What makes you Pro ? ? (not what you think)

[Mermaid Citrine]

So recently I came across an opinion given by a professional mermaid that I admire very much. She's an amazing free-diver and fellow passionate enviro-animal activist but she said something that bummed me out and I think is a bit ..... well mean (for lack of a better word)...

I don't think it's really anyone's place to tell someone what they can and cannot be or tell someone whether or not they are a 'legit' or not. I believe you define yourself and the only one you can compete with is yourself so you shouldn't compare yourself to others.
But anyway, this mermaid said that in order to be a "real" mermaid, you must be able to be a pro free-diver and that if you aren't she doesn't consider others as mermaids (which also doesn't really make sense since its a make believe thing). I admire her and anyone who is able to free dive to great depths and I know even if you have the physical ability to do so (more on that in a minute) it still takes a lot of practice to get that good.

Here's my issue with anyone saying this or that is what you 'must' have in order to be 'real'. ...Not all of us have the same mental and physical capabilities and as long as you aren't being deceitful and claiming you can free-dive 50 feet when you can't, etc. and you accurately represent your abilities and what you can do as a 'mermaid performer' I don't see why anyone should be labeled as 'real' or not.

For me personally, I have tried scuba diving years ago and got really sick after reaching 44 ft (was throwing up and they had to pull me from the water, it was a horrible, painful, traumatic experience to say the least) in fact, I most likely did permanent damage to one of my ears in trying to dive when one of my ears would not and does not clear (and please don't tell me the tricks to try, I've talked to pro divers and ear doctors about this, there is nothing I haven't tried to fix this, short of surgery, which is costly, not guaranteed and has many side effects, including making the problem worse or even making me deaf) I also have chronic Lyme Disease, a complicated, sh*tty disease that causes vertigo, nearly constant low grade nausea (which gets worse with exercise) among other symptoms that I try my best to push through. Lyme disease is known for messing with your ears so its possible Lyme caused my ear problems or its also possible I just don't have good ears for diving.

Anyway, because of this problem and injury made worse when I tried scuba diving, I now cannot dive deeper than about 10 ft. before my ear is in too much pain to continue descending. I have sitten at the bottom of a 10 ft. deep pool after slowing descending and tried all the tricks and one ear simply will not clear, it just gets more painful. After talking to pros in this field, they all advise me to be really careful and not push this as I could make it worse or even go deaf in that ear. Bottom line, I cannot free-dive past 10 ft. I also can only hold my breath for about 30 secs. I have not worked on this much because its not something I advertise as part of my abilities and it hasn't stopped me from making my own style of mermaiding into a fun and successful business.

Also despite this, I LOVE being in the water and even though I get sea-sick easily, it never stops me from being in the water. I go swimming, snorkeling and mermaiding as much as I can and have made many videos of me swimming.
When people ask me about free-diving, esp. if its a photographer interested in shooting very deep, I explain that I'm a "Shallow water mermaid" and clearly tell them I cannot go below 10 ft. This has not caused much of a problem so far, I have still done several underwater shoots, even though they are challenging so I am not mis-representing myself. If they are looking for a mermaid that can go 25 ft or more, and hold their breath for several minutes, I do tell them of the ones I admire who can do that and refer them that way.
I know everyone is unique in their abilities and skills and I don't think anyone should feel they can't be a mermaid because they aren't 'this' or 'that'.

Don't let anyone else define who you are, make your own way and be yourself. If you want to improve at something, that's great, but make sure you are doing it to compete against YOU not others. Do not compare yourself to others. Love yourself for who YOU are. There is no one else like you.

Lots of Love <3 <3 <3
Mermaid Citrine

[Seatan]

That's a good message! The pros are right--you should NEVER push yours ears like that. If it hurts at all, you are too deep for your ears and either need to rise and equalize or, if that isn't possible, stay at that higher level. You can get serious problems with your ears if you push, as well as induce headaches. I agree that mermaids cannot be judges on the depth they dive. You might judge whether someone is a professional FREEDIVER in this way, but certainly not a mermaid! You're a pro mermaid if you get paid for mermaiding, however that comes about, at least IMO.

[MerEmma]

Oh gosh, I've heard so much about Lyme disease...I'm so sorry you have to go through all that. :c

Personally for me a "pro" mermaid is just someone who does it and books gigs and such. Melissa, Raina, Ayla, Iona, Hannah, really to me it's just that. Raina is DEFINITELY a pro mermaid and she can't dive super deep because of her ears either. I think anyone who wants to identify as a mermaid certainly can, too.

[Mermaid Kelda]

If you want to improve at something, that's great, but make sure you are doing it to compete against YOU not others.

This is wonderful. I fully approve of this <3

[AniaR]

Lol they say that when they are threatened by other mers. One of them picks me apart and I'm like oh well. Still working 3-5 times a week anyway! still published the book. Still kicking ass! so cry me a river. My skills earn my paycheck. I'm happy

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[Echidna]

I say, you're a real mermaid when you can't stay away from water and go out to swim even though you have severe health problems.
I swim up to 8 hours a week, but after every swim I pay with vertigo, nausea, chills&fever, and excruciating pain.

That won't stop me, but I wonder whether those 2 "nice" freedivers would still be keen about their definition if they had a similar problem.
Deffo don't care about what others say.
there is no official "mermaid certificate" or rules that state what exactly you need to be able to do
(and if there were, I probably wouldn't care either ).

Just be careful with your ears and eyes.
I have Lyme too, and it ferquently messes with both, causing infections.
Don't dive more than 1 foot or so under the surface if you have an inflammation!

[PearlieMae]

You're a real mermaid if you are a mermaid in your heart.

You're a professional mermaid if you get paid to appear as a mermaid. Pretty simple, I'd say.

[Coradion]

I think "Real" and "Pro" are different terms.

When I think "Pro Mermaid" I think people like Hannah and Melissa who have a great breath cap and are paid for events to be mermaids. They don't seem to have to do much else but be mermaids, swim, and look effortless.

Self proclaimed pros that make money by wearing a tail and entertaining kids don't make me think pro. They make me think children's entertainer, which is great in its own right. My best merfriend Mermaid Harmony does this, and she does it very well I would never be able to do what she does I'm not creative or animated in the same way she is. To me it's the difference between being a clown or being a Cirque du Soleil acrobat. Both could call themselves pro because they might do it as a profession, but to me real pros don't need to call themselves pro. When people post about how they are pro or how to become pro it seems only makes me think they're only posting for self gratification.

If you feel like a mermaid and want enjoy swimming in a tail I'd deem you a real mermaid for sure.

If you get paid regularly to swim, do shoots, commercials, and big events as a mermaid where you're there for the novelty of being a graceful mythical creature then I'd think you're a pro.

[AniaR]

We define the job we created. I do kids parties but Ive also been on TV and music videos, festivals, parades, adult parties, weddings, multiple publications and media coverage. No one is going to tell me I'm not a professional. When I do children's events I use my two professional degrees to do so.

You wouldn't call an actor a non professional because they do kids shows or background work. You really wouldn't differentiate in any other field between people who work with kids and people who don't as one being professional and one not. And honestly I think its arrogant and ignorant for anyone to create rigid parameters of a vague still evolving career.

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[AniaR]

I think this is an interesting discussion so I asked my fans what they think. I'll quote some of them as I get it. Meanwhile, here's the quote from the dictionary:

professional
prəˈfɛʃ(ə)n(ə)l/Submit
adjective
adjective: professional
1.
relating to or belonging to a profession.
"young professional people"
synonyms:white-collar, executive, non-manual More
antonyms:manual
worthy of or appropriate to a professional person; competent, skilful, or assured.
"his professional expertise"
synonyms:expert, accomplished, skilful, adept, masterly, masterful, excellent, fine, polished, finished, skilled, proficient, competent, capable, able, efficient, experienced, practised, trained, seasoned, slick, businesslike, deft, dexterous; More
antonyms:amateurish, incompetent, inept
2.
engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as an amateur.
"a professional boxer"
synonymsaid, salaried, non-amateur, full-time More
antonyms:amateur
informalderogatory
habitually making a feature of a particular activity or attribute.
"a professional gloom-monger"
noun
noun: professional; plural noun: professionals
1.
a person engaged or qualified in a profession.
"professionals such as lawyers and surveyors"
synonyms:white-collar worker, professional worker, office worker More
a person engaged in a specified activity, especially a sport, as a main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.
"his first season as a professional"
synonymsrofessional player, non-amateur, paid player; More
a person competent or skilled in a particular activity.
"she was a real professional on stage"
synonyms:expert, master, maestro, past master, trooper, adept, virtuoso, old hand, skilled person, authority; More
antonyms:amateur


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[PearlieMae]

We define the job we created. I do kids parties but Ive also been on TV and music videos, festivals, parades, adult parties, weddings, multiple publications and media coverage. No one is going to tell me I'm not a professional. When I do children's events I use my two professional degrees to do so.

You wouldn't call an actor a non professional because they do kids shows or background work. You really wouldn't differentiate in any other field between people who work with kids and people who don't as one being professional and one not. And honestly I think its arrogant and ignorant for anyone to create rigid parameters of a vague still evolving career.

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Thanks, Raina! Well put!

I don't think breath-holding has ANYTHING to do with one's "professionalism" as a mermaid. Professional Mermaiding is an emerging market with wildly diverging specialties.

And Clowning and Acrobat are definitely two entirely different things...both highly specialized professions.

I was trying to think of a way to put it without equating it to my career as a photography professional! (Hobbyist/enthusiast, Amateur, Advanced Amateur, Semi-Pro, Pro)

[AniaR]

Most of us who are hired for any form of entertainment are hired specifically because we are mermaids. Specifically because clients want professional mermaid skills. And it shouldn't be looked down as anything other than professional. But I wouldn't expect someone who doesn't do mermaiding for a living to understand anymore than they would any other job they don't do. And honestly if you're going to separate mermaids who work with kids as not professional mermaids... By that same thinking mermaids who freedive are professional free divers who wear a mermaid tail. Or professional actors and models who wear a tail etc.

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[AniaR]

P.s Circe du Solei was started by two clowns and after talking to both circus performers and clowns ( we have two circus schools here) clowns make more money. So maybe that wasn't the best comparison. Though I can't imagine you actually know enough about that area to make inferences either.

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[Coradion]

P.s Circe du Solei was started by two clowns and after talking to both circus performers and clowns ( we have two circus schools here) clowns make more money. So maybe that wasn't the best comparison. Though I can't imagine you actually know enough about that area to make inferences either.

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It's okay Raina, yet again you know more about my life than I do . Thank you for that bit of enlightenment. Just like when you were telling me about how the mermaid divers at the aquarium I worked at contacted you, when Waikiki Aquarium never had mermaid divers. I'm glad I can write down what I think of as a professional mermaid. I used to do pro dance and acro in China, I made about a thousand yuan a night, four or five nights a week and had to go to several hours of dance and flexibility training practice each day. I worked with an acro group here on island and was trained by individuals like Jenyne Butterfly. I'm sure you MUST know who she is. Oh, did I mention I was offered a sponsored spot at an academy in LA which is a feeder program for Cirque.

I did NOT say I think less of people who work with kids. Re-read my post again, and nope I didn't say I think less of people who work with kids. Hm... are you inventing things again? Must not be, because you're a professional. I think you should add to your definition list that a professional is someone who cyber bullies people to the point that they leave forums and make their own. Wavedancers of Atlantis ring any bells?

[AniaR]

I never said I was contacted by them. I have told you repeatedly that I used the word aquarium because I didn't realize there WAS A Difference between that and oceanarium. But apparently you ignored those posts and keep calling me a liar despite my offering to forward you the emails, the contact name and phone number of the person who contacted me. You seem to have a habit of arguing with me and then never reading my replies where I give you all the information you ask for. You go to the bitch thread to passively aggressively complain about me validating myself? (but in a round about way you're doing exactly what you accuse) Lol you've previously called me a liar. Previously said I don't count as a professional and had some pretty vocal thoughts over thinking I shouldn't write a book. You recently told me off in a 2 year old thread because you didn't understand the context. If you're going to continue following me around to be critical about areas in which you have less experience than me ( like working with kids) expect me to respond in kind. Also didn't realizing clowning was the same as dancing and acro work.

You're the pro mermaid police but still using my tutorials eh? ( Dr. Sketchy)

Go complain about me on your other forum. All that goes on there is complaining about me and iona . I haven't even been on it but every met network member messaged me with the b.s. still waiting to be arrested for faking a screen shot over here. ( a screenshot I might add I had nothing to do with sending to mods or taking) please. Tell me more . They also made their other forum when I wasn't even ON this one. I didn't use it for months. Had zero activity. So not sure how I bullied anyone into leaving. I wasn't even here. lol. They made a new forum because they were held accountable to the rules here, and didn't like that. However, that forum is the same as yuku. If you slander people, it only takes one click on "legal" for me to remove all the threads. That's the whole reasons why we upgraded to our own. So probably something to look at if you're going to keep calling me a liar for a post you misunderstood.

edit: plus you missed the point of Citrine's whole post. YOU don't get to decide who and what is professional.

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[AniaR]

Don't assume all my points are directed at you either since I viewed the same statements vitrine viewed from the two mermaids putting people down. We've spoken about it and reflected on it outside of the forum, and I find the professional anything debate quite interesting as it also pertains to other fields I work in such as music, modelling, and photography.

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[AniaR]

*citrine (tapatalk won't let me edit)

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[Mermaid Kelda]

I believe professional means exactly what it sounds like - that it's your profession.
What makes you a professional photographer? Taking great photos? Or getting paid? I'd argue there are many "professional" photographers whose shots aren't all that great, but they get paid to do it because people don't know any better. Similarly, there are amazingly talented photographers who don't take photos to get paid - they take photos because they love doing so. So, whether you're professional doesn't equate to whether you're good at what you do. But I suppose that depends on how you actually want to define "professional". In this case, I used the dictionary's definition

Also, is a photographer suddenly not professional any more if they start specialising in kids' parties? If they still take great photos and get paid to do so, why does working with kids suddenly boot them out of the A-league?
I don't think anyone gets to define what makes you a pro mermaid by any means other than whether or not you get paid, when, like Raina said, it's such a vague and growing field.

As for the comparison between "clown" and "acrobat"... I don't understand that one :\ what makes a clown any less professional if they get paid to do it? Does "professional" have to mean "goes to great physical effort"? Or are you just defining it based on what you think is graceful or beautiful or important? Because that's subjective as hell.

[ShyMer]

Some mers can swim at great depths and hold their breath a long time and are not professional mermaids. Having these skills may be good for a pro mermaid to have, but it's not the main qualifier. It's not logical.

You could probably say that there are different kinds of professional mermaids, though, which could account for some of the confusion.

[SeaGlass Siren]

KUmBAYA my lorrrd


This is getting tiring lol..