From Ordinary to Extraordinary

By: L. Roschel

When we look around us, it can be arduous to find and create something new. We often believe that there is nothing left to change, and it is this type of thinking that holds us back. In several areas, we can observe those who revolutionized the world around them, the game changers, but we presumably don't stop to reflect on what they faced to get there. Since to be a game changer, there has to be a game.

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, started singing at the age of six with his brothers, with his premature success he was exposed to a lot of pressure during his childhood and throughout his life it only got worse, causing several difficulties along his journey. Nonetheless he continued, with the album Thriller and the classic Moonwalk step. In Smooth Criminal, Jackson and his dancers did a step in which they inclined 45 degrees towards the floor, which was seen as something bizarre at first. Many judged Michael based on several aspects, mainly the colour of his skin, but that didn't stop him from being the King of Pop.

Frida Kahlo had a revolutionary spirit and was a member of the Mexican communist party, fought for women's rights and greatly valued the indigenous culture of the Andean people. She also became also a reference in Latin American culture. At 18 years old she suffered a serious tram accident, which left her unable to walk normally, so she started painting pictures. This led her to focus on her career as a painter. The artist said the well-known phrase: "Why do I need feet when I have wings to fly?" She artistically portrayed intimate and feminine aspects, such as abortions and femicides, something considered unacceptable at the time.

Tarsila do Amaral was a Brazilian painter and designer, one of the central artists of Brazilian painting and of the first phase of the Brazilian modernist movement. Her painting Abaporu, from 1928, inaugurated the anthropophagic movement in the plastic arts. Although she did not actively participate in the 1922 Modern Art Week, her great consequence on national modernism made her face many challenges, as her works were seen with contempt; some artists were even called crazy and were intimidated with being placed in hospices for their confronting art.

Elvis Presley began by being a member of the choir of the local evangelical church and was influenced by the blues. He brought something to the table that many had never seen: his unique way of charming and scandalizing audiences, with his extravagant clothes and his exaggerated way of dancing. What was judged to be provocative was very flashy and resulted in some of his TV appearances being removed if he didn't perform according to traditional "norms". Regardless, he is not the King of Rock for pursuing the rules, and not for having done what was expected and for having done the ordinary. 

It is certainly extremely complicated to change a game, because it already has its rules and standards, so we have the option of creating a new version, exposing ideas and new points of view never before imagined. There is no need for an immediate scandal, because these people I spoke about took years and decades to achieve what we see today. Success takes time and dedication, especially if you want to stand out and go from ordinary to extraordinary. Hence, start your change from something you believe in, because you will have to fight a lot, but when you reach the top and look at everything you have already been through and achieved, you will realize that your effort was worth it. Keep pushing forward, and don't forget that you didn't come this far just halt here.