Dreams: Don't let people tell you 'No'

I created my first blog in 2014 when I was 16 years old and in my first year of Sixth Form. I needed a space to explore my creativity and build upon my writing muscle, even if only writing free verse, a stream of consciousness type material. I had, and still do have, so many thoughts and I needed a place to expand on what I was feeling and thinking.

Moving into Sixth Form was a bit daunting for me. It was brilliant in the sense we had smaller classes for more focused learning and my confidence shot up, however, there was that sense of confusion, fear and worry. I loved my lessons, don`t get me wrong, and my workload, while heavy and a massive step up from school, was manageable. However, half of my year was off getting part-time jobs and were so excited about it. When I told people I didn`t have one or didn`t want one, I was looked down on and people would ask me, `why not?`.

I know the world isn't simple, that not everyone has the opportunity to jump straight into a job that they love. 'A job is a job' as everyone loves to point out but that's never been my viewpoint. 'Do what you love' is the only option for me. Every day in Sixth Form we were hounded with questions about our careers, which university to attend, how we need to have a five-year plan or there's no point in us being there. Every day we were hounded with this fear and worry. Looking back on this now it seems ridiculous I allowed them to get away with this fear-mongering and how my stress levels were elevated every day. I did what I had to do in the time I had to do it, not from the pressure from them, but from my own will and passion to do it.

Back then, I knew that I wanted to be a writer and an actor but I refused to admit it to anyone (even myself) because I was told in Year 10 that I need to pick a realistic career, and so they limited 'Writer' to 'Journalist'. Being creative was not an option for anyone in my school or sixth form. Having the creative freedom that university allows me and that I allowed myself through blogging and my creative writing course pursuits, has made me such a happier person.

I could never limit myself to one job, I'm too restless and eager to learn more and experience more. I want to travel and write, I want to publish a poetry anthology, a short story collection, novels upon novels, non-fiction books, create stage plays, television shows, films, musicals. I want to be involved in film and theatre as both an actor and writer. I want to create stories, bring art to life on stage, be an advocate for charities and organisations, go on book tours, I just want to have a busy and unpredictable life full of fun, adventures and art.

I must admit I am abundantly lucky. I have parents who don't want me to get a part-time job, they will always feed me, I'll always have a home and they treat my writing as a job despite my lack of earnings. They believe in me 100% and knowing I have their backing despite every other outsiders' lowly opinion of me, makes me push forward. The thing with writing is that I need that time to create. If I'm stuck in a retail job always tired I'll always push aside my writing. Or I may never find the time to manage my writing with a job and my university timetable, classes, workload and coursework.

I know what I want to do. It's been my passion since I was six years old and my Dad bought me a black notebook set and I would write Winnie the Pooh short stories. It's been my passion since I was nine years old and was cast as the lead role in my school's musical nativity. I'm finally admitting it, to myself, to everyone online. I'm going to try my hardest to make all my dreams and passions a reality, I've been in love with acting and writing for years and it's all I want to do.

Dreams are so important to have and please don't let your school (whether past or present) dictate what is real and what isn't, because you can pursue anything you want. Don't be alive to just stay alive and go through the motions. Find a way to live a happy and fun life, one of ultimate purpose and fulfilment.