They’re here! In fact, they never go away. The crowd. You know them right? Always fanning the flame of the latest outrage, blowing with the breeze, always on the lookout for the Boogeyman because everything is the Boogeyman’s fault. These are the people that will never admit that the scariest Boogeyman that they will ever face is the one that they see every morning when they look in the mirror. These are the cousin and kin of the kids, mature is physical stature but mentally incredibly immature because they subscribe to whatever the group says and does. That’s not Grown, that’s just easy.
When you think for yourself it’s not easy. It’s not popular, but the journey has never been promised to be easy and the results from the decisions you make as an individual are not always popular. I’m not saying that there’s no benefit to the group or community, but what I am saying is lift your voice and be heard within the community/group and don’t let the group speak for you because sometimes the group gets it wrong.
Make the same choices for the art that you love. Who cares about an “industry” which is another name for a group and the thought is group think which only cares about what profits as opposed to what empowers. If you love something don’t be afraid to show it, you’ll be well within your Grown.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
