In (public) Suburb middle school I had a friend who played folk music as a hobby, and also made his own instruments. Mostly violin and hurdy-gurdy [1], probably because his parents were farmers in the suburb and owned a smith/wood workshop. His unique hobbies made him a bit of an outcast and people made fun of him in school, but I was in to classic music so we got along well.
A year or two later I changed school to a private school in the city who specialized in classic music, which was a drastically different environment; most of my classmates from then are professional musician.
It didn't work out for me that well in the end, but one good thing that came out of it was that I contacted him and suggested he also switch, which was a great life changing moment for him because everyone (including the dean) loved him because of his craftsmanship. Some people even commissioned instruments, at the age of 16.
It was surprising how happy & how fast he grew in his passion/hobby as soon as the environment changed from making fun of him to respecting the craft. There was only one school in the entire country that could give him that and by a coincidence he stumbled upon this, and to this day, almost 20 years later, enjoys that passion in the small community he found :)
Always wholesome whatever field, to see these people flourish rather than giving up their passion for conformity!
That's a touching story, and one thing that it highlights for me is that there will always be people that seem to relish pushing others down to their own level. That's such a frustrating thing.
It's also unfortunate that someone cool enough to make their own instruments would ever feel like a weirdo/outcast for it. The opposite should be true in the median high school.
I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm not even sure you're less correct than I am. There sure are a lot of assholes around.
I'm just saying that in a story that goes "Things were bad, people helped and I worked hard, now things are good", it's sad getting stuck focusing on the first part.
That's an incredible story. Do you know where he is now? It would be great if he found some profession that played towards his unique set of interests.
I think he's a independent musician! Sometimes make woodwork, and instruments still, maybe more for hobby.
He still plays folk music, and regularly play at a Viking (Scandinavian) restaurant named Aifur in Stockholm. It's a cool restaurant worth visiting if you're going there one day =)
Aifur can be fun. Go with a small group if you can. If you're picked to do the "drink from a horn" contest, there's a trick to it. If you know the trick (and can shoot a beer), you'll win almost instantly. If I remember right, Glassbar ice cream a few steps away is pretty good.
If you're in Stockholm and interested in Viking things, take a trip to Birka. There's a ferry from Stockholm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birka
In (public) Suburb middle school I had a friend who played folk music as a hobby, and also made his own instruments. Mostly violin and hurdy-gurdy [1], probably because his parents were farmers in the suburb and owned a smith/wood workshop. His unique hobbies made him a bit of an outcast and people made fun of him in school, but I was in to classic music so we got along well.
A year or two later I changed school to a private school in the city who specialized in classic music, which was a drastically different environment; most of my classmates from then are professional musician.
It didn't work out for me that well in the end, but one good thing that came out of it was that I contacted him and suggested he also switch, which was a great life changing moment for him because everyone (including the dean) loved him because of his craftsmanship. Some people even commissioned instruments, at the age of 16.
It was surprising how happy & how fast he grew in his passion/hobby as soon as the environment changed from making fun of him to respecting the craft. There was only one school in the entire country that could give him that and by a coincidence he stumbled upon this, and to this day, almost 20 years later, enjoys that passion in the small community he found :)
Always wholesome whatever field, to see these people flourish rather than giving up their passion for conformity!
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy-gurdy