To the outsider:
Whatever your hobby is, however odd it may be, stick with it if you love it and stick with it forever if it enriches your life.
I'm going to share my hobby with you.
I'm not sure if I'd consider myself to be an outsider, but I used to feel like one when I was younger. I think a lot of it had to do with having a hobby that nobody else my age in my small Missouri town had. Now, as I have discovered the brilliance of social media, I have connected with so many cool people online who share my passion for classic entertainment. I have also found that having a "different" hobby can be so fun. I also find this to be true with dressing up in funky vintage clothing. Just go for it. Have fun. Be groovy. Do your own thing. Share it with others.
I was brought up on a good mixture of classic and contemporary film and television, but I got hooked on the classics when I was older. I have memories of watching a lot of "The Three Stooges" shorts and lots of old musicals. I always loved watching them.
I got older, entered elementary school, then middle school, and mostly forgot about old movies and TV. I spent a lot of my time watching "The Benchwarmers" in middle school (I still think that movie is funny, however stupid it may be - total guilty pleasure). I rediscovered the magic of old movies after I signed up for Film 1 in fall 2009 - my sophomore year of high school. The film that brought me back into the world of classic film? "Singin' in the Rain." After that, I started digging back into that fantastic world.
Another milestone: In the summer of 2011, the summer before my senior year of high school, I happened to pick up a few Marx Brothers movies from the local library. I became obsessed with the Marx Brothers. I started crushing on Chico Marx because of the gorgeous faces he made when he played the piano onscreen and how he made so many silly puns while running around like a maniac. I feel like I could fit in with the onscreen Marx Brothers. They're amazing. In my senior year, I read several of their autobiographies/biographies, collected their movies in DVD box collections, and followed cool blogs dedicated to them on Tumblr.
As I've been through college, I haven't lost my passion for classic film. If I'm feeling bad in any way, I know I can seek solace by going to the DVR or my pile of DVDs and find it there. I also owe a big thanks to Turner Classic Movies for fueling my love. I don't know how many old films I've discovered through the years, but the number is pretty big. I've watched all kinds: iconic, obscure, bad, etc. I've laughed until it aches at movies and I've cried to some. Some have deeply inspired me. I have fallen in love with actors from 1934 and I've developed a high standard because of classic film gentlemen in those deeply romantic films that air on TCM once in awhile. Right now, I'm trying to discover the films of the 1970s more. What an interesting decade. The 1930s is probably my absolute favorite decade in film history. It's mesmerizing.
Classic film plays a huge part in my life: I now have a classic film blog that I run in my spare time, I've been to Hollywood twice, I've attended a silent film festival in Kansas, I've seen several old films on the big screen (a truly euphoric experience), and I've hosted my own mini classic film festival. Many things are to come. As a 22 year old, I am looking almost every day for a chance to share my love and knowledge of film history with the world. I hope and pray that I can make a career of it.
Whatever your passion is, pursue it. Don't hold back.
