I've got this song stuck in my head...
For the past few days, I have had this ear worm in my brain - Santogold 'Creator'.
I love that she addresses the 'fronting' that happens in the entertainment industry (and beyond). That beyond the facade, we're in fact someone different, pretending and acting for fame and platform. In an interview with Fader magazine, she shares, "I'm an old school artist. I don't care about looking the part all the time, and in the modern entertainer world it's all about looking the part. In fact, you don't even have to have anything beyond that. If you look the part then you are the part. I just can't be bothered half the time."
To be honest, I find that so relatable. I see many in business doing this same game of pretense. As someone who lives with disability, I can't keep up with that. I can't contantly be in a state of curated presence. And I can't help but thinking, our audiences, our communities, our people, our teams are exhausted by the pretense both playing into it and not knowing what to believe in the world and those around us.
She rejects this wholeheartedly in this piece. And then comes my favorite line:
“You say no; I say yes I was chosen. And I will deliver the explosion.”
And I'm reclaiming this for myself as well. I have felt, like many of you, topsy turvy in these turbulent times.
And this work around building an ethical business and embracing a post capitalist stance is too important to forget. It's why I did a massive pivot in my business to be able to focus on this.
Let's do this work together. Let's stop playing the game, hiding behind a facade. Let's stop propping up this crumbling system and let's build the new — together. You don't have to figure this out alone or allow exploitation, hierarchy, and capitalist frameworks crush you, your team, your clients, and your communities. Here's an opportunity to do something different, imagine something different, and create something different.
Let's build your ethical and sustainable business together this summer.
In solidarity,
Anuradha