Swimming with Sharks

I've seen so many wonderful performers buckle under the thumbs of those drunken with the power to  hire and fire.  I have, myself, allowed personal integrity to be supplanted (taken over) by the quest for financial survival.

Artistic souls eternally yearn for that glorious carrier beam (vehicle) wherein they can provide their own light.  This aesthetic urge to create is of such magnitude,  it manifests like an addiction to hard drugs.  We are addicted to our art and search constantly for our next performance "fix."

Those who can provide that next fix will do so in one of two ways.  Either they will honor and showcase the performer's gifts with respect, or they will manipulate the performer to move under their selfish and oppressive thumbs.  Although I am sure it exists, I have not seen much of a middle ground.  The pendulum most always swings to one side or the other.

In the impersonator world, there are very few seas in which to swim.  Some are filled with dolphins  and some of them are filled with sharks.  I prefer the dolphins, or at least a mixture of the two.  But where the sharks are left to swim alone, the waters become muddied and bloodied by the motivation of vested interests (those with personal stakes).

How do you recognize a shark if all you've seen is a fin?  Easy.  Throw out some shark food and see if they bite.  If I see a suspicious fin, I simply talk to the person about my suspicions.  If there is a shark under that fin, it will attack with blame, accusation and forceful denial.  You will forever be on their enemy list, which is why people are so fearful of sharks.   But, if there isn't a true shark under that fin...or even if there's just a baby shark, you will not get your head bitten off.  You will get a conversation with the true intention to clear things up.

This is workable most of the time.  However, there is something much, much worse than even a shark.  It's a shark who pretends to be a dolphin.  These types are rare, evil and deadly.  They are difficult to catch because they are cunning enough to con everyone around them into believing they are indeed, dolphins.  It takes specialized training to recognize and expose these types.   Even with this training, you are subject to the rest of the group who will not believe you.  You will most likely become the enemy because you have challenged a "dolphin."

So, if you find yourself having to swim with the sharks, inevitably you'll be faced with compromising your own integrity to some degree.  Of course, it will depend upon how much integrity you brought to the table in the first place.  Unfortunately, it's a hazard of the biz.  But, if your integrity should get pushed downward so low where you're losing yourself, please go back upon the shore and decide if it is worth giving up your own soul.

Security does not come from your job or your friends or your bank account.  Security comes from within and from the confidence in your own ability to survive despite the circling sharks.

Artists are the dreamers, the visionaries, the builders of future worlds.  If we allow ourselves to be controlled by those with evil intent, we lend our power toward a downward spiral for all.