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Vocal creators learn a lesson from Michael Jackson

The king of pop's life and death can serve as inspiration as well as give warnings to artists.

By Cheryl E PrestonPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
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Writing is an art form and those who create with the pen or the click of the keyboard are artists. There is much that we can glean from the life and death of entertainer Michael Joseph Jackson. In the movie, "The Jackson's an American Dream' there is a scene where an 18 year old Michael is talking with his mother Katherine. He tells her how the music just keeps coming to him, especially in the wee hours of the night. If you are a natural-born writer you have probably experienced story ideas coming to you at any point during a 24 hour day. If you are not where you can begin creating an article you can at least get it started. If you are not near your laptop you can used your cell phone to at least get the title and perhaps a few lines in print and work on it later.

I have found that the more I write for Vocal the more the ideas come. Just recently another creator mentioned me in an article and said I had written 1,000 articles on this site but I was not even aware of it. I simply write, write, write and keep moving forward. Michael Jackson had an attitude of not resting on your laurels as he once said: "Just doing as well as you did last time is not good enough.” If you have an article or 2 that have done really well, you really cannot get caught up in that if you desire to be successful.

In September of 2018, I made $900.00 writing for Blasting News. I thought I had found my niche and was on my way to financial freedom but I was wrong. The very next month none of my stories got more than 20 or 30 views. I began checking and found out that other American writers were experiencing the same thing. Blasting News headquarters are in Italy and no one ever addressed the issue although I myself and other contributors to the site asked questions. This is what led me to Vocal. Another lesson from Michael Jackson is to keep moving as he went from Mowtown to Epic to Sony and from being with a group to a solo career. It's important to find out where you fit.

Michael knew that what was in him was greater than what he could do as part of The Jacksons. He did not forget his family. however, as his brothers worked on various projects with him, co-wrote songs. and were even a part of his last venture This is it. As a writer, you must know who you are inside and create what is in your heart even if others disagree. When the articles and poetry come just go with the flow. Like Michael Jackson be versatile and don't paint yourself into a corner. I recall some time back a Vocal creator challenged everyone to step out of their comfort zone and write an article in every category.

I have written for a number of Vocal communities but have to admit there are a few I do not believe I would feel comfortable writing for such as Filthy. It's important to stretch your wings but also make sure your personal convictions are not compromised. There is one other important lesson that Vocal creators can learn from Michael Jackson and that is not to burn out. The king of pop wanted to please his fans to the point that he ended up on a dangerous drug and it took his life.

I remember that just one week before Jackson died, I was reading an article in Jet magazine about Prince. It stated that the years of dancing in high heels, doing splits, and dancing on stage had led to the entertainer needing hip replacement surgery. I told my husband that Prince had paid a high price to please his fans and I wondered what price the gloved one would pay for pushing himself to keep creating. I found about 7 days later when ti was announced that Michael Jackson had died. Sadly not too many years later, Prince passed away as well.

Another lesson to learn from Michael Jackson is never to lose yourself for your creativity. Michael was born an African American male in a family where all the members were visibly brown and there was no doubt about their ethnicity. Michael clearly had curly, coily, kinky, hair that is typical of many black people and he had a wide nose. At the time of his death, he looked white, had a thin nose and his wig was straight like Caucasian hair. Anyone with a grain of common sense knows that he altered himself and there are young fans who thought he was white.

What a shame that Michael Jackson felt the need to change himself in order to be accepted by the masses, instead of allowing the music to do it for him. As writers we should never allow the lure of views, money, and notoriety change who we are at the core. Improving our skills is necessary but not altering ourselves so that no one including ourselves even recognizes us anymore. One thing writers should never do is observe the success of another creator and try to copy their methods. What works for someone else may not for you.

Vocal creators, sometimes when you experience writer's block it could be your mind and body's way of telling you to slow down so pay attention. Prince Rogers Nelson and Michael Joseph Jackson's tragic ends should be a reminder that we can push our bodies and minds beyond limits and there are consequences. When the creativity is flowing this is a blessing but we must be careful not to experience burnout. I have a goal to surpass the $900.00 I made on Blasting News but I will not kill myself to do it. Balance is the key and our minds and bodies give us signals when we should slow down. Please pay attention.

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About the Creator

Cheryl E Preston

Cheryl is a widow who enjoys writing about current events, soap spoilers and baby boomer nostalgia. Tips are greatly appreciated.

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