"Nike commercials and Batman movies."
That's the exact answer I've given for the past 6 years anytime someone asked me what my career goals are. It usually elicits a chuckle or a double-take when people hear it for the first time. My favorite reaction is when people ask "no really, what do you want to do?" and I respond with the exact same answer. Word. For. Word.
For a long time I couldn't understand why people had such a hard time believing that answer. Then it hit me; it was because it sounded fun.
Growing up is a strange thing. I vividly remember being a little kid and talking with my friends about how we'd grow up to be astronauts, professional athletes, Power Rangers, wizards, etc. Slowly, those dreams slowly started to fade out as the real world tightened its grip on us. Astronauts became accountants, professional athletes became truck drivers, and Power Rangers became - actually, I don't know what happened to that kid.
Before this Summer semester started, I went to Austin to direct an educational math hip-hop music video (yes, you read that right.) It was completely ridiculous and over-the-top, but also my favorite professional experience to date. The reason behind this isn't because this was the project I'd been dreaming of directing my entire life, but because I got to do it with some of my best (and most talented) friends.
It was fun.
This isn't to say that everyone should go out and quit their day jobs because I had fun during a weekend in Austin. This is more about the idea that we can't forget to have fun. We can't let ourselves forget to enjoy things the way we did when we were kids. That could be anything from playing pickup basketball to doing karaoke with your closest friends.
I realized that when I tell people exactly what it is that I want to do, it isn't necessarily about the finish line in my career, but rather a reminder to myself to have fun and not to forget the types of things that inspired me as a little kid.
Nike commercials and Batman movies.