**Balance** (MUST READ)

Bruh.. Where do I even begin with this one?… Alright, so balance is defined as an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady. Balance is symbolic of peace and harmony among all things and people. That’s all fine and dandy when your doing it on steady solid ground, on a good day underneath some clear blue skies, BUT..! sometimes life requires you to balance your -iish on a rowboat with only one oar, in the middle of a hurricane, while the Krakken watches and laughs at you from a distance. Now this one was fully prompted from my internal battle between self-investment and self-sacrifice. I don’t care who you think you are, sooner or later, each one of us will reach a point where we must learn to balance personal relationships and obligations, alongside a growing career that demands your utmost attention and commitment. The easiest part about everything I just said was writing it down here. Yeah. Because NOTHING about putting this balance thing into practice is easy.

I can only speak for myself, but as an artist there is a sense of confidence we have in our ability to provide solutions to situations, and having the capacity to be able to do all things perfectly, if not well enough. And for me, that isn’t just about character development, scripts, or music, but also within my duties as an older and younger brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, grandson, and boyfriend. I’ve met so many people who cast aside their families and friends under the guise that those are the parts of their lives that hold them back from being “successful in the industry”, but I don’t completely agree with that philosophy. I just can’t see how a network of people who support you, and have influenced your craft throughout life can be the very same things one would need to cast aside. Everything we bring to the stage or the camera, comes from our connections and experiences with those around us, and closest to us. So to me those are the bonds I care for the most, and they are the ones that carry the most value everywhere and anywhere I go. However, I can also confidently say that those bonds are also the source of both the good and the bad moments in life.

Nurturing each one of those relationships is a WHOLE JOB in itself, and I aim to protect them in any way possible. But should it ever be to the detriment of myself..? Hmm. So here’s where that balance thing comes into play. Principle and morality can often dictate that self-sacrifice is the ultimate form of love, and is best way to be chivalrous, however.. doesn’t making the choice to sacrifice your own progress for the sake of others, only limit your own capacity and ability to provide for others and the same person you wished to protect? It’s a freaking catch-22! Deadass, you can never win! But what I’ve come to learn is, that in itself is the exact definition of balance. Balance is a catch-22. There is no ONE correct answer or method to all of it. Both alternatives must to live simultaneously. Life is a series of choices, and every choice we make tilts the scale in one direction or the other. The trick to it is making the choices at different points in time that keep the scales level , and just being okay with the choices that we’ve made. That doesn’t always mean that our choices are going to make us happy in those exact moments, but like I said in the beginning, balance is about peace and harmony among all things and people, not instant gratification.