I once read a joke where a cucumber, and pickle, and a penis were talking about how terrible their lives all were.
"Every time I become big, fat, and juicy, they cut me up and put me in a salad," the cucumber moaned.
"That's nothing--every time I become big, fat, and juicy, they put me in vinegar and put me in a jar," the pickle said.
The penis glared at them both bitterly. "You guys have it easy!" he said. "Every time I get big, fat, and juicy, they stick a rubber tarp over my head, put me in a dark room, and bang my head against the wall until I throw up and pass out!"
So that's what I thought of when someone online named BreathlessBanana decided to be mean to me. It made me laugh, wondering how breathless their banana was!
This person made a rather confusing comment on the epilogue for my "Buzz Vs. Woody" storyline (on my Deviant Art page here), and I'm still trying to figure out their logic behind it. I mentioned that I was doing a sequel, with Evil Emperor Zurg's ex-wife (the only person in the galaxy who's scarier than him!), and BB said this:
"You say sequel like you put up a full story that has 100,000 fans...
I think you mean "Chapter two"
Also, OOC, poorly written, wtf."
So...apparently, I'm supposed to "earn" the title of "sequel" by getting 100,000 fans? I've never heard of that idea.
She obviously didn't realize that I had 62 previous short chapters, which was why it was called an "epilogue." And most of all, that I can call my stories whatever I damn well please! :) I'm now working on my "Epic Blockbuster Earth-Shattering Majestic-As-FUCK Sequel."
And that I can be as arrogant or stuck up as I want to be, about my own story, especially if it's not arrogance at the expense of others. I wrote it in such a way that it is the perfect story for someone who shares my taste. Probably no one will share my taste exactly, but I think it's damn good, even if I'm the only one in the world who enjoys it (which I'm apparently not, since a few people added chapters to their Favorites lists).
Deviant Art, and other sites on the internet, are supposed to be places where people can just relax, enjoy themselves, and not have to worry about whether something is "well-written" or not. I have read fan fiction stories where the writer obviously is still learning English, or where it is written by a native speaker but is full of typos, and I have loved them! The content of the story is what matters, to me.
And I do try to remove as many typos as I can, in my own stories. But some people are still new to writing, or drawing, etc, and they should still have a chance to get their work out there. And it can still be enjoyed, even if it's "poorly" drawn or written.
In a similar vein, some Youtube channels have videos of people singing terribly. And yet, who cares? They still have a right to sing, and enjoy singing! :) And others can enjoy their progress, or even if there's no progress, their passion for singing.
If you wait until your writing, singing, or art is "good enough" to get it out there, it will NEVER get out there! PukingPlaintain's comment, ironically, reminded me that I just need to relax and not worry about perfection. I don't want to end up like her--whether I would treat myself this way, or others!
I remember taking a Figure Drawing (human body) class about two years ago, when I first started this blog. I went to the haunted Umpqua Community College at the time, as it was well before the shooting. I remember one of my classmates, an older woman about in her mid-thirties, I would say. She didn't seem very confident at all. And I once overheard her tell our teacher, "I'm afraid to draw that. I'm afraid it won't be any good."
That was exactly how I felt, with drawing, and how I still feel, sometimes. I remember being shocked, once, reading someone describe drawing as "relaxing," since it was so stressful for me! :)
But my art teacher, another woman about the same age as her non-confident student, said, "Why? It's just paper! The worst thing that's going to happen is that you'll make it ugly!"
And that always stuck in my memory. It's just paper. Or it's just a blog post or story on the internet. Or it's just a video. The worst thing that can possibly happen is that you make it ugly, poorly written, poorly sung, or not what you had in mind when you started it.
I remember that often. And it helps me to banish my perfectionist tendencies, when they give me grief about something. It's just...fill-in-the-blank.
I remember, also, that I used to wish I had a mental disability, because then I would be able to be easy on myself, if I couldn't do something very well.
Now, that wasn't very sensitive--but I still remind myself that, if I was disabled somehow, I would know to be easy on myself, and love myself, no matter how "bad" the things I tried were. If I was disabled, physically or mentally, I would just love my efforts. So why not just love my efforts, right now?
There are going to be some people who seem more naturally gifted than me, or who do it easier or "better." But that doesn't make me worse. That doesn't mean that I don't have considerable talent or potential. And most of all, it doesn't make my contributions any less valuable or worthy.
Society is understanding of people who have disabilities, and rightfully so. But it's harsher on people who are not disabled, or not visibly so. If a comedian is a beginner, and still learning about timing and jokes, then they "suck" and should not be in comedy! If a singer is a beginner, and their voice is untrained, then they are screechy and awful and should never sing again. (Notice that THEY are considered screechy and awful--not their singing or sometimes even their voices.)
People don't say that someone is a beginning, out of practice, or doesn't draw in a style they like--they say that the artist "draws terribly." And yet if they knew that the artist had no arms and was drawing with their feet, or had a pencil in their mouth, it wouldn't be "poorly drawn." It would be great, for what the artist was capable of, especially at the beginning of having to draw like that.
People have differing abilities, whether they are disabled or not. And everyone should have the right to simply enjoy themselves. And perhaps their abilities will improve. But even if they don't--who cares? Get your work out there, tell people you are a beginner, or disabled, or whatever, and you will find people who are supportive, who encourage you. Some people will be haters, but block them, keep doing your thing, and get as far as you can with it! If you can't find anyone to be encouraging to you, then encourage and love yourself. (And you can also leave a comment below, and I will be encouraging to you, because any effort should be celebrated, not torn down!)
Remember, this is your hobby! You should have fun with it, not be worried about performance!
That comment above has just reminded me that, now more than ever, I need to not worry about whether something is good or bad, and just have fun or enjoy writing it. I don't want to end up like this person! I don't want to feel like my story or my writing is unworthy somehow, or inferior, just because it's not famous or other people think it's poorly written. Other people may simply have not heard of me, or they simply may have a different taste in writing, or not care for the subjects I like to write about (or be more picky about "imperfections" than I am, with my passion). And none of that is my fault, either. I don't want to end up like this person, measuring my success and self-worth by what others think of me, or my writing--even if they're A LOT of others!
So the night that I read that comment, I pitched an article to a site I've always wanted to write for, Cracked.com. And if it doesn't get accepted there, then it will be published here. The article is "6 Things LGBT People Wish Christians Knew About Them." (I also have two fan theories that I will post here, if they don't get accepted there. They want theories to be convincing, but I like theories that are creepy or make the story better, whether they're convincing to others or not.)
I thought at first that my LGBT article idea would be too controversial for Cracked--but I have to try! I have to try, and I have to simply enjoy the process of trying, every step of the way.
It's vitally important that I not become another Masturbating Banana, judging myself and others very harshly--for something that is a mere hobby! Something that should be fun, that should bring joy and purpose to the creator's life--and hopefully, joy to those that share her taste.
And Wanking 'Nanner, apparently, judges her art based on how many fans she has, or some whim of her inner critic. I must avoid becoming like her, at all costs!
So I guess it was good, in the end, that she said that, because I was reminded of exactly what I don't want to be, and I've redoubled my efforts to be the exact opposite of that. I'm not going to thank her, because she's being awful, but I'm glad to know what I don't want to be. I now have the living embodiment of my perfectionist tendencies--and she can kiss my ass. Because I'm going to enjoy my life, and I can't enjoy it fully unless I get all of my work out there. :)
(And one more thing: I would suggest that anyone who is curious whether my story is "poorly written" or not, should read the story here, and judge for themselves. My work speaks for itself, and I am still just as proud of it as ever.)
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