PROFILE
NAME: Maya AngelouTYPE OF OUTLAW: The Poetic Outlaw
INTRO
"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." - Maya Angelou
Maya was 7 Years old when her mother’s boyfriend abused & raped her. After the sickening incident Maya confided in her brother who then told the whole family. Even though the judge found the offender guilty he was only sentenced to one day in jail. This event happened in 1935, & I'm not surprised that the American prison system used to be even more of a shambles than it is now. 4 days after his release he was found murdered & the suspected culprits were Maya's uncles. This is a heavy start to the blog but I promise you will leave feeling inspired.
Those events had a major impact on Maya's life, reducing her to a self-imposed vow of silence. For almost 5 years after the murder, she remained mute. Stating "I thought, my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone." This period of silence didn't hinder her though. It may even be the reason that she was able to have such an influential impact on the world with her words. It was during this period that Maya discovered her love for books & literature. Whilst also developing an extraordinary ability to listen & observe the world around her. She went on to become many things. A dancer; singer, civil rights activist, poet, writer, TV & Theatre Producer & most importantly a teacher.
She was right, you can't control all the events that happen to you & you shouldn't let them define you either. She didn't let her past define her & chose not to suffer in silence. She courageously shared her experiences with the world. In her own words "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." Story telling is the oldest & most important tradition among humans. Our existence wouldn't be possible without it. People pass stories down from one generation to the next. That transfer of knowledge when managed correctly (always fact check for fake news!) can give us insights & solutions into our own problems.
THE ART OF LAWLESS STORYTELLING
"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou
Maya's genius as a writer & poet was her ability to retell her stories. Vividly & in an engaging style which would completely captivate the reader. She was able to evoke these emotions because most of her work came from a personal place. When the reader can sense that you're being genuine. That you have lived & experienced your words, it allows you to connect with them on a deeper level.
Maya's work which first had me captivated was a poem she wrote called "caged bird". I don't remember the poem word for word or even how most it goes now but I remember exactly how it made me feel. I discovered the poem at a time in my life when I desperately needed something to inspire hope. I had long graduated from university & the novelty of starting a new chapter in my life had well & truly worn off. I was working 9am-8pm trying fruitlessly to "get ahead". Hard work wasn't something that my employers seemed to reward. I was also spending over 4 hours a day in total commuting. Thoughts of hopelessness & occasionally suicide regularly filled those hours. Maya's poem was about a caged bird singing songs of freedom. It completely resonated with me the first time I read it. I felt like I was that bird. I could picture it lucidly. Society had trapped me in its cage of drudgery & student loan debt.
"If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude." - Maya Angelou
From memory that poem didn't have a happy ending but for some reason it gave me hope. I'm also not sure what Maya's intended meaning of the poem was but I applied my own narrative to it, & I still use it to this day. It triggered me to analyse the idea of freedom & this is the conclusion I came to. Society can clip my wings, put me in a cage & throw away the key but I can choose to maintain my freedom. After all freedom is a state of mind. I felt trapped by my set of circumstances but it didn't mean I actually was. You decide how external events make you feel, & when you choose to feel free you are free.
WHY WE SHOULD ALL TELL OUR LAWLESS STORIES
Maya's stories came from her reality & as a result function as a perfect reflection of the world we live in. The good, the bad & the ugly. There are no rules when it comes to the effect the world & life has on you to create these stories. Life is lawless, it makes no sense. You could be the nicest; healthiest, happiest, person in the world. Eating right; exercising right & living right. This won't stop the universe from ruining your life.
For example, you could violently sneeze one day, & rupture your back. Leaving you needing an extensive surgery to repair the damage. If you're sceptical about the likelihood this could happen... I'm almost certain it can because a mere gentle sneeze has caused me to pull a back muscle before. Anyway, you have a broken back & as a result of the surgery you're unable to walk. On top of this the doctors say you're facing a life confined to getting around in a wheelchair. If the story ended here then it would be a very tragic tale. But what if you chose to refuse to let this injury win & overcame it through intensive rehab? Utilising an unwavering belief & desire to defy all odds to walk again. All whilst documenting your recovery for the world to see how you did it, then go on to live a fuller & even happier life. Life happens to people every day. Your story could be exactly what they need to help them overcome the bad times.
Stories have been one of the most effective sources of inspiration known to humans. Whilst also acting as an excellent teaching tool. I learnt that freedom is a state of mind & also a choice from Maya's poem. This teaching became so engrained in me that it also inspired me to incorporate a caged bird into LOLA. I also frequently use that imagery elsewhere within the brand. Everyone has a story to tell & they should tell it in whatever way suits them. Life is lawless so there's no reason why the way we tell stories can't be either. Shout it from a rooftop, tell it in a catchy jingle, choreograph an expressive dance routine. I used more conventional means. I shared a minor part of mine in a previous blog inspiring people to live a purpose driven life. But there's no rules to this.
WHAT KIND OF OUTLAW ARE YOU?
"Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it." - Maya Angelou
Maya was one of the best known African-American authors in the world. & came to prominence at a time when African-American women were extremely marginalised. Unable to present themselves as central characters in the stories they wrote. She set a precedence for other aspiring writers who wanted to put work into the world. Work that resonated with people & the spirit of the times. She won countless awards. The most notable being a Tony & 3 Grammy wins whilst liking herself, what she did & how she did it. A lot of her work focused on themes such as racism, identity & family. By the end of her career, there were very few art forms Maya hadn’t used to express herself. She even turned her writing into several films which she also directed. She believed that you couldn't "use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." She was grateful for life & lived it because she believed life loves the liver of it. Life loved her & rewarded her with countless moving stories. Stories with which she used to share, impact & inspire the masses. Maya was a poetic outlaw.
What kind of outlaw are you?