Original who?

        So, I've had the chance in the last several years to be a part of a lot of different environments; from the music industry, to the mma ( mixed martial arts  for those of you who have taken an extended vacation to another planet for the past several years ) , to coaching high school sports and working at a high school, to working at a church with a couple thousand people, to working at a church with a couple hundred people.

        All this to say, that as different as these things may appear on the surface, they all have one very obvious commonality: they all contain some kind of  " click " in which the participants make an attempt to try and be as different, or " unique " as possible. In the sports world, it may be the guys who paint their face, and wear different colored sox or change their names to numbers : in mma, it seems that the popular thing as of late via a fighter named Chuck Liddell, is to wear a closely groomed mo hawk on your skull : In high schools, the possibilities of the " cool " or " unique " cliques are endless..Have you seen high school kids lately?? And in the music industry, it plays out like an army of rebellious hipster-doofuses that try make every attempt in the world not to sound like, or look like any body else out there that has ever picked up an instrument in the history of mankind. Just ask them! They'll gladly tell you! Ask them, " So what kind of music do you play?" Oh my! You've just opened up a Pandora's box of avant garde, ambiguous answers that are all basically aimed at telling you that they don't sound like anybody else in history! Gimme a break!

        No where have I seen this played out more comedic ally than in the church music culture, and since this is the arena that I am most involved, I will choose to elaborate on this area in particular for the remainder of this rant. You watch all the music guys or gals off stage, and they just look, well, like angry emo kids! They are all trying to be sooo different than other churches, and be soo original, and dress sooo alternatively that they end up looking down on those who don't look like them? And, ironically enough, meet the same fate that they are trying so hard to avoid...THEY ALL LOOK LIKE EACHOTHER!! You know the guys I'm talking about...They all have skinny jeans on, Toms shoes ( cause they care ) , a  Mr. Rodgers sweater vest sort of thing, and some kind of half-long half-short hair do that is sure to only cover only one eye.

          Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to judge these guys' hearts and I know I'm making a gross generalization. But it's my blog so I can do that. My point here though is bigger than appearance. It's that in this attempt to be soooo relevant, and soo alternative, and soo different, that they end up looking down on those who don't look like they do! The very thing they hate! This is what they accuse the "yuppies" of doing, but they are doing the same thing! I see these guys at conferences, and churches and music venues and they look like they are watching the grass grow when engaging those who might have a name-brand shirt on, or laces on their shoes, or heaven forbid a haircut! In all their originality of trying to look like their not trying, it's obvious that they are! Trying! And even though they all look alike, they think they are the most original ones in the room!

         The Bible says that there is nothing new under the sun. Truer words were never spoken. Everybody is borrowing from someone. So what?! If someone has a good idea, or does a song better, or has a cool shirt, or smells better, you better believe I'm gonna ask how I can gleam some of that wisdom! That's what makes us efficient! We don't always try to reinvent the wheel! Now I'm all for creative freedom, artistic expression, and originality, so please don't misunderstand me. What I fear is that the artist is becoming unapproachable, because the non-artists feel unworthy to approach the awkward throne of the artist to engage in conversation, share an opinion, or even just give us a hi-five!

             So if you are reading this as an artist, a fan of an artist, an emo artist, or non of the above, let us remember that originality is not something that you have to work so terribly hard for. Originality just is. The most original people I know, don't realize that they are original at all. They aren't trying to be original. They are just being themselves. Note to self..........