How Dare You Not Recognize Me?

*Dusts cobwebs...*

*Unpacks equipment...*

*Insert brief power failure in the process of grabbing a snack...*

Hi everyone. Lady Dia here, how's it been?

Welcome to another piece of A Writer's Tale. So happy you could stick around because so much has been going on but we're going to be alright.

This time I shall be addressing a disturbance that goes on in the head of anyone and everyone who happens to be good at anything. Since we're dealing with the writing craft, I'll use that in this piece. However, I'd like to remind you all that everyone has their own form of art.

Now where was I...?

You go online at random after zoning out and catch up with the latest trending issues, shaking your head and commenting as at when due when all of a sudden – an idea pops into your mind!

You scout the vicinity for a chance to document that bright idea then someone walks up to you and goes, "Hey, what are you writing?"

And that, dear reader, is the end of the joy of the moment.

You'd look up, instinctively hiding your work and go, "oh nothing really".

A week later, you do something that is supposed to be so amazing but have trouble saying, "I actually did that" or "this is mine, cool right?" 

Usually, this gives birth to one of two things;

• The "I didn't know you write" or
• The "Do you know who wrote this?"

In that instant, you'd probably want to bash the person's head in considering you have been in each other's spaces for a very long time and there is still the element of cluelessness. Point is, they cannot connect the dots between you and your craft.

In the first instance, you could be compelled to either shut up or start telling a backstory induced by impulse that no one asked for, or something else completely out of the way if you are not confident in your abilities.

In the second, however, it could be met with violence (usually true for myself, LOL) or an air of mystery. When it's met with violence, it's usually when there's the notion that your work in undermined. When met with mystery, you tend to draw out enough comments to assure you that your work is rated high before you let the person off the hook.

Then again, there could be many other responses but remember the saying, "a prophet is not recognized in his hometown"? That's exactly what we're having here. Don't want to be a celebrity but want your art to be celebrated. It's odd, isn't it?

The question, "how dare you not recognize me?" Is aimed at an audience that fail to recognize the import of a masterpiece (so and so). It creates the impression that many people lack good taste (which is very much true actually).

So yes, you want your work internationally recognized by high profiles as something so amazing and only be able to trace you through a pen name that you use on an alternate account backed up to a secondary email address on the phone no one knows you have hidden in the boards of your ceiling because you can't get caught writing else you have to explain how you came about it and risk offending anyone you decided not to tell because they would never support you anyway but not know that they aren't because all they do is never really helping and killing your happy mood and then you don't want to talk about your work and then you hide it from them all over again.

One advice; if you don't want to tell everyone then don't. Simply tell the few people that have the keys you need to making it to the top. No man is an island but even islands need tourists every now and then. 

Put your work out there and let it grow. Build a stable environmental for it. Find someone to push you when you need it, and always affirm your own handiwork. 

I mean, I literally write, do my own edits, designs, create my own concepts and could pass for your typical "Jane of many trades, master of some", and still have it bad when it comes to publicizing what I'm good at.

Advice number two; when you put yourself out there, don't ever think of shrinking back because the hard truth is your craft wouldn't be popular enough to be missed by the larger society.

Advice number three; don't forget number one and while you're at it, ensure you get other people to review your work so it wouldn't be just you vouching for yourself.

I hope this post helps. Let me know what you think in the comments and please share this with a friend or three.