To An Inspiration

Dear Patrick,

Your blog post really hit a nerve with me. It could be because I’m also 27. Maybe it’s because I also feel that nothing I achieve lately can compare (in other people’s eyes) to my achievements as a youngster.

Maybe I should put some context to my email.

I lived in London for two years (darn visa restrictions) and while there, realized that I could do anything I was passionate about. So I did. I wrote, I put small gigs together, I had enough energy to put a sugared up toddler to shame. I was becoming the person I wanted to be.

Then I came home (South Africa) and suddenly I wasn’t 21 anymore. My freedom to chase my whims and ideas was replaced by the reality of finding a job, paying bills and my dreams suddenly seemed so very far away. That for me was worse than any break up anyone could endure.
Being the eternal optimist that I try to be, I kept pushing and yet all I was ever asked was “have you anything to show for the years since you’ve left school”. Besides a life time of experience , nothing material. That was when it really started to weigh me down. What if I was only ever going to be that kid that over achieved in school? Everyone else’s opinion was just to let it go, grow up, and get on with my life. But what kind of life would it be if I couldn’t do what I loved?

So I wallowed in this self pity for years. And then I saw a video from SXSW fest where you debuted your Soul Punk material and I thought “wow, how brave is this guy to step completely out of his comfort zone and show the world another layer of himself.” You had to have been happy with yourself, it showed in everything you did. It helped me decide that I had to be brave and make decisions that would lead me to my own happiness.

I’ve found that people in general are resistant to change and new things. They build up a picture of a person and that’s where they want that person to stay. For them, they’re most comfortable keeping you as that dude from the emo band (which, as we both know, FOB is not). Personally, I love seeing people I admire grow and explore their talents. I respect that you pushed the envelope and produced something that the general public isn’t ready to hear yet. Maybe those “haters” are trying to hold onto their own glory days of the early ‘00s that your albums were the soundtrack to. Pity them, they’re static in their own lives.

I hope your funk doesn’t last too long. And if you take anything from this lengthy email, I hope it’s this – you don’t have to earn anyone’s respect. You already have it.

Best of luck,

Cherene