Maybe someone complained as they skipped over this frequency, too bothered to sit through the shifting buzz and tunes. But I feel entranced. What is it like to find some other piece that gives another even more depth. These pieces complement each other, and I can’t help but fall in love with hearing opposites blend.

One way to describe this musical chaos, is to put it down to synchronicity. A simple definition is that it’s coincidence of two things happening at the same time. There is no meaning, it just happens. You can witness it and allow the moment to float by as you drive through the valley.

However, I’m in love with the synergistic definition. On Vocabulary.com it defines it along the lines of “…various parts are working together to produce an enhanced result.” Now that sounds about right, as the clashing songs manage to become more of a musical juggernaut which I have forgotten that I loved.

That’s right, this feeds my deadly obsession with MASHUPS, and why I think the world is in desperate need for mashups and collaborations once more.

Revisiting Collaboration & Individualism

These clashing songs remind me of the need for unity – in a community, collective dreams, relationships, even vision.

I’ve gotten too used to the idea that I’m supposed to be a fully-complete, all-round, totally self-sufficient individual who can be rolled into any single situation and just be left to magically fix whatever is there. No clue how that thought process came to be, to be honest. But life never asked for perfection or a singular lifestyle made for all.

I thought unity required me to become a glue: I prioritized adaptability and sustainability, not strengthening talents or honing specific skills. The role I fit was molded into situations and found in edges and crevices to create bridges then disappear. To make do with what I have for how long I can. Except I’m one person. I cannot be my own accompanist if I’m already playing violin. Nor can I go onstage without someone to prepare and cast a light on me. I simply can not do everything myself – there needs to be things I can simplify or delegate.

In a world brimming with endless possibilities and endless activities, I need to be specific. There is a beauty in fulfilling a specific role. In that acceptance comes the ability to work in harmony with someone who is a bit different in their own way.

Think of those fun visual stories of anthropomorphized Wheels and Pieces. Consider how they spend so much time trying to modify themselves, trying to make different interactions work. Even single experiences heighten a mismatched reality, how a Circle can navigate a slope more easily than an obtuse triangle. How can that triangle hike up that slope with what it has?

How can we, the perfectly imperfect beings we are, be the best versions of ourselves without compromising who we are?

Self-Mastery is A Radical Choice

The honest truth is that societal expectations have no benefits from your self-mastery. Your song can be perfectly harmonized, words perfectly selected and edited, and recorded with excellent production quality.

And still, people will skip right over you because… they are looking for pieces of themselves elsewhere. They want a song that perfectly fits them at that time, one that rings clearly through the station they prefer. Time is a precious resource, we are all rushing and managing everything so we have some idea of a life well-spent.

Self-mastery is about saying to everyone “This is the best current version of me, and I am excited to share this version with those who will give me the time and opportunity to do so.” It’s making obvious that you have spent valuable resources on yourself for the sole desire to be better.

Get ready to attract those who delight in tearing you down, who get so hung up on details to discredit the entirety of your work. You will attract flies and wasps, hecklers and threats.

But remember those clashing songs? Phil Colins, Abba, Queen. Notice the genres mentioned: emo, country, jazz, traditional Irish music, POLKA. These forms of music evoke immediate, sometimes visceral, opinions. Mention a favorite band in a crowded room, I bet you $20 someone will say, “I think they are overrated.” You are also a genre.

Self-mastery is knowing there will be plenty of opinions about you as well. You will stand out and cause opinions. You will also find that clashing with others can lead to intense synergy.

When Genres Clash

Under most circumstances, chaos is a nuisance. There is no point. It’s just a mess one comes across. But as someone who has lived through the mess of life, I argue that this is the point. Chaos is a necessity, a great equalizer for every person.

There will be static in your communication. Discord arises even in seemingly perfect households. Close friends still have fights. There can be constant fear of finances no matter what job or how well you budget. There is no such thing as perfection, there is simply good enough.

But you. You — beautiful song personified, can still be the best possible version of yourself.

Be as fiercely proud as an accordion, daring the world to go beyond the stereotype and instead into the passion of the instrument. Blast Phil Collins, windows down, as someone pulls up in the lane next to you, blasting their own wild jazz music. Let the musical overwhelm crash over and around you.

Our songs, while strong by themselves, create beautiful musical soundscapes when given the chance to weave in and out of the sounds of others. Allow the chaotic ocean of others’ a chance to discover themes and harmonies you haven’t noticed before. Give chaos the reigns for a change to discover the intrinsic knowledge that only appears in the storms and static stations of life.

I am positive that there is something far bigger to explore, and I hope it brings a fresh approach to connection.