That Realization
As I've been thinking about my future a lot, especially lately, I wanted to take some time to think about what brought me here. What decisions in life brought me to this moment, an ASU grad with a bachelor's degree in film, contemplating my future. And while many people will say that every choice we make in life brings us exactly where we are, I say that there is an instant, a specific moment, that really solidifies the future. For me, that monumental moment was my senior year in high school. I had always loved writing. I have notebooks filled with my story ideas, some only a few pages, some well on their way to becoming novels. So, naturally when I was considering potential career paths, I considered creative writing. It wasn't until my high school science teacher/academic decathlon coach pulled me aside and said that I NEEDED to do something in film, that I seriously started to consider it. It wasn't that she was telling me what to do with my life. But as someone who had spent the better part of three years getting to know me: my fears, my dreams, my hopes, and every single idea that made up the sum total of my existence, I took that moment as a sign. Up until that specific point in time, movies and television were just hobbies for me. And when I say hobby, I really do mean hobby. I was passionate about it. It was and still is a medium that can make me feel to my very core. I guess you could also say that I've never been a film buff in the traditional sense of the word. There are still many "crucial" films in the history of cinema that I have yet to see. Do I feel any less educated for it? No. For my own film history is something that has become a part of me, and the movies that grace my own personal collection do so, not because all critics and serious film students would approve, but because each and every one of those films have given me something. Hope: that my pathetic love life would eventually become something powerful, Love: for the least fortunate of people, empathy: for the events in which I can't fully understand, and happiness: for the idea that there is still innocence, purity, love, and good people in the world. I am someone who lives very much for the idea that the world is basically good. You might say that's why I watch the movies that I do. Animated movies are a huge part of my world. I am never too old for a good animated movie. I watch with the enthusiasm of a little child, basking in the imagination of so many creative people. On a planet that is so cynical and downtrodden it thoroughly warms my heart to see such valuable lessons gracing the themes in children's movies. It makes me wonder when we, as human beings, deemed ourselves too old to learn the lessons of these movies. And why do we, as a society, consider these notions childish and naive? If we could all take to heart these morals, the world would be a much better place. I guess you could say that I'm just a big child at heart. And my goal for my future career is to bring that same joy that I so often experienced to the next generation. It's a cause that, in my opinion, is just as important as many others.