Some people treat “being yourself” like it’s a casual hobby — something you do on weekends after you’ve finished pretending to enjoy kale. Others treat it like a forbidden art, whispering, “One day… when the time is right… I’ll wear the socks with tiny avocados on them.”
But being true to yourself is less about dramatic revelations and more about not living life like you accidentally picked up someone else’s grocery list and decided to follow it for the next thirty years.
The funny thing is, we all start out pretty good at authenticity. Kids will proudly tell you their favorite dinosaur, their backup favorite dinosaur, and why all other dinosaurs are wrong. Somewhere along the way, though, we start editing ourselves. “Oh, I shouldn’t say that,” or “People might think it’s weird that I collect quartz crystals shaped like slightly disappointed pigeons.”
Here’s the twist: everybody is weird. Every single person you admire is weird. Go read about the magnificent oddities of history — creators, scientists, and thinkers who followed their own compass, the one that didn’t even come with a warranty. One of the most delightful archives of human quirkiness is the Internet Archive’s catalog of old zines, such as Factsheet Five, which celebrated people boldly sharing peculiar passions long before social media ever tried to convince us that we needed to appear “normal.”
Authenticity isn’t a switch you flip; it’s a muscle you exercise. Start with the small reps: admit you actually do like that one song everyone else “ironically” likes. Wear the shoes with the bold pattern that make you feel like you’re about to conquer a mythical kingdom. Practice saying things like “That’s not really my thing” or “Actually, I love that,” without treating it like a confession in a courtroom drama.
Being true to yourself is also a relief. It’s astonishing how much brain RAM you free up when you aren’t constantly rendering the simulation of “Acceptable Version of Me 2.0.” Suddenly you have processing power for things like creativity, connection, and remembering where you put your keys.
And here’s the best part: authenticity wins people over. Not everyone, of course. But the ones who stick around? They’re the good ones — the folks who appreciate your flavor, your quirks, your oddly specific opinions about preferred pen thickness.
So go ahead. Say the thing. Wear the shirt. Pursue the interest that makes your eyes light up like you swallowed a small star. Someone out there is waiting for exactly the kind of person you become when you stop auditioning for a role you never wanted.
And if this made you smile, nod, or think, drop a comment and follow along. Life’s more fun when we’re unapologetically ourselves… together.
Art Prompt (Futurism): A vibrant, motion-filled street scene where forms blur into elongated streaks of color, echoing rapid movement through space. Angular lines slice across the composition as glowing silhouettes surge forward with kinetic energy. Metallic hues of gold and steel intertwine with electric reds and greens, creating a rhythmic cascade of acceleration. The perspective bends as if pulled by momentum, with repeated contours suggesting overlapping frames of time. The air itself seems to vibrate, shimmering with dynamic tension and pulsing with the sensation of perpetual forward motion.
Video Prompt: Begin with a sweeping pan through a bustling urban corridor where figures stretch into cascading streaks of light. Buildings ripple as if caught mid-transformation, bending subtly with each surge of movement. The camera accelerates and decelerates in rhythmic waves, tracing neon outlines that multiply like frames in a time-lapse. Metallic reds, greens, and golds flicker in sync with the motion, while silhouettes expand, collapse, and reappear farther down the street as if time were skipping ahead. Close with a rapid pullback revealing the entire scene vibrating with kinetic energy before it dissolves into luminous trails.
Song Recommendations:
- Half Light — Rostam
- Open Season — High Highs
Follow for more art, more stories, and more joyful weirdness — and drop a comment if this sparked something in you.
