I found my #UnicornAF sticker yesterday and put it up in my office. I bought this lovely thing in a small kombucha bar on the island of Hawaii last year. It still makes me smile every time I see it, for a few reasons…
A few years ago, I stopped feeling quite so compelled to suppress my idiosyncrasies and artistic compulsions and began describing out loud, mostly in written form, how my unique experience and perspectives might reflect on the systems and structures of the Air Force and military. This did and often does still feel like taking a risk in a culture and environment that celebrates (and socially enforces) sameness and anchors itself in tradition; but I learned quickly (from largely positive responses to my writing) that there are plenty of others out there among the ranks who don’t feel safe expressing themselves, revealing their difference, or sharing their stories, but continue to serve, and some of them appreciated feeling somewhat reflected in the writing I shared.
I saw the UnicornAF sticker as a small, subtly subversive symbol to celebrate my own mythical weirdness, which I am emboldened to speak out loud, partially in the interest of making this space safer for the rest of the different thinkers and non-conformists who still have a lot of reason to simply separate and find a mission that doesn’t overtly reject them for their difference or their self-expression. In a strange and complex world, there is reason to see strangeness as a competitive advantage. In a human world, the ability to navigate and make sense of the human experience is a critical capability.
In David Epstein’s wonderful book “Range”, he describes how Nobel Prize winners are 22 times more likely than their peers to have a non-science hobby, like dancing, acting, music, or other artistic expression. I think that’s a really interesting fact… and should make us think hard about whether we are setting ourselves up for excellence if our culture selects for or suppresses in the interest of sameness and conformity.
(To be clear, I’m not trying to heroicize my own efforts here, and I would appreciate you not taking it that way. The stakes are not nearly as high for me as they are for those whose identities, for example their gender expression or sexual orientation, has been a real barrier to inclusion. I’d like to acknowledge those very real and rigid barriers even as we examine softer ones on the topic of who we include and how much we allow them to be themselves.)
I would be remiss if I did not also acknowledge those I do see creating space, safety, and inviting more (and more diverse) self-expression in the military and DoD. In particular, I’m excited about The Meadow Garden, which offers a space for writers in and associated with the military to share and discuss their creative works and inspirations.
