As a little girl, I always thought that by the time I reached my twenties I would have everything I ever hoped for. I used to spend hours dreaming about my nonexistent husband, kids, and our beautiful two-story house. I created this imaginary world that I just knew would be my destiny. Part of that came from the fact that my parents were married right after graduating college. They were able to obtain jobs within their field, and start a beautiful life together. I truly believed that my journey into young-adulthood would be a reflection of what my parents experienced when they were younger.
However, that is not the case. I'm currently 22 years old, pursuing my degree, single, and still trying to figure out how to "adult." Nothing is wrong with any of these realities. I'm currently in a period of rediscovering myself. A big part of the journey to rediscovering myself is falling back in love with the things I loved as a child. In my earlier years at the University of Kentucky, I thought I had everything planned out. I thought that I would become a teacher post-graduation, but I eventually realized that my true calling was in the creative world. So now, I'm an aspiring writer and film/tv professional. This realization came from remembering how much I love writing, TV, and movies.
When I wasn't spending time with my head in the clouds as a kid, I was writing in journals and carrying books around with me everywhere I went. Going to the library was like going to an amusement park for me as a kid. And although I was never a fan of the required summer reading I had to complete for school, I begged my parents to let me enter summer reading challenges at our public libraries and bookstores.
In high school, I wrote part of a young-adult fiction novel with my cousin, but other than the occasional journal entry here and there, I strayed away from something I really loved doing. In the back of my mind, I was always wanting to write again. I slowly started to write small pieces on topics of interest outside of required assignments for my creative writing classes. I started this to try to get back to doing something I love, writing. Last summer I had the opportunity to write stories for Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana, this provided me with the opportunity to start writing again. After leaving the position and returning to campus, I got distracted by schoolwork and other things in life. As a result, I stopped pursuing what I truly love to do.
However, after I was given the opportunity to write for The Odyssey, I realized that I have to get back to doing what I love to do. In every aspect of life. I have multiple ideas for books and screenplays I'm hoping to pursue within the next couple of months. In my journey to rediscover Rana, I remembered that I've always loved art and drawing, so I recently started getting into digital art and creating laptop stickers in a Redbubble shop. I also plan to revamp my podcast, Glowing Hope, and start releasing new episodes.
Overall, I said all of this to say, that it's never too late to start pursuing interests you're passionate about. Don't ever let anyone think that what you're interested in isn't worth going after. Using the talent God has given you to create is one of the most freeing and inspiring things anyone can do. So, if you find yourself in a creative rut, just start thinking about all the things you love and figure out how you can start creating again.
