If Only Passion Can Pay for the Bills

At this point in my life, it seems that I now only have two choices for my career path: to wear power suits, live a corporate life, earn money to pay my bills in the future, whilst slowing crushing my dream of reviving the Philippine Movie Industry… or to live an indie lifestyle, with so much indie going on that “independent” would have a whole new definition (in this case, “broke”), be an artist, have a (for the sake of exaggeration…) disastrous life worthy of an eleven on the Richter scale, and, quite possibly, live on the streets with empty pockets.

So, this leaves me with one question: What if passion can’t pay for your bills?

Welcome to the society wherein saying you’re an Arts major will be met by pitying glances and/or raised eyebrows. When people ask me what my degree program is (otherwise known to many people as “course”), I try to lift my chin up and, extracting every ounce of pride from every pore of my body, proudly say that I am a Communication Arts major. Of course, the question “Anong ginagawa nun?” is not new to me. And, let me tell you, I try. I can’t even begin to count the innumerable times I’ve explained exactly what it is I do in CommArts. But still, it’s not a complete surprise when those narrow-minded individuals just can’t seem to grasp the idea of media and film industry being one of the most beautiful means for change. The confused and pitying glances never seemed to go away. Sometimes I just want to scream and say “Someday those glances will turn to that of admiration, you petty, shallow, one-dimensional people!” But of course, I can’t exactly do that. So instead, I just sigh and say “You wouldn’t understand”, complete with a cool and calm demeanor on the outside, but virtually screaming on the inside. I mean, come on, before you make any hasty and harsh judgment, why don’t you let your raised eyebrow(s) down for a minute or two and just think, even just for a moment, about how you YOURSELF can make a change? Because I for one can...