Special by Shelby Skrelunas
To the Creative: Do what you love, enjoy what you do, make life worth it. It’s very cliché but it’s true. What is the majority of our populations’ idea of what our lives are suppose to be? Most would say, “Get a really good high paying job, get married and have kids”. Our world is built up on that idea being our norm and that seems to be everyone’s goal, but why is THAT our only normal? I’m not saying anything is wrong with it, but why is that the only way? I get it, if that’s the life you enjoy, then that’s the life you enjoy and nothing is wrong with it, but there are the few like myself who want to get as far away from it as humanly possible.
I’ve had many conversations with many friends about how we are living, walking, talking robots (metaphorically, of course). We are almost forced to work. Yes, we do need money to survive, money is what our world runs off of and because of this most of us are unhappy, leaving many feeling stuck and as if they don’t have a purpose. You are only successful if you have a high paying job, but why does it have to be like this?
I’m going to give you my (small) backstory, I’m only 21 and I’m still learning but along the way I learned there is more to this life! I come from a successful working family, my parents have their masters and my grandparents are successful influential people as well (and it’s still pretty awesome to come from that kind of family.) I went to college because I felt it was the only way, so I did it, I applied, I was accepted and I went to a university which I had known I didn’t want to be at from the very beginning. I dropped out my sophomore year, for myself and I made this big decision based solely on what I wanted (risky, I know, but worth it.)
Many may think this is a bit dumb and not inspirational, but that’s not what I’m trying to be, nor get everyone to do. There are some people out there who love going to a workplace every single day, who are ecstatic about getting their diploma, and who are made for that kind of life, and we do need those people! They are important and they make this world more innovative. And there are the few creative and different bunch like myself (many may refer to us as lazy) who are stuck and I just want you to know its’ okay. All our years spent as children are spent getting us prepared for the work world, for college, for running our lives like everyone else’s, but not for art, not for creating. Take time for self-exploration and in the process, you will be able to reopen that creativeness you once had as a child. Your mind will explore things that it normally would not, and you’ll think about things that aren’t normally thought of. It’s important to be creative because it allows you to explore your deeper self.
If you are an adventurer, an artist, a creator, you may not make as much money as the people who have hourly jobs but that’s okay! Leave it for the people who enjoy it! This world has a billion things to offer you, there is still so much to learn, to find, to enjoy. This is the mind of a wonderer and many will never understand, but to the few who do, “one day you’ll leave this world behind, so live a life you will remember”.