Networking, giving up forever this time

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Hi. I'm so very upset. My career (music) requires me to network sometimes. I'm terrible at it, and I've tried but besides the difficulties I've always had with knowing what the hell is going on, cancer has made it harder for people to recognize me, because in important performances, my hair has been completely different lengths, colors, and curlinesses. I think some people legitimately don't recognize me. Others, I suspect, want to ignore me on purpose. When I say hello, they glaze over their eyes, don't look at me and it seems I'm not important enough for them to notice. There was a lady that I texted intimate details of cancer surgeries with (she had had a surgery I was thinking of getting, I asked about whether it affected her performance). Well I met her in person this year at our convention, she didn't know who I was, didn't care either, had no interest in saging hello. She also teaches at my Alma mater, so I guess I expected some congeniality. So many other stories like that at this year's convention. I just want to give up forever. I work really hard, and produce music that isn't horrible and is unique, but I guess it's unreasonable to expect that people will want to know me. What else can I do but quit trying and save myself the grief reaction. The grief reaction, after all, is there to prune our activities, making it less desirable for people who don't get rewarded socially to create. It's nature way of making people like me dead in advance. Maybe it's time to go with the flow and agree with what the universe has known all along, that I'm really useless.

I'm sorry that you are in such a difficult situation. I send my sincere moral support to you as I'm not good at giving advice on networking with people. I'm also struggling with having a career due to my inability to connect with people despite my education and capabilities.

I would want to get to know you. You seem interesting.

I'm sorry you're having such a tough time.

I'm having something similar where I tried back going into the 'real world' but didnt have a good experience due to only making superficial acquaintances, I tried a lot of diet and drug related things to treat my ASD but none worked.

I have been Christian for 6 years and I think that is going to be the answer at some point. I suffered the same thing you talked about with glazed eyes when socialising in church.So I'm awaiting whatever the solution is with baited breath.

As far music goes , its a very hard career, i love music but I dont really go looking for anything new. I'm into mostly pop music which to you (a classical musician?) is probably not ideal.
I have listened to some classical and liked very few 'tracks' or whatever you call them...compositions(?)

I only said the above because you were saying that people didn't want to get to know you.

Those are my sincere sentiments----but I also wanted to sort of "prop you up" a little.

You may want someone else to handle your PR while you focus on your music. Most artists of all kinds (musicians, authors, etc.) have people who handle social media, and public relations for them.

Thank you everyone. I'm feeling gradually a little better, seeing a little more of things that are going okay or good. Maybe the particular group of people at the convention I went to is just not my audience. But I do have an audience. They just weren't at that particular place, that's all. So I guess I won't quit. But I will quit chasing anyone who glazed their eyes. I'm not wasting another second on those people.

I really appreciate the support, and knowing that I'm not the only one in the world that struggles like this. It often feels like I am at those conventions, because it seems that everyone else is chatting away, making deals, and they post that they had such a great time--meanwhile I feel like I've been scraping my head against asphalt for four days and just want to get away away far away.

Well, thank you again.

Yes I have that exact experience at church.

Hope you can find a way forward

Sweet Pea hugs