Rhythm & Flow
So I incidentally watched Rhythm and Flow for the second time, when my husband decided to intentionally watch it again and then left the TV playing as he found other things to do around the house as he does. Nonetheless, while Rhythm and Flow was watching me this time I noticed a young lady from the ATL audition that stood out to me, we’ll call her Snow White. Snow White had a back story of being a stripper who was trying to break into her dream of rapping and singing.
How it went was they showed Snow White’s backstory of life as a stripper with clips of of her dancing at work included. Then it cuts to her on the stage and the judges asking her to tell them about herself. To which she proceeds to respond that she is a dancer and has a eyelash bar. As a result, TI has to stop her and ask her to tell about her gift that she came to share with them not just her hustles. Ultimately, she goes on to give a subpar but promising performance and receives a bit advice for TIP that went along the lines of suggesting that she commits to her creative endeavors instead of dividing her time among her different hustles. Finally, in a confessional shot after the performance she is questioned about whether she agrees with the advice she was given and she says no because she hasn’t made any money rapping.
My initial response to Snow White’s conclusion was that she would make a great Ponder Money client. Her insistence that her dream should only be committed to until you can make money doing it is not how any of this works. Somewhere along the lines someone told her that her value was in having money not sharing her gift. And to be honest, my real thought was well if you never made money doing it, learn how. Just like most Americans Snow White, believed that that the right thing to do is to focus on what makes the most money. So scared to leave the “stability” of income from dancing she is restricting herself from committing to her dream.
However, the scary part about it was that the more that I thought about it the more Snow White reminded me of myself. At first I was really judgmental when she made the statement about not making money doing rapping but then I realized I’m in the same boat. I’ve never made money doing a vlog or blogs or any of the things that I am passionate about so I continue down this path of the thing that I make money doing. Even if I don’t like it. Always telling myself I’ll get started on my dream as soon as I have the time.
I mean for me to say well if you never made money doing it then learn how is as judgmental like the pot calling the kettle black. Cause I definitely I don’t see my ass running out to learn how to make money writing blogs or making videos or even committing the time that I need to in order to do so. Then I realized there is something deeper there that stops me, which is more way more insidious than not knowing how…it’s not really believing that you can.
So its odd that someone who could be so repelled at the thought of selling sexuality for money because of my beliefs on how exploitive it is could then turn right around and allow myself to be just as exploited. My mind, not my body is being exploited and somehow we have decided that is more socially acceptable…tuh! I’m still in the same mental prison that she is just with a 401k. Does it make it any better if I still, just like Snow White, feel like I cannot leave the illusion of stability to pursue my dream. That just like her I’m showing up mediocre in my dream when I could be all in. I feel like its actually worse cause people are going to tell me I’m good and I should be happy with what I have. As opposed people in Snow White’s life are most likely telling her “girl you know you can’t be a stripper forever, you gotta do something else with your life.” In an effort to push her out of mediocrity and into her dreams.
So we need to know our value comes from sharing the thing that gives us life with the world not what currently makes us the most money. Cause if you are not getting paid to do what you love the way you want to you are being exploited. Period. So my advice to you if you are anything like me and Snow White is ...Fuck Stability. It’s just any illusion anyway. Follow your dreams with enthusiasm and commitment and you can figure out how to make money if you try. I mean what good is stability if you are dying on the inside. Stability is cool and very important but life is not all about constantly seeking stability but seeking the thing that make you feel alive. When you bet on yourself and let go of what you have to get what your heart is really craving then you have a chance to feel the ultimate stability…internal peace.