The written word; sometimes we nail it, sometimes we don’t.
It seems that in recent years, due to the increase of written communication on the computer and not in handwritten letters, there are more occasions where what I’m reading or what I’m sending is being misread, misinterpreted and just plain misunderstood. Even in face-to-face communications, the computer has lessened our ability as primates to interpret physical cues as to what a person truly feels in spite of what they are speaking. So what is a person to do?
If you’re like me, once realization has set in that there has been a misunderstanding and a conversation has gone from a simple inquiry or statement to “Well JEEZ! Why are you being so difficult!? (I would currently be the difficult one), you start to hold up the mental stop sign, go back to where you think the train left the tracks and repair any damage you can, righting the cars as you go. I imagine that it’s much easier with a model train than a full-sized one.
I appeared to have found myself in that situation last night over modeling images. Mr. Muse pointed out that at the new job, it would probably not be the best idea to talk about modeling and with the conclusion of his words, I got a message in my inbox from a photographer. I hit the mental panic button. Holy shit! Yeah! And that led me to read the message completely wrong. What started off as a snowflake ended up a beachball sized snowball before I figured out that I had to hold up that stop sign.
I didn’t talk about modeling much at my last job because it was construction and I didn’t need the guys I worked with off scouring the internet looking for images. This new job is much more sensitive and I don’t need anyone from there scouring the internet looking for images either.
This bothers me because, A) I’m proud of being part of the projects I’ve been part of, and B) I’m not bothered by nude images. However, lots of people are bothered by nude images and my bank accounts would really like some padding. And, well… working for “the man” sometimes requires conformity.
So, I keep things “mum”.
I haven’t written my last name on this blog, nor given out Mr. Muses name, to “protect the innocent”. I have a pseudonym for modeling and I request not to be tagged by my real name in images on the Book of Faces. I keep details about who I am private for very specific reasons, as I’m sure that all people do on some level.
Oh sure, there are people out there who search for my real name; I know because their searches show up in my stats. One day, when I become a well-paid writer and can stamp my real name on everything – I’ll go there. Until then, as I “work for the man”, that information will remain under wraps as best as I can contain it.
In today’s period of information overload, I think it all comes down to having our own version of the Hippocratic Oath, the Ten Commandments and that episode of Seinfeld, “The Race” all wrapped into one.
As a writer or blogger do you keep your identity/real name concealed to prevent issues in the home or work place?
Musings of the Amusing Muse 
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