The journey of stepping out and going for these elusive ideals of success, fame, fortune, ‘winning’ in an artistic field, is seen so differently by so many, and the semantics of the words themselves cause even more confusion. But never mind that for now.

I’ve chosen a journey, and am aspiring to become something that not a lot of them have chosen to go into, namely art, and specifically becoming a successful rapper.

I thought of an analogy today that describes how I feel about the process right now.

I feel like all of us are on a beach together, and fame, fortune, success in the arts is this island far out in the ocean that glitters in the waves and glows in the sunlight. Every one looks out to it and sees it as a paradise, an ideal, this amazing island and place that we’d all like to go to. And my desire to go there is strong enough that I start out swimming towards the island, all of my peers cheering me on and wishing me well, sending me off with grand love and belief. I’m swimming, swimming, swimming, towards what looks like the island, and as I get farther and farther away from the mainland and closer to what looks to be the island, I realize that we were seeing a mirage, and that the island is actually way further off to the left than what we were thinking, Now, my peers can see me, and they can still see the mirage of the island, and as I start to shift course away from it, and they start screaming at me, “No, No ! You’re going the wrong way! The island is that way Josh! What are you doing you’re going the wrong way!” But what I’m all the way out here, and I can see that, actually, the island isn’t where we thought it was, that its further off in a different direction. But they cant see it from where I’m at from back at the shore, and They don’t believe me when I try to yell to them, And I cant show them what I’m seeing from all the way out here.

So what am I supposed to do, swim back and try to convince them? Or keep going, trust my own sight and continue pushing forward, shifting course to what I see now as the true direction of the island, or at least the next best guess, and just deal with the criticism that comes from the shore of the mainland. And I’m not mad at anyone for it. If I was there seeing what they were seeing, I’m sure I would feel the same way, and I’d probably be screaming at whoever was out swimming towards what I perceived to be the island from the mainland.

But I am here, out at sea, and I have to adjust according to my own perspective, because at this point, I have the best angle on the situation of all my peers who are on a different shore. I have to trust my own vision until I get closer to the island of fortune and success and the people on that island can start creaming at me that I’m almost there. Lets hope that they’re that kind!