the chance to see if you’re worth their
shrinking attention span (by way of your website, longer excerpts, blog etc.). If you are a real
writer, you’re not afraid to open yourself up a little wider because life is an every day thing, and in
order for you to write, you have to live the life of a writer rather than a writer trying to live life.
And if you are living the life of a writer, every waking day should give you something to feel about,
think about, and write about, so as you do, you will not be afraid to open yourself up to more because
there really should be more where than came from. (Talking shit on Twitter doesn’t count.
For a writer, Twitter is merely an exercise in practicing brevity and specificity: to say what you need
to say in 140 words or less-and good for learning sentence structuring. A writer thinking that talking
slick on Twitter and Facebook is enough to make a reader want to go and buy a whole book from an unknown,
is badly mistaken. People are typically online to entertain, be charming, and be entertained-not in
search of deciding if they are going to buy a book from you-some unknown writer).
Relying on retweets, likes, and comments does not produce relevancy as an author. As an unknown/not famous,
when you are on these social media sites, to them-you are-in the same social media boatas them.
That’s the problem with many novice authors who hang on social media and are too New World Industry minded…
You look up-and they’ve been sitting on social media talking a bunch of shit and no books written in 4/5
years since you first seen them. They get Twitter & Facebook minded and feel famous and relevant over retweets,
“likes,” and comments. AS THIS NEW WORLD INDUSTRY IS SHOWING YOU, YES, THERE MAY BE SHORT-CUTS TO “FAME,”
BUT THERE ARE NO SHORT-CUTS TO SIGNIFICANCE AND BEING RESPECTED FOR A CRAFT. DON’T FOOL YOURSELF.

The opposite is true for a “celebrity author.” The friends, families, colleagues, homies, and real reader
reviews listed on an Amazon page are very valuable to them-because we expect their fellow
celebrity colleagues and well-known publications to post reviews. They have either earned the right to not
have to give away so much, or their celebrity has earned them a level of relevancy that their name would
sell more than the unknown writer, alone-on their name only; that’s their advantage.

But for music, it’s an entirely different ballgame altogether and this is where it baffles me the most-how
the music industry has not changed with the times in order to keep up with the times. It thinks that
because iTunes will allow fans to buy one $1.29 song from a 16-song, song list off their CD, the artist have
a Twitter and Facebook account and there are countless online celebrity gossip blogs selecting them at whim to
gossip about them–that is “keeping up.” Oh nooooooooo, it’s like this:

…..
When I speak about Industry and Infrastructure, I get very detailed (as you just read).
Right now, we are at a point in this blog where the rest can be explained and read HERE:

~~~~~~~~~

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MEET ANGELA SHERICE