Image Source: https://brightsidelive.com/tyler-creator-interviewed-pharrell-camp-flog-gnaw-video/

Too often we think that we’re supposed to have it all figured out. We stress ourselves out and let anxiety rule our minds. It’s normal.

We go through our whole lives trying to figure out what it is that we are talented at and how can we make a living off of it. Once we find our niche, we think that it’s the only avenue we are supposed to be cruising on. We get so comfortable on that avenue that other streets begin to look foreign to us. When we discover that we have other talents and skills, it scares us a bit. We are wondering where the hell did these particular skills come from, this doesn’t fit into the original plans we had for our lives.

It’s normal.

If we were meant to just be one-dimensional people, our lives would be as flat as Pepsi with the top off. We go through cycles of figuring out who we are. These cycles last a lifetime, I’m beginning to discover. I wasn’t really solid on who I wanted to be as a creative until I was 22 and I’m almost 27. Hell, I’m still not completely solid on what I want to do creatively for the rest of my life.

I’ve learned not to fret about it.

Some people are meant to just do one thing while others are meant to have a variety of things on their creative menu. I know, as a kid, I started out wanting to be a writer. From elementary school until now, I have been a great writer. I always wanted to write a book of some sort, but as I grew older, the type of writing I wanted to do changed. I went from wanting to write short stories to wanting to write news stories. I really couldn’t even tell you where the turn happened.

In high-school, I realized that I really have an ear for good sound when it comes to music. I was into the back-pack hip-hop, as some of my peers call it, and a lot of old-school hip-hop. So one day I just decided to start calling myself a music producer and a rapper. People were buying it, it was so crazy. Producers such as Pharrell and Timbaland inspired me. I was pretty much sure that once I left high-school I was going to have some type career in music.

Plot Twist.

Once I graduated from high-school officially, I say that because it took me a little while to get it together, I took a break. It was pretty much forced because I was still dealing with things from high-school such as actually being able to hold my diploma in my hands. At that time the whole music producer phase I was experiencing deteriorated. I started college and I had to figure out what I wanted to do, so I thought. I didn’t want to waste money on being in school and not knowing what I was there for. So I decided to take up a media degree because that would basically cover all areas that I would ideally have skills for. During that time I was still playing around because I hadn’t grown up yet.

Fast forward.

I took a three-year break from college. During that time I started this blog and figured I’d write about gossip, music, film, and everything else that pop culture entails. This way, everything I love is in one spot and I have control over what I wanted to talk about. At this point, I was just a blogger and I was finding my way. As the years went by, and I’m almost at five, my passion changed. I knew that writing about what’s in the now would get me some attention, but how long would it last? I started thinking about what I wanted to do long-term. I’m still not 100 percent sure. My writing started to change, I started writing in a more journalistic style because that is what I found appealing and right up my alley. As my aesthetic changed, so did my audience and I ran with it.  I started writing for others and being published, something I thought I would never do. I got to see what it takes to build a team and realized I wasn’t ready for it yet. I’ve also met some great people along the way.

Picture time.

Shot by Shae McCoy of Coy-Op photos

Along with my beautifully written articles, I liked to include pictures. I didn’t want to get sued for the pictures I took off of google for my article so I had to come up with a plan. One day I went on Facebook scouting for a nice DSLR camera so that I could start taking my own pictures. The responses weren’t instant, but I waited a while and received what I had asked for. A friend of mine messaged to let me know that she was selling her camera because she had no use for it. The price we negotiated was perfect and it was the last I had in my pocket at the time. Once I got that camera I just started traveling everywhere with it. My original plan was to just take pictures for my article, but there were other plans for me apparently. I ended up being at festivals, corporate events,  and concerts because of my “eye.” I didn’t expect it, I just went out almost every day with my camera expecting to capture something pleasing to the eye. I’ve been doing photography for almost 2 years now and I wouldn’t imagine having so much love for it. As much as I try to fight my thoughts, I believe I love it more than writing right now. Maybe I was put on earth to capture the best moments life could offer.

I say all of this to say, change is ok. Welcome it, whatever you end up doing in life, just show love to it. Do not reject it because it may be your true calling.  A great creative is not stagnant.