“Working hard for something we do not care about is called stress, working hard for something we love is called passion.”
- Simon Sinek
Why? Why have I been blogging, creating YouTube videos, and sending out a newsletter? On the surface, it might appear that I am just doing this until there is a resurgence in entertainment. To be honest, when I started this back in March I thought this was the case too. As I reflect on this past year and my life journey I realize that all of this is so much more than that. When I created my YouTube channel, I did it to "take a moment to laugh, think, discuss, and just be with you". While this reigns true, there is a grander purpose behind all of it.
At first glance, I didn't see the full picture. I took a step back and looked at the past nine months and saw a less pixelated image but yet it was still very blurry. Okay, so let me take one more step back. I looked at the past 2 years of me working professionally in the arts/entertainment industry and at what I studied at THE Ohio State University. I began seeing the grander picture but I still had to keep walking backward because I saw I was missing things from the overall picture. As I stepped back and took in the experiences I have had in High School, Middle School, my summers growing up, and my childhood I was then able to see the full picture beautifully and clearly. Everything I am doing now has come to fruition because of everything I learned from my first experiences in theater and the arts to my brief stint at attempting a pre-vet degree to accepting various parts of my identity.
Becoming the creator that I am now would not have been possible if I wasn't able to accept every part of my identity, lean into vulnerability and courage, and begin following my passion which is rooted in creativity. Before I leaned into my passion, I was working hard to convince myself that I wanted to be a Veterinarian and that led me to a lot of stress and even some breakdowns in the hallway of my college dorm. I had to let go of that "I should be doing" and accept the "this is what I am doing". I have been doing something in the arts community ever since I was 6 years old. Until this past year, I didn't know why I was so drawn to a creative life.
Now that I have the full picture, I know what my why is. I am doing this because working in the arts and entertainment is a place that allows me to challenge the status quo. It allows me to ask questions and look at stories or things differently. It allows me to process what is going on around me. Why have I been doing this? I have been doing this to create a space that allows for community, unity, conversation, and change. In addition to that, creating content that is accessible across the board has been deeply important to me because if everyone can access the same content maybe it will provide for a space that can create unity.
I have found community, conversation, and personal unity throughout my journey in this field. I am not creating for the attention, the views, or name recognition but, I am creating for myself and something bigger than myself. I hope that what I do brings a smile to someone's face, makes someone think about things differently, or brings people together even if it is just one person.
Everything that I am working on now is temporary as everything in life is temporary but, as I continue to grow my picture will grow with it. The way I work might change and what I create might change but, at my core, my "why" will stay the same.
*Keep looking/following your why. Pic November 2020.
***This post was inspired by Simon Sinek's book, Start with Why. If you are interested in buying/reading this book, buy from:
Your local bookstore
thriftbooks.com (other used book stores/websites)
Your local library
bookshop.com (donates money to local bookstores)