Here's to the ones who dream

I have lots of admiration for aspiring artists.  From actors to dancers, to poets, to painters, to comedians. They have to put themselves out there, to be judged by others subjectively and to get over rejections repeatedly.  It is not meant for the faint of heart.

I admire them not just because of their rejection threshold, but for their trust in themselves and how they hold on to their "one thing".

The cynics among us would say that artists probably do not have other things to hold on to, or they probably did not study hard enough. I believe it is the other way round, it is us "ordinary people" who do not have that one thing to hold on to. There is no better way for us than to study hard (or hard enough to get by), graduate, land a job and climb the ladder. 

The pragmatists among us would say that we should stop seeking for ‘our calling’, that there is no such thing.  I agree we should not sit and wait for the moment of revelation, there are bills to pay after all.

The dreamer in me still want to try and find that "one thing". But I no longer believe we should pursue only one thing and miss out on everything else. We are more than what we do, more than an entity of the labour market and we should be.

My admiration for artists lies more in the trust they have in themselves, the endless possibilities they see despite countless failings they endure.

So here's to the artists and dreamers!