Real

What exactly does it mean to be real? Is it being blunt? Having no filter? Not putting filters on your instagram posts?

We live in a world where everything is complicated and our social status went from meaning what “class” you were in to how virtually popular you are on any social media platform.

We live in a world where a couple of likes from close friends is nothing compared to over thousands of likes from complete strangers. Our stories on fb and instagram are of the perfect party, bar outing, or nightclub instead of a night at home with wine, your besties and Just Dance.

How did we become such narcissistic pricks? How did we lose sight of the importance of what a real connection feels like?

I’m not going to lie I have two instagram’s, a personal and my blog. At first I updated my personal with a post about my new blog to my 409 followers, however I decided to start from scratch in a judge free zone. I didn’t want to filter myself and wanted to gain an authentic audience. People who I can grow with and get to know. I don’t have thousands of followers, I have 137 on insta and 43 on here and you know what I’m completely okay with that. All of you follow for a reason whether its because you actually read my blog or because you like the positive vibes I post.

You want to be real, okay let’s be real. I’m not 100% happy everyday. There have been days I don’t want to get out of bed, nights where I’d rather stay up talking about pink pandas and laugh about the word fork, and even times where I have no clue if anything I’m writing or posting has made any impact and I’m just wasting time doing this at all.

On those down days I turn to my very real friends who give it to me straight and pull the bandaid off on the count of one. They tell me to wake up, get my life together because that’s what you gotta do sometimes, suck it up and make sacrifices until you find your potential, dream, or whatever you want to call it. They remind you that you aren’t alone in feeling alone about what you should be doing.

But how real is too real? Is being so blunt to the point of not caring if you’re hurting someone worth it? Is lecturing someone to the point of making them feel like they don’t have a damn thing in line okay?

Simple answer, no. Real answer is if you ever get to that point with someone and they tell you all the things that you could be doing, but you’re refusing to give up on your dream and becoming another corporate robot (which I get if that’s your thing) just realize that they want to see you succeed and not struggle. They are trying to give you the best advice to get you to their level, which is sweet.

However, its ultimately your decision. They will most likely get pissed off and think they are wasting their time with helping, but in the long run somewhere down your path you do listen and make decisions based off that lecture. Your work ethic might not be what they did and that’s okay because you see your life going to a place where most just give up and give in.

You want to be real? There are more people in this world that get communication or liberal arts degrees because they don’t know what to do (me however I went back for writing and continue to dance) than try to be a writer, dancer, actor, artist. Its 2018 and we are still being pushed into putting our dreams in a box.

There are more people who are doing creative things for the wrong reasons, such as blogging because it’s the new trend and could be a good gig. It makes it harder for us who want to make a difference in this world by spreading positivity through our art or any for that matter. Everyone wants to be instafamous. No one wants to work hard for anything and the ones who do put in the work are barely getting by.

Sure I can find a cushiony 9-5 job and live the “good life”. I could get up and go to the office Monday thru Friday, have my weekends free, full benefits, 2.5 kids and a lovely home, but you know what, I’m not meant to work in a monotonous environment where my creativity is snuffed out by the people who worked their butts off to get where they are by thinking out of the box in the first place. What an oxymoron that is, am I right?

Before I continue to go off into more crazy rants I also want to make it clear that there is nothing wrong with changing your course to have a better life. If you once were a dreamer, a lover of any form of art and wanted to pursue it but came to terms that it just wasn’t going to happen, than I respect that too. I’m even envious of you to a point. You’re living on your own, married, kids, the whole shebang. That’s what most people what at the end of the day. That’s what I want too. I’m just not ready to sacrifice my creativity yet. And for those who found that bliss where you have both, I hope to goodness I become part of that elite group.

So for now I appreciate all the advice from my real friends, I commend those of you who are fighting to find that equal balance like I am and work crazy hours to not conform, and I give props to the ones who sacrificed their creative side to have a more stable life and find happiness. Just know that we all can’t change someone’s path, it’s their own destiny to choose that.

Keep it real.

-AMP