I’m a creative: I make art , perform poetry, and write prose. I have to earn and respect every customer’s trust. Even using a creative identity such SweetMortal, I make others aware whose behind the moniker. I’m not asking customers if I can manage their finances, because I am not a financial adviser, and that isn’t what creatives do. I am who I say I am. I do what I say I do. I work hard. My work is in part about the fact that I am human, not perfect. I make mistakes, everyone does.
In business and marketing there is a mostly a disingenuous attempt to make everything look perfect, as though that makes it more trustworthy. For me, it makes me less likely to trust a business. Too often business is about peddling the idea of being a paragon of virtue, which is why cancel culture can be so vexing for certain people.
As a rule, I do my utmost not to hurt others. Prejudice of any kind, is not something to be tolerated. Check out this article by Human Rights Careers for more information on what prejudice is. Businesses who engage in harmful campaigns that stoke fear and hatred are abhorrent. What I expect of myself is to create art, poetry, and prose that engages audiences. To cause as little harm in that process as possible. That does not mean treading on eggshells when it comes to expressing difficult subject matter, it means being honest. It doesn’t mean projecting a perfect image of myself, it means being a real human being. As an outsider, someone who experiences mental health difficulties, is working class, female, and mixed race: I know what prejudice feels like. Art has allowed me to channel that experience.
Having my Instagram account hacked recently was difficult to understand, because I don’t know why the person or group has done it. It sounds paranoid, and maybe it is, but I am slightly concerned that perhaps Instagram themselves have deleted the account, because my attempts to recover the account are being blocked. I have messaged Meta about it with no reply.
I don’t think it’s too far fetched to suggest that my work might invoke the ire of some people. Knowing that many people do enjoy my work, helps me navigate the negativity. Cancel culture is about audiences knowing their rights not to be the subject of prejudice. Businesses need to catch up.
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