To the Dreams I've Had Before

Written by Marissa BeatyPhotography by Tori TisoDo you ever regret not stepping forward, not speaking out, or not exploring your talents more? It’s not just you. We have become a society of ritual and convention, but what if that weren’t the case?These words are dedicated to the dreams I’ve had before, and, well, to yours, too. Be it the fleeting face of a stranger whom took you by surprise, or the tutu sitting in the corner of your closet from when you dreamt of being a ballerina, or the postcard you keep in the back of your wallet to remind yourself of where you would rather be. Regardless of what it is, we all have some dream nestled within us. Or we have multiple. That’s the beauty of these glimpses, they appear nearly every day.For some, these glimpses turn into reality. Some people grow up to be ballerinas and doctors and even princes/princesses, but what about the rest of us? What about the majority of us who experience these glimpses frequently but have never seen one turn into actuality? I think the issue with us is that we disbelieve. We feel as though we aren’t good enough, or smart enough, or we’re too old to even attempt these little passions, and so, we let them flutter by and disappear nearly as quickly as they came.This may not seem consequential. We cannot do everything or follow every whim, can we? We must say no to some things our mind tells us, but it is not what we’re saying no to that’s important, it’s the fact that we’re saying no in the first place. Now, more than ever, our world is being taken over by the practical. That is, go to a good college, obtain a practical degree, get a decent job, get married, have kids, so on and so forth.This is what has become the American Dream, so what’s the problem? According to a Gallup study in 2017, over 67 percent of American workers are either unengaged or actively disengaged with their jobs. We have become so focused on what we should do, that we often forget to think about what we want to do.The importance of how these glimpses affect us are for those infinitesimally small moments in which our brain - hard wired to follow practicality - is left unattended. It is where we think, what if? What if you took that chance? What if you took that class? Followed up on that idea? We are at an age where we are not dragged down by the realities of life. We have yet to enter the world of job searches, promotions, weddings, and children, and what that allows us to do is explore.It doesn’t matter what you choose to begin with, be it a life- altering decision or a simple routine change, the importance is that you take these risks, for the beauty of life is within them. This is what we encourage at Illumination and as lovers of the arts: not necessarily that you become one of us, but that you have the courage to do what it is that you truly want to. The best time to start is now.