Vulnerability

Do you allow yourself to show your vulnerability in your artwork? This is a question I'd have to reply with a resounding "yes". In much of the prose and poetry that I have written there is the revelation of hurt, passion, sorrow, and sensitivity. These are characteristics that are not associated with the "strong" or "alpha" male image in our society. Few films portray the male hero as sensitive or passionate. How often does the male hero cry outwardly in front of other characters of the story. The heroic male is stereotyped as a figure that rushes toward gunfire walks, away from explosions, and dives from high places onto the bad guy suffering only a few scratches and bruises. How often do news reports feature stories where a male has shown passion or sensitivity toward someone else? Most stories, good or bad, involve males who are aggressive, physically strong or verbally or physically abusive. Male figures who are portrayed as sensitive or experience sorrow are picked on, bullied, abused and not taken seriously by love interests. We see this in films often enough the we imitate it in our lives. This is not to say that the male is not strong or can not be dominant, but that other characteristics such as sensitivity or passion or hurt help make the complete male. Showing my vulnerability is an aspect I can not deny in my work. As a male, we experience hurt, loss, rejection, the joy of love and should express it. I would be incomplete as a human being if I could not feel the loss of a loved one, the joy of being loved or any other emotional stimulus. Anger, strength, aggressiveness are not the only characteristics that make up a male's character, yet they are the ones we are exposed to the most. In my work I hope to say some of the things that many men feel but would not reveal.