The Problem with Dreams
Many years ago I realized and took to heart the practical advice that you can never count on someone else to make your dreams come true. It will simply never happen. First off, that’s way too much of a burden to put on someone. Not to mention, nobody cares that much. They’re too busy with their own dreams. The sad truth is that some of us—most of us—were born into situations where personal failure is ultimately inevitable. Some opportunities will never be afforded to us. My only goal in life is to be a socialite in the rock and roll scene, but that can never happen due to three main circumstances.
1) I don’t live in New York City, and I’m unwilling to sacrifice my comfort as is necessary to endure the higher cost of living.
2) Being a socialite requires socializing, which is something I loathe, fear, and am generally incapable of.
3) There is no more rock and roll scene.
People have criticized my lack of effort toward realizing my dream, despite the above obstacles, but the truth is that I’m a very ambitious person. What I lack is creativity and an ability to problem-solve. Had I a brilliant idea for accomplishing my dream, I would pursue it relentlessly. But, in the ten years that achieving “rock and roll socialite” status has been my only real ambition, I’ve never had a good enough idea to pursue long-term. The Blue Jean Babies was the best I came up with, and we had a few good years. We were definitely recognized as #3, after the Plastics and the BBA’s. We had magazine interviews, and we would have been featured on E! had we lived in closer proximity to one another. But somehow, the momentum died. We were heading up, up, up in establishing our presence, and then we disappeared. So, that didn’t work out either.
I’m starting to think I need to reevaluate my situation and find another way to be noteworthy. I’ve always denounced anywhere other than Chicago, New York, or L.A. as places people go to die inside, but maybe I don’t need a big city since I’ll never be part of a big social scene. Maybe what I need is to have adventures—constantly experiencing new and different things that people might find to be of interest. Would anyone read a book about my life, even if I never achieved any level of fame or status, but had some cool stories to tell?
My only other idea is going to Exit every single night for the rest of my life until they recognize me.
i think you've got it with "...but maybe I don’t need a big city since I’ll never be part of a big social scene." Not saying i'm FAMOUS in any way, but even though it was practically impossible that bands stayed in Boston, it was FAR easier to get noticed and spend time with them while they were there vs. oh, say, LA. i feel like it's better to make a name for yourself in a smaller place, where people are apt to be more open then in a place where they already "don't need another friend," or have the comforts of home to look forward to. I think you're built for adventures! have you ever considered that it's also easier to socialize with American rock bands when they're playing abroad? it's a huge relief to them to just find another soul who speaks English. you begin to represent a piece of home.
ReplyDeleteanyway, this post has a very interesting observation. I think people can learn to problem solve creatively.
I never actually thought about the overseas thing before. It's intimidating to me, since I've never traveled, but I would like to explore the possibility of living maybe in Europe someday. Right now I feel like it would just be cool to experience more of the U.S. Boston is still a fairly big city, but the fact that you say it was a lot easier to get noticed than in L.A. is encouraging. I guess a smaller town would have its advantages. Then again, I can't help feeling like being known in a smaller town is a small accomplishment, you know what I mean? But I probably shouldn't have such absurd expectations for myself, because I set myself up for failure.
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