What do you burn for? This question was asked to me during my junior year of high school. Mr. Brad Dehart used it in a lesson, and it changed my whole idea of what I wanted in life. BD had us write, draw, like completely destroy one sheet of notebook paper. What made us feel alive, what made us truly happy—with no hesitation, I wrote down that performing is what I burn for. I love the feeling of giving everything I have into a dance, or the roar of the crowd once the work of art is finally released into the world when you know it came from the underground pipes of your mind. Performing saved me from the everyday grind. But, now that I am not doing a lot of preforming as much as I used to, I don’t feel any less than who I am. So, what is it that I burn for? How do you find this burning passion of yours?

Going into college, I had no clue what was expected of me as far as what the hell I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I am currently a communication studies major with a minor in global studies, but at times, I dislike talking to people and I have never traveled outside the United States. It is really horrible timing to ask young people in the middle of their teen years to make a decision on what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Till this day, I remember what drove me to Communication Studies and, to be honest, it has paid off even if it’s not exactly what I burn for. My mother encouraged me to partake in the joyous major, and so far I don’t doubt the decision my mom and I both agreed upon. At the time, I was off of my performance high, and focused on a position I had as a yearbook editor. I realized that I had another burning passion for writing, and creating spreads, talking to people, and discovering new things—and finally I understood what things I truly burn for.

Although in high school my dream was to dance all day, not mind what my salary was, and live in a tiny apartment somewhere with big names like New York or Los Angeles, it was a dream that possessed a short life after I realized it never made me truly happy, but creating was something that made me feel as if I could take on my up and comping college life. Creating art in any form whether it was a poem, painting, dance, song or blog. It was created by me in a way that only made sense to me and the audience that I wanted to reach. When I was preforming, it was others idea of art. It didn’t embody my opinions, or voice. What I wanted was to create my vision, my art and tell my story in a way that is easy for me to understand. Realizing this was hard to do because it didn’t mean I had to choose between two passions, but find how I could fit both into my life, which I think I have done pretty good at.

I have made it to where I take every chance I get to create and perform my art. An open mic, talent show, even a night out with friends. I make sure I get the chance to create work that I feel needs to be presented, and show it to close friends, big crowds or maybe just my Mom (my biggest fan). I make sure it is something that I have made from my own ideas and expresses who I am, and most importantly, I have fun in the creation process. I really don't know where this will get me, but I know if I enjoy what I'm doing, I will never mind where I am.

You don’t have to choose what you want to be or what you burn for. Just remember that if it makes you happy, if it makes you feel alive—you will never work a day in your life. Thanks BD!