Wow I just wanted to see if I could remember omg sorry for the novel
____
(1-3rd grade) First, I wanted to be a singer/actress combo. Very Hannah Montana inspired. I even made my mom take me to some scammy commercial audition in Philadelphia. Memorized this coco puffs script, and then at the end they just told us I would be a star, only if we signed up for their thousands of dollars of acting classes. LOL.
(3rd-5th grade) Then, I wanted to be a Doctor, a Pediatric Oncologist. My brother had cancer when we were kids, and Iād had medical jargon stuck in my head that I thought would impress adults around me.
(5th-6th grade) Then I had my astronaut phase. That realization that thereās literally nothing cooler. My dad also said he wanted to be an astronaut when he was a kid and I think that inspired this era.
(6-7th grade) Then, kinda major for me, I said I wanted to be an architect at these last day of 5th grade interviews. It was the first thing I could think of that merged art + ālogisticsā for lack of a better world. And that intersection really intrigued me (foreshadowing).
(8-9th grade) Then, I wanted to be a Magazine Editor. I loved tween mags like Tigerbeat etc, but it was me getting into Vogue - being so inspired by Anna and the world around āThe September Issueā. Think there was a documentary. My best friend wanted to be a fashion designer. These both came true for us š„¹
(10-12th grade) Then, I wanted to be some kind of corporate business woman. Era of romanticizing the title āCEOā.
(First year) Then, and now weāre in college, I wanted to be an āinternational laywerā crossed with some sort of diplomat. Would have been pretty dope ngl and I loved my degree in IR. But an internship at a law firm turned me off of it and I realized no matter what I a) didnāt want to sit somewhere wishing time away And b) wanted to wear whatever I wanted at work.
(Second year) Then, I remember I told my finsta followers that I wanted to be āa creatorā in my career and not have to say anything else. Some sort of Kanye moment of mine.
(Third-Fourth year) Then, another monumental moment was a conscious notion of me saying to people that the career for me was something āI donāt know exists yetā. Whatever that era was really worked in my favor, sort of manifested falling into āCreative Strategyā out of college which quite literally, I asked them in my interview what it was.
Loved that gig, am since working across a spectrum of Creative Direction, Production, + Editorial. I think little me would think I was super weird + also be rooting me on š¹After Iāve wrung out all my creative juices, I also plan to go back to school to become a Therapist in my 60s/70s
1d ago
Comments (2)
Make an account to reply.
Loving that idea where a career is something you have yet to create (literally). We often think of our involvement with the world in a ācheck of a certain boxā kind of way, rather than being intentional with new possibility.
Iāve always struggled with this, as I work as both a writer / EIC and a curator in the visual art world of museums, galleries, and creating my own projects with my organization. Itās hard to narrow down what this becomes for me, I want to do crazy things.
1d ago
Related Recs
šŖ“
Iām not going to call this gifted kid burnout which I think is often just a symptom of the popping of the bubble of peopleās confused delusions of grandeur because they didnāt realize that gifted education programs are at best a way of giving specialized and individualized education, and at worst a way of achieving legal segregation in schools.
Not to brag, but my therapist who specialized in EMDR therapy for treating people with trauma told me that I had the most difficult childhood of anyone she had ever treated. It was also filled with beauty and I was encouraged in my many skills and pursuits early on, but the inner rot of compounded repeated traumas, keeping secrets, and hiding my suffering eventually took hold.
I was always a good student but as things at home intensified I cared less and less. A teacher noticed this and tried to take advantage of my vulnerable state. This made matters more complicated for me because still to this day heās my favorite teacher that I ever had; he taught me much of what I know about writing and helped me to develop my skills.
After that, I spent my time in school just coasting along, putting in the minimal amount of effort to no fail. I had no goals or ambition. After graduation, I flitted from service job to service job. I started seeing my therapist and thinking about what I actually wanted to do.
I realized I had one exceptional skill which could be monetized to my advantage and I threw myself into it, grinding to make a living and improve my station in life. This worked and I live in decent material comfort, but Iāve realized the lifestyle I always thought I wanted isnāt what I want at all, so Iām reevaluating that and beginning to explore what that looks like.
There are several different exciting paths of progression my career could take, but Iām also finally working on creative projects for the first time in about a decade, so Iām going to see where life takes me. My best friend tells me I should become certified as a yoga teacher, and going back to school to study psychology and become a therapist would also be tight. I would love to seek a second career.
It took me a long time to get here but Iām trying to actualize and find purposeā¦ Something something Maslowās hierarchy of needs.
May 26, 2024
ā²ļø
As I grew up I always read stories of people accomplishing amazing things and world firsts. Iād read that some virtuosos started practicing at 10, some 11, some 12 etc etc, and with each year that I grew the amount of things I could start and become the best at slowly decreased.
Now I after a stint in chemical engineering I am studying psychology and I couldnāt be happier. My want for uniqueness and appraisal, shifted to a desire to be truly helpful to people and for that I am so greatful.
Oct 19, 2024
š
letās just go down the line
1. my parents almost named me āastridā but my mother hated it so now iām carina. i do think i couldāve pulled it off but itās not their fault they didnāt know i was going to be a tall alt girl with cunty looks. astrid now exists as my alter egoā¦ and she has her own lore as well
2. in high school i was a dedicated theater kid, and during my senior year i was involved in not one, but two productions of legally blonde the musical. the first round (at my local community theater) my good friend beat me out as elle to my own personal disappointment, but it did not deter me from being an all star sorority sister/lawyer/convict/extra etc. during our closing week, my high school announced we would be doing legally blonde as the senior musical. i essentially told the director she WOULD be casting me as elle and i would barely need rehearsal as i was born with this soundtrack in my veins and had the entire script memorized already. she didnāt like my attitude but cast me anyway as i was clearly born for the role. now iām a pop star so.. it tracks. and yes itās on youtube and i canāt remember my login itās stuck there forever
3. there is lore in every one of my breakups, no matter how large or small a role they played in my life. after a two month situationship ghosted me in 2018 i went fully batshit and i believe it launched my journey as an artist today, sparking a photo series of self-portraits reflecting on the complexities of being a multi-dimensional woman in the age of online dating. since then my art and my life have continued to mirror each other in a cheeky dance that i am sure some larger force above is pulling the strings on, and laughing with me in delight. oh how divine to be in such comedic dialogue with the universe! oh to be an artist!
4. i also did acapella in college and there is a LOT of proof because in a way that is very on brand for me, our group just smoked a lot of weed and made music videos with the film students. great times
Jul 7, 2024
Top Recs from @dagny
š¤²
Stay humble
Feb 7, 2024
š¤
-Donāt get wifi on planes
-Look up from phone on bridges/around bodies of water
-Headphones actively taken out when there are buskers, street performers, preachers
-Phone fully powered off during movies
-Phone stays in pocket at concert
-Exchange phone number with a crush instead of InstagramĀ
-No more than 2 cameras on a person blowing their bday candles out
-If you have find my friends only use it for emergencies
No problem with cyborg behavior tho if youāre owning it
Dec 8, 2024
š½
I take my dog out to get tired and stop bothering me, I take myself out to get tired and stop bothering me
Nov 14, 2024