Making jokes about being a "Special Kind of Crazy"

I walked past the tv the other day to hear Kelly Rippa say, “I only work one hour a day.”  She and Ryan were talking about the perception of many that they showed up for the show and then went home.  As an artist, it is hard for us to understand that people don’t know what or how much we do for our living.

Some people call it the “Duck Float”.  You know, you’re looking at a flock of ducks on a pond floating by.  They look so serene and yet, under the surface they are paddling like mad.  People see us at an artshow or when we have our work on display at a competition and assume it is a life of leisure and bonbons.  We make jokes about it, which doesn’t really help clarify; people have done it for years.  My father was an executive for Weyehaeuser and used to tell me as when I was young, “If anyone asks you what your daddy does, tell them he sits behind a desk and pushes around a pencil all day.”
The jokes help us make light of the misconception and let’s face it, people probably wouldn’t understand if we did try to explain it.  I want us to understand that we aren’t alone.  Most people think that actors have it easy as do musicians, it isn’t so.  Actors and musicians spend a lot of time away from their families and in places where the food isn’t great and the accommodations are still an rv.  Kelly Rippa produces several shows, I can’t even begin to fathom how much work that is.

When someone tells you how jealous they are, smile and say,” yep, it’s all sunshine and roses.”  They really can’t handle the truth.  That is what makes us special, or a special kind of crazy.