#NerdsUnite: The Ramblings of a Raconteuse (Choosing the Artist's Life)
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Helenna. We met on twitter not too long ao, and she's totes mcgotes one rad chiquita banana with a flare for all things flair! That's right, Helenna here is what we call an artsy fartsy nerd. She's a poet, into all things dramatic arts, and she's going to come on board to write each week about her love of said drama. Well not like actual drama drama, like some cat fight shit - but you get the idea.
I only have one thing left to say ... HIT IT HELENNA!!! </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @Helslevy
Lately I have been listening to a podcast called Inside Acting. At the end of each episode hosts AJ and Trevor ask their guest (and I’m paraphrasing), whether they “chose the artistic career they’ve found themselves in, or if they think IT chose them.”
I’ve been thinking a lot about this answer and what I would say if I was asked that quesiton.
I’ve written before about the intensity of pursuing an artistic career as well as the fact that I feel I am a slave to the muse.
My first reaction was that of course I feel like this career and life path chose me. After all I would never want to do anything else. Being an artist is who I am.
But if I actually dig deeper, that isn’t entirely true.
While I know that I have a Muse that whispers in my ear constantly and is the driving force in what keeps me on the artistic path, the truth is that I absolutely know I chose this way of life.
I say this with complete confidence because I know a lot of people who also have a Muse tugging at their heart. The difference is in the fact that they have chosen a more traditional path and a “normal way of life,” whereas I wake up every day and make the very conscious decision to push forward in a completely unstable career path.
There is no safety, no security. Just passion and sheer determination.
It would be so much easier to have chosen a life where I’d know what I’d be making each month, have a solid financial portfolio, and perhaps a couple of kids. But instead, I have chosen a life of no guarantees. A life where each and every day I am creating my destiny and fulfilling my dreams. And this is absolutely a choice. And I believe it is a choice that makes me pretty darn brave.
As long as I keep waking up every morning planting my feet on the ground, and recommitting to embracing my life as an artist, I know I’m on the right path.
What about you? Do you have a Muse tugging at your heart? Do you choose to listen or walk in a different direction? I’d love to hear about your journey.
#xoxo hels
tweet me at: @helslevy
browse me at: helennasantoslevy.com
email me at: contacthelenna@gmail.com