‘ I have always wanted to be an actress. I have a shamefully embarrassing collection of home videos where I am dressed in odd costumes reciting screenplays that I wrote on sheets of notebook paper. While other kids in my neighborhood were busy scribbling on the pavement with chalk, I was reenacting the drama of ‘Titanic’ in my living room.
But like most dreams that begin with ‘When I grow up,’ my dream of becoming Hollywood’s next bright star quickly faded as reality set in.
And I had almost forgotten about this dream that had so easily moved from the back-burner of the stove until I read an article that stirred my inspiration for pursuing acting.
According to this article, art supply shops and craft stores have been exceedingly profitable despite the dismal economy. But the article was not about how successful businesses in the creative industry have been. Rather, it was a profile of how instrumental creativity has become in turning passions into successful business ventures. And the passions they were referring to belonged to recent college graduates.
But you do not need an article to remind you how important creativity is, or how celebrated entrepreneurship is in a tough economy. Perhaps what you need to be reminded of instead is how difficult times often foster an opportunity to pursue unlikely ventures. In other words, there is never a better time to dream big when there is nothing to lose.
This is not to say that I have resurrected my handheld camcorder or my crumpled acceptance speech for my first potential Oscar, but rather I have explored other creative ventures just for the sake of trying new things. Whether you already have your dream job lined up for post-graduation, or you are still sorting through options and weighing opportunities, I suggest you try anything and everything that interests you.
Be ambitious. Take a road you’ve never been down before, even if it’s only because you can. You may be surprised to learn how rewarding and fulfilling your time becomes when you discover those things you are most passionate about.
As college students, it is easy to feel like we follow a certain path, a particular major with requirements to fulfill. It is sometimes easier to forget than question the age-old expression that college is the best four or five years of your life. And while we are busy pursuing classes and co-ops, it is important to step back every now and then and be sure we are not leaving our days unfulfilled.
Maybe your dreams are not as glamorous now as when you were in kindergarten and your teacher leaned across your desk to curiously ask who you would like to be one day. Or maybe you are like my sister who denies she has any creativity. But you need not a paintbrush or a guitar to be creative. So long as you are passionate about something, you have succeeded.
And keeping this in mind I can fondly recall some achievements of my own, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant, that I attribute to simply following through with my interests. I recall the girl in high school always wanted to be an editorial columnist for her university’s newspaper.

‘- Rebecca Fenton can be reached at [email protected].