In honor of the 89th Academy Awards ceremony, I’ve decided to dedicate this article to all the artists of the world.

Every year, we slump on our coaches and watch Hollywood stars stunning 15,000 dollar outfits and shedding tears behind a shiny podium. We obsess over the famous men and women who have committed themselves to their artistic works. We fall in love with the movies they write, the characters they portray, and the magical picture they create on screen.

What’s baffling to me is the fact that these artists are annually praised and yet pursuing a career in the arts is typically degraded. Right?

Whenever you ask someone what they want to do with their life and they say, “actor” or “writer,” an array of judgments quickly fills your brain. Then you proceed to ask them what their “backup plan” is or if “you’ve seen them in anything.”

Assuming that the “artsy” people in this world are never going to be successful has become a social commonality. In today’s society, so many people are quick to judge all of the fine arts majors or the struggling actors that are insanely courageous enough to constantly sell themselves at their millions of auditions. You doubt their talent and find their far-fetched dream laughable. It’s funny to you that people could be “crazy enough” to try to make their dream come true. Since it’s so difficult to “make it” in the world of acting, singing, writing, producing, directing, designing, composing, and all the other artistic fields, people assume it’s foolish to pursue these careers. And, some people don’t even classify these fields as careers.

It’s hypocritical, right?

How can you adore them when they “make it” if you were putting them down when they were on their journey to become successful?

The Oscar-nominated film, La La Land, encapsulates the obstacles two artists encounter while falling in love and struggling to not give up on their dreams. It depicts the real-life difficulties of finding someone who appreciates your work and the diligence it entails.

I want to thank La La Land for opening my eyes to the beauty of the “fools who dream.”

If you have an unnerving passion that keeps you up every night with constant happy thoughts of you “making it" or if doing what you love makes your heart race and your adrenaline build up in crazy amounts, don’t give up on it. Don’t let those people tell you that you shouldn’t take that risk. If it's your dream, why wouldn’t you try to make it come true?

I want to be a writer and I doubt myself all the time. I let people’s judgments discourage me and I wallow in my insecurities. I constantly tell myself that “I’m not good enough” and that “I don’t have what it takes.” Now I know what you’re thinking, aren’t you the real hypocrite?

I’m always thinking about giving up on my dream. I’m always letting the negative people in my life influence the way I think. I let them crush all the characteristics that make me a dreamer. However, every year, when I sit on my comfy leather couch and tune into the annual Academy Awards ceremony, all of those doubts go away. The people on that bright stage receiving those shiny gold awards inspire me. They didn’t simply slip in that 15,000 dollar dress and smile for the camera. They never gave up on their dream. And, look at them now.

So, “here’s to the fools who dream.” “Foolish as they may seem…”