How to be a Rock Star

[pasithea]

This morning I realized something simple but profoundly interesting that I'd learned during the past year.


I used to and still do have this thing where I can be very iconic and easily motivated by having the right icons around me. For instance, I could just as easily work on animation on a simple pegbar taped to a light box, but having an animation desk makes me _feel_ like an animator. I'd know this for a while, but today I sorta broadened and generalized it.

The way to be a rock star is to dress like one every day. Now I'm not saying guitar practice isn't important, or knowing how to sing, or that you should wear silk shirts while working on your car. What I mean is... Well. Like me, for instance. A few years ago, I was coming home from work, throwing on stained sweatpants and a baggy tee-shirt and being 'comfortable'. This put some weird pressure on me to be more 'respectable' at work and dress much older than I am. I became the sweatpants and the pants suit. I could still throw on my director's hat and be a 'director' or sit down at my animation desk and be an 'animator' but when I took those off and stepped away from that space, I was the sweatpants.

There's nothing wrong with being the sweatpants, if that's what you want to be. It just isn't what I aspire to.

I used to be the sort that would buy wild outfits that I would theorhetically wear to some theorhetical wild party in the future that never came. Or when the opportunity did arise, I'd be too shy to actually wear the outfit I'd chosen for it or it was out of date or I'd gained or lost weight and it didn't fit. That doesn't mean that I'm wearing a vinyl minidress right now. It just means that I'm not wearing the sweat pants. There's plenty of comfortable stuff that's more expressive of who I am or want to be. Just wearing that instead of the schlub-wear.

Of course, like learning a rock star needs to learn to play guitar, simply dressing different won't make me something I'm not. It just helps me stay in the right frame of mind.

Comments

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

That's a very good point. since I work at home these days it's very easy to default to the sweat pants and t shirt, and I do it all the time. It does mean when you dress better to go out you are just a little bit more awkward and uncomfortable.

back in the day people were expected to dress for dinner in black tie even if they were dining alone. I think that's part of the same philosophy. It keeps good clothes from being a costume but makes them part of what you are.

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

It goes back and forth. I don't feel a need to have an Animation Desk to be an animator, but damn, I could sure use a pegbar and a punch right now. Eventually you go through the symbols into what you really need to do the thing - hence my reliance on relatively cheap tools whenever possible, 'cause I go through them, and don't need any kind of boost.

But yeah, I feel much sexier in general when I have crazy colored hair and an interesting outfit. I may not be a rock star, but I'm a crazy artist gal - emphasis on 'gal' as a role I'm still learning. I'm still trying to get Kin and Rik to understand that when I dress nicely, it doesn't mean they have to dress to match, or even admire me too much - it's for me to help remind me who I am and who I'm trying to be.

I don't want to be the baggy t-shirt and loose jeans again. I spent twenty years being that.

[paka.livejournal.com]

Endeavor to keep your hair colored weird, kick stuff, and drink frequently, and soon you will become one with the image of punk. That way, you need only learn 3-8 chords at most.

Actually I've been thinking again about playing with some of how I dress, or something. Got any suggestions?

[dv-girl.livejournal.com]

I suggest you come over tonight and scan more stuff and eat teriyaki tofu. :)

[paka.livejournal.com]

Okay! I'll probably want to eat and get stuff together after work, I don't think you get back to Sunnyvale until 6-7 ish, no? So I'd be doing dinner first, then dropping by. I'll call?

[turbinerocks.livejournal.com]

I'm either all the way to shlub (metal t-shirts, hoodies, cargo pants) or I'm full on in costume at cons. I can't dress crazy at work or while I'm painting because it's too messy, but when I'm out dancing or at a con, look out. ^_^

[harpygirl.livejournal.com]

I love it.

If only I could afford to put it in practice!