I was thinking about the idea of servitude the other day. I used to hate the idea of serving anyone because I wanted to be a free woman. The idea seemed religious, it seemed belittling, and it seemed too humble.
I've grown up since then.
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” ― Rabindranath Tagore
We've heard it before... because it's probably true.
Even in marketing they tell you to consider your demographic. If you don't know who your demo is, you don't have a product. As an artist, it's a little vague, yes, but you do indeed have a demographic and you do have a purpose. Your purpose might be to love and nurture a community through your comics, help kids feel empowered by your murals, or show developers they matter and help them create amazing things that change the world.
Samwise carrying Frodo and the ring. Did you cry when this happened? I sure did.
If you really think about it, Sam from The Lord of the Rings was as important (if not more than) the protagonist, Frodo. When all Frodo's strength was lost, when he essentially quit, Sam pulled all his strength for the nth time and made sure Frodo got the damn ring to mount doom. His purpose was to serve Frodo and help him accomplish amazing things. Sam's strength, endurance, and kindness, paired with Frodo's....uh....big blue eyes and dumb courage...kicks major evil ass.
Yes, I'm more of a Samfan than a Frodofan, can you tell?
Perhaps our purpose is more humble than we had wanted...
So what? Our society puts too much emphasis on celebrities anyway. Social media and the ever growing pressure to have "followers" doesn't help, either. But let's take a few minutes today and really think about who and how we can make a difference. Ask yourself, how can I help using the best of my abilities?
I challenge you to seek the answers. Share your answers- we'd all like to know. Let's stop aspiring to be famous figures and istead go forthright with our tools in hand, smiles on our faces, and determination to make a difference in the best way we can- whether anyone notices or not.
By the way- I came across this startup while doing some research for this post and I had to share. Hahah!