There seems to be a moment in time in every generation where the people are able to look back at that time in their life through the microcosm of a correlating cultural event. Woodstock, Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, the Moon landing, “Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania”; all examples touted as being defining to their eras and time capsules for the people who lived them. Undoubtedly, the biggest cultural phenomenon of the last few years has been Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Taylor’s grand return to touring after a four year hiatus in which she celebrates different points from her career thus far has corresponded with a pivotal time in my life. I turned eighteen years old in 2020. I had just graduated high school in the wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic. It was a major time of uncertainty and the world seemed to stand still, both globally and for me personally. I was already unsure about what the next move for me would be after high school, and the pandemic put a hold to whatever plans I may have had. Around that same time, Taylor Swift would release her eighth studio album, Folklore. I had always enjoyed Taylor’s music growing up, but around this time is where I really began to pay attention to her as an artist and developed a deeper respect and appreciation for her and her work. The bittersweet, melancholy tone of the album perfectly captured the feeling at the time. It remains my favorite album of hers to this day. By the end of the year, Taylor would release a sister album entitled Evermore, which once again would serve as a reflection of the mood of living through this time. Over the next couple of years my fandom would only continue to grow. I had my sister’s CD of Folklore playing on repeat when I would drop her off and pick her up from school after finally getting my driver’s license. I had become a little more sure of my plan in life at this point and was preparing to leave home to go to college. That year, Taylor would make the biggest announcement of her career. She would be returning to performing with the Eras Tour. I went to a great effort to get tickets for me and my sister and was finally able to acquire some a month before I left for college. There was a lot to look forward to at this time of my life, one of which was knowing I would be seeing Ms. Taylor Alison Swift live in concert and being able to share that experience with my sister. Unfortunately, a family accident would lead to us having to miss the concert. I was heartbroken. The same month I got the tickets, December 2022, Taylor would release Midnights. Just as the previous two albums, the tone of Midnights would echo the vibe of my life as I had a new found optimism towards the future but retained an understandable fear of the unknown. During this period, Taylor would also embark on rereleasing her old albums after getting back the rights to them This would further inflame my love for her music and served as an inspiration of anything being possible as my coming of age comes and goes.

“When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for having been there.” Those are the words of Jim Henson, famed creator of The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and work on countless other projects. I regard Jim as one of my greatest creative and personal influences. This is on account of his “ridiculous optimism”, as those close to him would call it, and his dedication to creativity and innovation while maintaining and promoting kindness, compassion, and love for one another. The reason I chose to pursue a degree and a career in the film industry is because I am passionate about creating things that are able to evoke human emotion. The ability to reach another human being with your work is a feeling unlike any other. I believe in the power of what we as creators put on the screen. I also believe in the responsibility of what it is that we as creators put out into the world. It is something I have experienced in my own work thus far. This doesn’t just apply to what comes out on the camera either. One of the beautiful aspects that I have been able to experience in my career has been working with many different people who come from different backgrounds. The fact that a group of people with different backgrounds and experiences can come together to work towards this common goal of creating something is nothing short of magical. In the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Gene Wilder as Wonka states, “We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.” And in the song Pure Imagination, he sings “Want to change the world? There’s nothing to it.” It is my hope that throughout my career I am able to create projects that inspire and bring out the best in people and bring people together, both both through what I put on the screen and through cultivating that environment on my sets. And that this world is a better place for me having been here and the work I have created.