It has always been a dream of mine, ever since I was little, to create award winning films that
inspire people for ages. Growing up, however, I was encouraged by peers and others who I
looked up to not to go down that path. They told me, to instead, think about what my passions
are and apply it to a “real job.” I, as a senior in high school at the time, took their advice and
applied to Purdue University to study Public Relations and Advertising. Though I have fallen in
love with my major, I miss the days when I was able to do what I wanted, creating new worlds
from past experiences, and making up characters with whom I would fall in love with. People
say they know what they are passionate about the moment they get their hands on something…
for me, however, it was not that easy.
I have always loved doing things with a camera… photography and video. However, I never felt I
was the best at it. I faced imposter syndrome when I looked at my work thinking I was never
going to be a good enough photographer or videographer. I was a perfectionist. It took until my
junior year of college, this year in fact, to finally realize that my passions lie with holding and
operating cameras. People began to notice the work I was creating and commenting on it… and I
even got internships and leadership positions surrounding the world of video (as far as marketing
and advertising go).
The job that finally did it for me was being a social media mogul for the Hub on State Street.
Here, I get to create content for their social media platforms. My managers always commented
on how professional my photos looked and how much they loved them. My parents even
commented that this is what I was born to do. So, I scraped up enough money and will finally be
moving from my iPhone 11 to a nice camera.
It is ok to not know where your passions lie. For some it takes seconds and for others it may take
a long time just as it did for me. You must dip your toes into many different things to figure out
where your heart lies and if that means finding things you despise (journalism for me) then so be
it. Not everyone is going to be good at everything and not everyone is perfect. In fact, if someone
tells you they are perfect then they are lying and not successful. The people who make the most
mistakes will end up being the most successful. And making mistakes and overcoming
perfectionism is how I discovered my passion for video and photography.