Chuck the Hats

September: On Friendship and ConnectionSeptember 14There is a version of us that we shouldn’t have to water down or bend or make logical or force to fit the current fashion. Yes, if you’re a creative, you must be yourself. Now it is more important than ever, I believe. But just as a human, too—there needs to be an outlet for the true you. You have to be able to throw all of those hats away, even if only for a moment, to let that true inner version of you stretch and breathe. Be it in a quiet moment of solitude in the morning before the house wakes. Be it dancing and singing by yourself, spontaneously given life by a random song on your playlist. Or be it conversing and being in the presence of another soul who accepts and loves you for who you are without reservation and without judgment. Someone who doesn’t want or need all those other versions of you to be present in the moment and embraces the simple, unadulterated, unabashed you.Reflection title: Chuck the HatsCreative inspiration: Ann Rice, Franz Kafka: The Complete Short Stories (Intro)Reflection question: Am I wearing too many hats and sometimes forgetting to take them off? What do I look like without them?