For the longest time I thought that I wanted to be a doctor. When thinking about my future, I told myself one thing: I’m going to hate my job regardless of what it is, so I might as well get rich while doing it. I thought to myself, “Who cares if I am an extreme hypochondriac, terrible at delivering bad news, and get nauseous at even the thought of blood? I’ll get over it!”

Looking back, that was maybe not the best mindset to have (as many of my friends and family members tried in vain to make clear to me), but what can I say? I guess I needed to come to that conclusion on my own.

Ever since I was young my interests have been rather consistent, centering around the arts. Whether I’m spending hours on a drawing that nobody will ever see, performing in front of an audience full of people, or even just listening to music, I have always found home in artistic expression—my own and that of others.

After essentially throwing out my entire life’s plan, and with my college application deadlines approaching, I realized that I needed to come up with a plan that actually involved my interests (groundbreaking, I know).

It wasn’t until very recently that I realized the answer was rather clear all along: creativity does not have to exist in only the form of a hobby. There are so many points of intersection that can lead to success and happiness.

I came to this realization during this period of stress and uncertainty that is more commonly known as senior year. After finishing my homework (usually before, if I’m being honest) I will scroll through HBO Max, Netflix, and any other streaming services to find a film. Sometimes I will re-watch a comfort movie. Other times I will sit down and watch a classic that has been on my list for a while. However, a majority of the time, I will just put on something that will make me laugh.

No matter what the movie is, I will challenge myself to watch it actively. Rather than sitting on my phone, I will sit and really try to decipher the message that the director or writer is trying to communicate. By doing this, the experience of watching a movie transforms into something completely different.

Instead of just viewing cinema as just mindless entertainment, I was able to better understand and appreciate the level of effort that goes into creating such powerful pieces. Even better, I was able to see that it does not have to be mindless; if you remain engaged, taking in the story, the individual shots, the color palette, the scoring, the everything, then you will be able to take in the piece the way the director intended.

Watching these movies attentively made me realize that creativity and structure don’t have to be mutually exclusive. There are many careers and fields that fall on the intersection, and the film industry is just that for me.

As a person who is both extremely visually oriented and passionate about literature, movies are exciting to me. Film-making is not restricted to one dimension. Visuals and sound are both equally important throughout the process.

The combination of a soundtrack, visually appealing shots, passionate actors, and a well-written script creates pure magic on the screen.

There are so many different roles that go into film-making, and so many of them go on behind the scenes. That’s where I hope to reside. Whether I am working on the marketing side, budgeting, or starting out as an intern, the idea of being involved in a field that I am so passionate about is completely new and thrilling to me.

I never thought that I would find a field that I am truly passionate about, and I am just so happy to prove myself wrong.

Side note: if you are considering joining the medical field, but you are not passionate about saving lives, healing the sick and wounded, and taking care of people, then I respectfully suggest that you consider another career.