I think I’m a bit of a narcissist, haha! Wait, let me
explain. If you’re familiar with the story behind it then at the end of this
post it will all make sense. The term narcissism originated from Greek
mythology where the young Narcissus fell in love with his own image
reflected in a pool of water. Ergo, in short narcissism is the pursuit of
gratification from the self and its attributes. Well, with all the love
yourself mantra going around these days, who wouldn’t run the risk of being a
little narcissistic.
If fame was a drug then narcissism would be the disease that
follows its abuse, but tell me you don’t (to some extent) want to be famous and
the center of attraction.
Some say that narcissists make the best artists with their
charisma and ability to charm their audience to their whims. You step on stage
with the idea that you’re the best thing since margarine and French toast that
it naturally exudes from your performance. You kill it, I mean you literary
pull off a historic performance, then go back home still thinking you’re the
best to ever do it. Now if that’s not being a little narcissistic then I don’t know
haha.
Personally, sometimes I come from a recording session and
hear myself playing back on the speakers and I’m blown away with how I sound. I
might just be sitting there staring quietly, but inside I’m like ‘cot damn!
Defmatic, you are the greatest of all time’.
As a rapper we call this a healthy layer of self love and
confidence, but where do you draw the line from narcissism. Because, presenting
self as better than others, feeling entitled, exploiting opportunities (even to
the detriment of others) are all qualities successful artists are supposed to
have or exude.
I don’t think there is any artist in the world who inside
doesn’t want to be popular, as with popularity comes more attention, more gigs,
fans, and naturally better pay. Whether a little bit of narcissism is good for
you or not is still up for debate. Sadly, it has become part of our culture
with social media, reality television and the emphasis on individualism
subconsciously enticing us to display our distinctiveness and uniqueness more than
ever.
(Photo courtesy of John W. Kelley)
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