The one thing I have learnt over the last 13 years or so that I’ve been perfecting and honing my skills as poet, is that, with any form of creative artist’s work, there will always be someone who looks at their painting, writing or song and says to their friends “She’s singing about Cedric! My uncle’s cousin’s cat is called Cedric, so this song must’ve been written about me!”

The whole thing about any creative artist’s work is that art, in whatever form, is subjective.  People can, and will, see what they want to see in it, even if that’s not the way the creator intended it to be perceived. And that’s really the whole point of art. I have been asked a number of times, over the years, about my scribbles and to whom they pertain.  Most of the time, if it’s about someone specific, then I will make it obvious, as I did with ‘Angels’ and ‘Sisterhood’.  These are obviously about my family members.

Recently, though, I’ve started to write with a more angry spoken-word, almost rap style flow, and as such, I’ve been taking my writing to a new level, where I include things like references to pop culture. This was supposed to be a new direction for me, creatively, so I could then take my scribbles and maybe add a beat to them, and possibly try rapping them.

This was my first creative direction change in about five years. I wanted to try to stay fresh and relevant in this ever-changing creative scene that I’m blessed to be a part of. It also opened me up to a whole new problem – when I write, there is a lot of emotion involved; this is how someone like me on the autism spectrum attempts to make sense of what I’m feeling. I don’t always see the big picture while I’m furiously scribbling away.

This can lead to confusion over what, or sometimes who, the piece is about.  It can lead to awkward conversations and sometimes arguments, when that was never the intended outcome. So please, when reading, looking or listening to a creative work, appreciate it for its form, style or whatever you find good about it.  Try not to look too deeply into it. If you are sure it refers to you, ask the artist privately.  But if you’re told that it really isn’t about you, try not to take it personally…

Art is subjective.

Stay Safe X