Writer Calibe Thompson |Photography David I. Muir
I let people know upfront, I’m allergic to boredom. I think that’s the same for most of us today, whether we realize it or not.
America’s current president has monopolized public conversation with a consistent stream of controversial, but highly engaging antics. Usain Bolt, one of the world’s most beloved sportsmen, captured our hearts with his hijinks on the track. The list of public provocateurs is endless. Love them or hate them, the most memorable people on earth are the entertainers.
They’re the folks whose social media posts you feel obligated to share, and whose stories stir emotions in you that you never knew you had. They’re the musicians whose songs get stuck in your head, or the actors whose characters keep you riveted to a screen for hours or days at a time.
In business, the products and brands you choose to try next, are the ones that capture your attention with a jingle, mascot or catchphrase. Even the church with the pastor that keeps you awake the longest and the liveliest choir, is the one you’ll choose to visit week after week.
On the flip side of that, if you can’t hold your audience’s attention, you’re on your way to obsolescence. If I lose you half way through this article, I can probably kiss the possibility of you reading me again, goodbye. Please don’t goooooo!
In this issue, we’ve celebrated Caribbean entertainment – singers, dancers, filmmakers, pioneers in tech, and even the origins of the music itself.
I’m personally grateful to have come from the world of entertainment early in my career. I’ve felt the connection of 5,000 pairs of eyes trained directly on me, and the energy in a room when a passionate group of creatives is united through music.
That experience has made me acutely aware that how I channel my ability to create and engage, affects the legacy I will leave behind. Very rarely is it the things you’ve done quietly that people remember you for. History, instead, holds on to the narrative you’ve emblazoned on collective imaginations – the way you’ve entertained.
Reality shows on television, and oversharing on social media, have made it so that our own eyeballs and cell phones seem to be recording unedited, always-on reality TV, and that we are the main characters in our show. Whatever your storyline, however you choose to entertain, make sure, as Carla Hill would say, you’re proud of the legacy you leave, with your own brand of bacchanal! #islandorigins.
