I would say I’m a fairly honest individual. I speak my mind, say it how it is, and am always the first to stand up for what I believe.
Call it inappropriate, call it “unladylike”, call it whatever you will….I’d like to speak about this over-sized elephant in the room that keeps whispering in my ear and tempting me to rant for just a moment.
This ugly elephant is whispering about the notorious fame factor.
This “fame factor” is a topic I have found myself overhearing for the past two years about most anybody who manages to have a light shone on them for longer than ten seconds in the fishing industry.
This said, I would simply like to respond to the caddy conversations of whispering scrutiny and stereotyping that a young blonde woman in the sport so regular overhears about being hungry for fame…..
You see “Fame” can be found in multiple variations.
-There’s the desperate and attention starved ‘make a personal tape of private entertainment’ and then “oops!” let it leak on the net. -There’s the overly obnoxious loud mouth on your local forum who just has to be heard. -There’s the reality TV star looking to catch 30 seconds of guitar time while serenading a wealthy bachelor. -There’s the plastic surgery nightmares who simply can’t help themselves and seemingly forget their bra on every mid-day outing.
There are people trying to be famous virtually everywhere you look.
In my neck of the woods (Vancouver, BC) while growing up in both a world of music students (what I originally went to college for), and a world of a straight up shockingly beautiful crew of model girlfriends, witnessing this strive for fame always made my stomach churn a little.
Hell, I just wanted to fish. Attention from men became boring by the age of 17 and comments based on looks and low-cut tops were nothing short of humorous and mind-numbing.
I pondered why in the world anybody would want fame. To me it only made sense for three reasons.
1) To make a living. (Which undoubtedly is nominal in this industry.)
2) To have people know who you are so they are willing to pay you to do SOMETHING THAT YOU LOVE, thus allowing you to do it every day.
3) To inspire others to do right (which in all sincerity feels the best of all three options).
Why anybody would want to be in the public eye for the sole purpose of being the victim of critiquing, judging and God knows what else, I never could quite understand….
So when I made the decision to save my vocal skills for my own personal enjoyment and long car rides, I was ecstatic that I had made the right choice.
For I was going to fish for a living!
There was only one small problem.
I had a mortgage, a truck, and one hell of an appetite for good steak. How on Earth was I to be able to fish all day and still be able to make my payments while doing what I loved?
The answer was simple. I had to find clients who would pay me to take them fishing. To do this successfully would require marketing….aka trying to get “famous”.
But isn’t this how all successful businesses are supposed to work?
Market wisely, provide quality work and then continue the process until the fishing season is booked?
How then is it different when it’s a young angler looking to excel their business so he/she can find happiness in doing what they love?
For me personally, if fame was really that important I’d be posing in bikini bottoms with my arm covering my bare chest and my hair blowing in the wind.
Perhaps I’d be married to a television producer or maybe standing in line for American Idol. I can tell you one thing….I wouldn’t have given up my singing career.
So there you have it Mr. Elephant, don’t let the door hit your large gray ass on your way out.
