Today I was thinking about all the music artists who release albums with their little cutesy nicknames plastered on as a title. Now I love most of them as artists, love them as people too, but those album titles really rub me the wrong way. All these pseudonyms. The power is already in your own name. If only these artists could step out of their detractors' eyes and realize that they are Mimi, they are Sasha Fierce, they are J Lo, they are Damita Jo. Or better yet that they just are who they are and they don't need to latch onto a different personality to explain it. We all have different sides, but if the music is a big enough part of you that you've made it your life, then it's not just some fragmented piece of your personality. It's YOU. One hundred percent.

I do understand where it comes from, because I know that when it comes to performing, something does take over and it can feel otherworldly. That's a given, because it IS divine. But you can still own it because it's a gift given to you. The uncontrollable force that takes over when you step onstage, that's YOU. And at the same time it's Gods gift to you. Relegating yourself to a lesser version of that in your daily life only disrespects what God has created. You are a masterpiece, and only by living up to that will you ever fulfill that gleaming destiny. I really believe that. And from the smallest self-deprecating jokes to outright giving credit to an alter-ego, these talented souls are giving away their power and their gift.