The power of yes! 

I grew up wanting to be a vet. After watching an episode of Dr. Pol on Nat Geo and realizing the career would be more than just playing with puppies, I opted out. Soon after I started telling people, I was going to be a triple threat and graduate from Julliard. At the time, I had no acting experience, the only singing experience I had was from elementary school recitals, and I would attend weekly dance classes, but I was not gifted enough to make dance a profession. Although my dreams of becoming a triple threat eventually dissolved, my passions for exploring multiple subjects and skills always lingered. I constantly joined clubs and sports. I tried horseback riding, gymnastics, jewelry design, swimming, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and more. I never denied an opportunity to try something new and so I dedicated my life to becoming a forever beginner, a forever learner. My hobbies have helped me pursue my new dream of being a forever learner and doing multiple things.  

Perhaps the most important yes!, I ever declared was when deciding on what university to attend. I was living in Costa Rica and having trouble choosing. Eventually, I landed on LMU because of the smaller class sizes and the campus. When it came time to start, I felt overwhelmed. I was moving to a new country all alone and would be surrounded by strangers. As an introvert, leaving my comfortable group of friends and having to make new friends frightened me. And although some days were rough eventually, LA became my new home. But this yes! did not just bring me to a new traffic filled city, it provided me with new passions and dreams. Having the most prominent city for film as a backdrop, I quickly realized I wanted to tell stories for the screen. I started making weekly trips to the AMC, then occasional visits to the Vista Theater, watching movies older than me and loving it. Today I am an aspiring filmmaker sharing diverse voices and underrepresented stories. It took one daunting yes! to access a lifelong passion.  

A powerful yes! usually comes accompanied. A fear of failure often keeps us from experiencing the unknown. We can be too scared to jump and not land on our feet. But what is worse than that fear is never knowing. Never knowing if you had jumped, you would have realized you could fly. Or jumping and falling but finding something invaluable about yourself when you stand up. Never knowing is terrifying and not trying for the possibility of failure is not a strong justification. So, we need to jump. I jumped into the frigid ocean when I got my scuba license, and I witnessed some of the most beautiful life 80 ft underwater. I jumped into life in a new country and found the art I want to dedicate my life to. I jumped into a struggling industry I knew nothing about. I jumped last month when I decided it was not too late for me to learn to play guitar. It can be a leap or a hop, but it must be done because saying yes! can change your life and you do not want to miss it. 

I often feel the pressure of being shoved in a box with constraints on my goals. But we are inherently evolvers. We shapeshift when the situation calls for it, and so I do not fit in a box. Artists create worlds from nothing. We expand our knowledge of the world then dissect it and uncover something new. It seems all those times my female ancestors were discouraged or prohibited from pursuing their passions. All those times they were denied something of their own, something they could do just for themselves. It feels like all their aspirations were passed down to me and now I carry the torch of their combined career dreams. And I am completely indebted to them for my seeking out strong and complex female characters when seeking and telling stories. Because I want to take up space and unapologetically experience every creative enterprise I can. I might be an English major, but I want to work in social media, operate a camera, have my own business, be a journalist, I want to try it all. And yes!, I will. 

I consider my exhausting list of interests a strength. I will continue to foster my ability to say yes! to a challenge and expand. It seems employers want a polished resume one that is concentrated and shows clear interest in wanting to pursue a career in the position, but they also want someone well rounded and balanced whose life is more than just a profession. As is they were more impressed by a person who is only good at one thing rather than a versatile and well-rounded individual with experience in a variety of subjects. So why are we prioritizing streamlined experiences instead of diverse ones? Our knowledge is valuable. Being passionate and practicing different things doesn’t make us less focused or less prepared; it makes us more dynamic.  

I should mention some extremely talented people who are pioneers in this professionally limiting society. Firstly, Audrey Hobert. She went to school for screenwriting and is now on the rise to pop stardom (literally living my dream life). No one limited her and she’s thriving in both realms. Also Cooper Raif is an insane writer/director/actor because who said you couldn’t do all three? And of course Jesse Eisenberg who does those things too PLUS, casts Oscar worthy supporting actors. Celine Song is one of my favorite filmmakers and makes waves in the industry as a writer/director/playwright. If you thought three jobs was hard and unobtainable then Molly Gordon will blow your mind. She writes/directs/acts/sings/serves/is hilarious/ and yes! I’m being objective. I mean talk about trying everything she’s literally the epitome of everything. What is fascinating about these individuals is how they don’t wait to get opportunities from others they create opportunities for themselves. They don’t wait for permission. They have an idea and have agency to bring forth the vision. They do not wait for someone else to say yes! they do so on their own. 

Now that we have highlighted some multi hyphenated/talented/versatile individuals, I think it is important to diversify our interest and to experiment with the topics we have not always been encouraged to discover. Not only will this make us more capable creatives, but it will also help us become better humans. Being involved in new environments exposes us to new opinions, ideas, and people which help us broaden our views and perspectives. Staying stagnant should never be satisfactory but embracing the new and not always being the best at something is an approach more people should explore. We should obsess over doing more and learning constantly because it is our right to do so. We should want to create and tell stories in different ways with different people even if they are flawed. No one is looking for perfection but merely the effort and the practice of putting yourself out there and trying something new. Have courage and find new passions. Adopt the forever learner mindset. Say yes!