Life Is A Movie: How I Discover Magic In My World
Recently, I’ve been thinking more about my life as a movie. I’m obsessed with film — all types of it. I love photography, movies, tv shows, YouTube, TikTok, any type of visual storytelling.
I also grew up loving acting. I was a theater kid, played piano, took voice lessons, and was in most of our school plays. There was a point though when I let perceived judgement creep into my love of performing. I started to hide before play practice, skip my music lessons, and discount my creative hobbies to friends. It was a waning process until one day, I stopped all of it completely.
Over the pandemic, I rediscovered the magic in my world through creativity. I wrote music and stories, started a blog, kicked off a podcast, and recorded daily vlogs on TikTok. I loved coming up with new people to interview or concepts to write about or moments to capture on my phone. I loved editing it all. I loved sharing it, no matter how scary it was at first. It’s funny how the things that we are truly passionate about have a way of coming back to us.
Taking passions seriously and trying new things can be intimidating as an adult. I think a lot of that comes from the pressure we put on ourselves. Adults are portrayed to us as stern, “real,” wearing button-up shirts, having a hyper-focus on a job, and chuckling at young people. I never felt like that definition fit me. But, I saw friends acting like that; I noticed coworkers thriving in a corporate setting; I was talking about building a future with my now husband, Luke. As a result, I started taking myself so seriously and I felt as if the creativity that once drove my life forward was a distant memory in my rearview.
Thankfully, quarantine allowed me the time to ditch that antiquated idea of what an adult looked like. The version of myself I was acting like wasn’t fulfilling or exciting or interesting to me. So, I changed. My new, ever-evolving definition of adulthood fits me much more. It looks something like this…I’m not serious, at least not all the time. I love watching movies and obsessing over up-and-coming stars. My favorite way to unwind is TikTok. I write angsty, sad songs on my keyboard. I’m a big dreamer, no matter how delusional it may sound. It’s being okay with who I am and enjoying what makes me happy.
Discovering magic is rare in this world. When we do feel something that lights us up, I hope we have the confidence to go after it, no matter how old or young we are. In 2023, I’m going to do more of what I love. I’m going to keep growing in a way that feels right to me. And, like I’m doing today, I’ll be recording and documenting the whole damn journey.
