This was the title of an article I was interviewed for in my first year of university. A piece about the struggle of post-secondary choices, the article dictates my own experience with selecting an appropriate program for myself that would satisfy my ambitions.
Authored by Cassidy Bereskin, then a student herself working with ScholarTree, she'd posted a call out on Facebook for interested interviewees, and I responded.
Looking back on this now, I'm both surprised and reminded. Surprised because in hindsight it's a little outstanding to see what thoughts were rolling through my head at the time. Reminded because these thoughts still stand true.
“My number one advice is to do what you won’t regret. If you know that you’ll regret not going into your field of passion in the future, then opt to choose what you love. Don’t leave yourself any excuses for not trying enough. In the end, this is about you and your happiness."
As I read through the article, I came upon thoughts and feelings I hadn't articulately written out or formed for a while. A lot can happen in a year, needless to say, and in this case, four years! I am now a recent graduate of the BFA Special Honours Dance (Choreography/Performance) program at York University.
Photo by Marissa Magneson.
Questions answered in the article are as such:
What sparked your interest in dance?
How did you deal with pressure from external sources preventing you from pursuing what you were passionate about?
What motivated you to opt to go into the field regardless of that pressure?
What tips would you give to a student looking to study or do what they love but is being pushed in another direction?
Is there anything else you’d like to add or mention?
“As an artist, you’re always going to be dealing with external pressure. Whether that means people who don’t believe in you, people who think you have potential to be studying something much “smarter,” or people who believe it’s just a phase you’ll grow out of eventually, being an artist entails that not everybody is going to like what you do or the work you make."
We are currently amidst the pandemic of COVID-19. Nothing will ever exactly return to what we have become accustomed to as "normal," but then again, what is normal? Who we are now is different from who we were a year ago, a month ago, even a minute ago! It is with a little more experience that I look back on this old article, and it reminds me who I was at the time and how that has informed who I am now.
At the present moment, I'm recovering from ACL reconstruction surgery, which I'll detail in later articles. For now, I thought it'd be beneficial to start my blog with a post about why I ended up taking a chance on my dream after all. It's a bit of hope that I can put out there into the world, and it's a bit more hope for me.
Enjoy :)
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