I got ahead of myself on the landing page. What can I say? I get excited, especially when I have something to say (nearly always). Let me be kind and rewind this tape to the beginning.
"I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small." - You've Got Mail
I always have. Being from Arkansas usually predestines you for that. It's quiet and simple, where everything looks the same. The people. The places. The food. The entertainment. The politics. At least, that's how I thought about it growing up. I'd spend every waking hour daydreaming about what life would be like if.
What would life be like if I was a pirate? What would life be like if I could travel anywhere? What would life be like if I lived in space? What would life be like if the things I wish never happened to me genuinely never happened to me?
That was the big one — the question from which all the others were born.
"I felt like a scared little kid; I was like...it was above my head." - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I wanted to run. I did run, at least metaphorically. I ran away from everything that hurt me and into the arms of anything that would take my mind off it. Church. Reading. Movies. Music. Girl Scouts. Sports. Boys. Girls. Theatre. Art. Escapism was the name of the game.
It wasn't enough, though. So, eventually, I looked inside. I found troves of places, characters, ideas, thoughts, and dreams, but eventually, I found the other stuff too. The things I'd been running from in the first place were all sitting there, strewn about like inside a hoarder's living room.
"You're more lost than you realize." - Over the Garden Wall
Being much older now and having developed a relatively Type A personality, I could not let the mess go unaddressed. It was time to sort through it. To discover what it means and who it makes me.
The truth is, it doesn't have to make me anyone. After confronting all of the things that made me want to run in the first place, I hold the most steadfast belief that I am the only one in charge of who I am.
"A person should not believe in an -ism; he should believe in himself." - Ferris Bueller's Day Off
A certain level of freedom comes from deciding to follow your dreams, doubly so when you allow your life's traumas to fuel them after you realize that it was a waste of time to be at war with yourself.
As I sifted through everything that had happened to me, I realized that I now have the ability to talk about it. To have an opinion on it. To use it to allow others a glimpse of the world the way I see it.
"Just. What a horrible candle-snuffing word. That's like saying, "He can't climb that mountain; he's just a man," or "That's not a diamond; it's just a rock." - Finding Neverland
I became obsessed with telling my story—not in an "I'm going to write a book about my life" sort of way but rather in a "Let me show you how I think" way. When I write and tell stories now, it isn't because I want to escape something—it's because I want to explore something.
I want to explore a part of myself. I want to explore new ideas. I want to explore what it means to be alive. I want to explore someone else's passions. I want to explore what makes life worth living. I want to explore everything.
"Every good thing in this world started with a dream. So you hold on to yours" - Wonka
Everyone has a dream, big or small. A big part of what I've been doing for the past five years is telling the story of those dreams. Knowing the dream is essential when marketing for small businesses. It guides the story and every bit of material you create, from press releases and articles to simple one-line captions on Instagram. Everything tells the story, and while I continue to elevate the dreams of others, it's also finally time to start chasing my own.
I am currently pursuing an MFA in Screenwriting at DePaul University's School of Cinematic Arts and taking classes at Second City Chicago to compile the skills and tools necessary to explore the stories that live in me.
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