What’s an old hobby you loved as a kid? I wouldn’t necessarily enjoy being outside, but man did I love to create stories. My aunt on my dad’s side, Sharon, was only 3 years older than me and 2 years younger than my brother. The three of us would root through my Grandmother’s basement, grab random clothes and props, and put on little performances for my grandmother and my parents. I don’t recall my dad ever being there, though. Not sure if that’s correct or just a failure of memory.

It was one of the few times my brother and I wouldn’t end up fighting, and it was a great chance to go ham. I always wanted to be some sort of actor; I enjoyed the ability to try on a new personality or create a new adventure. It’s no surprise I turned to reading and to playing video games as I got older.

I’d also engage more in creative writing in my grade school classes. I did less of it in High School, but that was mostly due to the lack of classes requiring them. My friends had tried to write a play a few times, but we always had trouble coming up with a coherent plot. I think creative writing is a great opportunity to help minds explore the world around them, and it gives them the chance to see the world through the eyes of another person. I think that’s why my love for writing, even as my passion and energy for writing died away in the wake of surviving the US job market, has stuck with me through the years.

Now that I’ve found a reliable job with a genuinely supportive office environment, I’ve had the chance to actually stretch out and focus on my own happiness instead of merely what I could push myself to achieve. It helps most days, though I do still struggle to get in some writing. These blog posts have definitely been a double-edged sword: in some ways, I’m pushing myself to write, and in others, I’m seeing this as the only requirement for my week. I’ve fallen into a routine that doesn’t provide for my book or my dreams of creating internet videos. I signed up for a drawing class to start my journey toward drawing comics and creating animated shorts of some sort. I’m not sure how soon I’ll be creating those, but I’m excited to be creating again. I need to harness it while I can, and build some habits that help me to keep my commitment matched with action. Working at it, and keeping at it, will help make my dreams a reality. I don’t know if I’ll ever make it big, but I hope to be authentically me throughout the whole journey.